Item, Ane othir poynt of Knychthede is, that a Knycht suld be meke and full of clemence, and nocht prydy, na presumptuouse, na orguillouse; ffor oft tymes of pryde and orguille and presumpcione cummys injure and discensione; ffor orguille is contrary to justice, and inymy to concord; and tharfore, thare suld na Knycht be hautayn, na feir, na prydefull, na presumptuouse, bot euer with mekenes, and clemence, and humilitee, be symple as a may amang peple, and in his inymyes presence be as lyone rampand; ffor quhat ever he be, that be full of pryde and presumptuousnes, amang vertuous men is repute nocht, for thai ar contrarius to pes and concorde, and pes and concorde ar contrarius to justice. And sa is pride aganis the poyntis of the Ordre. And humilitee is the rute of the stedefastnes of Knychthede; ffor schortly to say, Knychthede acordis till all vertu and justice, and all thingis that ar contrariouse to virtu and justice ar contrariouse to the Ordere and Office of Knychthede: ffor Knychthede suld defend all injuris and wrangis, all pilleries, wrang, weris, and tribulaciouns, and suld hald the peple in all justice, equitee, veritee, and lautee, pes and debonairetee, and outsched the wikkit fra the gude peple pesable; quhilkis, gif thai do nocht, bot dois the contrarye in thair governaunce, thai ar contrarius to thair Ordere, and worthy to be punyst. Bot thare is nane that all knawis, na all may punyse, bot the Emperoure, the quhilk ordanyt Knychthede spirituale, to kepe justice, ordinare, be reugle vertuouse, in pes and concorde, and justice rigorouse, that is, the Ordre of Knychthede, quhilk suld on force compell euill men, and of wikkit lyf, to desist and cesse fra thair wikkitnesse, and punyse thame tharfore: And thus is thare Knychtis of pes and concorde amorouse, and be reugle of justice, to mak gud reugle and gracious concorde and gouernaunce in the peple; and alssua Knychtis of the justice rigorouse, ordanyt to compelle be fors of armes all tyrannis, traytouris, and all othir mysdoaris, and cruell tormentouris of the haly labouraris, kirk men, merchandis, and traualouris, to cesse and desist fra thair wikkitnesse. The quhilkis Knychtis suld be full of vertues, and gude lyf, to geue otheris ensample.
QUARTUM CAPITULUM.
HERE SPEKIS THE DOCTOURE OF THE EXAMINACIOUN OF THE SQUYER, WHILK SULD ENTER IN THE ORDER NEWLY OF KNYCHTHEDE.
ayand, That he suld be first examynyt be ane alde Knycht that knewe and lufit wele the said Order atoure all thing, next to God: ffor thare is mony Princis that rekkis nocht quhat maner of condicioune na of lyf his Knichtis be, sa that he haue grete nomber of Knychtis in his company. Bot it suld nocht be sa: ffor Knychthede takis na hede to multitude bot to noblesse of cheualrye, and of curage, and of gude thewis, that we haue before spokyn of; and tharefore, gif he that is examynour lufys better multitude, na noblesse of curage and of vertu, he is nocht worthy to be examynoure of Squyeris, bot suld be reprovit and punyst be the Prince of Knychthede, of his defoulyng of the Order of Knychthede: and first and foremast it suld be sperit, Gif he trowis, lufis, and doubtis God? but quhilk poynt is na man worthy till nane order of Noblesse. Item, Gif he dredis the defaultis to do, that dishonouris the Order? and thus Squier, but lufe and but drede to do mys, is unworthy to the Ordre. And gif he takis it agayne thir propereteis and condiciouns, he wenis he takis honour till him, bot he takis dishonour; ffor a Squyer but noblesse is nocht worthy to sa hye honour, as to the worthy honour of Knychthede; na ȝit in the weris of his prince or otheris, but horse, armouris, and sik men, ar nocht habil to wyn honour in armes, ffor men may nocht mare cruelly destroye the noble Order of Knychthede, na till haue ane vnworthy examynoure of the Squier that suld enter in the said Ordre; ffor gif he admytt to the Ordre a man of vnworthy curage, that is destructione of the Ordre; and suld a Squier examyne himself first, and think on the mony noble propereteis and condiciouns of the Ordre, to think in him self gif he war worthy, or he put him to the examnacioune. Rycht as Scholaris examynit to be Prestis or greid in scholis, suld nocht sett thame thar fore, bot thai fand thame worthy tharfore, ffor dout thai war repellit, or ellis defoulit thair greis; rycht sa suld Bachelere Squieris in the examinacioune of the Order of Knychthede, ffor he suld nocht alssua ask the Ordre that he wald eftir deffoule be his euill thewis. And alssua Lordis that ar sa informyt, that thai will mak sik men Knychtis, thai do aganis the poyntis of the Ordre, and chargis thair consciences; ffor men knawis nocht noblesse of curage in fair wordis, bot in worthy werkis: Na nocht in faire clething, ffor oft tymes vnder a faire habyte may be a full false hert, full of barate, trechery, and traysoune; na he takis him nocht be his faire harnais, na his faire horse, na othir faire habilliamentis; ffor oft tymes vnder syk faire habilliament ar nocht the best men of armes, and worthiast in vertues. Quharfore, gif thou will wale worthyast and maist noble man of curage, thou seke him be thir takenis, that is, for to say, justice, and temperance, force and prudence, ffayth, esperaunce that is gude hope, and cheritee, and leautee; and be thir takenis, thou sall knawe the nobless of curage; be the quhilkis vertues, the noble hert defendis it fra the inymyes of Knychthede; quhilkis ar falsehede, trechery, traysone, thift and murder, and syk lyke thingis.
