The Buke of the Order of Knyghthood: Translated from the French by Sir Gilbert Hay, KnightLlull, Ramon
Philosophy
The Buke of the Order of Knyghthood: Translated from the French by Sir Gilbert Hay, Knight
Llull, Ramon
Chivalry
mare thrall, and bounde to be gude and agreable to God, and till him that
dois him that honoure. And gif he be of wikkit and euill lyf of tyranny and
crimynous lyfing, he is contrarius and inymy of the Ordre, and rebellour to
the commandementis of honour. For the Ordre of Knychthede, be the caus that
it is maid and ordanyt for, is sa noble of it self, that the Princis war
nocht anerly content, and the peple to ches the maist noble man of ligny,
and to geue him the maist noble armouris, and syne sett him on the maist
noble and curageus beste for mannis vse. Bot sen thai ordanyt him to be a
lorde: Bot quhat vnderstandis thou redare be a lorde? A man is nocht a lord
supposs he haue neuer sa mekle of warldly gudis: bot he is a lord that has
seignoury and jurisdictioun vpon other men, to gouerne thame, and hald law
and justice apon thame quhen thai trespass. In the quhilk lordschip thare
is sa mekle nobless, and in seruitude thare is sa mekle subjectioun,
bondage, and thrillage, that grete difference is betuene, and than suld
thare be alsmekle difference in the personis, as thare is difference betuix
the twa estatis: For and a man tak the Ordere of Knychthede, and he be
villaine of his condiciouns, and wykkit of lyf, he dois grete injure to all
his subjectes that he has vnder him in gouernaunce, that ar gude folk and
symple, and mekle seruis punycioun for cruell and wickit lyf that tyrane
lordis ar of, to the peple, makis tham mare worthy to be bondis bound, na
to be lordis of the peple of God, off the quhilkis thai mon [gh]elde a
strayte compt a day, quhilk efferis to the Prince to punys, be the counsale
of thame that gude and worthy Knychtis ar, ffor vnworthy war, that thai war
callit Knychtis, and here the name and the honoure of that hye Ordre that
wyrkis in the contrair, destroyand and vndoand the peple of God, that thai
ar chosin be electioun, and oblist to defend, and for that caus has thair
lordschippis to gouerne the peple of God: ffor nocht anerly the chesing and
electioun to the Ordre, na the noble hors, na armouris, na gouernaunce, na
lordschip, thame thocht nocht anerly, was sufficiand to the worthynes of
that noble and worschipfull Ordre till hald it at honour; bot thai ordanyt
him a Squier, and a varlet Page to be euer contynualy at his bidding and
seruice in all placis thare he war, to tak kepe till him,--the Squiar to
gang with him at his bidding, the Page to kepe his Hors. And ordanyt the
peple to labour the ground, to graith lyfing for the Knychtis and Nobles
that war thair gouernouris and protectouris, and to thair hors and
seruandis; the quhilkis was excusit to nocht laboure, bot to rest thame
euer betuix dedis of armes and actis honourable, at hunting and hauking,
and othir disportis, and to gouerne and kepe passibles the labouraris, and
sauf thame fra fors and wrang, sa that clerkis mycht pesably study in
sciencis, men of kirk vake in Goddis seruice, merchandis in thair
marchandice, and othir craftis wirkand at lordis deuiss.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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