The Boke of Noblesse Part 11

[Sidenote: Parys.]

And also of the vaillaunt chosen knightes of the n.o.ble and wors.h.i.+pfulle ordre of the Garter, founded by the right n.o.ble prince king Edward thrid, and to bere about his legge a tokyn of the Garter, in the castelle of Wynsore, the .xxiij. yere of his reigne. And [as yt ys seyd[141]] in token of wors.h.i.+p that he being in bataile what fortune fille shuld not voide the feeld, but abide the fortune that G.o.d l.u.s.t sende. Whiche for gret prowesse and here manlynesse approved in armes was founded for her gret labouris in werre and vaillaunt dedis of armes be now pa.s.sid to G.o.d and ought be put in memorialle, that in what distresse of bataile or siege that they have ben yn for the righte t.i.tle in the crowne of Fraunce they alway avaunsid hem forthe withe the formost in example of good corage gyvyng to alle theire felous.h.i.+p, to opteyne the overhande of here entreprise. He allas! sethe that none suche were never sene withdrawers or fleers frome batailes or dedis of wors.h.i.+p, but rather vigorouslie foryeting theymsilfe, as did the full n.o.ble knight, a felow of the Garter, ser Johan Chaundos, as a lion fighting in the feelde [at the bataylle of Fizar, yn Spayn, wyth prince Edward[141]] of the lion condicion, and defendid youre roiaume of Fraunce frome youre adversaries, preservyng theire prince's right and theire subgettis, avaunced youre conquest of Fraunce and Normandie, Angew, and Mayne, and the n.o.ble duchie of Gascoigne and Gyen, {47} and maynteyned theire honoure and astate, to the welle of youre bothe roiaumes and relief of youre treu subgettis of this lande. And thereto they have ben of the condicions of lyons fighting withe gret strenght, puissauntlie and stifly sett to withestande youre ennemies, notwithestanding gret part of the said adverse partie have voided, fledd, and forsake the feeld and theire felous.h.i.+p at suche tyme as they sought to abide. In example, of the fulle n.o.ble jorney late had in the yere of Crist M^l.cccc.x.x.xj., at Senlys, where youre lieutenaunt and youre power being present, and Charlis the .vij^{the}, youre gret adversarie of Fraunce withe alle his power to the nombre of .l^{ti}.M^l. fighters on his side, and embatilled by thre daies in the feeld, fled and voided unfoughten at the said jorney of Senlis, youre saide kynnesman Johan duc of Bedford being then lieutenaunt, and present in the feeld before hym thre daies. And also sone after the saide wors.h.i.+pfull journey of Senlis, your saide adversarie of Fraunce, after that made his entreprise, comyng before the n.o.ble cite of Paris, with alle his roialle power to have entred the said cite, and to put out youre saide cosyn duke of Bedford; whiche havyng knowlege therof incontinent disposed hym (albeit he had upon so soden warnyng but a few felous.h.i.+p) to mete ayen withe youre saide adversarie, and put hym in gret aventure, and entred in youre saide cite of Paris to relief and defende theym as he promised, and sent worde unto hem late before to theire grettist yoie and comfort. And youre said adversarie, that ententid to gete the saide cite, besieging theym withe a grete nombre, mightilie resisted withe men and ordenaunce, so grevously hurt, being fayne to voide incontinent.

And as in this maner it shewithe evidently that youre true obeisaunt lordis, and n.o.ble chieveteins, also true subgettis, have abandonned theire bodies, putting them in gret jupardie unto the parelle of dethe, or to be taking prisoneris, and yet G.o.d hathe served hem soo, that thoroughe His grace and theire manhod withe wise governaunce [they] have had the overhande of youre adversaries, and kept bothe the saide citee and the feelde withe other good men that aboode, whan theire partie contrarie have ben nombred double or treble {48} moo than youris, as is before expressid.

And at whiche tyme the saide citee was so mightly besegid, ser John Radclif knight, withe his felous.h.i.+p, had gret wors.h.i.+p.

[Sidenote: Exclamacio.]

[Sidenote: Nota. 1449, 1450.]

[Sidenote: Tempus ultimi conquestus.]

[Sidenote: De pace finali apud Bretygnye.]

[Sidenote: .1371.]

