In his right hand he held a dart,
in his left a shield emblazoned with the arms of France. Inside, the
roof of the pavilion represented the canopy of heaven ornamented with
stars and figures of the zodiac. The lodgings of the queen, of the
Duchess d'Alencon, the king's favorite sister, and of other ladies and
princes of the blood, were covered with cloth of gold. The rest of the
tents, to the number of three or four hundred, emblazoned with the arms
of their owners, were pitched on the banks of a small river outside the
city walls."
No less abundant provision had been made for the residence of the
English visitors. When King Henry looked from the oriel windows of his
fairy palace, he saw before him a scene of the greatest splendor and the
most incessant activity. The green space stretching southward from the
castle was covered with tents of all shapes and sizes, many of them
brilliant with emblazonry, while from their tops floated rich-colored
banners and pennons in profusion. Before each tent stood a sentry, his
lance-point glittering like a jewel in the rays of the June sun. Here
richly-caparisoned horses were prancing, there sumpter mules laden with
supplies, and decorated with ribbons and flowers, made their slow way
onward.
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