ANST - Belts and their meaning..

[Dennis Grace]

Salut Cozyns,

Lyonel aisai.

Pug clarifies his earlier request for input on student belts:
>I guess I'm trying to figure out if someone is wearing a student's belt
>should it mean anything to *me* as someone not in the relationship.
>
>Should I expect more/less from this person?
>Should I go out of my way to report their good/bad to someone?
>Should I care at all?
>Etc.

I'm going to address this question from the perspective of the
knight/squire relationship because that's the one I know best.  I'll leave
it to others to modify this argument for apprentices and protege's.

Should you expect more from a squire?  I certainly hope so.

Consider the personal level:  in taking the title *squire* in the SCA, a
gentle is openly announcing his or her bid for the Chivalry.  Logically an
individual questing after such recognition should be constantly striving to
develop and display the attributes most highly prized within the Chivalry.
Of course, if you consult any twelve sources, you'll likely find twelve
different lists of what those attributes include, but I would include--as a
minimum--honesty, courage, loyalty, a sense of honor, prowess, largess,
courtoisie (yes, "courtesy" but also "courtliness") and what our anglais
cozyns call "fredom".  Fredom is, I think, the hardest attribute to master;
it's something like Viscount Galen's %noblesse oblige%:  a continuous
demonstration of one's nobility of character accomplished without tiresome,
hollow egotism--a nobility that enriches those around the gentle in
question.

Consider also the contractual level:  the individual in question is in
fealty to a knight.  Many knights and masters-at-arms openly announce their
squires in court.  Many of my brothers in the chivalry (and I myself) place
not only a belt but also a personal badge on our squires.  One squire
fighting at this last crown (Amalric?) wore his knight's (Sir Cyf's) colors
on the front of his surcoat.  In other words, anything a squire does will
likely reflect on her or his knight.  When our squires do well, we are
pleased.  When our squires behave boorishly, we are not pleased.  The
knight/squire relationship, needless to say, runs far more smoothly when
the knight is pleased with the squire's behavior.

Now, should you go out of your way to report their good/bad behavior to
someone?

Well, I hate to sound like I'm encouraging people to snitch, but yes, I
would appreciate it.  Clearly, I don't want people coming to me every time
one of my squires fights a tournament with a smudge on his jupon, nor do I
need to hear about every nice shot one of them lands.  I do, however, want
to know about the big things (I'll leave it to your discretion to decide
what constitutes "big").  I tell my squires before they swear fealty that
they will be placing themselves under everyone's scrutiny, so they know to
expect it.  Thus, yes, I think you should wish to inform a knight if her or
his squire behaves particularly well or particularly badly.

Should you care at all?

I think the answer here again should be yes.  Today's squires, generally
speaking, are tomorrow's Chivalry.  Noting and commenting upon the behavior
of squires is the only input most non-peers will  have in the process of
deciding who gets recognition.  These decisions are a big job; we can use
all the help we can get.

lo vostre por vos servir
Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace

Dennis G. Grace
PostModern Medievalist
Assistant Instructor
Division of Rhetoric and Composition
University of Texas

Micel yfel deth se unwritere
                                        --Aelfric of York (a really fun guy)


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