field. When he saw his sword down, he lighted suddenly off his horse
and came to the place where his sword lay, and as he stooped down to
take up his sword, the French squire did pike his sword at him, and by
hap strake him through both the thighs, so that the knight fell to the
earth and could not help himself. And John alighted off his horse and
took the knight's sword that lay on the ground, and came to him and
demanded if he would yield him or not. The knight then demanded his
name. 'Sir,' said he, 'I hight John of Hellenes; but what is your
name?' 'Certainly,' said the knight, 'my name is Thomas and am lord of
Berkeley, a fair castle on the river of Severn in the marches of
Wales.' 'Well, sir,' quoth the squire, 'then ye shall be my prisoner,
and I shall bring you in safe-guard and I shall see that you shall be
healed of your hurt.' 'Well,' said the knight, 'I am content to be
your prisoner, for ye have by law of arms won me.' There he sware to
be his prisoner, rescue or no rescue. Then the squire drew forth the
sword out of the knight's thighs and the wound was open: then he
wrapped and bound the wound and set him on his horse and so brought
him fair and easily to Chatelleraut, and there tarried more than
fifteen days for his sake and did get him remedy for his hurt: and
when he was somewhat amended, then he gat him a litter and so brought
him at his ease to his house in Picardy. There he was more than a year
till he was perfectly whole; and when he departed he paid for his
ransom six thousand nobles, and so this squire was made a knight by
reason of the profit that he had of the lord Berkeley.




HOW KING JOHN WAS TAKEN PRISONER AT THE BATTLE OF POITIERS