s gif a Souldiour of symple state tuke the armes of a Knycht Noble of France that war of gude renoune, bathe in honour of armes, and othir wayes of alde ancienetee, and that Knycht of Ducheland had tane thai armes newly, in entent to be mare presit and honourit, and to be hyar auansit, and tak mare wagis, in faith I traist that the King, at the persuyt and request of partye, the King aw to punyse him be law of Armes. As in the lyke maner, gif a maister armoureur of Parise, that had renoun to be the best of that craft, that war in France, and in his werkis had a takyn that his werkis were knawin by, and ane othir of Troyes in Champaigne tuke that ilke takyn, sa that for the renoun of the Parisien, his werkis suld be the better sauld; and rycht sa of coultellin, or ony othir craft, or of notairis, gif ane dois falset vnder the sailign of ane othir, I say, all sik men suld be well and cruelly punyst be justice; and gif the contrary war tholit, it war grete damage to the realme.
HERE SPERIS THE DOCTOUR QUHAT ARMES AR MAIST NOBLE BE THE COLOURIS, AND QUHAT COLOURIS AR MAIST NOBLE IN ARMES.
ot be cause the Princis and Lordis beris Armes of mare noblesse na otheris; and that the Doctouris has spokyn in othir tymes, and othir placis, of Princis armes, and of thair baneris, quharefore I will nocht here mak questioun, na dout the quhilk armes are the maist noblez and the maist rychez; ffor quhy, that alwayis comparisoun is odious.[[19]] Bot it plesis me to speke sum thing of Colouris of Armes, and of thair descripciouns. And as the Doctour sais, that sum of thame is mare noble na otheris, for the representatioun that thai mak be thair propre nature, and be this cause, we say, that colour of Gold is the maist noble colour that is in this warld here; and the resoun quhy is, ffor be the nature of gold, it is clere and schynand, rich, vertuouse, and confortand; ffor oure Maisteris, Doctouris, and Medicinaris, and Philosophouris, gevis the gold in syndry wise in medicyne to folk that ar debilitez in thair nature, that thai can get nane othir remede for souerane remede; and is lyknyt be his condicioun and nature to the Sonne, the quhilk is the maist noble planet that euer God maid, and beris lycht till all the warld, and encrescement and confourt till all naturale creaturis. And the lawis sais, that of all things that God maid, the claritee and licht is the maist noble; and, tharefore, the Haly Wrytt sais, that the sanctis in hevyn schynis as the sonne; and alssua oure Souerane Lord, quhen he transfigurit him before his Apostlis, his visage apperit to thame as the Sonne in someris day brycht: And because the Gold is comperit to the Sonne, as the propre effect of the Sonne, the quhilk is king and lord of all planetis, and alssua is figurit be Haly Wrytt be the visage of our Lord; and be that cause the ancien Princis, in ald lawis of armes, ordanyt that na noble man suld bere gold in his armes, bot Princis, Kingis, and Emperouris, for the nobless of him: And thus conclude we, that the maist noble coloure is Gold. And suppose sum ignorant men wald say, gold is metalle, and na coloure, that makis nocht; ffor largely to tak colouris, be all oure Maisteris and Philosophouris, all metallis, all low and lychtnes, that lemys and gevis sycht to the eyne, is of the nature of colouris.
The Secound coloure that is in Armoury, is callit be thir maisteris Purpre; the quhilk he callis here Rede colour; the quhilk representis the lowe of Fyre, the quhilk is the maist clere, and lycht efter the Sonne, and the maist noble of all the elementis; the quhilk colour suld nane in armes were, bot anerly Kingis or Princis, be the alde custumes of Princis and Faderis of Armes, of alde tymes.
The Thrid colour is Asure; the quhilk, be his figure and coloure, representis the Ayer, the quhilk is next the fyre, the maist noble element; ffor it is in itself lignie and sutile, and penetratys, ressauand the lycht throu it, and hable till rassaue all influences of the planetis and of the hevynly constellaciouns of nature, throw the quhilkis all this Erde is gouernyt, and all Nature: and sum callis the coloure Aȝure, hafand the colour of the firmament, sayand, that Asure is a hevynly colour, it makis not: ffor thare is bot lytill betuene, nocht than the lift is nocht colourit.
Ane othir coloure is the Quhyte coloure, the quhilk next the Asure is the maist noble coloure that was countit in Armoury in ancien cronikis, because that it is maist nere the nature of lycht and claritee; and for the clereness of it, it is signyfyit to the vertu of puritee, of clenesse, and innocence, and sympilness: And as to that the Haly Scripture sais, that the clethingis of Jhesu Crist apperit ay to thame of quhite colour as snaw; and this coloure of quhite representis the Water, the quhilk efter the Aire is the maist noble element.
Ane othir colour is in Armoury that callit is Blak; the quhilk representis the Erde, and be it is signyfyit dolour, ffor it is ferrest fra lichtness and claritee that betakenis blythnes, and cummys nerest to myrknesse; and tharefore, quhen ony peple or folk will mak dule for ony of thair frendis dede, or in ony bataill tynt, or othir grete misauenture, men makis thair dule in that clething; ffor it is the lawest of degree of all the four elementis, and is signifyit be it humilitee. And for that cause, in takenyng of humilitee, the religiouse men ar cled in blak wede, commonly to schawe mekenes in hert, and put away all lust of vanitee, and vane glore warldly.
PRIMA REGULA BELLI CLAUSTRALIS.