Fol. 84. b.
Item, a Prince or a King suld nocht oure lichtly trow all talis na sudayn tydingis; ffor mony learis oft tymes flechis lordis with false talis, and settis thame in wrang and euill purpose. And that is oure grete perile in princis and grete lordis, to geue sudane credence till ony mannis tale, quhill he war wele informyt of the suthfastnes: And he suld be wele and ryply avisit, or that he write to the Pape ony materis, or till ony strange Princis, for ony lycht mennis counsailis, or ony small wrechit mannis. And quhen he wrytis, his writtis suld be wele and statelyke deuisit, and dytit be wise Clerkis, and men of counsale, and expert in the lawis and purpose lyke, and syne be notable gude wrytaris as efferis; bathe to the ryaltee of him that sendis the writtis, and of him that thai wryttis ar send to; and suld wele auise for quham he wrytis, that thai be worthy persouns, and alssua for quhat thing he wrytis; that it be nocht a wrechit thing that he wrytis for; and als that his peticioun be bathe rychtwise and honourable; ffor quhen Princis prayis for vnworthy persouns, God is offendit and displesit thareat. And syne the Pape or Princis that he wryttis till, will hald him for ane vnwise Prince that the lettres send for sik a persone, and will nocht sa gladly grant him his asking in tyme to cum. And thus sall the renoun of a Prince pas oure all the Cristyndome, and geue him lofe and honour that excedis all warldis richess, throu the quhilk he sal be prisit and redoubtit bathe with fais and frendis, and haldin for wise Prince; and syne sall he be lufit of God, and wyn throu that the joy of Paradise.
And ȝit mare, suld a King be temperit and messurit in his conuersacioun, and repair amang folk, in placis public, our oft tymes; ffor ony thing that Commouns seis oure oft thai prise all the lesse. And quhen it is seldyn sene it gevis folk in mare grete desyre to se it agayne ay mare and mare; and for this cause the grete Souldane of Babilone cummys bot thrise in the ȝere in publik audience furthwart, and than quhen he cummys furthwart, on thre festuale dayes, he cummys rydand with sik a state and solempnitee that all the peple desyris and presses the mare to se him, na he rade euery day, or euery wolk or moneth; bot gif it be quhen that he rydis in werefare, and than all his peple and cheualrye may se him.
And suppose I mycht ȝit compile and gader togedir mony Vertues and properteis that suld be in a Prince, and als mony thingis of Mysgouernaunce that he suld eschew: Bot in gude faith the Doctour sais, that he was sa irkit of wryting, that he mycht nocht as now na mare tak on hand as to put in this Buke of Bataillis; bot and God geve him lyve dayes, he sais, in his conclusioun of his Buke, he sall compile a Trety of propereteis of Gude Condiciouns bathe of Temparale men and of men of Kirk, that sall be gude and prouffitable for all men, that on lukis bathe langand the gouernaunce of thair office and digniteis, as may be compylit be the foundement of Haly Writt, and efter the Lawis writtyn. Bot here he prayis to God mekely that he send grace and gude gouernaunce to the Prince that he has compilit this wrytt for, and maid this Buke till, that is to say King Philip[[20]] of Fraunce, and geue him grace sa to reule his realme, and his ryall magestee and estate, that God be payit of him, and bring him till his euerlestand joye of Paradise at his ending, and all his frendis and wele willaris. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Explicit Liber Bellorum, sed potius Dolorum, ut rescitat Doctor in pluribus, etc.
No. II.
HERE BEFORE ENDIS THE BUKE OF BATAILLES, AND HERE EFTER BEGYNNYS
The Buke of the Ordere of Knychthede.
[This portion of the Manuscript, from fol. 85, to fol. 103, is contained in the present volume.]