SECUNDUM CAPITULUM.
HERE FOLOWIS THE SECUND CHAPITRE, THAT SPEKIS OF THE POYNTIS OF THE ORDRE THAT A BACHELERE SQUIERE SULD LERE, OR HE TAK THE FORENAMYT ORDRE.
n the tyme that cheritee, leautee, justice, and veritee was failit in the warld, than began crueltee, vnlautee, injure and falsetee: and than was errour and distrublaunce in the warld; in the quhilk warld God had maid man to duelle to trowe in him, serue him, honoure him, loue him, and dout him: Bot first quhen despising of justice come in the warld, and than was syk mysreugle and misgouernaunce in the warld amang the peple for fault of justice, that for to gere the reugle of gude gouernaunce cum agayn with force and drede of awe, the peple gert chess a Man amang a thousand, the quhilk was maist wise, maist stark and sturdy, and best of gouernaunce, maist godlyke, and full of grete leautee, and of maist nobless, maist curageus, and best techit in vertues; and ay of ilke thowsand of the peple thare was syk a man chosyn to be chiftane of the laue, and to gouerne thame, and be thaire ledare: And syne thai inquerit and soucht quhat beste was maist worthy, maist stark and sturdy, and maist swift rynnand, and maist hable to mannis service, and behove, and thareto was chosyn the Horse; for the maist worthy and convenable and best rynnand, and maist hable for mannis service; and that hors was ordanyt to that chose Man to ryde upon; and eftir the Hors the Knycht, ane of his namys, that in Franche is callit Cheualier, that is to say, Hors man, and be the tothir significacioun, that is callit Miles; that cummys of this foresaid caus, that he was in thai tymes a man chosyn be the prince and the peple of ilke thousand men, the worthiest to be thair Chiftane and Gouernoure in were, and thaire Protectour in tyme of pes. And thus quhen he was in thai tymes chosyn amang a thousand, ane of maist vertu, and worthiest to be a gouernour of the laue; and syne the maist worthy and noble beste of the warld chosin to bere him, that he suld nocht ga on fut: syne eftir ordaynyt thai that the maist noble and worthy armoure suld be deuisit and maid to thai Knychtis to kepe thair persouns in hele fra strakis of thair inymyeis, and fra the dede; and thare was he enarmyt and sett upon the hors and maid Chiftane and Gouernour of a thowsand persouns vnder him; and thus was Knychthede first ordanyt and maid. And thar fore all Knychtis suld think apon thair worthy and noble begynnyng, and the propereteis and causis thar of; and sett him sa that he haue als noble a curage in him self as suld effere to the Noble Ordre, that he ressauis in virtueis, and in gude thewis, and worthynes of condiciouns, sa that his worthy condiciouns and vertewis accorde to the begynnyng that is sa noble; ffor and he do the contrair, he is inymy till his Ordre, and syk men suld nocht be ressauit to the Ordre that ar inymyes tharetill. Na suld nane be maid Knychtis that had contrarius condiciouns to that worthy and noble Ordre: he suld haue lufe and drede in him till God, and till his Prince, agains haterent and despising; and rycht as he suld lufe and drede God, and his Lord and Prince, sa suld he ger him self be dred and lufit of his folk, bathe be nobless of curage, and gude thewis, and gude custumes, thinkand apon the hye honoure and worschip that is gevin till him, that is sa hye and sa noble ane office, and of sik worschip, that the condiciouns, and the nobless of the Ordre, suld be accordand togeder: Sa that throu the grete honour of his electioun, first, that be the prince and the people, is chosin amang a thousand for the maist worthy, and syne the maist noble and worthy armouris put on him, and syne the maist noble and worthy beste that was in the world gevin and ordanyt him to ryde on, and otheris to gang on sut besyde him; than aucht he wele to lufe and drede God, and his Prince that sendis him that hye honour and worschip; and syne he aw wele to mak syk cause throu nobless of curage and gude custumes, that he be lufit and dred of the peple; sa that be lufe he conquest charitee, and be drede he conquest lautee and justice: And thus all Knycht suld haue in him thir foure thingis, that is to say, charitee and gude thewis, lautee and justice, and suld excede otheris in nobless of vertues as he does in nobless of honouris. And alssua, in samekle as man is mare worthy, mare curageus, and vertuous, and mare wit and vnderstanding has