Three prose versions of the Secreta Secretorum / edited with an introduction and notes by Robert Steele and a glossary by T. Henderson

Book IX.

Cap. 111. Off auenture off Bataylles.

[folio 38a] Wille þou nogℏt haunte batailles, and putte þy lyf in auenture. ffolwe oft-sithes þe conseiƚƚ of þe most best manered men̛ of þi court; And ocupye þe nogℏt in þinges þat þei þat ere ouercomen, or blamed, costomes to ocupye hem, vpon̛ vaniteȝ of Batailles. Ne assaye nogℏt, ne haunte nogℏt bataille yn þy propre persone, And þe gretteste with-holde toward þe. Ne ocupy þe nogℏt, no gyf entent to foltisch vndertakynges & hardynesse, ffor it ys a certeyn þinge þat kynge shal neuer assemble with kynge to-gedir, þat þe oon hauys hope to destruye þe oþer, And þat ys foundyn oft-sithes in kynde. Wete þanne þat enuy ys comynge & risyng, of þe body, and þe sawle, of twoo opposisiouns contrarys, and þaire spryt ys hope & tryst of victory on þe oon syde & on þe oþer. And whenne mys-hope of victory fallys, þanne dyen and cesen batailles; And as longe durys bataiƚƚ as lastynge to haue victory ys, on þe oon syde or on þe oþer. Be aƚƚ þy stryngℏt and þyn entent, in lastyng and perseuerance, and in stabelynge and sustenance of hem þat er of þy lyn; and espyse nogℏt here persones, but speke faire to hem, and hete hem gyftes and worschippes, & ȝelde þy hetynges. Wende nogℏt in host witℏt oute haberion̛ or quyrre, so þat if þyn enemy fynde þe sodeynly, aƚƚ þi besynesse and purueyance be to kepe þi-self, of armes, of kepers, of spyes, and of necessary wacche, nygℏt & day & aƚƚ tymes. And sette nogℏt þy herbegage, but yn stedes negℏ & ioynant to hellys or to waters, and lede with þe many vitaylles moo þan þou mysters, and make many rynnand, & oribles voyces, ffor sweche þinges makyn̛ stryngℏ and vertu to hem þat er witℏ þe, and lastyng to her purpos, and drede shenshype to her enemys. & vse diuersyte of armes in þi Barouns, some in quarels and arwys, and ordeyne þe oþer in wenges, & þe stoures aƚƚ aboute; [folio 38b] and whenne þou ordeyns þy wynges to figℏte, sende witℏ hem a shape, and toures of tree, In whom be armours of shotyng, sendand out brynnynge dartȝ And if þou fynde hem yn hem, slakand or failland, comforte here hertes and enfourme hem, & ordeyne

