PHaleg ly∣ued two .C. & .xxxix. yeres this phaleg was the yonger sone of Heber / & ī his dayes was made the confusyon of langages For in his hows abode the olde tonge al oule / & y
t was He¦brewe. wherfore after Saynt Au∣styn / in hym ape¦red a greate sted∣fastnesse of right wysnes For this hous was free of that payne / As not cōsētynge to the buyldynge of the toure. (
••t se∣cundū Aug) there was .lxxii. generacōns / & so there were .lxxii. langage. ¶Iacta
•• oder to Phaleg Sem Nemroth prynce of Cham Sul¦phen of Iaphet / these thre prynces with there peple gadred thē to gyder in y
e felde of Senna¦ar / dredynge y
e ••••ood to come ayen sayd. Lette vs buylde a toure / of the which: y
e hyght shall reche to heuen &c. Gen̄. xii. Our lord sawe the folysshnes of the people. Maruayllously for y
e payne of ther synne / he confoūded the tonge of thē. ī so moche that none vnderstode what an other sayd. And so they were disperpled & ason¦dred by all y
e worlde. ¶Of the malyce of thys Nemroth bokes ben wryten full ¶And after the cōfusyon of y
e langage he went to the londe of Pertees / & there he enstrocte & taught them to doure & worshyp y
e fyre as god. And he left his sone Belus in Babylon / the whyche Be∣lus su
••ceded hym. And so from thens his pro∣genye opteyned y
e kyngdom / vnto the tyme of many a yere after. ¶In this tyme began ma∣ny kyngdoms. & the most of those kyngdoms was the kyngdome of Scitarum. But there were soo many rude & boystous people in it / that cyte was neuer hadde in worshyp. And it was a stronge and a myghty regyon of dystaū¦ce. ¶And about this tyme began the kyngdo∣me of Egept / the whiche with dyuers and ma¦ny alteracyons often tymes was chaunged· also it is spoken of many tymes in scrypture ¶Noblynesse or gentylmen about this sayd tyme beganne. And this noblynesse or gentyl∣men was ordeyned for many causes. ¶The fyrst cause was necessyte. For whan makend drewe sore & men were prompte & redy to doo euyll. it was very necessary / to withstande the greate malyce of the cursyd people / agaynste good men Ther of a man is called a gentylmā or a nobleman / as before other in vertues no∣table. ¶wher of Ierom sayth. I see no thynge elles in noblesse or ī gentylmen bute that they are bounden in a creteyn necessyte / that they shall not recede fro the vertue / and the gentyl∣nesse of ther noble auncetours. ¶The secon∣de was the dyuers worshyppynge of the peo∣ple. For no man worshypt thenne / but as hys naturall reason gaaf. And they knewe not ry∣ghtwysly what they sholde worshyp / all thou∣ghe they lyued peasyble amonge themself For they were so dull of wytte / that they coude pon¦dre no grete thynge / but y
e was publysshed by the comyn people. wherfore it was expedyent for ther peas be kept that they sholde haue prin¦ces of noble byrth. ¶The thyrde cause proce∣deth of some synguler strength. Many tymes the comynalte were greued thrugh enmyes co¦mynge vpon them. And then they sayd y
e who someuer wolde deffende & kepe them from the¦se peryles / he shold haue the ryght of noblenes¦se for hym & his heyers for euer more & in thys maner of wyse many are radde to be noble mē ¶The fourth cause of noblynesse / was grete haboundaunce of goodes. Somtyme the peo∣ple we holdē with grete penury of mete & dryn¦ke. And then they toke them and theyrs to so∣me ryche man / that thrugh that couenaunte / they s
••old tempre the grete straytnesse of ther hungre / and after that they shold knowe hym as theyr lorde and a noble man. ¶Also there be founde certen noble men by the prouysyon of god / thoughe they were but fewe of the why¦che some abode in vertue / as Dauyd: and so∣me fayled anone: as Saull and Ieroboam. Also it is radde: that many were noble men by tyranny and vyolence. Of the whyche some