[Footnote 95:  The war-cries of their family.]

  The youngest turn’d him in a path,
  And drew a burnished brand, &c.—­P. 31. v. 2.

Thus, Sir Walter Mauny, retreating into the fortress of Hanyboute, after a successful sally, was pursued by the besiegers, who ranne after them, lyke madde men; than Sir Gualtier saide, “Let me never be beloved wyth my lady, without I have a course wyth one of these folowers!” and turning, with his lance in the rest, he overthrew several of his pursuers, before he condescended to continue his retreat.

  Whene’er they came within the yate,
  They thrust their horse them frae, &c.—­P. 32. v. 1.

“The Lord of Hangest (pursued by the English) came so to the barryers (of Vandonne) that were open, as his happe was, and so entred in therat, and than toke his speare, and turned him to defence, right valiantly.”—­Froissart, Vol.  I. Chap. 367.

  They rade their horse, they ran their horse,
  Then hovered on the lee, &c.—­P. 36. v. 1.

The sieges, during the middle ages, frequently afforded opportunity for single combat, of which the scene was usually the draw-bridge, or barriers, of the town.  The former, as the more desperate place of battle, was frequently chosen by knights, who chose to break a lance for honour, and their ladies’ love.  In 1387, Sir William Douglas, lord of Nithisdale, upon the draw-bridge of the town of Carlisle, consisting of two beams, hardly two feet in breadth, encountered and slew, first, a single champion of England, and afterwards two, who attacked him together.—­Forduni Scotichronicon, Lib.  XIV. cap. 51.

  He brynt the surburbys of Carlele,
  And at the bareris he faucht sa wele,
  That on thare bryg he slw a man,
  The wychtast that in the town wes than: 
  Quhare, on a plank of twa feet brade,
  He stude, and twa gude payment made,
  That he feld twa stout fechteris,
  And but skath went till his feres.

Wintown’s Cronykil, Book IX.  Chap. 8.

These combats at the barriers, or palisades, which formed the outer fortification of a town, were so frequent, that the mode of attack and defence was early taught to the future knight, and continued long to be practised in the games of chivalry.  The custom, therefore, of defying the inhabitants of a besieged town to this sort of contest, was highly fashionable in the middle ages; and an army could hardly appear before a place, without giving rise to a variety of combats at the barriers, which were, in general, conducted without any unfair advantage being taken on either part.