helping them up, with their heavy armour, if unhorsed.

It was common to hold a "passage of arms" for three days: two for the
contest on horseback, first with lances, second with swords and maces;
while on the third day, on foot, pole-axes were used. A specially heavy
kind of armour was worn, sometimes nearly 200 lbs. in weight, so that a
knight once unhorsed lay on the ground absolutely helpless, and could not
rise without help. This armour was made still stronger by "reinforcing
armour"--pieces screwed on over the left side, chiefly, which received most
blows--making a double defence for the head, chest, and left shoulder.
"Pauldrons" or shoulder-guards buckled on, that on the right arm being
smaller to leave freedom for using the lance. Then we have brassards or
arm-guards; the rere-brace for the upper arm, the vam-brace for the lower,
and the elbow-piece called a "coudiere."

When all was ready on the appointed day for the tournament at Aire, the
trumpet sounded, and then the order of the Tourney was declared aloud.
Bayard had to appear first in the lists, and against him rode forth a
neighbour of his in Dauphiné, by name Tartarin, a powerful man-at-arms.
They rushed at each other so vehemently that Tartarin broke his lance half
a foot from the iron, and Bayard struck him above the arm-piece of his
armour and broke his lance into five or six pieces, upon which the trumpets
sounded forth triumphantly, for the joust was wonderfully good. After
having finished their first attack they returned to face each other for the
second. Such was the fortune of Tartarin that with his lance he forced in
Bayard's arm-piece, and every one thought that he had his arm pierced. But
he was not hurt, and succeeded in returning the attack by a stroke above
the visor, which carried off the bunch of plumes from his adversary's
helmet. The third bout with the lance was as good or even better than the
others, for the lance was more completely shivered into fragments.