Knoll

“ The English supported themselves by plunder, and the country people fled before them into the fortresses. Knolles, whose policy was to do as much damage as possible, did not attempt any sieges, and contented himself with the exaction of heavy ransoms. He vainly offered battle before Noyon, and, after crossing the Oise and Aisne, made a demonstration before Rheims. Thence he directed his steps by the valley of the Marne and Seine towards Paris, in the hope that he might induce the French to fight. ”

“ Fulk went out into the garden and brought her into the hall, where Knollys was pacing up and down. He paused in his stride, swung round, and saw Isoult’s bandaged arm.
“Wounded?”
“She turned a knife aside from me, Knollys.”
“Isoult, a woman can look into a man’s eyes and read his honour. Fulk here looks at me askance, as though I, Robert Knollys, were a false and bloody dog fit to hunt with that dead hound yonder. ”

“ In 1379 Knolles was with John de Montfort in London, and in July returned with him to Vannes (Froissart, vii. 275–6, ed. Buchon) . Next year Knolles took part in the great expedition under Thomas, earl of Buckingham [see Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester] , which, landing at Calais early in July, marched through Artois, Vermandois, and Champagne, and eventually descended the valley of the Loire to Brittany. When near Vendôme Knolles's detachment had a skirmish, in which Knolles defeated the French leader, the Sire de Mauvoisin, and with his own hand took him prisoner. ”

“ It had gone awry, it is true; but all things human may do that. If he had carried the castle, he felt that Knolles would have forgiven and forgotten all else. If he had not carried it, it was no fault of his. No man could have done more. If Mary could see she would surely have approved. ”

“ Sir Robert Knolles rode a bowshot in front of his men, and his brow was as black as night. Beside him, with crestfallen face, his horse bleeding, his armor dinted and soiled, was the hot-headed knight, Sir James Astley. A fierce discussion raged between them.
“I have done my devoir as best I might,” said Astley. “Alone I had ten of them at my sword-point. I know not how I have lived to tell it.”
“What is your devoir to me? Where are my thirty bowmen?” cried Knolles in bitter wrath. “Ten lie dead upon the ground and twenty are worse than dead in yonder castle. ”

“ There was no answer to this and Knolles, weary and spent, returned to his comrades. " I would that we had slain them," said he. "We have lost our leader and they have gained three men by the same stroke."
"If any more lay down their arms it is my order that you slay them forthwith," said Croquart, whose bent sword and bloody armor showed how manfully he had borne himself in the fray. "And now, comrades, do not be heavy-hearted because we have lost our leader. ”

“ There was scarce a man among them who was not an old soldier, and their leaders were men of note in council and in war. Knolles flew his flag of the black raven aboard the Basilisk. With him were Nigel and his own Squire John Hawthorn. Of his hundred men, forty were Yorkshire Dalesmen and forty were men of Lincoln, all noted archers, with old Wat of Carlisle, a grizzled veteran of border warfare, to lead them. ”

“ Had I bombards, I might place them on yonder hill, but having none it is of little use to me.”
“It may be,” said Nigel, “that they have scant food or water, and so must come forth to fight us.”
“I have made inquiry of the peasants,” Knolles answered, “and they are of one mind that there is a well within the castle, and good store of food. Nay, gentlemen, there is no way before us save to take it by arms, and no spot where we can attempt it save through the great gate. Soon we will have so many fagots that we can cast them down into the ditch, and so win our way across. ”

“ The young nobles thought it a slight to be under the orders of one whom they regarded as an adventurer. Sir John de Menstreworth stirred up this feeling by calling Knolles ‘the old brigand’ (vetus vispilio) , and eventually a considerable portion of the army broke away from its leader under Grandson and Menstreworth. Knolles thereupon decided to withdraw to Brittany; he marched by Chartres and Chateaudun, and spent November in subduing various small places in the valley of the Loire (Luce, viii. p. iv, note 4; the account given by Froissart is inaccurate) . ”

