Henri II: His Court and Times (37 page)

As soon as the King had taken his seat, the Guienne herald
advanced, and, at each extremity of the lists in turn, made the
following proclamation:

"This day, the tenth of the present month of July, the King,
our sovereign lord, has permitted and granted free and fair
field for mortal combat to François de Vivonne, Sieur de la
Châtaigneraie, pursuer, and to Guy Chabot, Sieur de Monlieu,
defendant and pursued, to decide by arms the question of
honour which is at issue between them.

"Wherefore, I make known to all, on behalf of the King,
that no one shall hinder the course of the present combat, nor
aid nor interfere with either of the combatants, on peril of
his life."

Immediately after the herald's proclamation, La Châtaigneraie
came from his lodging, accompanied by the Duc d'Aumale, his
second, and a great company of his friends and supporters, to
the number of more than five hundred, all wearing his colours,
white and carnation. His sword and shield and a banner
bearing the image of St. Francis — the saint by whose name he
had been baptized — were borne before him. The
cortège
,
which was preceded by drums and trumpets, made the circuit
of the lists, on the outside of the barriers, a ceremony which
was called "honouring the exterior of the field." La Châtaigneraie's
shield was then attached to a pillar on the right of the
royal tribune, and the pursuer himself advanced to the right
barrier, at which he was received by the Constable and escorted
to his tent, there to await the hour of the combat.

Jarnac appeared immediately afterwards, escorted by the
Grand Equerry, his second, and one hundred and twenty
gentlemen, wearing his colours — black and white — and preceded
by a banner bearing an image of the Holy Virgin. The
same ceremonial was observed in his case as in that of his
opponent, except that his shield was hung up on the left side
of the King's tribune and the Constable received him at the
left barrier.

The next ceremony was the
concordance des armes
. The
supporters of the pursued presented the weapons and armour
which their principal had selected to the pursuer's second,
who tested, weighed, and measured them. In the event of his
raising any objections, the question was referred to the judges,
by whose decision the parties were bound to abide. On this
occasion, François de Guise, on behalf of La Châtaigneraie,
accepted without demur the swords and daggers, and it was
agreed that two reserve swords should be provided, and that,
if either of the champions broke his, another should be handed
to him. But, aware that the
brassards
would place his principal at a serious disadvantage, he protested strongly against
them, on the ground that they were a kind of armour no
longer in use. A long and heated discussion followed, which
was finally ended by the Constable and the marshals over-
ruling the objection. Aumale also objected to the shields, as
La Châtaigneraie was not provided with one of the peculiar
design selected by Jarnac. The latter's friends replied that
the pursuer had received due notice of the kind which was to
be used, and ought to have procured it. The question was
referred to the judges, who decided that La Châtaigneraie
must make use of the one which he had brought; but, since
this was found to be much smaller than that of Jarnac, the
latter, to solve the difficulty, offered his adversary the choice
between two other shields.

It was now seven o'clock in the evening, and the huge
assembly of spectators had been waiting under a burning
summer sun for many hours. But the long delay had only
served to intensify their interest in the coming struggle, and
they had kept their places with grim determination, oblivious
of heat and fatigue.

The question of the arms having been at length settled, a
herald appeared at each of the four corners of the lists, and
made the following proclamation:

"Oyez, oyez, oyez, nobles, knights, gentlemen, and all
manner of people! On behalf of the King, I expressly command
all that, so soon as the combatants shall meet in combat,
all present are to preserve silence, and not to speak, cough,
spit, or make any sign with foot, hand, or eye which may aid,
injure, or prejudice either of the said combatants. And,
further, I expressly command all on behalf of the King that,
during the combat, they are not to enter the lists, or assist
either of the combatants, in any circumstances whatever,
without permission of the Constable and the Marshals of
France, on peril of death."

The seconds then proceeded to the tents of their principals,
and the two champions, accompanied by their supporters,
again made the circuit of the lists, this time on the inside of
the barriers, the weapons which they were to use being borne
before them. This was called "honouring the interior of the
field."

