The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-04-12
The convent bells are ringing,
Blu, mournfsily and slow:
la The gray square turret swinging.
With a deep sound TO and fro.
Heavily TO the heart they go.
Hark. the hymn is singing
The sony for the dead below


la the gray square swinging
With deep sound 10 and fro.
| Heavily TO the heart they 60
! Hark the hymn is singing
The song for the dead below,
/ Or The living who shortly shall be so
| For departing beings soul
The death hymn peals, and the hallow bells knoll.
! While those bells were yet toling, and befor
the echoes of the last stroke of ten had die,
away, two barefooted friars entered the lists, on
at either end, each carrying Bible and cru
| cihx; and at the same moment the two cham
pions were seen advancing, each to his own en-,
of the lists, accompanied by his sureties or god
/ fathers, all armed in complete suits of chair
mail; Sir Aradas as appellant, entering at tn,
east, Sir Foulke at the left, end of the enclo
sure.
! Here they were met each by one of the friars
the constable and mareschal riding close up t,
the barriers, to hear the plighting oftheir oaths
And at this moment, the eyes of all the mul
titude were riveted on the forms of the two ad
versaries, and every judgment was on the stretcl
to frame auguries of the issue, from the thieves
the sinews, and the delneanor, of the two cham
pions.
1t was seen at glance that Sir Foulkt
dolly was by far the stronger-built and heavier
man. He was exceedingly broad shouldered
and the great volume of his humeral muscles
gave him the appearance of being round back
ed but he was deep-chested, and long armed
and, though his hips were thick and heavy, anG
his legs slightly bowed-perhaps in consequence
of his almost living on horseback-it was evi
dent that he was a man of gigantic strength
impaired neither by excess nor age, for he die
not seem to be more than in his fortieth year.
Sir Aradas de Radcliffe on the contrary, was
nearly three inches taller than his opponent
and proportionally longer in the reach bal
altogether he was built more on the model of al
Antinous than Hercules. If he was not very
broad in the shoulders, he was singularly deer
and round in the chest, and remarkable for the
arched hollow of his back and the thinness o.
his TANKS. His arms and legs were irreproach
able, and, all in all, he trod the firm earth with
A station like the herald Mercury
New-ighed on heaven-kissng hill"
But it was from the features of the two men
that most took their auspices, and that the
friends of Aradas drew confident augury of his
triumph.
The face of Sir Foulke dolly was placid
and colorless, with. huge overlapping brows
shading his small, keen eyes, with penthouse
of grizzly bristles, large pendant cheeks, SIMS
ter hooked nose, and mouth Indicative of lust
cruelty, and iron frmness-altogether sordid
vulturine type of man.
The features of Aradas, on the contrary, were
clean, clear, heshless, and finely marked; a
broad, smooth forehead, straight-cut black eye
brows, well-opened hazel eyes, with tawny
flash when excited, like to that of lion or an
eagle, a nose slightly aquiline, and mouth
not less benevolent than resolute. No one could
look at him and his opponent, without think.
ing instinctively of the gallant heaven piring
falcon matched with the earthly carbon vulture.
Nor was there less meaning or omen in the
tone of their voices, as they swore.
Men paused to listen breathlessy; for among
the lower classes on the field there were heavy
bets pending on the issue, and the critical
judges of those days believed that there was
much in the voice of man.
AS each entered the lists, he was met by a
friar, who encountered him with the question,
" Brother, hast thou confessed thy sins this
morning?"
To this, dolly muttered reply, inaudible
to the questioner; but Aradas made answer, in
voice that rang like silver bell, ~ have
confessed my sins, father, and, thanks to the
Lord Jesus, have received absolution and the
most holy sacrament of his body"
The questions were then put to both, to be
answered with the hand on the evangelists and
the lip on the crucifx-
"Do you hereby swear that your former an
swers and allegations are all true; that you
bear no weapons but those allotted by the
COURT that you have no charms about you
that you place your whole trust in God in the
goodness of your cause, and in your own PROV
ess?"
To this solemn query, Sir Foulke replied only
by the two words, ~ swear " and those so
obscurely uttered, that the constable called
on him to repeat them.
But Sir Aradas raised his head, and looked
1. al r I.
hereby swear" he said, that which / swore
therer, a liar, and traitor-to be true, and on
his body / will prove it; that have not nor
will use any weapons save what the court allot
me; that | wear neither charm nor talisman !;
and that, save in my good cause, my own right
hand, and my trust in God, / have not whereon
to rest my hope, here or hereafter. So may
he help me, or desert me at my utmost need,
on whose evangelists / am now sworn"
Then the godfathers led the men up face to
face, and, each grasping the other by the mail
ed right hand they again swore-
The appellant, any uttermost will do, and
more than my uttermost, if it may be- to Stay
thee on this ground whereon we stand, or to
force thee to cry "craven so help me God,
in his most holy heavenl"
And the appellee, any uttermost will l do,
and more, if it may be, than my uttermost, to
prove my innocence upon thy body, on this
ground whereon we stand-so help me God in
the highest!"
The same difference was observed in the
voices of the two men, as they again swore !;
for while the tones of Aradas had the steel-tem-
pered ring of the gallant game-cocks chal-
lenge, the notes of Sir Foulke were liker to the
quavering croak of the obscene raven.
Then the godfathers retired them, till they
stood face to face, with thirty feet between
them, and delivered to them the arms allotted
BY the court. These were-a dagger, with a
broad, fiat blade, eighteen inches in length,
worn in scabbard on the right side, behind
the hip; an estoe, or short sword, of about two
feet six, with sharp point and grooved bayo-
net-blade, hanging perpendicularly on the left
thigh; and a huge two-handed broadsword,
four feet from guard to point, with hilt OF
twenty inches, and great leaden pommel to
counterbalance the weight of the blade in stri-
king.
Their defensive arms were nearly similar.
Each wore habergeon, or closely fitting shirt
of linked mail, with mail sleeves, mail hose,
poldrous, genonillieres, and shoes, of plated
splents of steel; and fat-topped helmets, with
avantailles and beavers. But the neck Of Sir
Foulke dolly was defended by the new-fash-
Toned gorget of steel plates while Aradas adj
hered to the old mail hood or tippet, hooked on
to the lower rim of his beaver. And it was OBJ
served, that while d Oily wore his small heater.
shaped shield on his left arm, de Radcliffe
threw his over his shoulder, suspended from
the chain which held it about his neck, so as to
leave both his arms free to WELD his mighty
war sword.
Beyond this, it was only noted that in the
casone of Sir Aradas was a lady's glove, and on