Where did the word freelance come from?

I heard this question on a trivia show. I was trying to think of all sorts of complicated explanations for the word free lance. I was sure that the word was pretty recent. I had no idea that the word was basically as old as the invention of pillows. Actually, I have no idea when the pillow was invented, but I'm sure it was a very long time ago. According to wikipedia:

The term "freelance" was first coined by Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) in his well-known historical romance Ivanhoe to describe a "medieval mercenary warrior" (or "free-lance").

The trivia show explained it as a free lance or a knight willing to fight for whichever side would hire them. Either way, freelancing just got a whole lot cooler.