Item, Auarice is a vice that gerris oft tymes the curage of mony noble Knycht descend full lawe; ffor quhy, the gredynesse of gude blyndis thair hye curage for glytwisnesse of gold and of richesse, that it ourecummys the force that suld vencuss his inymy with, and makis him subject till sa lawly wretchitnesse and vnhonest thing, that is bot for defaut of forss; that suld be his pillare of worschip till hald him ferme; the quhilk pillare faillis him at nede quhen noblesse of hye corage is slokit throu Cuvatise, nocht defendand thame aganis it, as the worthynesse of the Ordre requeris: bot tholis him to be ourecummyn and vencust throu cowardise spirituale, and lachesse of curage souplit throu Auarice; and changit thair curage again the noblesse of the Ordre: And tharefore it is a grete maugre in a realme quhare lordis and knychtis ar gredy to gudis, and couatouse; ffor it is rute of all wikkitnesse; ffor of it cummys wrangwise extorsiouns, and euill wonnyn gudis, wrangwise conquestis of landis, and syne ar thay fast haldand, that na gude will part with, bot the nede peny; and be this way thai becum bondis and subjectis to thair gudis, and varyis fra the rycht way of liberalitee that manetenis noblesse of Cheualrye, and is inymy to the noble Ordre, to be wrechit of the gudis that God has send thame to preue thame, and assay thair vertu with; and nocht to be hid, na hurdit. And as for remede of this, thare is a vertew callit Fortitude, that is stifnes in hert aganis vice, that will nocht falde no mare na rank stele, quhilk is sa ferme in itself, that it will nouthir bow to frende na faa, to help thame at nede, bot he be requerit and askit, and that is for the hie stifnes that is in him, of the vertu of fortitude of curage; that sa grete honour it is worthi to have for his worthynes, that he is euer redy to be at bidding of worthy dedis and honourable, quhen he is requerit. And the hyenes of his noble corage he thrawis him fra all appetite mysordinate of all vicis; as quhen a Knycht is tempt with Couatise or Auarice, that his hert is sett and enclynit to that wrechit gredynesse that is moder of all wikkitnesse, and of traysounis, falsate, barate, trechery, manesuering; than suld he sauf his honour to have recourse to Fortitude, and thare sall he fynd na fault of help, counsale, and confourt, to supplee him at nede; for he is nouthir lache na [gh]it cowart, na false hertit na negligent; bot with him sall be foundyn strenth and fors, hye curage in gudelynes, quhilk efferis wele to be fere to the noble Ordre of Knychthede; ffor throu that, a Knycht may be lorde of his curage, and be maister of himself, and ourecum all vicis. And thus suld ilke noble Knycht think on the noble King Alexander of Macedoyne, and of his liberalitee, the quhilk had sa noble a curage, that he dispisit auarice and couatise; in largesses of giftis, he had euer the hand opyn till all men, alswele frende as fa; throu the quhilk