“ But the old bowman had ridden after him.
"If it please you, Sir Robert, the bowmen would fain put these men to death in their own fashion," said he.
"So that they die, I care not how," Knolles answered carelessly, and looked back no more.
Human life was cheap in those stern days when the footmen of a stricken army or the crew of a captured ship were slain without any question or thought of mercy by the victors. War was a rude game with death for the stake, and the forfeit was always claimed on the one side and paid on the other without doubt or hesitation. ”

“ Knollys had not spoken, but had watched and listened. He came forward now, and spoke in Salisbury’s ear.
“Love fires the blood, sir. There is a man’s heart in his words. Leave me alone with him.”
They went out, Cavendish remaining on guard outside the door.
Knollys walked to the window and laid a hand on Fulk’s shoulder.
“Lad, speak out; it is a woman.”
Fulk did not stir.
“True, a woman. I thought her dead. I saw her—living—to-day.”
“Isoult—Isoult of the Rose? She who——?”
“Isoult—aye, Isoult. In the hands of these scullions! God—I’ll not suffer it! ”

“ There the king made three knights, the one the mayor of London sir Nicholas Walworth, sir John Standish and sir Nicholas Bramber. Then the lords said among themselves: 'What shall we do? We see here our enemies, who would gladly slay us, if they might have the better hand of us.' Sir Robert Knolles counselled to go and fight with them and slay them all; yet the king would not consent thereto, but said: 'Nay, I will not so: I will send to them commanding them to send me again my banners and thereby we shall see what they will do. ”

“ Early in 1367 Knolles joined the Black Prince in his Spanish expedition with a chosen band of the ‘Great Company’ (Walsingham i. 303) . He crossed the pass of Roncevaux with the third battle on 17 Feb., and joined Sir Thomas Felton [q. v.] ”

“ Knollys was in a playful mood.
“It is not generous of us to set her to watch your beard grow, my son, yet she chose to come in that short cloak and her green hose. I can see petticoats in that big wallet strapped to the pad’s saddle. Sir Tristram and his lady! And no loving-cup needed!”
Fulk was a little in the air, and had too much passion in him to be playful.
“We owe her these heads on our shoulders.”
“Tsst, lad! The girl is splendid. I would change with you, if I could. To start again on adventures in strange lands with such a mate to keep your blood afire! Ha! ”

“ When this armie had lien and rested in Calis about the space of seauen daies, sir Robert Knolles caused euerie man to depart the towne, and to take the fields, marching the first daie néere to the castell of Fiennes, and there lodged for that night. The whole number of this armie was not aboue twelue thousand men. Froissard saith, they were but fiftéene hundred speares, & foure thousand archers. ”

“ Sir Robert Knolles had served in Brittany before, and he marshaled his men on the march with the skill and caution of the veteran soldier, the man who leaves as little as possible to chance, having too steadfast a mind to heed the fool who may think him overcautious. He had recruited a number of bowmen and men-at-arms at Dinan; so that his following was now close upon five hundred men. In front under his own leadership were fifty mounted lancers, fully armed and ready for any sudden attack. Behind them on foot came the archers, and a second body of mounted men closed up the rear. ”

“ Knolles died at Sculthorpe 15 Aug. 1407, and was buried at Whitefriars, London (Weever, Funerall Monuments, p. 436; Coll. Top. et Gen. viii. 321) . His two wills in French and Latin, and dated 21 Oct. 1399 and 20 May 1404 respectively, are now extant at Lambeth. No mention is made of any children (Herald and Genealogist, viii. 289) . As a soldier he must be placed among the most eminent of his age ”

“ Knolles, who was now in the marches of Brittany, determined to give battle. He summoned Sir Hugh de Calveley from St. Maur-sur-Loire, and ordered Grandson to rejoin him. Grandson was on his way when he was totally defeated by Du Guesclin at Pont Vallain on 4 Dec. (ib. viii. p. vi) . Further action was now impossible, and the English dispersed to the neighbouring fortresses, Knolles going to his own castle of Derval (Froissart, vii. 223–45, viii. 1–4; Walsingham, i. 310; Cuvélier, ii. 123–4, 145–50, 185) .
Although the expedition had ended disastrously, it had not been ineffectual ”

