The Auchtand chapitre contenis, How the said Ordre suld be haldyn at honour, and quhat honoure suld be done to thame that beris the said Ordre, and has optenyt it with honoure.
HERE BEGYNNYS THE FIRST CHAPITRE OF THE BUKE.
he Autoure of this Buke rehersis, How it befell in a contree quhare a worthy, wyse, anciene Knycht, that lang tyme had bene in the exercisioun of honourable weris, the quhilk, be the noblesse and the force of his noble and hie curage, throu grete wisedome and hye gouernaunce, had auenturit his persone to pursue and manetene justis, tournaymentis, and weris, and throu his gude fortune and prowess, had optenyt grete honour and glore, and victorius loving: And efter all this, as course of nature gevis till all mankynde, and othir creaturis that in this erde lyf beris, he, considerand that this lyf mycht nocht langsumly endure, bot it behovit nedely tak ane end; for to make gude end, and conclusioun to godwart, and to lyve out of the sicht of tribulacioun and vexacioun of the warld, and to be at his deuocioun in contemplacioun of his Creatour: For he sawe that God had gevin him largely of his grace, sufficiandly of warldly honoure and glore; and that nature in him was sa faillid throu febilness, that he had nouthir force, na vertu, na powere to welde armes as he was wount; and had deuisit and departit his landis, gudis, and heritagis till his barnis, and ordanyt for all his thingis fynablye, and chesit to mak his habitacioun in a thik wod of a wilderness, in a faire haulch, inclosit within wateris, and grete treis bath of fruytis and of diuers naturis, and of herbes, sa that he was content to flee the sycht and the repaire of the warld: Sa that nane that had sene him sa worthily, honestly, and honourably, had euir hidertillis manetenyt sa worthy and hye Ordere in all worschip, but lak or dishonestee of his cors, suld se him in his failit elde, for fault of powere of naturall strenth, in syk febilness that he mycht nocht oure him self to gouerne his persone in syk worschip of honestee as he was wount, that filth of elde schamyt him nocht, quhill he had ȝeldit to God and nature his naturale dewiteis: And als, that the vexacioun of the warld gert him nocht abstrak his inclinacioun of contemplacioun and deuocioun fra the contynuale remembraunce that he was determynit in his hert to have of the glorious passioun of Crist, the quhilk he traistit, suld be a targe betuix him and the inymy of mankynde, in the day of the dredefull jugement, to sauf him fra the terrible paynis of hell. And as he was walkand a day in ane herbare allane, in his deuocioun, in a thik busk of the wod, quhare there was a grete tree in the myddis, chargit full of fair fruytis in the sesoun, the quhilkis he gaderit and held to refresch him with be tymes: And in that herbare, vnder the saide fruyte tree, thare was a faire well of water of noble nature, quhilk in diuers stryndis past throu the herber till othir gardynnis and preaux, till watere thame in somere for more gudely growth; in the quhilk herbare the noble Knycht was custumyt to mak his dayly repaire; and thare in his contemplacioun, he maid his secrete orisoun, zeldand gracis and lovingis to Almychty God, the makare of the mekle honour and worschip that he had grantit him in this warld, euermare day of his lyf, to contynew in sik deuocioun and contemplacioun perpetualy.