na womman, and of mair stark nature, in samekle is he better na womman, or ellis nature war contrary till it self; that bountee and beautee of curage suld folowe bountee, and beautee, and nobless of cors; and thus sen a man is mare hable till haue mare noble curage, and to be better na womman, in samekle is he mare enclynit to be tempit to vice na is the womman, ffor he is mare hardy vndertakare, bathe in gude and euill, opynly; and in samekle has he mare meryt till abstene him fra vicis na has the womman, that is of wayke nature: and tharfore ilke man suld be war that wald enter in the foresaid Ordre; and wit wele first quhat he dois, ffor he takis thare a grete honoure, maryte with a grete seruitute; that is to say, a grete thrillage that he mon ressaue with the Ordre, to be thrall to the condiciouns, propereteis, and custumes that appertenis to the said Ordre, and to the frendis of the said Ordre: ffor quhy, that in samekle that a man has mare noble creacioun and begynning, and mare has of honour, in samekle is he mare thrall, and bounde to be gude and agreable to God, and till him that dois him that honoure. And gif he be of wikkit and euill lyf of tyranny and crimynous lyfing, he is contrarius and inymy of the Ordre, and rebellour to the commandementis of honour. For the Ordre of Knychthede, be the caus that it is maid and ordanyt for, is sa noble of it self, that the Princis war nocht anerly content, and the peple to ches the maist noble man of ligny, and to geue him the maist noble armouris, and syne sett him on the maist noble and curageus beste for mannis vse. Bot sen thai ordanyt him to be a lorde: Bot quhat vnderstandis thou redare be a lorde? A man is nocht a lord supposs he haue neuer sa mekle of warldly gudis: bot he is a lord that has seignoury and jurisdictioun vpon other men, to gouerne thame, and hald law and justice apon thame quhen thai trespass. In the quhilk lordschip thare is sa mekle nobless, and in seruitude thare is sa mekle subjectioun, bondage, and thrillage, that grete difference is betuene, and than suld thare be alsmekle difference in the personis, as thare is difference betuix the twa estatis: For and a man tak the Ordere of Knychthede, and he be villaine of his condiciouns, and wykkit of lyf, he dois grete injure to all his subjectes that he has vnder him in gouernaunce, that ar gude folk and symple, and mekle seruis punycioun for cruell and wickit lyf that tyrane lordis ar of, to the peple, makis tham mare worthy to be bondis bound, na to be lordis of the peple of God, off the quhilkis thai mon ȝelde a strayte compt a day, quhilk efferis to the Prince to punys, be the counsale of thame that gude and worthy Knychtis ar, ffor vnworthy war, that thai war callit Knychtis, and here the name and the honoure of that hye Ordre that wyrkis in the contrair, destroyand and vndoand the peple of God, that thai ar chosin be electioun, and oblist to defend, and for that caus has thair lordschippis to gouerne the peple of God: ffor nocht anerly the chesing and electioun to the Ordre, na the noble hors, na armouris, na gouernaunce, na lordschip, thame thocht nocht anerly, was sufficiand to the worthynes of that noble and worschipfull Ordre till hald it at honour; bot thai ordanyt him a Squier, and a varlet Page to be euer contynualy at his bidding and seruice in all placis thare he war, to tak kepe till him,—the Squiar to gang with him at his bidding, the Page to kepe his Hors. And ordanyt the peple to labour the ground, to graith lyfing for the Knychtis and Nobles that war thair gouernouris and protectouris, and to thair hors and seruandis; the quhilkis was excusit to nocht laboure, bot to rest thame euer betuix dedis of armes and actis honourable, at hunting and hauking, and othir disportis, and to gouerne and kepe passibles the labouraris, and sauf thame fra fors and wrang, sa that clerkis mycht pesably study in sciencis, men of kirk vake in Goddis seruice, merchandis in thair marchandice, and othir craftis wirkand at lordis deuiss. And thus quhen clerkis studyis in sciencis, how men suld be techit to knawe, lufe, and serue God, and doubt, and to geue gude ensample of doctrine to the lawit peple to rycht sa do, for the honour and reuerence of Almychtie God in deuocioun and gude lyf. Rycht sa apon the tothir part, quhen Knychtis ar maid be Princis, thai suld sett thame with gude virtues and gude ensamplis and nobless