Item, Our ȝong men suld nocht be maid Knychtis, bot gif thai had gude tutouris and curatouris, for dout of misgouernaunce of the Ordre for fault of knaulage; ffor quhen a childe is made Knycht, he thinkis nocht on the poyntis of the Ordre that he sueris to kepe. And gif the Squiere that is ressauit be the examynouris to be Knycht and admyttit, be a rekles man and a wikkit, and of vile condiciouns, he dois grete wrang to the Ordre that he beris, and till himself too; ffor and he be vencust in barrier, or he be cowart or full of wikkit vicis, as fleand fra battaillis, revand or steland, he sall neuer haue honour na prouffit of his Ordre: ffor rycht as it honouris the honourable, it dishonouris the dishonourable. Bot of all thing, a Knycht suld kepe him in all vertu to hald the mydwart, for ay the mydwart is vertu, sa is the extremitee vice; and thus a Knycht suld be of resonable gude age, that he knaw the propereteis and poyntis that he aw till haue, that he nouthir excede, na be our lache in his dede.
Item, It suld be sperit at him, Quhat is the cause that he takis the Ordre for? quhethir for fairnes of corssage; or for hardinesse of curage; or for richesse, that he may be proudly cled; or for pryde, that he may take mare state na his falowis that now is; or for that he is wele horsit and enarmyt; or for to be a myrour in his lignie, that nane is sa worthy as he to be Knycht.
Item, Men may mak Knychtis of pure mennis sonis, and thai haue gude, evin in frendschip of lordschip; and with that, that thai haue the vertues foresaid. Bot and a Knycht or a Lord mak ane vnworthy creature Knycht, he puttis his honour in dangere, that disprisis and dishonouris the Noble Ordre of Knychthede, and makis his awin honour mare law na it was; for the fylth and the wrechit vnhonestee, that he has lychtlyit the said Ordre. For be rycht resone of worthynesse and noblesse of the Ordre, thare may nocht, na suld nocht na villaine curage cum be gude, evin to the said Ordre; ffor that war be gude resone vndoyng of the said Noble Ordre, that is ordanyt bot for noblesse and gentillesse of curage and gude vertues, as foresaid is, and gude thewis: For hye parage and ancien honour ar the first poyntis of the rute of Knychthede, that is cummyn fra alde ancestry, and syne worthy persouns with worschipfull condiciouns and propereteis, personale of the Knycht him self, makis mariage betuix worschipfull vertues in hye parage and Knychthede, quhilk aw nocht to lycht bot in noblesse; and tharfore, and a Lord marry nocht hye parage and Knychthede togeder, he is contrarius to Noblesse and to Knychthede, and to Knychthede bathe. Bot a Lord may put of his powere forssably agayn the noble lordis and Knychtis willis, a man in the Ordre that is nocht worthy: Bot he may nocht vndo that he has done, ffor suppose that he haue power to mak a Knycht, he has na power to vnmak him, sa mekle is the vertue of Knychthede; ffor na man but grete cause, and Juge with princis powar, may tak honour away quhare it is anys gevin. Than be resone, it aucht nocht to be that Prince nor Knycht mak na Knycht of ane unworthy persone, na of villaine lignage. ffor wald men understand that alsmekle is nature honourit, as for corporale nature, in tree and beste as in man; bot as for nature spirituale, man is mare honourde. Bot be the noblesse of the spiritualitee of the saule resounable, that accordis with angelis of hevin, thare is grete difference; and sen noblesse of curage suld be in all Knycht, it may stand that a man of a new sprongyn lygnye, that be honourable and worthy in all gentrise, mycht be convenable and worthy to the Ordre, sa that the vertues condiciouns and propereteis of noblesse of curage acord ther till. Bot this opynione is vntrewe and vnworthy, ffor and that mycht be, it war mare lyke that the Ordour of Knychthede suld better or alswele accorde to the propereteis corporalis, and personalis, as spiritualis: the quhilk is false, ffor Knycht gaynis nocht bot for hye parage and noblesse, with the seven vertues before namyt be the Doctour, as Force, Prudence, Justice, and Temperance, with Faith, Gude Hope, and Charitee, with leautee that efferis to Knychthede.