O ye right n.o.ble martirs! whiche that for youre verray righte of the coroune of Fraunce, and for the welfare of the kingis highenesse, and for the wors.h.i.+p of his bothe roiaumes of Englond and Fraunce, ye forto susteyne righte and forto wynne wors.h.i.+p, have ben often put in gret aventure, as was often tymes of the wors.h.i.+pfulle Romayns. And therfore of you may be saide that ye were alway stedfast and obeieng youre souvereyn unto the jupardie and perille of dethe. So wolde Jhesus that in the brief seson of the sodeyne and wrecchid intrusion late had by the unmanly disseising and putting oute of Fraunce, Normandie, Angew, and Mayne, withe the duchies of Gasquien and Guyen, whiche is done bethin the s.p.a.ce of .j. yere and .xiiij.

wekis, that is to wete frome the .xv. day of Maij in the yere of Crist M^l.cccc.xlix. unto the .xv. day of the monithe of August the yere of Crist M^l.cccc.l, that every castelle, forteresse, and towne defensable of the said duchiees [were delyvered upp by force or composicion to the adverse partye.[142]] And if they had be alway furnished and stuffed withe suche suffisaunt nombre of men of armes, with ordenaunce, vitaile, and wages duely kept and be paied, that they myght couraged and enforced hem to have bene kept stille the possession,[143] and they so being of the lyonns kynde as to have bene of soo egir courage and so manly and stedfast as they were before this tyme in that parties of Normandie, conquering, keping, and defending it as they did by the s.p.a.ce of .x.x.xv. yeris complete and .vij.

daies frome the begynnyng of the last conquest the thrid yere of king Henry the .v^{the}., and not the whele of fortune turned ayenst this lande as it hathe. Notwithestanding king Edwarde the thrid occupied not in his conquest of Fraunce and Normandie pa.s.se .x.x.xiiij. yere, whiche that after undre certayne condicions upon apoyntement of a smalle pease made atwix hym and king Johan of Fraunce was {49} graunted that the saide king Johan shulde be seased and possessid ayen of a part of the said roiaume and duchie for certeyne countees, baronnyes, and seignories that we shulde in chief halde in Guien and other contrees, whiche is more amplie declared in the saide finalle trety of pease made at Bretygny; yet for alle the othes, sacrementis, seles of bothe kingis and here lordis made, the said trety of pease was sone broken by the adverse partie when they couth take theire avauntage, about the yere of Crist M^l.ccc.lxxj.

[Sidenote: Exclamacio alia.]

[Sidenote: De amicicia per maritagia et alias alligancias fienda.]

[Sidenote: Nota bene.]

[Sidenote: Nota et concidera ad honorandum extraneos.]

He allas! we dolorous parsones suffring intollerabille persecucions and miserie, aswelle in honoure lost as in oure[144] lyvelode there unrecompensid, as in oure meveable goodes bereved, what shalle we doo or say? Shalle we in this doloure, anguisshe, and hevynesse contynew long thus? Nay, nay, G.o.d defende that suche intrusions, grete wrongis, and tiranye shuld be left unpunisshed, and so gret a losse unpunysshed and not repared! For one good moyen, undre correccion, may be this, and if youre lordis wolde enforce hem to renew theire olde allie[gh] of straunge regions and countrees, as the Romayns did whan they werrid in Auffrik ayenst the Cartages, and of late daies king Edwarde the thrid gafe example and sithe king Harry the .v^{te}. in oure daies, and also his n.o.ble brothir Johan duke of Bedford after hym; whiche allies be almost werid out and foryete to oure grete desolacion, whiche and they were renewed by meane of mariages of gret birthe, by cheriss.h.i.+ng of lordis, n.o.bles, and marchauntes of the regions that we have been allied unto, or desire to be gyvyng renomme and honoure in armes to the princes that we desire alliaunce, or[145] sending at suche tymes as the cas shalle require to the princes amba.s.siatours that be halden wors.h.i.+pfulle men of astate and degree that have sene wors.h.i.+p in divers contreis, whiche prudently can purpose and declare the urgent cause and necessite of this royaume, it wolde be to think verralie than that tho yowre[146] people true subgettis of Fraunce were mynusshed or abated as it is, but oure saide allies wolde enforce hem withe alle hir power and might to the {50} reformacion of the saide intrusions, and under colour of trewes wrought ayenst us. In example of this matier, it bathe bene specified herebefore, and how it hathe be rad among the Romayne stories that, whan Haniballe, prince of Cartage, had so gret a descomfiture ayenst Camos, governour of the Romayne ooste, that the men of Cartage gaderid of the fingers of the ded Romayns three muys fulle of golde ringis. So it shewed that the power of Rome was gretly mynusshed and febled. Than, whan this tidingis come to Cartage, one Hamon, a wise man, a senatoure, demaunded if it so were that for alle so gret a discomfiture is

[At this place a leaf of the MS., or more, has been lost.]

[Sidenote: Tullius Cicero.]

[Sidenote: Boecius.]

[Sidenote: Constellacio non necessitat sed forte disponit mores hominum altor' bene vel contra, ac impressiones aeris et causa mere naturalia concernencia.]

[Sidenote: Contra fiduciam adhibendam in prophesiis. Nota conclusionem.

Nisi fuerit sanctissimis viris.]

[Sidenote: Josephus. Orosius. t.i.tus Livius.]

[Sidenote: Gyldas.]

