Fabricius, leder of the Roman oostis, the whiche for his gret trouthe,
vailliaunce, and manhod, and wise governaunce, king Pirrus his adversarie
offred to gyve hym the .iiij^{the}. part of his roiaume and of his tresoure
and goodis, so that the saide Fabricius wolde yelden and turne to his
partie and become his felow in armes. To whiche Pirrus the said Fabrisius
answerd, that a trew man might not to over moche hate and dispreise
tresoure and richesse by treason and falshed evylle getyn, where as by
possibilite and alle liklinesse may be honourable and truly vanquisshid and
wonne bye armes, and not in noo maner wise by untrouthe and falshed. In
whiche matier verifieng, saiethe Vigecius in his booke of Chevalrie, to a
chiefteyne, to whome is commytted so gret a thing as is deliverid hym the
charge and governaunce of noblesse of chevalrie, the dedis and entreprises
of a prince is office is principally comytted hym for the governaunce of
comon publique of a roiaume, dukedom, erledom, barnage, or seignourie,
castelle, forteresse, citee, and towne, that is clepid vulgarlie the comon
profite, the suerte and saufegarde of alle the saide contreis. And if by
the fortune of batailes he might not only have a generall consideracion and
cure of alle his ooste or over alle the peple, contree, or citee that he
hathe take the charge of, but he must entende to every particuler charge
and thing that nedithe remedie or relief for his charge; and any thing
myssfortune to a comon universall damage in defaut of oversight of remedie
of a particuler and singuler thing or charge, thoroughe whiche might grow
to an universall damage, than it is to be wited his defaute. {56} And
therefore in conclusion of this, late it take example to folow the noble
and fructufulle examples of the noble cenatours. And we ought so to kepe us
frome the offending and grevyng of oure sovereyne Maker not to usurpe
ayenst justice as hathe be doo, in suche wise that thoroughe oure synfulle
and wrecchid lyvyng ayenst his lawes he be not lengir contrarie to us,
suffring us this grevouslie for oure offensis to be overthrow, rebukid, and
punished as we bee, but lyve and endure in suche clene life, observyng his
.x. preceptis, that he have no cause to shew on us the rod of his
chastising as he dothe.

[Sidenote: Deploracio contra iniquos malefactores prevalentes.]

Another exhortacion to kepe the lawes of God, for in doubte that ellis God
wulle suffre oure adversaries punissh