Mackey A G - Encylopedia of Freemasonry - The Grand Masonic ...

KNIGHTHOOD
KNIGHTHOOD 3 87
fil their engagements . Sovereigns considered
their oath of knighthood as the most solemn
that they could give, and hence the Duke of
Bretagne, having made a treaty of peace with
Charles VI . of France, swore to its observance
"by the faith of his body and the
loyalty of his knighthood ."
It is scarcely necessary to say that generous
courage was an indispensable quality of a
knight . An act of cowardice, of cruelty, or
of dishonorable warfare in battle, would overwhelm
the doer with deserved infamy. In
one of the tenzones, or poetical contests of the
Troubadours, it is said that to form a perfect
knight all the tender offices of humanity
should be united to the greatest valor, and
pity and generosity to the conquered associated
with the strictest justice and integrity .
Whatever was contrary to the laws of war was
inconsistent with the laws of chivalry .
The laws of chivalry also enforced with peculiar
impressiveness sweetness and modesty
of temper, with that politeness of demeanor
which the word courtesy was meant perfectly
to axp ress. An uncourteous knight would
have been an anomaly .
Almost all of these knightly qualities are
well expressed by Chaucer in the Prologue to
his Knight's Tale (1 . 43-50 ; 67-72) :
"A knight there was, and that a worthy man,
That from the time that he first began
To riden out he loved chivalry,
Truth and honor, freedom and courtesy.
Full worthy was he in his lord's war
And thereto had he ridden, no man farther ;
As well in Christendom as in Heatheness,
And ever honored for his worthiness .
"And ever more he had a sovereign price,
And though that he was worthy, he was wise
And of his port as meek as is a maid .
He never yet no villainy not said
In all his life unto no manner wight,
He was a very perfect, gentle knight .",
The most common and frequent occasions
on which knights were created, independent
of those which happened in war, were at the
great feasts of the Church, and especially at
the feast of Pentecost ; also at the publications
of peace or a truce, the coronations of
kings, the birth or baptism of princes, and the
days on which those princes had themselves
received knighthood . But a knight could at
any time confer the distinction on one whom
he deemed deserving of it .
There was a distinction between the titles
as well as the dress of a knight and a squire .
The knight was called Don, Sire, Messire, or,
in English, Sir-a title not bestowed upon a
squire : and while the wife of the former was
called a Lady, that of the latter was only a
Gentlewoman . The wife of a knight was
sometimes called Militissa, or female knight .
In their dresses and their harness, knights
were entitled to wear gold and golden decorations,
while the squires were confined to the
use of silver . Knights alone had a right to
wear, for the lining of their cloaks and mantles,
ermine, sable, and meniver, which were
the most valuable furs ; while those of a less
costly kind were for the squires . The long and
trailing mantle, of a scarlet color, and lined
with ermine or other precious furs, which was
called the Mantle of Honor, was especially reserved
for the knight . Such a mantle was always
presented by the kings of France to
knights whom they created . The mantle was
considered the most august and noble decoration
that a knight could wear, when he was not
dressed in his armor . The official robes still
worn by many magistrates in Europe are derived
from the knightly Mantle of Honor .
It should be remarked that the order of
knighthood, and the ceremonies accompanying
the investiture of a knight, were of a symbolic
character, and are well calculated to remind
the Freemason of the symbolic character
of his own Institution.
The sword which the knight received was
called "the arms of mercy," and he was told
to conquer his enemies by mercy rather than
by force of arms . Its blade was two-edged, to
remind him that he must maintain chivalry
and justice, and contend only for the support
of these two chief pillars of the temple of honor .
The lance represented Truth, because truth,
like the lance, is straight . The coat of mail was
the symbol of a fortress erected against vice ;
for, as castles are surrounded by walls and
ditches, the coat of mail is closed in all its
parts, and defends the knight against treason,
disloyalty, pride, and every other evil passion .
The rowels of the spur were given to urge the
possessor on to deeds of honor and virtue .
The shield, which he places betwixt himself
and his enemy, was to remind him that the
knight is a shield interposed between the
prince and the people, to preserve peace and
tranquillity .
In a Latin manuscript of the thirteenth
century, copied by Anstis (App ., p . 95),. will
be found the following symbolical explanation
of the ceremonial of knighthood . The
bath was a symbol of the washing away of sin
by the sacrament of baptism . The bed into
which the novice entered and reposed after
the bath, was a symbol of the peace of mind
which would be acquired by the virtue of chivalry.
The white garments with which he was
afterward clothed, were a symbol of the purity
which a knight should maintain . The
scarlet robe put on the newly made knight
was symbolic of the blood which he should be
ready to shed for Christ and the Church . The
dark boots are a sign of the earth, whence we
all came, and to which we are all to return .
The white belt is a symbol of chastity . The
golden spur symbolizes promptitude of action .
The sword is a symbol of severity against the
attacks of Satan ; its two edges are to teach
the knight that he is to defend the poor
against the, rich, and the weak against the
powerful. The white fillet around the head is
a symbol of good works . The slaps, or blow
was in memorial of him who made him a
knight .
There was one usage of knighthood which is
peculiarly worthy of attention . The love of