hem to perseuerance, as it ys afore sayd. Ordeyne þy wenges, on þe rigℏt syde of hem þat stryken̛ and assayllen, and of þe left syde hem þat shoten̛; And in þe hert, or ellys in þe myddes of þi folk, hem þat sendys out brennand brandouns, & shotes hem out, & þat maken soundes of orible voyces, and makyn diuers sterynges. And þe stede þat þou figℏtys on witℏ þy aduersers, be it semynge euer more seker, ffor þarfore shal þyn hoste peyne hem mekyƚƚ more to figℏt, & stalworthly aȝeyn-stonde her enemys; eschewe tresoun̛, & namely whenne þou seeȝ þi aduersaries forsake þe, & in þat partye dresse þy wenges to bataille, and þare-witℏ putte to hem þy presence ofte-sythes, ffor þat ys a oriegenaƚƚ of victory. Whare fore men were costomed to say þat victory commes of noon, but if þay be ouercomen̛ of ffeyntise of herte. Ouer aƚƚ þinges, make many wacches, and assay þy spyes witℏ howge soundes, ffor sweche er of þe nombre of hem þat surmounten̛ and ouercomen̛. And oon cautele ys þat brynges to purpos, & oon of þe groundes of Batailles. And haue stedys determynd, appereld in some stede of þe hoste, to socoure & kepe wel þy men̛ witℏ drynke and oþer necessaries; And haue many bestayle to bere warny stoor to castellys wher þou shalt fygℏte, þis er ollyfauntȝ, espontous bestes; And rigℏt swyft, as dromyders, yn whom ys hope of flygℏt at nede, and er as castels. And if þou shaƚƚ assayƚƚ castels, vse Instrumentȝ castyng stones, as Mangoles or Perreres, and make moo of hem after þou hauys mester, and oþer Instrumentȝ perceaunt & lanceaunt, and arwes and dartys enuemynd. And if þou mowe come to welle or stede where þi enemys focchyn water to drynke, caste yn hem venyms, and so þou salt make graues to hem. [folio 39a] Kepe in aƚƚ þinges stabilnesse, ffor þat ys a fuƚƚ louable þing, And so þou shaƚƚ fulfylle þy purpos. And folwe neuer moor hem þat fleyen, no be nogℏt ouer-hasty yn þi werkys. And if it mowe be, lat aƚƚ þi werkynges be treson̛ and entrikynge to þi aduersers. Kepe þe wel yn þe first bigynnynge & þe endyng to þe bataiƚƚ of þe folk, ffor þe folk of Iewes er properly traytours & entrykours, & þey haue no shame. Þe Persiens & þe Turkeys, & þe perseis, er rigℏt coraious men, and of gret vndertakynge; þanne figℏt witℏ vche men yn þe manere þat ys couenable; And make nogℏt þe lesse greet, no sette nogℏt byfore þat ys byhynde, But aƚƚ þy werkys be þai, in opyn & pryuee, yn þe manere afore sayd, And after þe qualyte or þe

ordinance of Astronomy, as y haue afore leryd þe. Whenne þou wiƚƚ attene to þe stabylnesse of þi purpos by þe ordinance of heuenly vertuȝ, Stable þou þe mountant, or þe vpspryngand, yn þe tokenynge of þe Lyon̛; And see þat þe mone and his ledere be in his good state, & in goode stede vpstyand, And stable with þe mountant, or þe hous of þe mountant, yn þe house of Marȝ. And leue nogℏt þe sigℏt of Marcȝ witℏ-outen triplycite, And byhold, þanne, aƚƚ þe werkynge wherof þou wille haue þe nature of þe Planetys and here houses; And ordeyn þe self planetys, and þe tokenynges þat er of þe self nature, ffor þat ys þe chef; þanne whenne þou wiƚƚ wend, ordeyne mountant to þe way, or þe Cytee, or þe stede whedyr þou etyls, And þe wirkynges þat þou etyls, and ynens þat, þat ys þe moste lawnesse of þe erthe; And loke þat þe mone be nogℏt wycked, no in eclyspe, no trouble, no vnder þe beem of þe sonne in þe sext or twelf degree, or aȝeyn-goyng, ffor þanne þe mountant shewys victory and prosperite; þe comyng shaƚƚ be good, and namly whenne Mercurius shaƚƚ be yn Middes of þe heuene, it shal shewe spedynge of þe werk & perfeccion̛. And whenne it shal be yn þe seuen̛ degree, mygℏtynesse of þe werke, and gladnesse, & prosperyte, and it shaƚƚ shewe fulfillynge of þe purpos. And if it be abown̛ þe erthe, it shaƚƚ bitakyn spedys of necessary þinges, & prosperyte of auenture. And loke þat þe mone [folio 39b] be nogℏt in þe entree of þe way, in þe quarreure of þe sonne, or els yn his contrary. If þou fynde þanne þe vpspryngant or þe mountant in his contrary or quarreure, torne aȝeyn suyftly to þe greeȝ, and þe werk shal wel cheue; And if þou wille vndertake bataiƚƚ, ordeyne þe house of þe mone and þe myddes of þe heuen̛, & Mercury byholdant deuoutly & debonerly; And make Mercury yn þe fferthe degree, & reparaiƚƚ þe mone, ffor in holdyng of wayes it ys þe gretteste tokenyng vniuersele.