He dide next his white leere
Of cloth of lake fyn and cleere,
A breech and eek a sherte;
And next his sherte an aketoun,
And over that an haubergeoun
For percynge of his herte;
And over that a fyn hawberk,
Was al ywroght of Jewes werk,
Ful strong it was of plate;
And over that his cote-armour
As whit as is a lilye flour,
His sheeld was al of gold so reed,
And therinne was a bores heed.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Tale of Sir Thopas. In a delightful send-up of the popular English romances, Sir Thopas prepares himself for battle with the three-headed giant by putting on layer after layer of fine clothes and armor. He puts on linen trousers and shirt, quilted jacket, chain-mail shirt, fine plate jeweled armor, and white surcoat. And let’s not forget his gold shield. Sir Thopas getting ready for battle is a parody of the battle preparations in the Knight’s Tale.