[Sidenote: Deexpulsione Britonum in Walliam et Cornewaylle propter peccata.

Destruccio regnorum.]

[Sidenote: Nynyve. Babylon. Troye. Thebes. Athenes.]

[Sidenote: Rome.]

[Sidenote: Jerusalem.]

[Sidenote: Picti gentes.]

[Sidenote: Saxones.]

[Sidenote: Danii. Normanni. Andegavenses.]

[Sidenote: Galfridus Plantagenest.]

[Sidenote: Lucius Valerius.]

[Sidenote: Boicius.]

[Sidenote: De republica custodienda.]

[Sidenote: De justicia.]

whiche may noie be, for Cicero seicthe in the booke that he made of Divinacion, and the famous doctour seint Austyn in the book of Fre wille, and also Boecius in his booke of Consolacion, or[147] Comforte ayenst mysfortune, accorden to the same, that we shuld not only trust that the thinges whiche sounethe to adversite or infortune, and the whiche comethe to us adversarily or on the lift side, for oure offenses not keping the lawes of G.o.d, that oft tymes comythe, they dyvynyng that they fallithe be casuelte of fortune, by prophesies, orellis thoroughe influence and constellacions of sterris of hevyn, whiche jugementes be not necessarilie true, for and if it were like to trouthe it were but as contingent and of no necessite, that is to sey, as likely to be not as to be. And if a constellacion or prophesie signified that suche a yere or bethin suche a tyme there shulde falle werre, pestilence, or deerthe of vitaile to a contree or region, or privacion of a contre, it is said but dispositiflie and not of necessite or certente, for than it shulde folow that the prophesies, constellacions, and influence of sterris were maistris over G.o.ddis power, and that wolde soune to an herisie orellis to a gret erroure.

And if suche {51} prophesies and influence of the seide constellacions might be trew, yet G.o.d hathe gyve that souvereynte in mannys soule that he, havyng a clene soule, may turne the contrarie disposicion that jugement of constellacion or prophesies signified. As it is verified by the famous astrologien Ptolome in his booke called Centilogie, the capitalle, seieng _quod h.o.m.o sapiens dominatur astris_, that a man is sovereyn abofe suche domes of constellacions. And therfor ye oughte not deme ne conceyve the gret adversite that fallithe to us is not falle to us by prophesie or by influence of constellacion of sterris, but only for synne and wrecchidnes, and for lak of prudence and politique governaunce in dew tyme provided, and havyng no consideracion to the comen wele, but rathir to magnifie and enriche oure silfe by singler covetise, using to take gret rewardis and suffring extorcions over the pore peple, for whiche inconvenientis by the jugementis and suffraunce of G.o.d, and of his divine providence, the whiche by divers and of his secretis and as misteries unknowen to us he hathe suffred this mysfortune among us here, and privacion of the saide roiaume of Fraunce and contreis ther to falle upon us. And who so wolle considre welle the histories of olde croniclers, as of Josephas, libro Antiquitatum, Orosius de Ormesta Mundi, t.i.tus Livius of the Romayne battelis, and such othirs, how that gret chaunge of roiaumes and countreis frome one nacion to another straunge tong hathe be, for synne and wrecchidnesse and mysgovernaunce reignyng in the roiaume so conquerid. And as it is made mencion in the olde historien called Gildas that for pride, covetice, and flesshely l.u.s.tis used amongis the olde Breton bloode lordis of this roiaume, G.o.d suffred the Saxons of d.u.c.h.e ys tung, a straunge nacion, to dryve them out of this land in Angle in Cornewale and Walis. And where is Nynnyve, the gret cite of thre daies? and Babilon, the gret toure, inhabited now withe wilde bestis? the citeis of Troy [and] Thebes, .ij.

grete magnified citeis? also Athenes, that was the welle of connyng and of wisdam? and Cartage, the victorioux cite of gret renomme, most doubtable, by the Romayns was brent to a.s.shes. {52} And also Rome, so gloriously magnified thoroughe alle the world, overthrow the gret part of it; aswelle as was Jerusalem. And to take an example of the many overthrowes and conquestis of this lande by straunge nacions sithen the Breton bloode first inhabited, as withe peple callid Pictics, commyng out of ferre northe partie of the worlde. Then after the Saxones drove out the olde Breton bloode. Than after the Danys peple conquerid the Saxons, and than the Normans conquerid the Danys. And sone after the Angevyns of highe Fraunce, full n.o.ble knightis of renomme, Geffrey erle Plantagenet erle of Angew maried withe dame Maud, doughter of the duke of Normandie and king of Englande, Harry the second, whych doughter, called dame Maude emperesse, and so haldyn stille the Normandie bloode and the Angevyns into this tyme.

