¶ Incipit Liber armorum.
Beyng in worthenes aarmes for to beere by the Royaƚƚ blode in ordynance all nobuƚƚ and gentyƚƚ men from the hyest degre to the lawyst ī thys booke shaƚƚ be shewed. and to deseuer Gentilnes from vngentilnes. ¶ In so moche thatt aƚƚ gentilnes cummys of god of heuyn. at heuyn I wyƚƚ begyn where were .x. orderis of aungelis and now stonde bot .ix. in coote armuris of knawlege encrowned fuƚƚ hye with precious stones. where lucifer with mylionys of aungelis owt of heuyn feƚƚ vnto heƚƚ and odyr places and ben holdyn ther in bondage. and aƚƚ where creatid in heuyn of gentiƚƚ nature. A bonde man or a churle wyƚƚ say aƚƚ we be cummyn of adam. So lucifer with his cumpany may say aƚƚ we be cummyn of heuyn. ¶ Adam the begynnyng of man kynde was as a stokke vnsprayde and vnfloreshed. and in the braunches is knowlegge wiche is rotun and wiche is grene.
How Gentilmen shall be knawẏn from churlis & how theẏ first began. And how Noe deuẏdẏd the world in .iii. partit to his iii sonnẏs.
Now for to deuyde gentilmen from chorlis in haast it shaƚƚ be preued. Ther was neuer gentilman nor churle ordenyd by kynde bot he had fadre and modre. Adam and Eue had nother fadre nor modre. and in the sonnys of Adam and Eue war founde bothe gentilman and churle. By the soonnys of Adam and Eue Seth Abeƚƚ and Cayn deuyded was the royaƚƚ blode fro the vngentiƚƚ. A brother to sley his brother ꝯtrary to the law where myght be more vngentelnes. By that did Cayn become a chorle and aƚƚ his ofspryng after hym by the cursyng of god and his owne fadre adam ¶ And Seth was made a gentilman thorow his fadres and moderis blissyng. And of the ofspryng of Seth Noe come a gentilman by kynde
¶ Noe had .iij. sonnys begetyn by kynde. by the modre .ij. were named Cham and Sem. and by the fadre the thirde was namyd Iafeth. Yit in theys .iij. sonnys gentilnes and vngentilnes was founde ¶ In cham vngentilnes was founde to his owne fadre doon̄ to discuuer his preuytes and laugh his fadre to scorne ¶ Iafeth was the yongist and repreued his brodre. Than like a gentilman take mynde of Cham. for his vngentilnes he was become a chorle: and had the cursyng of god and his fadre Noe. And whan Noe awoke he sayde to Cham his sonne: knowyst nott thow how hit become of Cayn Adam soon: and of his churlisħ blode. Aƚƚ the worlde is drownde saue we .viij. And now of the to begynne vngentilnes and a cause to destroye vs aƚƚ: vppon the hit shaƚƚ be & so I pray to god that it shaƚƚ faƚƚ. Now to the I gyue my curse wycked kaytife for eu̇. and I gyue to the: the north parte of the worlde to drawe thyn habitacion for ther shaƚƚ it be. where sorow and care colde and myschef as a churle thow shalt haue. in the thirde parte of the worlde wich shaƚƚ be calde Europe that is to say the contre of churlys.
¶ Iafeth eū heder my sonne thow shaƚƚ haue my blissing dere ī stede of Seth Adam son I make the a gentilman to the weste parte of the worlde. and to the occident ende: where as welth and grace shaƚƚ be. ther thyn habitacion shaƚƚ be. to take that other therde parte of the worlde which shaƚƚ be calde asia that is to say the contre of gentilmen.
¶ And Sem my son also a gentilman I the make to multipli abellis blode that so wykkedli was slayn. the oryente thow shalt take that other theirde parte of the worlde which shaƚƚ be calde affrica. that is to say the contre of tempurnes.
¶ Of the ofspryng of the gentilman Iafeth come Habraham Moyses Aron and the profettys. and also the kyngꝭ of ye right lyne of mary. of whom that gentilman Ihesus was borne very god and man: after his manhode Kyng of the londe of Iude & of Iues gentilman by is modre mary prynce of Cote armure.