The following extracts from the copy of Caxton's volume, in the British Museum, will be sufficient to convey to the reader some idea of the work itself; and to form a comparison of the English and Scotish versions. The first leaf is here given in black letter, line for line, in imitation of the original:-- ¶ HERE BEGYNNETH THE TABLE OF THIS PRESENT BOOKE INTYTLED THE BOOK OF THE ORDRE OF CHYUALRY OR KNYGHTHODE. UNTO THE PRAYSYNGE AND DYUYNE GLORYE OF GOD/ WHICHE IS LORD AND SOUERAYNE KYNGE ABOUE AND OUER ALLE THYNGES CELESTYAL/ AND WORDLY/ WE BEGYNNE THIS BOOK OF THE ORDRE OF CHYUALRY FOR TO SHEWE THAT TO THE SYGNEFYAUNCE OF GOD/ THE PRYNCE ALMYGHTY WHICHE SEYGNO= RYETH ABOUE THE SEUEN PLANETTES/ THAT MA= KE THE COURS CELESTYAL/ AND HAUE POWER & SEYGNORYE IN GOUERNYNGE & ORDEYNYNGE THE BODYES TERRESTRE AND ERTHELY/ THAT IN LYKE WYSE OWEN THE KYNGES PRYNCES AND GRETE LORDES TO HAUE PUYSSAUNCE AND SEYG= NORY UPON THE KNYGHTES/ AND THE KNY= TES BY SYMYLYTUDE OUGHTEN TO HAUE PO= WER AND DOMINACION OUER THE MOYEN PEPLE AND THIS BOOKE CONTEYNETH VIIJ CHAPITRES ¶ THE FYRST CHAPYTRE SAYTH/ HOW A KNYGHT BEYNG AN HEREMYTE DEUYSED TO THE SQUYER THE RULE AND ORDRE OF CHYUALRYE ¶ THE SECOND IS OF THE BEGYNNYNGE OF CHYUALRY ¶ THE THYRD IS OF THOFFYCE OF CHYUALRY ¶ THE FOURTHE OF THEXAMYNACION/ THAT OUGHT TO BE MADE TO THE ESQUYER WHAN HE WYLLE ENTRE IN TO THE ORDRE OF CHYUALRY ¶ THE FYFTHE IS IN WHAT MANER THE SQUYER OUGHT TO RECEYUE CHYUALRY ¶ THE SYXTHE IS OF THE SYGNEFYAUNCE OF THE ARMES LONGYNGE TO A KNYGHT AL BY ORDRE ¶ THE SEUENTH OF THE CUSTOMMES THAT APPERTEYNE TO A KNYGHT ¶ THE EYGHT IS OF THE HONOUR THAT OUGHTE TO BE DONE TO A KNYGHT ¶ THUS ENDETH THE TABLE OF THE BOOK OF CHYUALRY ¶ Here after foloweth the mater and tenour of this said Booke. And the Fyrst chapyter saith hou the good Heremyte deuysed to the Esquyer the Rule and ordre of Chyualrye. A Contrey ther was in which it happed that a wyse knyght whiche longe had mayntened the Ordre of Chyualrye/ And that by the force & noblesse of his hyghe courage and wysedom and in auenturyng his body had mayntened warres justes & tornayes & in many batailles had had many noble victoryes & gloryous & by cause he sawe & thought in his corage y^t he my[gh]t not long lyue as he which by long tyme had ben by cours of nature nyghe unto his ende/ chaas to hym an heremytage/ For nature faylled in hym by age/ And hadde no power ne vertu to vse armes as he was woned to do/ Soo that thenne his herytages/ & all his rychesses he lefte to his children/ and made his habytacion or dwellynge place in a greete wode habondaunt of watres and of grete trees/ and hygh berying fruytes of dyuerse manyers/ And fledde the world/ by cause that the feblenesse of his body in the whiche he was by old age fallen/