of curage, and othir wayis gif nede war be force of armes to manetene, gouerne and defend the small peple in all justice and equitee, in lufe and drede both of God and of the Prince as is before recomptit, be the quhilkis thai suld throu lufe haue contynuale charitee amang tham, and be the drede thai suld stand awe to do oucht ilkane till othir wrang, or wikkitness; and here atour as the clerkis techis thair scoleris to the sculis of sciencis of clergy, sa suld a gude Knycht teche his barnis the nobless of the poyntis and propereteis of chyualrie; and that suld be done in thair ȝouthede: And first and formast a Knycht suld lere his sone to be doctryned in vertues, and syne suld he be doctrinyt and techit to ryding in his ȝouthede, or ellis he sall neuer be gude rydare; and ay as he cummys till elde, that he lere to gouerne hors and armouris; and that he be seruand to sum lord, and vse him in armes lang or he tak the Ordre, ffor vnworthy war he suld be a lord or a maister that knew neuer quhat it is to be a seruand, ffor he may neuer wele tak na knawe the suetenes that it is to be the lord, bot gif he had sum knaulage of the sourness that it is, and payne to a gude hert, to be ane vnderlout or a seruand. And tharfore war he neuer sa grete a lordis sone appertenand to be lord, he war the better that in ȝouthede sum lord that he seruit to kerue before him, to serue in chaumer, till arme a lord, till ouresee his hors, that thai war wele gouernyt and grathit, to haunt armouris, to ryn a spere, to excercise wapnis, and othir habiliteis of honour quhilk appertenis to nobless, and namely, thai suld be techit and doctrinyt be a Knycht thay ȝong lordis sonis that thocht to be knychtis, ffor rycht as it war nocht semand till a ȝong man that wald lere to be a man of craft, suld lere at ane othir that war nocht of the craft, sa is it vnsemand that lordis sonis that wald be in the maist noble Ordre of Knychthede suld sett thame to lere the documents and propereteis of the Ordre of Knychthede, bot at thame that war expert in the knaulage of virtues and gude thewis honourable that to the said Ordre apperteins; the quhilkis ar vnknawable till ignoraunt and vnworthy personis; ffor the grete nobless of the said Ordre may nocht ferd at keping of hors na justis na tournaymentis, na ȝit to haunt na duell with lordis, na knychtis in company, to pas in weris na in bataillis. Bot it war rycht expedient that thare war deuisit, and ordanyt be the Prince, scolis of doctrinyng and teching of the noble poyntis and properteis that efferis to that hye and worthy Ordre till ȝong lordis barnis that war lykly to cum to perfectioun. And that the knawlage thar of ware writtin in bukis be wys men of knaulage, that knewe and had experience tharof, sa that ignorant ȝong lordis barnis mycht first lere the science be study and speculacioun, and syne efter thai mycht, quhen thai come eldar, lere the practik of the Ordre, be conuersacioun, as to pas to diuers justis and tournaymentis, to diuers realmes, in diuers voyagis and battaillis, sa mycht thai haue the pratyk with the science; ffor vile thing is, to bere office or ordre, and nocht to knawe the gouernaunce tharof throu wilfull ignorance; ffor war nocht the sculis of clergy, mony errouris and ignorauncis war in the warld mare na thare is. Bot sen thare is na sculis of cheualrye, quhat maruaill is thouch thare be mony Knychtis vnwytty; ffor war all Knychtis and clerkis but errour, than wald thai be till all the laue of the warld a gude myroure, and than suld ilkane drede to do wrangis and injuris till othir: And sen thir tua thingis gouernis and manetenis all this warld—the tane the Spiritualitee, the tother the Temporalitee; and thare is sa mony sculis in sere contreis of sciencis of clergy, and nocht ane that men wate of the nobil Ordre of Cheualrye, than ar the gouernouris and manetenouris of the said Ordre, to blame in thair awin proffit and honour, quhare sa grete nede is, to be sa negligent.
Quharfor the Autour of this Buke prayis and requeris, and mekely makis supplicacioun to the Magestee Ryall, and till all the company of the Nobless and Chyualrye of the Realme, that thai assemble thame togidder, and mak reformacioun of this grete fault that is maid to the Noble Ordre, and the grete wrang that is done till it, in the fault of doctrine and teching of the poyntis and propereteis of Noblesse, etc.
TERTIUM CAPITULUM.
