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 ...

¶Here deuiseth shortly the manere after the vse of the time present to renge an ost in a felde for to befyght his enemyes ¶Capytulo / xxiij /

WHere vegece putteth many maneres of wayes for to renge an oost in bataylle / as it shal be sayd heraf∣ter the whyche in some maneres may be dyfferentes to the regarde of the ordynaunces of the tyme present / The cause perauenture is by cause that the folke comynly in tho dayes faughten more on horsbacke than a fote / ¶And also where noo thynge there nys in the ordres of humayn de∣des / But that it is by long proces of tyme chaunged and tourned / me semyth good to touche shortly somwhat in moost entendyble termes of the comon ordynaunces of the tyme present / as ynough it is knowen of them that faytes of armes excersycen / ¶That is to wyte to make hys auauntgarde of a longe trayne of men of armes al

clos togyder and renged full smothely that the one passe not that other the best and the moost chosyn in the fyrst fro¦nte and the maresshalles wyth theym by theyre baneres and standartes / and at the formest sydes are made wyn∣ges in whych ben all maneres of shoters renged and in good arraye / asswel gonners / as balesters / and archers ¶After the fyrst bataylle that men calle the Forwarde commeth the grete bataylle where as all the grete flote and rowte of men of armes is putte al arrenged in a fayre ordre by theyre capytaynes that haue among hem theyre banneres and sygnes al vp / whych are by dyuerse rowes one after a nother full smothly renged and not steppyng out of place / For the Connestable doeth a cry to be made that noon vpon peyne of deth shall dysrowme hym self / ¶And som saye that yf eny quantyte of comons be there men oughte to fortyfye wyth suche manere of men the win¦gys of bothe sydes by fayre rowes wel ordred at the bak syde of the shot / the whyche comons shalbe taken and com / mytted vnto good capytaynes / and in lyke wyse they shal be renged byfore the grete bataylle / so that yf they wolde flee they myght be kepte in styl by the men of armes that be behynde hem / In the myddes of thys grete batayl∣le is putte the prynce of the oost and the pryncypall ban∣nere borne byfore hym to the whyche is the byholdynge of the bataylle / wherfore it is taken to holde hyt vp to one of the best and pryncypall of the sayd oost / and a boute hyt ben of the best and mooste approued men of armes / as∣well for the suretee of the prynce as of thesame / ¶After folowynge thys grete bataylle commeth the thyrde that men calle the ryeregarde the whyche is ordeyned for cōforte And helpe theym that be a fore / that semblably are putte in

arraye by a fayre ordre / And behynde thys bataylle ben fayrely putte the yomen on horsbacke that helpen theyre masters yf nede be and holden and maken an obstakell that on the baksyde of the bataylle they be not enuahysshed / ¶Of the whyche thynge yf there be ynoughe of men of armes and that they be in a doubte les that the ennemyes wyl com at that syde / thoo that surely wyl fyght and that ben wyse in fayttes of armes / maken another ba¦taylle that tourneth the bak towardys the other bata∣ylles a foresayd / all redy appareylled for to receyue them that wold comme / ¶ And with thees sayd thynges comonly are ordeyned a quantyte of men of armes ex∣perte of the crafte / and wel mounted vpon good cour∣sers whyche ben full redy on the syde for to com and breke wythe courses of horses thordynaunce of the enemyes as they shal be renged and assembled togyder / ¶And therfore the bataylle is often tyme wonne by them that best can shyfte and deale wythall / ¶And where thys manere of rengyng of an oost is moost couenable / yet som that ben experte in armes doo counseylle / that whan men haue noo grete quantyte of comons but haue for the moo parte all men of armes / that all the holl as∣semble be putte togyder onely in one bataylle wythout no∣on other forwarde nor arryeregarde but onely the wynges of the fronte of the bataylle as it is sayd a fore / and say∣en that more surely they fyght soo / ¶And thys mane¦re was kept at the bataylle of rosebeke where as the kynge of Fraunce Charles the sixth of that name had the vycto¦rye ayenst / xl / thousend Flemyngys / and semblably it was doon but awhyle a goon at the bataylle of Lyege where as Iohan duc of bourgoyne that son was to phylyppe the

son of the kynge of Fraunce with a smalle quantyte of his men was vyctoryous ayenst / xxxvj / thousand Lyge¦oys /