de first began to be inhabite withe peple was never so
worshipfulle an act of entreprise done in suche a case, the renoume of
which coronacion spradde thoroughe alle cristen kingis roiaumes.

[Sidenote: A courageous recomfortyng.]

[Sidenote: Exortacio militaris.]

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