af ner promysid no thynge to ony man And whan hit was euen
auysed hymself/ he sayd to hys frendes/ O y'e my frendes thys day haue I
lost for this day haue I don no good,' And also we rede of Iulius Cefar
that he neuer saide in alle his lyue to his knyghtes goo oon but all way
be sayde come come/ For I loue allway to be in youre companye/ And he
knewe well that hit was lasse payne & trauayll to the knyghtes whan the
prynce is in her companye that loueth hem & c[=o]forted hem And also we
rede of the same Iulius cesar in the booke of truphes of phylosophers/
that ther was an Auncyent knyght of his that was in paryll of a caas
hangynge to fore the Iuges of rome so he callyd cefar on a tyme and said
to hym to fore all men that he shold be his aduocate And cesar deliueryd
and assigned to hym a right good aduocate And the knyght sayd to hym O
cesar I put no vicaire in my place whan thou were in parill in y'e
batayll of assise/ But I faught for the. And than he shewed to hym the
places of his woundes that he had receyuyd in the batayll And than cam
cesar in his propre persone for to be his aduocate & to plete his cause
for hym/ he wold not haue the name of vnkyndenes/ but doubted that men
shold saye that he were proude And that he wold not do for them that had
seruyd hym They that can not do so moche/ as for to be belouyd of her
knyghtes/ can not loue the knyghtes And this sufficeth of the rooks.

BOOK III.

[Illustration]

_The thirde tractate of the offices of the comyn peple. The fyrst
chapitre is of the office of the labourers and werkemen_.

For as moche as the Noble persone canne not rewle ne gouerne with oute
y'e seruyce and werke of the peple/ than hit behoueth to deuyse the
oeuurages and the offices of the werkemen/ Than I shall begynne fyrst at
the fyrst pawne/ that is in the playe of the chesse/ And signefieth a
man of the comyn peple on fote For they be all named pietous that is as
moche to saye as footemen And than we wyll begynne at the pawne whiche
standeth to fore the rooke on the right side of the kinge for as moche
as this pawne apperteyneth to serue the vicaire or lieutenant of the
kynge and other officers vnder hym of necessaryes of vitayll/ And this
maner a peple is figured and ought to be maad in the forme & shappe of a
man holdynge in his ryght hande a spade or shouell And a rodde in the
lifte hand/ The spade or shouell is for to delue & labour therwith the
erthe/ And the rodde is for t