And sa befell that in the samyn tyme, befell a grete stormy wyntere, in the quhilk a worthy King had sett and ordanyt a grete assemblee of Lordis and Knychtis and worthy men, for hie, grete, and honourable actis to be done, in the quhilkis mony ȝong bachelere squieris proposit thame to be maid knychtis of that worthy Kingis hand: And sa befell that ane of the lordis sonis of that contree, quhilk had sett his entent and purpose to tak the Ordre of Knychthede at the said assemblee; and as it hapnyt him to pas throu that contree quhare the noble anciene Knycht had maid his habitacioun; And forthy that the said Squier quhilk was ferre trauailit, for irknes of trauale and waking to cum to the semblee, he slepit apon his palfray, and wauerit fra his folk out of the hye way, sa that he become properly in the samyn forest and wilderness quhare the Knycht was induelland; and to the samyn fontayn, in the herbere thare, quhare the Knycht was at his contemplacioun, in the samyn tyme come [the palfray] thare to drink at the well. And als sone as that the Knycht sawe in syk a kynde, sik ane honourable man, he left his contemplacioun, and tuke out a Buke of his bosum and began to rede. And sone quhen the pallefray put doun his hede in the well for to drynk, the Squiere began to wakyn of his slepe, and wist nocht quhare he was becummyn, and than rais vp the worthy anciene Knycht, and comit till him to spere of his effere; the quhilk quhen the ȝong Squiere saw sa hare and alde, with a lang berde, and langar syde hyngand hare, quhite as the snawe, with a syde goun, alde and bare of wolle, and euill farand, with mony holis ryvin and rent, for grete age of wering, and for the grete waking and deuocioun and penitence that he had tane till him in that desert, and the greting that he maid for his trespass of ȝouthede, he was worthin rycht lene, pale and wan, with hevy chere, and holl eyne, sa that be semblance his behalding was lyke to be as of a haly man and of godly lyf. Sa that grete maruaill had thai ilkane of othir, ffor sen the Knycht hed left the warld, to duell thare in that desert, he had nocht sene na man in all that tyme. And the ȝong Squyere had mare grete maruaill, how he was hapnyt thare, and of the grete maruailouss maner of the worthy man; quhilk be his feris and port semyt till have bene a man of grete valoure: And with that he lichtit doun of his pallefray, and salust the noble Knycht, quhilk ȝeldit him agayne his reuerence and ressauit him graciously, and gert him sytt doun in the herbere, and reyne his horse, and rest him; and lang tyme beheld him in the visage, to se gif he wold aucht say. Bot the Squyere, quhylk maruailit mekle of the efferis of the Knycht, for the grete worthynes that him thocht apperit in his visage, and maneris, he deferrit till him to moue first speche, as to do him reuerence for honour and age. And thus the worthy Knycht spak first, sayand, Faire frende, quhat is the cause of ȝoure cummyng here in this wildernes? And fra quhyn ar ȝe cummyn, and quhare wald ȝe be? And than ansuerd the ȝong Bachelere, sayand, Certes Sir, thare is a grete renoun gangand in ferre contreis of a grete assemblee, and rycht honourable, that suld be maid in this land be ane of the maist worthy Kingis that is in the warld: quhare grete multitude of honourable and worthy men suld assemble, for honourable actis to be done, and thare suld the said King mak mony new knychtis, be cause that he him self has entencioun to be maid knycht thare, in the samyn tyme; and thus for honour of the worthy Prince and of his new knychthede, I and otheris drawis togedir to se thai honourable actis, and, God willand, to be maid knycht of his hand thare. And be caus that I tuke grete journeis be the way cummand, my pallefray, throu his soft passing, gave me curage to slepe, as man fordouerit, and sa bade behynd my company, and wanderit sa in this wilderness, vnwittand quhare, quhill my hors, in this haulch, heldit to drynk. Than ar ȝe, said the worthy Knycht rycht welcum here.
