Source:
King René's Tournament Book: An English Translation by Elizabeth Bennett
The princes' helms should be brought by their squires.
And the helms of the other knights banneret, knights and squires, by gentlemen or honest valets.
When the helms have been set up and displayed, then ladies and damsels may come, with lords, knights and esquires, to see all of them. The judges should lead them three or four times around the cloister to see the crests. And there should be a herald or pursuivant, who will tell the ladies the name of the person whose crest is before them. And if one of them has spoken ill of the ladies, they may touch his crest, and the matter will be considered the next day. All the same no one will be beaten at the tourney except by the decision of the judges, and after the case has been debated and proven and found to merit punishment: and in that case the malefactor will be well beaten, so that he feels it in his shoulders, and so that he will not in the future speak ill of the ladies, as he did before.
And besides the complaints of the ladies, there are certain other more serious offenses and worse than speaking ill of women, for which the punishment that follows is due to those who have committed them.
The first case and the most serious is when a gentleman is found to be a liar and to have broken a promise, especially in a matter of honor.
The second is when a gentleman is a usurer, and manifestly lends at interest.
The third case is when a gentleman marries a wife who is a commoner, and not noble.
Of these three cases, the first two cannot be remitted, because one must have rigorous justice at a tourney, and they are so dishonest and outrageous that if anyone is found to have committed them, after he has been notified, his helm is cast to the ground.
Note: If there comes someone to the tourney who is not a gentleman in all his lines of descent, but who is a virtuous person, he should not be beaten the first time, except by princes and great lords, who, without hurting him, should beat him with their swords and maces, and this should always be considered to be an honor. And this will be a sign that because of his great goodness and virtue, he deserves to be at the tourney, and from then on no one may reprove him for his lineage in any place of honor where he is found, at the tourney or elsewhere. There too he may bear a new crest, or change his arms if he wishes, and keep them thereafter for himself and his heirs.
The punishment for the two principal serious offenses described above is as follows:
That is to say, that the other lords, knights and squires at the tourney ought to arrest and beat the offender until he agrees to give up his horse, which is the same as saying, "I yield me." And when he has yielded, the other tourneyers should have their people on foot and on horseback cut the girth of his saddle and carry the miscreant to the list barrier on the saddle and set him on it as if on horseback, and keep him there in that state, so that he cannot get down or sneak away until the end of the tourney; and his horse should be given to the trumpeters or minstrels.
The punishment for the third offense is that the offender ought to be well beaten, until he gives up his horse like the other above. But his girth is not cut nor is he put on horseback on the barriers, as for the first two offenses. Instead the reins of his horse are taken from his hands and over the neck of his horse, and his mace and sword are cast to the ground, and he is led by the bridle to a herald or pursuivant who will take him to a corner of the lists, and keep him there until the end of the tourney. And if he tries to escape or flee from the hands of the heralds, he may be beaten again and his girth cut and be put on horseback on the barriers, as above.
In the fourth case, of a gentleman who has spoken ill of the honor of ladies or damsels, without reason. And for punishment he should be beaten by the other knights and squires at the tourney, until he cries in a loud voice to the ladies for mercy, so that everyone can hear him, and promises to never again speak ill or villainously of them.
And to return to our subject, when the judges have divided the helms and banners into two sides, each of the servants who carried the helms and banners to the inn, with the permission of the judges will carry them to his lord and master, in the same order and triumph as he carried them in, or otherwise if his master wishes. And nothing else happens this day, except that after supper, just as the evening before, there will be dancing, to which all the knights and squires should come. And after the first or second dance, the king of arms and the pursuivants should make a cry, by the order of the judges, as was described before, as follows:
High and powerful princes, counts, barons, knights and squires, who today presented to my lords the judges and to the ladies also, your crests and banners, which have been divided into two equal sides, under the banners and pennons of the very high and very noble prince and my very redoubted lord the Duke of Brittany appellant and my redoubted lord the Duke of Bourbon defendant: my lords the judges wish you to know that tomorrow at one hour after noon the lord appellant, with his pennon alone, will come to show himself in the lists, accompanied by all the other knights and squires who are of his party, on their destriers, covered with their coats of arms, and themselves without armor but dressed as well and prettily as possible, so that my lords the judges may take their oath. And after the lord appellant has shown himself, and the oath is taken, and he has left the lists, the lord defendant will do the same at the second hour, and similarly take his oath, and let no one fail to appear.
