Item, Gorgelin is gevin him, in takenyng that thare suld nouthir enter na isse throu his gorge thing that suld be villanie, na lak thing to the honour of the Ordre; as to be at bidding of his lord, but disobeysaunce, and but murmur do his lordis commandementis; and nouther do, na consent, to tresone or guille, barate, na trechery, vnleautee, na othir vice, that may cum throu word na thocht be the gorge outwart; na excesse of glutony, drunkynnesse, na othir mystemperaunce throu the gorge inwart. And thus the gorgelyn suld kepe the Knychtis gorge.
Item, Masse is gevin him, that betakenis strenth and force of curage, the quhilk masse is lyknyt till a false sterap, quhilk strykis on all sydis, apon all kynde of harnais; sa dois force of curage, it strykis on all sydis, and defendis the honour of Knichthede agayne all vicis, and enforcis vertues.
Item, Thare is gevin to the Knycht his lytill schort Suerd, that sum callis Misericorde, in signifyand that quhen he has implyde his spere, his lang suerde, his polax, his false sterap, and his falow be sa nere him that he may nocht help himself with nane of thay, than it is gude at schort strakis; and it is callit outher Schort Suerd or Misericord; ffor cause that a Knycht suld nocht all traist in his armoure na wapnis, bot in his awin vertu, and in him that maid him, and in his mercj; and traist that throu his help, quhen all wapnis are faillit, that he sall saue his honour and bring him fra the perile of dede and dishonour.
Item, Schelde or targe is gevin to the Knycht in signifiaunce that as office of schelde is to be the targe betuix the Knycht and the strakis, sa suld the Knycht be betuix the Prince or his Lorde and the strakis; as the schelde ressauis the strakis before the Knycht, sa suld the Knycht before his lorde, kepe strakis fra him. And as schelde is couplit to the Knychtis brest, thare his hert is, sa suld the Knycht be till his lord bound in lautee as till his awin hert, and is a myd moyen betuix him and his peple.
Gloues of plate ar gevyn to the Knycht in takenyng, that as thai kepe his handis fra strakis and woundis and manglyng, throu the quhilkis the body mycht be tynt, sa suld he kepe his handis, that he give na faith, na athe, na mak nane condicioune na obligacioune agayn his Lord, ffor than war he vndone; and as Knycht liftis his wapnis mare seurely and traistly, that his handis ar enarmyt, sa suld he list mare seurely to God Almichtj, that he be enarmyt, that his handis wirk na misgouernaunce in taking of wrangwise gudis; na strykyng of vnlefull personis; na making of vnlefull condiciouns, and vnlefull touchingis; na put his handis in vnlefull placis.
The Sadill that he rydis in, betakenis sekernes, that he be nocht lychtly put by his purpose, sa kepis the sadill him, that he be nocht lichtly put fra his hors; ffor quhen he war doune strykyn than war his honour lawe. And rycht as he is ferme and seker in his sete, sa suld he be ferme and seker in his curage, in justice, lautee, noblesse, veritee, and charitee; ffor throw seuretee of a gude hardy knycht mony gude dedis ar done, throu gude hardy men of armes, and mony cowartis ar declarit, quhen hardy men ar approuit, vantouris and vayn glorious men, that dar nocht be sene quhare the hardy and worthy knychtis apperis in worthynes in bataill place, and thare fortune enforsis hardynesse. And as the sadill, with the grathe that langis it, haldis him ferme, that he movis nocht for na strake of spere of inymy, sa suld forse of curage kepe him, that he move neuer again gude faith na resone, and bow nocht with vice agayn vertu. And as the hors beris grete charge of the armyt Knycht, and sadill and harnais, sa beris the Knycht, be vertu of his Ordre, grete charge, the quhilk he suld nocht lychtly be movit fra. And as he is sett apon a hie sadill, aboue a hye coursour, sa suld his curage be hye to defend the rycht, and manetene the poyntis of his maist hye and noble temporale Ordre.
