Await the signal; whilst, with other thoughts,
And ominous, awe, once more, the invading host
Prepare them in the field of fight to meet

The Maid of God. Collected in himself

Appeared the might of Talbot.

Thro' the ranks

He stalks, reminds them of their former fame,

Their native land, their homes, the friends they loved, All the rewards of this day's victory.

But awe had filled the English, and they struck

Faintly their shields; for they who had beheld
The hallowed banner with celestial light

Irradiate, and the Missioned Maiden's deeds,
Felt their hearts sink within them, at the thought
Of her near vengeance; and the tale they told
Roused such a tumult in the new-come troops,
As fitted them for fear. The aged Chief
Beheld their drooping valour: his stern brow,
Wrinkled with thought, bewray'd his inward doubts:
Still he was firm, tho' all might fly resolved

That Talbot should retrieve his old renown,

And period Life with Glory. Yet some hope
Inspired the Veteran, as across the plain
Casting his eye, he marked the embattled strength
Of thousands; Archers of unequalled skill,

Brigans, and Pikemen, from whose lifted points
A fearful radiance flashed, and young Esquires,
And high-born Warriors, bright in blazoned arms.
Nor few, nor fameless were the English Chiefs :
In many a field victorious, he was there,

The gartered Fastolffe; Hungerford, and Scales,
Men who had seen the hostile squadrons fly

Before the arms of England. Suffolk there,
The haughty Chieftain towered; blest had he fallen

Ere

yet a Courtly Minion he was marked

By public hatred, and the murderer's name!

There, too the Son of Talbot, young in arms,

Moved eager, he, at many a tournament,

With matchless force, had pointed his strong lance, O'er all opponents, victor: confident

In strength, and jealous of his future fame,

His heart beat high for battle. Such array
Of marshalled numbers fought not on the field
Of Crecy, nor at Poitiers; nor such force

Led Henry to the fight of Azincour,

When thousands fell before him.

Onward move

The host of France. It was a goodly sight
To see the embattled pomp, as with the step
Of stateliness the barbed steeds came on,
To see the pennons † rolling their long waves
Before the gale, and banners + broad and bright

+ The Pennon was long, ending in two points, the Banner square." Un Seigneur n'etoit Banneret et ne pouvoit porter la banniere quarrée, que lors qu'il pouvoit entretenir a ses depens un certain nombre de Chevaliers et d'Ecuyers, avec leur suite a la guerre : jusques-la son etendard avoit deux queues ou fanons, et, quand il devenoit plus puissant, son souverain coupoit lui-meme les fanons de son etendard, pour le rendre quarré.

Comte de Tressan.

An incident before the battle of Nagera exemplifies this.

Tossing their blazonry, and high-plumed chiefs

"As the two armies approached near together, the Prince went over a little hill, in the descending whereof he saw plainly his enemies marching toward him: wherefore when the whole army was come over this mountain, he commanded that there they should make an halt, and so fit themselves for fight. At that instant the Lord John Chandos brought his ensign folded up, and offered it to the Prince, saying, "Sir, here is my Guidon; I request your Highness to display it abroad, and to give me leave to raise it this day as my banner; for I thank God and your Highness, I have lands and possessions sufficient to maintain it withall." Then the Prince took the Pennon, and having cut off the tail, made it a square banner, and this done, both he and King Don Pedro. for the greater honour, holding it between their hands displayed it abroad, it being Or, a sharp pile Gules: and then the Prince delivered it unto the Lord Chandos again, saying, "Sir John, behold here is your banner. God send you much joy and honour with it." And thus being made a Knight Banneret, the Lord Chandos returned to the head of his men, and said "here Gentlemen, behold my banner and yours. Take and keep it, to your honour and mine." And so they took it with a shout, and said by the grace of God and St. George they would defend it to the best of their powers. But the banner remained in the hands of a gallant English Esquire named William Allestry, who bore it all that day, and acquitted himself in the service right honourably."

Barnes

Vidames and Seneschalls and Chastellains,
Gay with their bucklers gorgeous heraldry,
And silken † surcoats on the buoyant wind
Billowing.

*This title frequently occurs in the French Chronicles, it was peculiar to France," the Vidame or Vicedominus being to the Bishop in his temporals as the Vicecomes or Vicount anciently to the Earle, in his judicials.”

Peter Heylyn.

Joshua Barnes seems to have been greatly impressed with the splendour of such a spectacle. “It was a glorious and ravishing sight, no doubt," says he, "to behold these two armies standing thus regularly embattled in the field, their banners and standards waving in the wind, their proud horses barbed, and Kings, Lords, Knights, and Esquires richly armed, and all shining in their surcoats of sattin and embroidery."

Thus also at Poitiers "there you might have beheld a most beautiful sight of fair harness, of shining steel, feathered crests of glittering helmets, and the rich embroidery of silken surcoats of arms, together with golden standards, banners and pennons gloriously moving in the air.

And at Nagera "the sun being now risen, it was a ravishing sight to behold the armies, and the sun refle&ting from