O then ye most noble and cristen prince, for notwithestanding gret conquestis and batailes had in the said roiaume be the famous knight king Edwarde the thrid, he never atteyned to that souvraine honoure but by valiauntnes of Englishe men, whiche have in prowes avaunced hem, and governed so nobly as is before briefly historied and specified, be youre saide noble, puissaunt, and vailaunt progenitours in divers regions, and inespecialle in Fraunce and Normandie, and in the duchie of Gascoigne and Guyen, that this sodenly wern put oute of by usurpacion ayenst alle trouthe and knyghthode. Now therfore, in repairing this undew intrusion uppon yow, mantelle, fortifie, and make yow strong ayenst the power of youre said adversaries of Fraunce. For now it is tyme to clothe you in armoure of defense ayenst youre ennemies, withe the cotes of armes of youre auncien feernesse, haveng in remembraunce the victorious conquestis of youre noble predecessours, the whiche clothing many histories, cronicles, and writinges witnessithe moo than myn simple entendement can not suffice to reherse in this brief epistle. Of the noblesse of Ectour and other mighty kinges of Grece. [Sidenote: Nota de exemplis aliorum nobilium.] [Sidenote: Hector.] [Sidenote: Agamemnon.] [Sidenote: Ulixes.] [Sidenote: Hercules.] [Sidenote: 1. j.] [Sidenote: 2. ij.] [Sidenote: 3. iij.] And also let be brought to mynde to folow the steppis in conceitis of noble courage of the mighty dedis in armes of the vaillaunt knight Hector of Troy, whiche bene enacted in the siege of Troy for a perpetuelle remembraunce of chevalrie [that your noblesse ys decended of[117]]. Also of the dedis in armes of Agamemnon the {21} puissaunt king of Greece, that thoroughe cruell and egre werre ayenst the Trojens bethin .x. yere day conquerid the gret cite of Troie. In like wise of the famous knight Ulixes, that alle his daies dispendid in marciall causis. And of the .xij. puissaunt entreprinses and aventurous dedis that Hercules, as it is figured and made mencion in the vij^{the} metre of the .v. booke of Boecius, toke uppon hym, putting himself frome voluptuouse delites and lustis, being subget to grete laboure, wynnyng renomme and worship; whiche .xij. entreprinses of Hercules, albeit it be thought [but a poesye[118]] impossible to any mortalle man to doo or take uppon hym, as for to bereffe the skyn of the rampant lion, wrestlid withe Antheus and Poliphemus, the gret giauntes, and hym overthrew, he slow the serpent clepit Ydra, made tame the proude beestis clepid Centaurus, that be of halfe man and halfe best, and many soche wonderfulle entreprises as is wreten that Hercules did, whiche is writen in figure of a poesy for to courage and comfort alle othre noble men of birthe to be victorious in entreprinses of armes. And how, in conclusion, that there is no power, puissaunce, ne strenght, who so lust manly [wyth prudens[118]] put forthe hymsilf may resist and withestande ayenst such gret entreprises.