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 dyde ordeyne the lombardyshe lawe champ of bataylle / ¶Capitulo / ix /

So is there another lawe that is called the lawe of lō¦bardye where in be cōprysed many dyuers thinges / & in the same by especyal the maistres that stablyshed it haue therupon writon many causes to whiche men may gy¦ue gage for to fight in champ of bataylle / & out of the same lawes are come almost al the iugementis of gyuing of ga¦ge that is to saye a token of deffyaūce for to befight hys ene¦mye within a clos felde whiche men calle chāp of bataylle / so shal I telle the som of thoo causes / that is to wite yf a man accuseth his wyf that she hathe traytted or bespoken for to make hym dey other by poyson or by som other secret dethe wherof by som coloure he hathe her in suspetyon / but she can not be to the trouthe truly attainted / or ellis whan thehusbād is ded / & his kynnesmen putteth vpon his wif that she hath made him to be brought to dethe yf thys woman can fynde a kynnesman of hers orsom other frende that wyl fyght for her beryng out y^• that whiche is laide vpon her / is falsly saide / the lōbardishe lawe wyl that he shal be receyued for to fyght for her ayenst who someuer wyl blame her / It yf a man were ac∣cused that hehad slayne another And that this coude not be proued ayenst hym / Yf he casteth his gage ayenst hym that

accuseth hym the lawe wil that he be receyued / It semblab•••• that yf he hadd bete a man vndre assewrans / Item also yf a man haue slayne another man bothe al alone & that he wol make a proffe by gage of his body that it was in his deffē¦syng & that the other assaylled him first / the saide lawe wyl that he shalbe herde / It yf a man after the decesse of som kin¦nesman of hys of whom he ought to haue the goodis by suc¦cession as next heyre / were accused to haue slayne hym forto haue his lifbode & his goodes / he may deffēde hym self therof by his body after the forme aforsaide / It yf a man were put¦te vpon and accused to haue layen wyth a mannys wyffe the whiche cas after this lawe yf her husbād or kynnesman complayne to the iustyce is capitall deth that is to saye / wer thy to lese his hed for the same the sayde lawe wil that thys man shall mowe deffende hym self by gage of bataylle It in likewise it is of a mannys doughter beinge yet vndre 〈◊〉〈◊〉 rule of her parentes yf they doo complayne of som man that hathe had feleship with her / though it was with her good wille this lawe wil that he deye but yf he deffende hymself therof by champ of bataylle in cas that the thinge were so secretly kept that it myght not be proued ayenst hym for yf manyfeste or openly knowen it were / yf the kynnesmen wyl there were no remedye / and therfore thys lawe shuld seme well straūge in Fraunce & in other place that a man shuld deie for suche a cas seeing that it was by the goodwil¦le of the woman wedded or not wedded & this lawe is v¦pon suche a raison fownded where it is trouthe that a man taketh deth by sentence of the lawe or of iustice for to haue cōmitted a smal theefte of golde or of siluer a iewel or other thynge / of whiche cas what soeuere necessite hath brought him therto shal not mowe excuse hym but that iustice shal

kepe vpon hym her ••ygoure / yf grace for respect of som piteou¦se cas / be not to hym imparted & made / why thenne shall be spared he that hathe dyspoylled & taken awaye the honoure & worship not onely of a woman alone but of her husband & of bothe theyre lygnages / & bycause that where this folke that fyrst made & stablyshed thees lawes prayse & sette mo∣che more by worship than they dede of golde nor of syluer / they concluded that yet moche more ought to haue deserued dethe he that robbed another of the forsaid honoure wherbi all a holl kynrede is reproued / than yf he had taken from them what someuere other thynge / and therfore som dede saye that the lawe was yet wel gracyouse & pytouse to them / whan suche folke were not more cruelly punyshed / then other that were worthy of dethe / that is to wite / that hit made hem not to deye of a more cruel dethe / than for another cas / Another cas putteth the sayde lawe that shulde seme al ynoughe ay∣enst rayson / that is to wite that yf a man had holden and possessed certeyne lyflode house or lande or namely moeuable goodes the space of xxx yere or more / & that another shulde accuse hym that thrughe euyll & deceyuable meanes he had hit & falsly had possessed hit / that yf this accusar offred to proue the same onely by his body in chāp of bataille / he shal be receyued therunto / But without faille not withstanding thys lawe / I telle the wel / that folysshe is he that suche lawe accepteth or suche gage / and he that is therunto called / and that al redy hathe the possessyon in hande / myght ansuere thus to that other / Fayre frende / I haue nought a doo with thy gage / fight thy self al alone yf y^u seme it gode / for I shal neuer fyght for this cause / soo is there noo lawe that may gaīsaye hym in this cas / for prescripcion is aproued of al right / It saithe the said lawe y^t yf it happed two men tofall