“ In 1367 he marched with the Black Prince into Spain and fought at the battle of Nájera; in 1369 he was with the prince in Aquitaine. In 1370 he was placed by Edward III. at the head of an expedition which invaded France and marched on Paris, but after exacting large sums of money as ransom a mutiny broke up the army, and its leader was forced to take refuge in his Breton castle of Derval and to appease the disappointed English king with a large monetary gift. Emerging from his retreat Knolles again assisted John of Montfort in Brittany, where he acted as John’s representative ”

“ Knös had his sword of fifteen hundredweights at his side, and with it he cut off all the troll's heads. But the fifteen hundredweights were half-an-ounce short, and the heads grew on again, and the troll took the princess, and carried her off with him.
One day as Knös was going along, he met a man carrying a church on his back. "You are a strong man, you are!" said Knös. "No, I am not strong," said he, "but Knös at the king's court, he is strong; for he can take steel and iron, and weld them together with his hands as though they were clay." ”

“ The king's gillies came to seek the bran, and they took the four sacks with them, and they emptied them before the horses. The servants locked the door, and they went away.
When they rose to lay hand on the brown horse, said Conall, "You shall not do that. It is hard to get out of this; let us make for ourselves four hiding holes, so that if they hear us we may go and hide." They made the holes, then they laid hands on the horse. The horse was pretty well unbroken, and he set to making a terrible noise through the stable. The king heard the noise. ”

“ If you and your sons will get me the brown horse of the king of Lochlann, you shall get the souls of your sons."
"Why," said Conall, "should not I do the pleasure of the king, though there should be no souls of my sons in dread at all. Hard is the matter you require of me, but I will lose my own life, and the life of my sons, or else I will do the pleasure of the king." ”

“ On investigation we found it to be two men halted on their way down. Sandy hailed them. It was White-eyed Williams and Coney.
I at once recognised the latter; he did not remember me, or our former meeting.
We sat by their huge fire beside their one little tent, smoking and comparing notes. They informed us that they had tried here and there for many miles up the main river, as they called the Klondyke, and had had no luck. They had seen a trail (my trail and May's) coming down this creek as they passed the mouth of it on their outward journey. ”

“ But when the last day of the month of waiting came, Connla stood by the side of the king his father on the Plain of Arcomin, and again he saw the maiden come towards him, and again she spoke to him.
"'Tis a glorious place, forsooth, that Connla holds among short-lived mortals awaiting the day of death. But now the folk of life, the ever-living ones, beg and bid thee come to Moy Mell, the Plain of Pleasure, for they have learnt to know thee, seeing thee in thy home among thy dear ones." ”

“ The Knight-mare gave a loud triumphant neigh. "Ods-bodikins and bran mash!" he cried. "You're worth rescuing for nothing, the whole lot of you! But"—he added mournfully—"I ought to warn you to keep away from that crowd—they're a bad lot. You'd do better to cut along home."
"We can't do that," cried Rudolf and Ann together.
"Then come with me," said the Knight-mare. "It's only a short way to—"
He was suddenly interrupted by a fresh commotion in the wood. Heavy bodies were parting the undergrowth back of where they stood. ”

“ Also I brought these crooked Knooks, whom I love. My dears, the Knooks are much nicer than they look, for their duty is to water and care for the young trees of the forest, and they do their work faithfully and well. It's hard work, though, and it makes my Knooks crooked and gnarled, like the trees themselves; but their hearts are big and kind, as are the hearts of all who do good in our beautiful world."
"I've read of the Ryls and Knooks," said Dorothy, looking upon these little workers with interest. ”

“ Should I abandon the quest and leave the mystery unsolved? Perhaps it was a portend of my fate. Thus I reasoned and surmised, conjured and imagined. My one consolation was that Klondike had crept into his accustomed place and was apparently sleeping the sleep of innocence, unmindful of the skeleton hand. When the sun came up over the mountains the next day my courage returned. I determined to probe the affair to the bottom. To prove that there was nothing supernatural about the cat, I took Klondike in my arms and made my way to the top of the ladder. The hand was there and the cat was there. ”