ight with putting on his armor, and had to make sure the sword and other
             arms of the knight were polished. He also had to care for the knight's horse, which entailed grooming,
             feeding, and constant attention. The squire stood by in battles to give aid in a conflict should the knight be
             overmatched, and to lend his horse should his master lose his own. It was the squire who picked up the
             knight when he fell, and took his body away if he was injured or killed. This all lasted for the next seven
             years of the squire's life. At the end of th!
             is period, when he was twenty-one, a squire who had demonstrated his competence and worth, either by
             successful completion of his training or on the actual field of battle, was knighted.
             The ceremony of the squire becoming knighted was often very elaborate. The squire had to first
             take a purification bath that symbolized the purity of his new life. After the bath, he knelt or stood all night
             in prayer before the altar on which the armor he would wear later lay. In the morning they had a religious
             ritual, with perhaps a sermon on the knight's duty to protect the weak, make wrongs right, and honor
             women. After this, in the courtyard in the presence of the assembled knights and fair ladies, the knight's
             armor was buckled on. He was presented with a pair of golden spurs, which only a knight could wear, a
             shining new suit of armor, a sword, a shield, a lance, and a charger. After putting on the armor piece by
             piece, he knelt to receive the accolade. This was a blow upon the neck or shoulder, given by the
             officiating lord, or knight with his fist, or with the flat of a sword. As the blows were given, the lord said,
             "In the name of God and St. Michael and S!
             ...