Ivanhoe

CHAPTER XXXVII

1 (p. 371) epigraph: The lines are written by Scott himself.

2 (p. 383) trial by combat: In a recent article, Gary Dyer has uncovered a contemporary context for Scott’s evocation of this Norman law, which allows the accused to defend themselves, if proxy by necessary, in single combat; the belief was that God would justly decide the outcome of the contest, revealing the truth of the case in a manner beyond human divination. In 1817 Britons were amazed to learn that the law of combat was still on the books when Abraham Thornton, accused of the murder of Mary Ashford, invoked his defendant’s chivalric right. The case against Thornton broke down in confusion, and the trial was widely reported. See Gary R. Dyer, “Ivanhoe, Chivalry, and the Murder of Mary Ashford,” Criticism 39 ( 1997) , pp. 383-408.