'Tis like enough that, in his temper, he may throw away his lance and betake him to his sword.
I will demand that he carries neither mace nor battle-axe, and that you should only carry sword and spear.

Your horse's nimbleness may keep you out of harm, which is as much as you can expect, or hope for.

Put on a light breast plate, too, for in spite of the wooden shield to his lance head, he may hurt you sorely if he does chance to strike you." Oswald saw that his horse was carefully saddled.

He procured from his uncle a piece of cloth; and, removing the spearhead, wrapped this round the head of the shaft, until it formed a ball the size of his fist.
This he whitened thickly with chalk.
In a few minutes Sinclair, who was the heaviest and strongest of the esquires, rode out into the courtyard in full armour.

Sir Henry, with his own esquires, and several of the gentlemen of the earl's household, came down; and Hotspur laughed at the contrast presented by the two combatants: the one a mass of steel, with shield and lance, on a warhorse fully caparisoned; the other a slight, active-looking figure, with but little defensive armour, on a rough pony which had scarce an ounce of superfluous flesh.
"Now, gentlemen," he said, "we may be engaged in warfare with the Scots, before long; and you will here have an opportunity of seeing the nature of border fighting.