med as is whan he sauyth the lyf of them that he may slee/ For to
shede and spylle blood is the condicion of a wylde beste and not the
condicion of a good knyght Therfore we rede that scylla that was Duc of
the Romayns wyth oute had many fayr victoyres agaynst the Romayns wyth
Inne that were contrayre to hym/ In so moche that in the batayll of
puylle he slewe .xviii. thousand men/ And in champanye .lxx. thousand.
And after in the cyte he slewe thre thousand men vnarmed And whan one of
his knyghtes that was named Quyntus catulus sawe this cruelte sayd to
hym/ Sesse now and suffre them to lyue and be mercyfull to them wyth
whom we haue ben victorious And wyth whom we ought to lyue/ For hit is
the most hyest and fayr vengeance that a man may doo/ as to spare them &
gyue hem her lyf whome he may slee Therfore Joab ordeyned whan absalom
was slayn/ he sowned a trompette/ that his peple shold no more renne &
slee theyr aduersaryes. For ther were slayn aboute .xx. thousand of
them/ and in lyke wyse dide he whan he faught ayenst Abner And Abner was
vaynquysshid and fledde. For where that he wente in the chaas he
comanded to spare the peple The knyghtes ought to kepe the peple/ For
whan the peple ben in theyr tentes or castellis/ the knyghtes ought to
kepe the wacche/ For this cause the romayns callyd them legyons And they
were made of dyuerce prouynces and of dyuerce nacyons to thentente to
kepe the peple/ And the peple shold entende to theyre werke/ For no
crafty man may bothe entende to his craft & to fighte/ how may a crafty
man entende to hys werke sewrely in tyme of warre but yf he be kept And
right in suche wyse as the knyghtes shold kepe y'e peple in tyme of peas
in lyke wise the peple ought to pourveye for theyr dispensis/ how shold
a plowman be sewre in the felde/ but yf the knyghtes made dayly wacche
to kepe hem/ For lyke as the glorye of a kynge is vpon his knyghtis/ so
hit is necessarye to the knyghtes that the marchantis craftymen and
comyn peple be defended and kepte/ therfore late the knyghtes kepe the
peple in suche wyse that they maye enioye pees and gete and gadre the
costis and expensis of them bothe/ we rede that Athis sayd to dauid
whiche was a knyght/ I make the my kepar and defendar alleway. Thus
shold the knightes haue grete zele that the lawe be kept/ For the
mageste ryall ought not only to be garnysshid wyth armes but also wyth
good lawes/ And therfore shold they laboure that they shold be well kept
Turge