le, temporelle men wolde sey, Yet com forthe withe a goode
courage, and not by constreint ne in manere of tasque ne of thraldom in
tyme to come, but of fre wille withe a bounteuous hert at this tyme that is
so expedient and necessarie, as trew Englisshe men shulde doo, every man
bring and put forthe of his goodes after that his power is. Now in the
worship of God let this be timelie done. It shall now shew, or it may be
shewed, who that shalbe founde goode and profitable to the comonwele, or
set hym silfe to the employ and fortheraunce of this dede of gret
necessite. And who so hathe no power to ley out finaunce, good, or
tresoure, yet put his good wille therto. A noble Roiaume of gret price and
of noble renomme as thow hast be. Whan God lust to shew thy power, and to
be victorious, who may noy the? Shall thou than suffre the to be confunded
withe simpler people of reputacion then thow art, withe the whiche ye and
youre noble progenitours have conquerid and overcom diverse tymes before
this? It is welle to undrestonde that ye have no protectoure, kepar, ne
defendour but it come of God, of the whiche he is witnesse and the leder.
Som say that the floode of Temmys rennythe beting hier than the londe in
stormye seasons. Yet for alle that, withe Goddis mighte and grace, thow art
not in the extremitee of tho stormes, ne never mote it come there in suche
indigence and necessite.

{83}

How that when the Romains were yn that uttermost necessite that bothe mete
and money failed hem and here chevalrie destroied, yet tho that [were] left
toke goode hert to hem, bothe widowes and othirs, that releved ayen the
frauncheis and libertees of Rome.

And where as the Romains fonde theym yn that urgent necessite whan that
bothe mete and monney failed theym to susteyne and support theire manhode,
neverthelesse noble courage ne goode hope failed not among hem; so that,
what time the auncien gentille bloode was wastid in bataile, than they made
knightis of theire bounde men, to avaunce theire conquest forto encrese
withe theire hoost. And that the goode worshipfulle ladies of Rome, and
namely the soroufulle widowes, whiche at that tyme were not usid of custom
nothing to pay ne yelde to the souding of men of armes, yet at that tyme
whan suche necessite fille, they offred and brought right liberallie of
theire juellis and goodis, for the whiche they were right gretly thanked
and praised, and after the victorie had welle recompensid and conten