cristen princes opynly may know it is youre verray
true enheritaunce, and for salvacion of youre enheritaunce by undew menys
lost; for that yt ys wryten by [maister Aleyn Chareter, _id est_ de Auriga,
in hys boke of Quadrilogue, secretaire to Charlys le bien amee, the yere of
Crist .1422. yn thys termys: "Ayenst Herry the .v^{th}., named kyng," yn
provokyng the adverse partye to werre ayenst the seyd king Herry. How[120]]
the famous clerke of eloquence Tullius seithe in his booke of retherique
that, like as a man recevethe his lyving in a region or in a countree, so
is he of naturall reason bounde to defende it; and law of nature, as welle
as law imperiall whiche is auctorised by popis and emperours, wol
condescend and agre to the same. Also Caton affirmithe withe the said
Tullie. Therfor late not this gret and importune losses now by infortune
and of over grete favoure and trust put to youre adversaries, fallen ayenst
this lande undre the umbre and coloure of trewes and abstinence of werre
late hadde and taken at Towris atwixen Charlis the .vij^{th}. youre
adversaire of Fraunce and your predecessour {26} Harry the sext, and now
uppon the exercise and usaige of bataile and left by so little a tyme,
forto discomfort or fere to a new recovere. Not so: God defende that! for
the famous poet Ovide seiethe that who so levithe the pursute and foloweing
of good fortune for one mysaventure, it shalle never come to hym. And
namely the said Water Malexander agreithe hym to the same saieng, and
affermyng that good courages of hertis be not mynissed, broken, ne lessid
for disusage and levyng armes for a litille season, nether for sodeyn
recountres and hasty comyng on, be force of whiche one mysadventure may
folow.

[Sidenote: Nota quod pro defectu excercicii armorum mala sequentur
exercitui Romanorum.]

How for the defaute of exercise of armes the gret nombre of Romains were
scomfited by men of Cartage.

[Sidenote: Syr Alanus de Auriga.]

[Sidenote: Notand' est.]

[Sidenote: Nota de cede Romanorum.]

[Sidenote: Nota de annulis inventis super digitos Romanorum occisorum.]

A, mercifulle God! what was the losses of the Romayns, whiche in defaute
and by negligence lost by a litille tyme left the exercise of armes was
fulle gret ayenst the doughty men of Cartage, whan alle the puissaunce of
the Romains were assembled in bataile, where that were so many noble men
and coragious peple, the whiche were innumerable, assembled and joy