His goode steede al he bistrood,
And forth upon his wey he glood
As sparcle out of the bronde;
Upon his creest he bar a tour,
And therinne stiked a lilie flour –
God shilde his cors fro shonde!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Tale of Sir Thopas. Sir Thopas is described as riding so fast that he is compared to a spark shooting out of a burning log (simile).