foreseen this thing and been fixed, that boy would have had me! — I couldn’t have said a word. But I was fixed. I said:

“My boys, your hearts are in the right place, you have thought the worthy thought, you have done the worthy thing. You are English boys, you will remain English boys, and you will keep that name unsmirched.

Give yourselves no further concern, let your minds be at peace. Consider this: while all England is marching against us, who is in the van? Who, by the commonest rules of war, will march in the front? Answer me.”

“The mounted host of mailed knights.”

“True. They are thirty thousand strong. Acres deep they will march. Now, observe: none but they will ever