And Job in his booke seithe that nothing fallithe or risithe on the erthe without a cause, as who saiethe that none adversite fallithe not to us, but only for wikkidnesse of lyvyng and synne that reignithe on us; as pride, envye, singuler covetice, and sensualite of the bodie now a daies hathe most reigned over us to oure destruccion, we not havyng consideracion to the generalle profit and universalle wele of a comynalte. And to bring to mynde how the wors.h.i.+pfulle senatours Romayns did gife us many examples, as Lucius Valerius, and also the n.o.ble juge cenatoure of Rome Boecius, [of the grete lofe[148]] had alway to the cite of Rome. For the saide Lucius Valerius despendid so gret good upon the comyn profit of the said cite, to kepe and maynteyne the honoure of the citee, defending the cite and contreis about from here ennemies, that he died in gret povertee, but by the cenatours relevyng, and for his wors.h.i.+pfulle dedis they buried hym in the most solempne wise according to his wors.h.i.+p. And the said juge Boecius loved rightwisnesse to be kept, and the pore comyns of Rome in that susteyned and maynteyned that he spared nothir lord ne none astate. But suffred hym to stande in the daunger of the hethyn king of Rome, and to be in exile rathir {53} than he wolde offende justice. Notwithestanding the saide adversite and tribulacions felle unto hem for avaunsing and tendring the comyn wele, and alle men of wors.h.i.+p may put hem in wors.h.i.+pfulle remembraunce among worthy princes to here gret renomme and laude. Also it is to be noted that was one of the gret causis that the princes Romayns were so gret conquerours and helde the straunge roiaumes so long in subjeccion, but only using of trouthe and justice keping in here conquestis.

[Sidenote: De justicia Camilli in obcidionibus historia gloriosa.]

A fulle n.o.ble historie how that Camillus the duke of Rome wolde use justice in his conquest.

[Sidenote: Quod princeps debet vincere cicius per justiciam quam per traditionem.]

[Sidenote: t.i.tus Livius decade primo.]

[Sidenote: Florens cytee.]

[Sidenote: Camillus.]

[Sidenote: Conciderandum.]

[Sidenote: Proposicio ad Romanos gentes.]

In example I rede in the Romayns stories of t.i.tus Livius in the booke of the first decade that a prince Romayn clepid Camillus, whiche did so many victorioux dedis, and loved so welle the comyn profit of the cite of Rome, that he was called the second Romulus whiche founded first Rome, besieged a gret cite of Falistes, whiche is nowe as it is saide called Florence, to have hem undre the governaunce of the Romayne lawes. And as he had leyne long at the siege, and after gret batailes and scarmysshes it fortuned that a maister of sciencis of Falliste called now Florence, the whiche had all the enfauntes and childryn of the gouvernours and wors.h.i.+pfulle men of the saide citee in his rule to lerne hem virtuous sciencis, thought to wynne a gret rewarde and thank of the n.o.ble prince Camillus, and by the umbre of treson ayenst justice that the said maistre wolde wirke to cause the senatours of Faliste [the rather[149]] to deliver up the cite to the prince, the said maister by flatering and blandis.h.i.+ng wordis meoved his clerkis to desport bethout the cite in the feeldis, and so fedde hem forthe withe sportis and plaies tille he had brought hem withyn the siege and power of Camillus, and came to his presence, saiyng to hym that he had brought to hym the sonnes of the chief lordes and governours of the cite of Falliste, {54} whiche and he wolde kepe the said chyldryn in servage, the faderis of hem wolle deliver hym the cite bethout any more werre making.

Than saide that just prince Camillus that it was not the Romayns condicions to werre and punisshe such innocentis as never offendid in werre, ne knew not what werre meoved; and wolde not suffre that the Falistes be defrauded of here contre and cite by unjust menes of treason or fals covyn or undew alliaunce, but as naturalle werre wol fortune by manhod and just dede of armes to take the cite. And there the saide prince comaunded the scolemaister for his gret deceite to be dispoilid and to be betyn nakid withe baleese and sharpe roddis withe his owne clerkis into the cite ayen; than the governours and maistres of the cite, havyng consideracion of the gret justice and manhod that he used in his conquest, sent to Camillus amba.s.satours withe the keies of the cite, and purposid unto him, saieng, O ye fathir and prince of justice, wher as the welle honoure and renommee of justice and of victorioux dedis reignithe among you Romaynes by using of justice, and that for asmoche they perceyved that princes Romayns used feithe and justice, and peyned theym to kepe theire peple conquerid hem to be subgettis to Rome by justice, they were fulle joifulle and glad to lyve undre theire lawes, and so delivered hym the [keys and the[150]] citee, to the gret renomme of the saide prince and to alle the Romayns gretly to be magnified.

Historie of dame Cristyn, declaring how a prince and a ledar of peple shulde use prudence and justice by example of the n.o.ble cenatoure called Fabricius.

[Sidenote: Res publica.]