After this, each
cortège
in turn advanced to the table which
had been placed at the foot of the royal tribune, and, after
listening to the exhortations of a priest who was in attendance,
the champion knelt upon a velvet cushion embroidered with
gold, and, placing his hands between those of the Constable,
took a solemn oath that his cause was a just one, and that his
person and arms were innocent of any magical aid to victory.

The oath of the pursuer ran thus:

"I, François de Vivonne, swear on the Holy Gospels, upon
the true cross of our Lord, and on the faith of baptism, that in
a just and good cause I have come to do battle with Guy
Chabot, who has a wrongful and unjust cause to defend
against me. And, further, that I have not, either in my person
or among my arms, any charms or incantations with which I
hope to injure my enemy, and of which I do not wish to avail
myself against him, my sole confidence being in God, in my
right, and in the strength of my body and my weapons."

Jarnac took a similar oath, and he and La Châtaigneraie
were conducted to their respective stations, while their swords
and daggers were carefully examined by the Constable and the
marshals, in the presence of the King. This concluded, the
Constable took charge of the two reserve swords and handed
the other weapons to Aumale and Boisy, who carried them to
their principals, placing the swords in their hands and fixing
the daggers in their places. Then they took leave of them and
retired, and the Normandy herald, advancing into the lists,
cried with all the strength of his lungs:
"Laissez aller les bons
combatants!"

Amid a deathlike silence, the two champions advanced upon
each other; La Châtaigneraie with rapid strides and sword
aloft; Jarnac, more slowly, his body protected by his shield,
his sword ready to parry the coming blow. The moment they
were within striking distance, La Châtaigneraie sprang upon
his adversary like a tiger and aimed a terrific cut at his head.
Jarnac, instead of parrying with his sword, as the other had
doubtless expected him to do, took the blow upon his shield,
and, stooping down, replied with a thrust
¹²
which wounded his opponent in the hollow of the knee. It is doubtful if this
first wound was a serious one, but it had the effect of completely disconcerting La Châtaigneraie; and before he could
recover himself, Jarnac aimed a terrible back-handed cut at
the same place, and severed the tendons.
¹³
La Châtaigneraie staggered, dropped his sword, and sank to the ground,
bleeding profusely.

A cry of astonishment rose from the vast assemblage; few
had anticipated the victory of Jarnac; no one could possibly
have foreseen that in a few seconds one of the best swordsmen
in France would have been placed
hors de combat
. The
friends of La Châtaigneraie were aghast; those of Jarnac
raised shouts of triumph. Then, as the latter was seen to
approach his fallen foe, a deep silence once more fell on the
crowd. By the laws of the judicial duel, three courses were
open to the victor. He might kill his adversary and deliver
him over to the executioner, to be exposed on a gibbet; spare
his life, after exacting from him the restoration of his honour,
that is to say, a confession that the conqueror's cause was a
just and rightful one, or surrender him to the King, who could
pardon or punish him as he thought fit. If the King accepted
him, which he invariably did, he, in return, publicly proclaimed that the victor had vindicated the honour. Which of
these three courses would Jarnac adopt? That was the
question which was now agitating the minds of the spectators.

For a few moments, Jarnac, who was probably as much
astonished as any one at his easy victory, contemplated his
fallen enemy in silence, apparently at a loss how to act. Then
he cried out, in a voice which could be heard by all present:
"Vivonne, restore me my honour; and ask mercy of God and
the King for the wrong that you have committed!"

La Châtaigneraie's reply was to make a desperate attempt to
rise, but the effort was, of course, futile.

Leaving him, Jarnac crossed to the royal tribune, saluted the
King with his bloody sword, and then, raising his visor and
falling on his knees, exclaimed: "Sire, I entreat you to esteem
me a man of honour; I give La Châtaigneraie to you.
¹⁴
It is our youth alone which is the cause of all this. Let no
imputation, Sire, rest either on his family or upon him on
account of his offence; for I surrender him to you."

But to this generous speech the King vouchsafed no answer.
Apparently, he was unaware that his champion's wound was
of so serious a nature, and expected every moment to see him
rise and renew the conflict.

