The Boke of Noblesse: Addressed to King Edward the Fourth on His Invasion of France in 1475
History
The Boke of Noblesse: Addressed to King Edward the Fourth on His Invasion of France in 1475
Chivalry -- Early works to 1800; Great Britain -- History -- Edward IV, 1461-1483; Hundred Years' War, 1339-1453
not what werre meoved; and wolde not suffre that the Falistes be defrauded
of here contre and cite by unjust menes of treason or fals covyn or undew
alliaunce, but as naturalle werre wol fortune by manhod and just dede of
armes to take the cite. And there the saide prince comaunded the
scolemaister for his gret deceite to be dispoilid and to be betyn nakid
withe baleese and sharpe roddis withe his owne clerkis into the cite ayen;
than the governours and maistres of the cite, havyng consideracion of the
gret justice and manhod that he used in his conquest, sent to Camillus
ambassatours withe the keies of the cite, and purposid unto him, saieng, O
ye fathir and prince of justice, wher as the welle honoure and renommee of
justice and of victorioux dedis reignithe among you Romaynes by using of
justice, and that for asmoche they perceyved that princes Romayns used
feithe and justice, and peyned theym to kepe theire peple conquerid hem to
be subgettis to Rome by justice, they were fulle joifulle and glad to lyve
undre theire lawes, and so delivered hym the [keys and the[150]] citee, to
the gret renomme of the saide prince and to alle the Romayns gretly to be
magnified.
Historie of dame Cristyn, declaring how a prince and a ledar of peple
shulde use prudence and justice by example of the noble cenatoure called
Fabricius.
[Sidenote: Res publica.]
And also as dame Cristyn[151] in the .xv. chapitre of the first partie of
hir seid booke of Tree of Batailes leiethe a noble example that {55} among
alle vertues that shulde long to a prince, a duke, a cheveteyne, or to a
governoure of a contre, citee, or towne, or a leder of peple, rehersithe
how it is necessarie that he shulde be a prudent man and a wise and of gret
trouthe, as by example it is write of the noble and trew senatoure
Fabricius, leder of the Roman oostis, the whiche for his gret trouthe,
vailliaunce, and manhod, and wise governaunce, king Pirrus his adversarie
offred to gyve hym the .iiij^{the}. part of his roiaume and of his tresoure
and goodis, so that the saide Fabricius wolde yelden and turne to his
partie and become his felow in armes. To whiche Pirrus the said Fabrisius
answerd, that a trew man might not to over moche hate and dispreise
tresoure and richesse by treason and falshed evylle getyn, where as by
possibilite and alle liklinesse may be honourable and truly vanquisshid and
wonne bye armes, and not in noo maner wise by untrouthe and falshed. In
whiche matier verifieng, saiethe Vigecius in his booke of Chevalrie, to a
chiefteyne, to whome is commytted so gret a thing as is deliverid hym the
charge and governaunce of noblesse of chevalrie, the dedis and entreprises
of a prince is office is principally comytted hym for the governaunce of
comon publique of a roiaume, dukedom, erledom, barnage, or seignourie,
castelle, forteresse, citee, and towne, that is clepid vulgarlie the comon
profite, the suerte and saufegarde of alle the saide contreis. And if by
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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