If he really knew his stuff, he would have gone into battle mounted on a steed.
Police still use horsies to break up riots; it's surprising how fast people can move when half-a-tonne of sixteen-hands-high, glue-and-salami-to-be comes thundering at them ... then he could have quoted some classic Shakespeare ... (The Tragedy of King Richard III, Act V, Scene iv, for example, after he falls off ...)