Jarnac then struck his breast with his gauntlet, and,
raising his eyes to Heaven, cried: "
Domine non sum dignus
,
for it is not to myself, but to Thee, my God, that I owe the
victory." He returned to La Châtaigneraie and again entreated him to surrender; but the latter, instead of complying,
succeeded, by a supreme effort, in raising himself upon one
knee, and, seizing his sword, endeavoured to throw himself
upon his adversary. Jarnac slipped back and raised his own
sword. "Do not budge, Vivonne," said he, "or I shall kill
thee." "Kill me, then!" replied the other, and fell back
exhausted, with the blood pouring from his wound.

Again Jarnac approached the royal tribune, and, with a
thousand protestations of loyalty and devotion, entreated the
King to proclaim that his honour was restored to him and to
accept La Châtaigneraie's life. But Henri II, though he saw
that his champion's case was hopeless, could not bring himself
to pronounce what, in the eyes of all present, would be considered
his own condemnation. He still remained silent.

Once more the victor returned to his wounded foe, who
now lay full length upon the ground, in an ever-widening
pool of blood. "Vivonne, my old comrade," said he,
"acknowledge thy Creator, and let us be reconciled." But,
by way of thanks, La Châtaigneraie endeavoured to stab him
with one of his daggers. Jarnac removed his weapons and
handed them to the heralds, after which, perceiving that if La
Chaitagneraie's wound were not soon attended to, he would
probably bleed to death, he, for the third time, approached the
King. "Sire," he cried, "see! He is dying! for the love of
God, accept his life at my hands!" Henri, however, continued to preserve an obstinate silence. He was deadly pale,
and seemed like a man whom some sudden calamity has
momentarily deprived of the power of speech.

The Constable, who had descended into the lists and seen
for himself the desperate condition of the wounded man,
joined his entreaties to those of Jarnac; and no doubt pointed
out to the King that, if Châtaigneraie were to expire where he
had fallen, without acknowledging his fault, the victor would be
obliged to drag the corpse from the lists and deliver it to the
executioner — a termination to the affair which it was most
desirable to avoid.

Meanwhile, Jarnac had approached the stand reserved for
the ladies of the Court, and, addressing Madame Marguerite,
exclaimed: "Madame, you told me that it would be so!"
meaning, presumably, that the princess had warned him that
her royal brother was so prejudiced in favour of La Châtaigneraie that it was hopeless for Jarnac to expect justice at his
hands.

These words, and the looks of astonishment and indignation
which he observed on the faces of those about him, aroused
the King to some sense of the injustice and inhumanity of his
conduct, and, turning towards Jarnac, he inquired, "Do you
give him to me?"  "Yes, Sire," cried the victor eagerly,
throwing himself on his knees for the fourth time; "I give him
to you for the love of God. Am I not a man of worth?"  "You have done your duty, Jarnac," rejoined the King
coldly, "and your honour ought to be restored to you."
And he ordered the Constable to have La Châtaigneraie
removed.

La Châtaigneraie was accordingly carried to his tent by four
gentlemen, where his armour was removed and his wound
bound up, after which he was conveyed to his lodging. Brantôme,
whose account of the affair is certainly not distinguished
by impartiality, pretends that his uncle did not surrender,
since he called to his adversary to kill him, and that, consequently,
he did not lose his honour; but most people will be
of opinion that he had already lost it, for having defamed
an innocent woman and an old companion-in-arms.

The fallen champion having been carried away, the Constable
reminded the King that it was the right of the victor to be
escorted from the lists by his followers, to the sound of drums
and trumpets, and with the heralds leading the way. But
Jarnac had the good sense to forgo a triumph, which would
have ruined him for ever, and declined. "No, Sire," said he,
"to belong to you is all that I desire." The King, who had
had time to compose himself, then summoned him and his
second, the Grand Equerry, to mount the royal tribune; and,
as Jarnac was about to kneel before him, embraced him, saying
that he had "fought like Caesar and spoken like Aristotle."