Athenes, that was the welle of
connyng and of wisdom?" Carthage, "the victorioux cite of gret renomme,"
had been burnt to ashes by the Romans. Rome {x} herself had for the greater
part been overthrown; and Jerusalem had shared the like fate.

In the succeeding portions of his work the compiler takes much of his
matter from Roman history: which he derives from the decades of Titus
Livius, either directly, or through the medium of the "Tree of Batailes."
Tullius and Cato are also repeatedly cited.

It is unnecessary to notice here all the historical anecdotes thus
introduced, as they will at once be seen on turning over the pages; but
attention should be directed to one of the most remarkable passages in the
book, in which the writer quotes the sentiments of "myne autor," sir John
Fastolfe:--

"I hafe herd myne autor Fastolfe sey, when he had yong knyghtys and nobles
at his solasse (_i.e._ tuition), how that there be twey maner condicions of
manly men, and one ys a manlye man called, another ys a hardye man; but he
sayd the manlye man ys more to be comended, more then the hardy man; for
the hardy man that sodenly, bethout discrecion of gode avysement, avauncyth
hym yn the felde to be hadde couragiouse, and wyth grete aventur he
scapyth, voidith the felde allone, but he levyth his felyshyp detrussed (or
disordered). And the manly man, hys policie ys that (if) he avaunce hym and
hys felyshyp at skirmish or sodeyn racountre, he wulle so discretely
avaunce hym that he wulle entend [_i.e._ be sure] to hafe the over-hand of
hys adversarye, and safe hymself and hys felyshyp."

It was thus that the experienced captain sir John Fastolfe distinguished
between the rashly daring and those who bravely embarked on some feasible
and well conceived exploit. It is evident that the term "hardy" was then
sometimes understood in the sense we now call fool-hardy.[14] The author
himself uses the word "fool-hardiesse" in p. 63.

{xi}

At p. 68 will be found another anecdote of sir John Fastolfe. It shows that
the writer had access to those books of accompt which sir John had kept
when a captain in France. "I fynde (he says) by his bookes of hys purveonds
how yn every castell, forteresse, and cyte or towne, he wolde hafe grete
providence of vitaille, of cornys, of larde, and beoffes, of stok physsh
and saltfysh owt of England commyng by shyppes." It was because of his good
management in this respect that the regent and lords of the council