HOW SEN THE DOCTOURE HAS DECLARIT IN SUM PART THE POYNTIS OF THE ORDRE WITH THE PROPERETEIS AND CONDICIOUNS,—NOW LYKIS IT HIM TO SPEKE OF THE OFFICE THAT FOLLOWIS THE SAID ORDRE:—
hat is to say, to quhat purpos it was ordanyt—to quhat fyne—and quhat entencioun: And how gif Knychtis vss nocht thair office, thai ar contrarius to thair Ordre, and to the begynning of thair awin making: ffor the quhilk caus he is nocht veray Knycht in dede, supposs he bere the name; ffor sik Knychtis ar mare villayns na is outhir smyth, wrycht, or masoun, that dois thair craft, as thai ar techit, and tharefor to schaw the poyntis of the Ordre is grete meryt to thame that wate it nocht: the quhilkis he declaris here efterwart; and first and formast, Knychthede was ordanyit to manetene and defend Haly Kirk, and the Faith, for the quhilk God, the Fader of Hevyn, send his Sone in this warld, to tak in him oure humanitee, fleschly inumbrit, and incarnate in the glorious Virgyne Mary, his suete moder, be the joyfull message brocht till hir be the angel Gabriel; and fyne for our sakis, and to synde vs of the origynale syn, and to geve vs eternale lyf, tuke dede and passioun here, with grete dispising vilaynous, to geue vs ensample and informacioun how we suld reule oure lyfing here: Quhilk ordanyt all writtis for oure teching and doctrine; and all his werkis and dedis here, he did for oure ensample and enformyng, to multiply his faith. And thus, rycht as he has chosin to growe and manetene his fayth, the worthi and wys clerkis to hald scolis, and ilkane to teche othir be the haly wryttis of prophecies and of lawis aganis the inymyes of the Faith: Rycht sa the hye glorious God chesit Knychtis to be his campiouns, sa that the unworthy mystrowaris and rebellouris agaynis his faith mycht be throu thame chastisit, be force of armes to vencuss and ourecum his inymyes, the quhilkis every day forss thame at thair powar to put doun the fayth of Haly Kirk, and thir Knychtis that thus occupyis thame in the defense of his rychtis ar callit his Knychtis of Honour in this warld, and in the tothir, that defendis the Haly Kirk and the Cristyn Faith, quhilk is oure saule hele and salvacioun. And tharefore Knychtis that has faith and baptesme in him, and usis nocht the vertues and properteis of the faith, ar contrarius till otheris that kepis the faith, evyn as a man that God hes gevin till resoun, and discrecioun, and he dois evyn the contrary. Thus he that has faith, and kepis it nocht, is contrarius till himself, for he wald be sauf, and gais nocht the hye gate till his salvacioun: ffor quhy, his will discordis with his witt, and ledis it the way of mystreuth, that is agayne his salvacioun, and ledis him to the way of eternale dampnacioun; and syk men takis the office and ordre, mare to be prisit and honourit in this warld, na for any prouffit that thai think to do to God, na to thair Prince that gave thame the office. Bot the maist noble officeris and ordres in this erd ar office and ordre of Clerkis and of Knychtis, and the best lufe in this erde is ay betuix thame; and tharfore rycht as Clergy was nocht ordanyt to be agayn the Ordre of Knychthede, bot to honoure it, and thame that worthily beris it, sa suld Knychtis nocht be aganis the haly ordre and office of Clergy, to manetene worschip and defend it, aganis the rebellouris and euill willaris of the Kirk, that are callit Sonis of Iniquitee, as thai ar oblist in taking of the said Ordre of Knychthede: ffor a man is nocht anerly oblist to lufe his ordre, bot he is oblist with that to lufe thame that be othir ordres vnder his awin lord; for to lufe his ordre, and nocht to lufe the caus that his ordre is ordanyt for; ffor syk lufe is nocht ordere lyke, ffor God has ordanyt nane ordre vnder him to be contrair till ane othir; and as to that thare is ordres of religious that few of thame lufis ane othir, and ȝit lufis well thair awin ordre; bot that is nocht the rycht ordre of lufe and charitee, that suld be in religious: And rycht sa a Knycht suld nocht samekle lufe his awin ordre, that he myslufe othere ordres, ffor that war aganis God, and gude faith; ffor the Ordre of Knychthede is sa hye, that quhen a King makis a knycht, he sulde mak him lord and governour of grete landis and contreis, efter his worthines, and all Knychtis suld think that there is a Lord and syre aboue all knychtis, ffor the honour of quham thai ar all made Knychtis for to do his will, and serue him fyrst, and syne thair temporale lordis.