tore from his doublet the two straps, and gave them to the Englishman;
then he put a sword in the Frenchman's hand, and drawing his own good
sword out of the sheath, said to the Englishman,

"Defend yourself with that implement of war, as you call it, if you know
how!"

Then he said to the Frenchman,

"Strike that villain who arrested you without cause or reason, and we
shall see how he can defend himself with this implement of war. If you
spare him, by St. George I will strike you."

Thus the Frenchman, whether he would or not, was obliged to strike at
the Englishman with the sword, and the poor Englishman protected himself
as best he could, and ran about the room, with Talbot after him, who
made the Frenchman keep striking the other, and cried out;

"Defend yourself, villain, with your implement of war!" In truth, the
Englishman was so well beaten that he was nearly dead, and cried for
mercy to Talbot and the Frenchman. The latter was released from his
ransom by Lord Talbot, and his horse, harness, and all his baggage, were
given back to him.

Such was the first judgment of Lord Talbot; there remains to be given an
account of the other, which was thus.

He learned that one of his soldiers had robbed a church of the pyx in
which is placed the Corpus Domini, and sold it for ready money--I
know not for how much, but the pyx was big and fine, and beautifully