Bot quhen the noble worthy man herd him speke of the hye and noble Ordere of Knychthede, and of the propereteis that till it appertenis, he gave a sare sob, with a grete siche, that vness mycht he speke lang tyme eftir; rememberand of the grete honoure that he had bene in, manetenand the saide Ordre of sa lang tyme. And quhen the Squyere saw him fall in syk a thocht, be manere of ane extasy, he sperit at him, Quhat movit him to muse sa mekle on his wordis? And than the worthy anciene Knycht ansuerd him, sayand, That his thocht was on the hye and worthy Ordre of Knychthede that he had spoken of, and on the grete charge that a knycht vndergais quhen he vndertakis that noble and worschipfull Ordre of Knychthede. And than said the said Squiere, That gif he coud oucht teche him of the poyntis that mycht pertene to the said Ordere, for the honour and reuerence of God, that he wald teche him. And with that the said Knycht blenkit vp, sayand, O faire sone, how art thou sa bald to sett thee to tak that forenamyt Ordere bot first thou knew the poyntis belangand the gouernaunce and manetenaunce of it, and the maner how it suld be kepit, gouernyt, and manetenyt in honoure and worschip, as efferis, eftir the ordinaunce of God: ffor thare suld nane be sa hardy to tak that hye honourable Ordre bot he war first worthy be the sicht of a prince thare till. And syne that coud the poyntis and the articlis that to the said Ordre appertenis, and to knaw bath the meritis and the prowess of the Ordre; and rycht sa the defaultis that a knycht may mak till his Ordre; nathare suld na knycht mak ane othir bot first he himself coud thai poyntis, techingis, and documentis, to teche thame to the vassall or bachelere, that he thocht to mak a knycht of: ffor he is misordanyt and vnworthy knycht that makis knychtis nocht knawand the propereteis of the said Ordre, to teche to thame that he gevis the Ordre till the custumys and documentis that till it appertenis. And then said the Sqyuare, Faire fader, sen it is sa that as I traist ȝe knaw the propereteis and custumes of the said Ordre, that ȝe wald, of ȝour gudelynes, teche me and informe of the documentis and propereteis belangand to the said Ordre of Knichthede; ffor I haue gude hope in God, that for the traist that I haue thairto, I sulde lere besily and wele all the perfectioun of the said Ordre.
And than ansuerd the Knycht, sayand, Faire sone, sen it is sa that thou has sa gude will to lere the reuglis and the documentis belangand the said Ordre, I sall len thé a lytill Buke quharein all the reuglis and the ordynaunce of all the poyntis and documentis that pertenis to the said Ordre ar writin; in the quhilk Buke, I rede wele oft, and takis consolatioun, of the mekle honoure, worschippis, and worthynes that to the said Ordre appertenis, and of the grete grace that God hes gevin me in this erde to be sa happy till haue gouernyt sa, but lak, the said Ordre, that all my grace and gude auenture throw it I hadand rycht sa I honourit it, and did all my powere to manetene it, and kepe it in worschip, but repruf; for rycht as Knycht, be his Ordre, takis bath of God and man honoure, worschip, and warldly prouffit, rycht sa he is behaldyn till gouerne, kepe, and manetene his Ordre in all honoure, worschip, and reuerence vndefoulit. And than delyuerit the Knycht the Buke to the Bachelere; in the quhilk quhen he had red a lytill space, he hevit vp his handis to the hevyn, and lovit Almychti God that had gevin him the grace to cum that way, in the tyme that he was sa wele fortunyt to haue knaulage of the poyntis, techingis, and properteis of the said Ordre, and reuglis that till it appertenit, the quhilk I have lang tyme mekle desyrit to knawe. And than said the Knycht, Faire sone, thou sall tak this Buke with thé to the Court, for sen I am bath alde and wayke, and may nocht trauaill to schaw the reuglis, and documentis, and propereteis of the said Ordre to thame that desyris thame, that ar with the King, thou sall geve the copy of this said Buke till all men that desyris it; and thou sall hecht me, quhen thou art doubbit Knycht, thou sall cum this way agayne this, and tell me quhat Knychtis salbe maid thare, and all the manere of thair making, and how the King and the new Knychtis takis in thank this Buke of the reuglis and documentis of the said Ordre; and quha askis the copy of it.
And thus tuke the Bachelere his leve at the Knycht, and the Knycht his benedictioun, and sa lap on his horse, and passit on, quhill he met with his menȝé; and sa to the Kingis palace; and did his devoyr in gouernement of his persone rycht worthily, and gave the copy till all maner of noble man that wald desyre till have it: the quhilk Buke the King lovit mekle, and prisit, and all the lordis, and held it rycht dere.
