No man therfore, up peyne of los of lyf,
No maner shot, ne polax, ne short knyf
Into the lystes sende or thider brynge;
Ne short swerd, for to stoke with poynt bitynge,
No man ne drawe, ne bere it by his syde.
Ne no man shal unto his felawe ryde
But o cours with a sharpe ygrounde spere;
Foyne, if hym list, on foote, hymself to were.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Theseus sets out the rues of the tournament before it starts. He doesn’t want any of the knights to die, so he bans all sharp weapons in the stadium and stipulates that just dull spears are to be used. However an exception is made for a knight who is unhorsed, he may use other weapons to defend himself.