Item, The examynour suld spere of the Squieris condiciounis, and maneris, and gude vertues, and thewis, amang the peple; and quhat documentis and techingis thai ar of; ffor the fault of gude documentis and techingis gerris vnworthy men be reboytit and repellit fra the examinacione of the inquisitouris, that thai cum nocht to that Noble Ordre: ffor worthy examynouris will admytt nane, bot worthy: ffor grete foly war to put in the Ordre thame that efterwart suld be repellit for their misgouernaunce; And forthy suld the Knycht, that is the inquissitour, seke wele the poyntis of noblesse and of valour, and of the vertuouse propereteis and gude thewis of the Squyer that suld be Knycht; and quhy, and for quhat cause, he will tak the Ordre; and quhethir it be for meritable cause till implye him for the Haly Kirk, the Cristyn faith, and for the commone prouffit, for the peace, and for all peceable persouns; or he takis the Ordre for pryde or couatise, or for to be honourit, or for vane glore, or to wyn richesse thareby, quhilk, gif he may persaue that his entencione cummys of ane vnworthy cause, admytt him neuer: ffor rycht as Homycide, Symony, Usure, and Scismatyke condicioune, repellis Clerkis fra benefice and honoure, and all dignitee; in lyke cas suld thir faultis before namyt repelle a Squyere fra the noble Ordre of Knychthede, that suld haue nane affinitee bot till noblesse of corage, as said is; ffor and men wald wele knaw and consider the grete chargis and dewiteis that folowis the said Ordre, with saule perile, and worschip oft in were, thay sald stand grete aw to tak that noble Ordre, mare na to be outhir monk, or frere, or othir religiouse of the hardest Ordre that is; ffor traistis wele, that grete honour beris ay grete charge, and gretter disese it is, to fall fra grete honoure agayne that anys a man has bene at, na euir it was joy, to be thareat: Quia non est tanti gaudii excelsa tenere, quanti est meroris de excelso cadere. And tharfore Knycht suld mare dout honour na dede, and schamefulnes suld mare chastise a worthy Knycht, and geve him a hardar passione; and it suld happin him, na suld outhir hunger or thrist, or hete or calde, or ony disese that he mycht haue; and namely, grete princis and lordis sonis suld think grete schame to wyn ane euill name for lak of thair condiciouns in thair ȝouthede, gif thai thocht euer to cum to the worthy and worschipful Ordre of noblesse that Knychthede is callit; ffor thai may wele traist that the name that thai wyn in thair ȝong age remaynis with thame for euermare: And than is it grete auenture, and euer thai be worthy to ressaue that Ordre, quhen the examynouris knawis thair condiciounis; and tharfore, all syk perilis suld be schawin to the Squier or he sett him to cum to the examynyng. Cheualry may nocht be vp haldyn but grete costis, and als expensis on horse, harnais, mete, and men, and othir necessair thingis that till it appertenis; and tharfore, thare suld na man, supposs he war worthy, desyre to tak the Ordre bot he war a lorde, or that he had lord to mynister him all his necessiteis, and hald his honour abufe in tyme of weris; ffor ellis, in default of horse, harnais, and othir necessiteis, euill sett Knychtis, quhen thai wantt, assemblis syk euill men as thame selff, and gerris mony ruggaris and revaris, and othir wikkit men, destroy the commouns, and distrouble the realme, and makis mekle wrang to be done in thaire default.