Chivalry

Imprimis as concerns the authenticity of these tales perhaps the less debate may be the higher wisdom if only because this Nicolas de Caen by common report was never a Gradgrindian. And in this volume in particular writing it (as Nicolas is supposed to have done) in 1470 as a dependant on the Duke of Burgundy it were but human nature should he in dealing with the putative descendants of Dom Manuel and Alianora of Provence be niggardly in his ascription of praiseworthy traits to any member of the house of Lancaster or of Valois. Rather must one in common reason accept old Nicolas as confessedly a partisan writer who upon occasion will recolor an event with such nuances as will be least inconvenient to a Yorkist and Burgundian bias. The reteller of these stories needs in addition to plead guilty of having abridged the tales with a free hand. Item these tales have been a trifle pulled about most notably in The Story of the Satraps where it seemed advantageous on reflection to put into Gloucester's mouth a history which in the original version was related ab ovo and as a sort of bungling prologue to the story proper.