The Chronicle of Enguerrand de Monstrelet

"To all knights and esquires, gentlemen of name and arms, without reproach, I, Jean de Verchin, seneschal of Hainault, make known, that with the aid of God, of our Lady, of my lord St. George, and of the lady of my affections, I intend being at Coucy the first Sundau of August next ensuing, unless prevented by urgent and lawful business, ready on the morrow to make my trial of the arms hereafter mentioned, in the presence of my most redoubted lord the duke of Orleans who has granted me the permission to hold the meeting at the above place. If any gentleman, such as above described, shall come to this town to deliver me from my vow, we will perform our enterprise mounted on horseback, on war saddles without girths. Easch may wear what armour he pleases, but the targets must be without covering or lining of iron or steel. The arms to be spears of war, without fastening or coveringand swords. The attack to be with spears in or out of their rests; and each shall lay asidehis target, and draw his sword without assisstance. Twenty strokes of the sword to be given without intermission, and we may, if we please, sieze each other by the body.

"From respect to the gentleman, and to afford him more pleasure, for having had the goodness to accept my invitation, I promise to engage him promptly on foot, unless bodily prevented, without either of us taking offany part of the armourwhich we had worn in our assaults on horseback: we may, howeverchange our vizors, and lenghthen the plates of our armour, according to the number of strokes with the sword and dagger, as may be thought proper, when my companion shall have determined to accomplish my deliverance by all these deeds of arms, provided, however, that the number of strokes may be gone through during the day, at such intermissions as I shall point out. In like manner, the number of strokes with the battle-axe shall be agreed upon; but, in regard to this combat, each may wear the armour he pleases. Should it happen (as I hope it will not), that in the performance of these deeds of rms, one of us shall be wounded, insomuch as that during the day he shall be unable to complete the combat with the arms then in use, the adverse party will not make any account of it, but shall consider it as if nothing had passed.

"When I have completed these courses, or when the day shall be ended, with the aid of God, of our Lady, of my lord St. George, and of my lady, I shall set out from the said town, unless bodily prevented, on a pilgrimage to my lord St. James of Compostella. Whatever gentleman of rank I may meet going to Glacia, or returning to the aforesaid town of Coucy, that may incline to do me the honour and grace to deliver me with the same arms as above, and appoint an honourable judge, without taking me more than twenty leagues from my straight road, or oblidging me to return, and giving me assurance from the judge, that the combat, with the aforesaid arms, shall take place within five days from my arrival in the town appointed for it, - I promise, with the aid of God and my lady, if not preventd by bodily infirmity, to deliver them promptly on foot, as soon as they shall have completed the enterprise, according to the manner specified, with such a number of strokes with the sword, dagger, and battle-axe, as may be though proper to fix upon.

"Should it happen, after having agreed with a gentleman to perform these deeds of arms as we are proceeding toward the the judge he has fixed upon, that I shall meet another gentleman willing to deliver me, who should name a judge nearer my direct road than the first, I would in that case perform my trial in arms with him whose judge was the nearest; and when I had aquitted myself to him, I would then return to accomplish my engagement with the first, unless prevented by any bodily infirmity. Such will be my conduct during the journey, and i shall hold myself aquitted to performbefore each judge my deeds of arms; and no gentleman can enter the lists with me more than once: and the staves of our arms shall be of equal lengths, which I will provide and distribute when required. All the blows must be given from the botto of the plate-armour to the head: none others will be allowed as legal. That all gentlemen who may incline to deliver me from my vow, may know the road I propose to follow, I inform them, that under the will of God, I mean to travel through France to Bordeaux; thence to the country of Foix, to the kingdoms of Navarre and Castille, to the shrine of my lord St. James at Compostells. On my return, if it please God, I will pass through the kingdom of Portugal; thence to Valencia, Arragon, Catalonia, and Avignon, and recross the kingdom of France, having it understood, if I may be permitted to travel through all these countries in security, to perform my vow, excepting the kingdom of France, and county of Hainault.

"That this proposal may have the fullest assurance, I have put my seal to this letter, and signed it with my own hand, in the year of the incarnation of our Lord, the 1st day of June, 1402."