The White Company · Chapter
XIII: How the White Company Set Forth to the Wars explained
The White Company assembles at dawn in the castle bailey, with Sir Nigel Loring bidding farewell to Lady Mary and receiving her glove as a token.
What happens
The White Company assembles at dawn in the castle bailey, with Sir Nigel Loring bidding farewell to Lady Mary and receiving her glove as a token. Alleyne Edricson shares a tense, emotional parting with Lady Maude, who gives him her green veil. The company marches out across the Bridge of Avon, led by Black Simon and followed by men-at-arms, archers, and sumpter horses.
Themes in this chapter
Chivalry and Honor
Sir Nigel's ritual of wearing Lady Mary's glove as a gage and his vow to defend her honor exemplify chivalric ideals.
Love and Courtship
Alleyne's passionate declaration to Maude and her cautious response highlight the tension between personal desire and social duty.
Camaraderie and Brotherhood
The orderly muster and shared purpose of the White Company underscore the bonds among the men.
Characters to notice
- Alleyne Edricson
Watches the muster from the armory window, confesses his love to Lady Maude, and receives her green veil before joining the company.
- Sir Nigel Loring
Bids farewell to Lady Mary, takes her glove as a gage, and leads the company forth.
- Lady Mary Loring
Gives Sir Nigel a purse of money and her glove, then watches him depart from a hilltop.
- Lady Maude Loring
Weeps at the sight of the departing men, exchanges words with Alleyne, and gives him her green veil.
- Black Simon of Norwich
Leads the company as standard-bearer, riding a dapple-gray charger at the van.
Key passages
“I pray you then my fair dove, that you will vouchsafe to me one of those doeskin gloves, that I may wear it as the badge of her whose servant I shall ever be.”
Sir Nigel asks Lady Mary for a glove to wear as a token of his devotion.
Chivalric custom of wearing a lady's favor.
“Oh, but I hate myself for being a woman! ... What can I do that is good? Here I must bide, and talk and sew and spin, and spin and sew and talk.”
Lady Maude laments the limited role of women, who must stay behind while men go to war.
Expresses frustration with gender constraints.
“Win my father’s love, and all may follow. It is when the brave soldier hath done his devoir that he hopes for his reward.”
Maude tells Alleyne that earning her father's approval is the path to winning her hand.
Sets a condition for their future relationship.