And tharfore is Courser gevin him or Destrere, to betakyn noblesse and hicht of curage, that Knycht suld haue aboue all othir peple, sen he has bathe maist hye and noble order, and syne maist noble habilliament of armoure, and syne maist hye and noble hors; sa sulde he haue maist hye and noble curage, with force to passe all otheris in vailliaunce of armes and honoure, and to be sene aboue all his men, and mare fere of, sa that men that had nede of his help suld se him of fere, to draw till him for help.
Item, his Coursere or destryere has Bridill gevin till him, with irne bytt in the mouth, and reynis in the Knychtis hand, sa that the Knycht may refreyne the hors, that he pas nocht away with him. And that iryn bitt in mouth betakenis, that he suld refrenȝe his mouth fra bathe euill viciouse speche and euill thouchtis. And be the reynis is betakenit, that he suld hald his handis undefoulit, or fylit with oure vilaynouse dedis, or that he be oure large to geve till othir that he haue nede him self, and that he be nocht sa lycht of striking with his handis that thare be na discrecione in his dedis, and that be thai reynis he suld be led with pure folk that war nede bestad of help, quhare thane nedis war to trauaile to help thame; and that he war nocht oure narow na nedy that he had lak tharethrou, nocht to spare his gude and spend his honour; and that he be of handis hardy to defend him fra his fa; and doubte na thing, ffor oure grete doubte makkis Knychtis to haue lathe curage.
Item, The Horse-Hede is bundyn with ane hede-stell of the bridill, in that kynde that he suld do na thing, but be ordynaunce of the Knycht, that efferis till course of armes: and bot be resone; and the hede of the horse gais before, and is bundyn to do resoune, sa suld the resone ga before all dede of armes, and other actis honourable that he dois. And as his hede-stele byndis his hede to resone, sa dois resone the Knycht, and kepis his worschip. Alsua, the Knychtis hors is enournyt with harnais before and behynd, on his body, sa efferis it to Knychtis to be honourably enournyt with honourable clething, and alsa with vertues honourable. And because that sum horse ar enarmyt with sik harneis as efferis to defend thair corps fra harmes, sa suld Knycht be enarmyt with richessis of temporale gudis, or ellis he may nocht gudely do his worschip, nouthir in pes na in were, and oft tymes gerris mony reueryes and wrang wynnyngis be: for Clerkis sais, Quod propter inopiam multi deliquerunt, etc.
Item, Jakkis war ordanit to Knychtis, thai tymes of ȝeris that war of grete solempnitee, of sylk aboue all thair harnais, that signifyit grete trauailis that effeiris till him to do; ffor rycht as the jakkis ar aboue the hauberkis, and ordanyt nerest bathe wynd and rayn, and othir stormys, sa suld a Knycht for the peple susteyne all stormes and trauailis for thame, sa that all mysterfull and peceable persones that had myster, suld, throu him, haue reconfourt and refuge at nede, for the honoure of noble that ordanyt that Noble Order, for that cause to be a protectour and ane aduocate of all poore, miserable, and peceable persones: The quhilkis be the noblesse and the creacione of the Ordre, he is ordanyt to defend, manetene, and hald in thair richtis, quhen thai haue mister, and thai be requerit: Quhilkis Knychtis suld erar expone thame outhir to be dede, or presonare, or woundit sare, or he left thame but help that ar vnder thaire cure and saufgarde: Be the quhilkis poyntis of the Ordre, men may se that Knychtis, be vertu of thair Ordre, has a grete charge, quhat of justice halding, quhat of thair landis gouernyng, and of thair peple maynteyning, and of thai peceable persones defending, as ar kyrk men, and maidnis fra forse and ravisyng, wedowis, and faderles and moderles barnis fra supprising, labouraris, merchandis, and traualouris fra distroubling, and all peceable persones fra fors and wrangwise vexacione.