and brought with him a train of his vassals; men who had been
hardened in certain civil wars which raged in their country. They
were a comely race of men, but too fair and fresh for warriors, not
having the sunburnt, warlike hue of our old Castilian soldiery.
They were huge feeders also, and deep carousers, and could not
accommodate themselves to the sober diet of our troops, but must
fain eat and drink after the manner of their own country. They were
often noisy and unruly, also, in their wassail; and their quarter
of the camp was prone to be a scene of loud revel and sudden brawl.
They were, withal, of great pride, yet it was not like our
inflammable Spanish pride: they stood not much upon the _pundonor_,
the high punctilio, and rarely drew the stiletto in their disputes;
but their pride was silent and contumelious. Though from a remote
and somewhat barbarous island, they believed themselves the most
perfect men upon earth, and magnified their chieftain, the Lord
Scales, beyond the greatest of their grandees. With all this, it
must be said of them that they were marvelous good men in the
field, dexterous archers, and powerful with the battle-axe. In
their great pride and self-will, they always sought to press in the
advance and take the post of danger, trying to outvie our Spanish
chivalry. They did not rush on fiercely to the fight, nor make a
brilliant onset like the Moorish and Spanish troops, but they went
into the fight deliberately, and persisted obstinately, and were
slow to find out when they were beaten. Withal they were much
esteemed yet little liked by our soldiery, who considered them
staunch companions in the field, yet coveted but little fellowship
with them in the camp.

"'Their commander, the Lord Scales, was an accomplished cavalier,
of gracious and noble presence and fair speech; it was a marvel to
see so much courtesy in a knight brought up so far from our
Castilian court. He was much honored by the king and queen, and
found great favor with the fair dames about the court, who indeed
are rather prone to be pleased with foreign cavaliers. He went
always in costly state, attended by pages and esquires, and
accompanied by noble young cavaliers of his country, who had
enrolled themselves under his banner, to learn the gentle exerci