a debate togider & that theire question were brought to iuge¦mēt where bothe of hem shulde produce or bringe forthe theyr proues / to this entencyon that yf the one partye wolde gaynsaie y^e other & that they cowde not accorde / yf he wil ma¦ke it goode by proffe of his body / he shal be receyued / It yf a man taketh an action vpon another for certeine some of syl¦uer or som iewell or of som other moeuable gode whiche as he saide he lent to his fader or moder / & that other denyeth him the same he shall also be receyued ayenst y^e other to doo chāp of bataylle / yf he proffreth to make it good by the same mea¦ne It yf a man hath be brought to losse & domage by fortu¦ne of fyre in his hous or in his grange or other thinge / yf he wil proue ayenst another in manere a forsayde that he ha¦the putte the fyre theryn / he shalbe herde / It yf a man com¦playneth ouer his wyffe that she is noo good woman / tho¦ughe he doo this for a wyle for to close her within awalle or for to be quytte of her or that she shulde be banyshed from her dowarye / she may deffende herof herself / yf she can fynde a chā¦pyon that wyl fyght ayenst her husband for her / & yf the hus¦band refuseth hym he shal not be byleued / Item yf a man haūteth in the house of awedded man / yf the husband wil sa¦ye that this man hath haūted & haūteth for to haue a doo wyth hys wyff for to shame her and hym / thys other man that so haunteth there may deffende hym ayenst the husbāde by gage of bataylle / wherof I doo lawghe consyderyng suche a folye / that yf the felawe that so is accused were grete and stronge it were well bestowed yf he fele hym self Innocent that he sholde bete well & thryftly in the champ that Ialous & folishe husband / It yf a man accuseth another y^t he hathe pariured hymself in iugemēt he y^t is so accused may gainsaie hit as it is sayd / many other thīges conteyneth y^e sayd lawe

that concernen champ of bataille whiche I leue for shortnes of the matiere / as a thinge not nedefull mor•• for to say / but so moche it is to be vndrestande that thees batailles are som tyme doon by the prīcipall persones whan a raysonable cas of som lettyng falleth there / As it were yf a man to yong were accused / or a man that were to olde / or a man that had som siknes or that were impotent & coude not help himself & som time a woman and all suche other persones / the whiche thynges are alle ynoughe expressed & named in the sayde la¦wes / And namely yf a bondeman saide that his lorde had made him free of his bonde & seruytude & this he will make goode by his body / the lorde is not holden to receyue bataille therfore / but ought to deliuere him a champion / & more hyt saith that two clerkes of lyke degree may haue leue to be fight eche other in champ of bataylle of the whiche thinge sauffe her grace I say that she hathe wronge to entremette her self in suche a cas of any man of the chirche for the canon y^t ought more to be obeyed deffendeth them expresly al manere of bataylle & violent hurt / & I aske the yf a man impotent as it is saide may sette for him self sache a chāpion as shall please him / I ansuere the / that the champions that be comyt¦ted for another are in this dede of bataille fygured or in fy∣gure of procurours & aduocates of plee / whiche offyce eue∣ry man may doo for another yf he wyl / yf ryght expresly gaynsayeth it not / ryght euyn so it is of the champyōs / for who soeuere wil he may be one so that right gaynsaie hym not for som cause / For a theeff or som other that tofore had commytted som grete euyll or cryme shulde not be re∣ceyued therto nor noo man that is knowen of euyll fame / And the rayson is goode / That is to wite that yf suche a man entred a champ of bataylle for another and

were vainquished there / men shulde wene that it had ben for his owne sinnes / and that therfore he had lost the bataylle /