Philip Pot vowed never to sit at table on a Tuesday and to wear no protection on his right arm.  This last the duke refused to permit.  Hugues de Longueval vowed that when he had once turned his face to the East he would abstain from wine until he had plunged his sword in an infidel’s blood, and that he would devote two years to the crusade even if he had to remain all alone, provided Constantinople were not recovered.  Louis de Chevelast swore that no covering should protect his head until he had come to within four leagues of the infidels, and that he would fight a Turk on foot with nothing on his arm but a glove.  There was the same emulation in the vows as in the banquets and many of the self-imposed penalties were as bizarre as the side-shows.

There were so many chevaliers eager to bind themselves to the enterprise that the prolonged ceremony threatened to become tedious.  The duke, therefore, declared that the morrow would be equally valid as the day.[8]

The Count of St. Pol was the only knight present who made his going dependent on the consent of the King of France, a condition very displeasing to his liege lord of Burgundy.]

“To abridge my tale [continues La Marche], the banquet was finished and the cloth removed and every one began to walk around the room.  To me it seemed like a dream, for, of all the decorations, soon nothing remained but the crystal fountain.  When there was no further spectacle to distract me, then my understanding began to work and various considerations touching this business came into my mind.  First, I pondered upon the outrageous excess and great expense incurred in a brief space by these banquets, for this fashion of progressive entertainments, with the hosts designated by chaplets, had lasted a long time.  All had tried to outshine their predecessors, and all, especially my said lord, had spent so much that I considered the whole thing outrageous and without any justification for the expense, except as regarded the entremets of the Church and the vows.  Even that seemed to me too lightly treated for an important enterprise.

“Meditating thus I found myself by chance near a gentleman, councillor and chamberlain, who was in my lord’s confidence and with whom I had some acquaintance.  To him I imparted my thoughts in the course of a friendly chat and his comment was as follows: 

“’My friend, I know positively that these chaplet entertainments would never have occurred except by the secret desire of the duke to lead up to this very banquet where he hoped to achieve a holy purpose and to resist the enemies of our faith.  It is three years now since the distress of our Church was presented to the Knights of the Golden Fleece at Mons. My lord there dedicated his person and his wealth to her service.  Since then occurred the rebellion of Ghent, which entailed upon him a loss of time and money.  Thanks be to God, he has attained there a good and honourable