Here begynneth the table of the rubryshys of the boke of the fayt of armes and of chyualrye whiche sayd boke is departyd in to foure partyes ...

¶For what causes the lawe Imperyal dyde ordeyne champ of bataylle ¶Capitulo / viij / (Book 8)

But bi cause that the deffēses aboue said of the ryght wri¦ton haue not be alweies obserued nor kept nor yet be not obeyed in al royalmes as touchyng for to fight in chāp of bataylle as it is said I shal telle the causes for the whiche they that dede sett hit vp haue iuged it to be doo y^t is to wite thēperour federik that so muche contraried holy chirche that he chassed y^e pope out of hys place y^e tyme whan he cam to his

refuige & secoure toward y^e kīge of fraūce / & also another scrip¦ture that men calle the lōbardishe lawe / deuyseth therof in di¦uerse cases / the whiche herafter shalbe declared by me vnto the / first the said ēperours lawe saith / yf a man be accused of traison that he haue machined purchassed procured or cons¦pired ayenst his prynce or aienst his cite or ellis to y^e preiu¦dice of the comyn wele what soeuer the cas be of whithe the trouthe can not be by noo proues knowen / & y^t this man so accused offreth to deffēde & purge himself by champ of bata¦ylle ayenst al men that wol saie aienst hym / shalbe receyued to do the said champ of bataylle / It that yf a prisoner of werre be kept in pryson by the partye aduerse / & y^t it happeth during the said prisonemēt / that peas be made betwry the two parties vndre condicyon that al manere of prisoners shalbe deliu{er}ed sauf ageyn without pa••eng of any raūson wherfore it may hapli fall that the master sleeth his prisoner for whi¦che mysdede by right he may lese his hed / & he be reproued & at¦teinted therof / wherupon he saithe y^t he slewe him in his deffē¦se / & that first of all the prysoner had other trait••usly or by som otherwise assaylled whan they were but them two togy¦der & this he wol make good by gode proue of his owne bo¦dy in a champ of bataille yf any man were that wold say contrary aienst hym / he ought to be receyued / Item also it saithe as by suche a fall / we putt cas that the kynge of fra∣unce & the kyng of England had trewes togider / & that it shulde hap a Frensheman durynge this tyme to wounde & hurt full sore an Englysshemā or an englismā a frensshe•••• of y^• whiche thynge y^• lawe saythe / y^t in suche a cas behoueth of ryght and Iustyce a gretter punicyon to him that hathe hurted y^• other than yf he hadd doon thesame to one of his owne coūtrey / yf he y^t this wronge hath doon wold bere hy••

out by the proue of his owne body that this was doon of hym in his defence ayenst that other that fyrst had assailled hym / his wordis by the sayde lawe imperial ought to be her¦de / It yf a man accuseth another y^t he wold haue had slayn the kinge or the prynce by poysons or otherwise / & that other saithe that he lieth falsly & for the same called hym to chāp of bataylle / he is holden by the said lawe imperiall to ansuere him & kepe hym the day y^t he shal sett for to fight with hym