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 ...

¶The fyrst chapytre deuyseth by what meane Crystyne added to thys boke that whiche is sayd in the lawe of the fayttes of armes (Book 1)

As I dyde awayte for to entre in to the thirde partye of this present boke / & that my wyt / as almost wery of the pesaūt weyght of the labour concernyng the two other partyes precedent / & as surprysed with slepe lyenge vpon my bed appiered byfore me the semblaūce of a creatu∣re hauyng the fourme of a stately man of habyte of chere & of maynten / & lyke to awyse & ryght auctorised iuge which said vnto me thus / dere loue crystine of whiche in dede or el∣lis in thoughte the laboure of y^e excercyse of studienge neuer more doeth ceasse / atte the contēplacyon of the grete loue that thou haste to thoo thynges that the lettres can shewe / specyal¦ly in exhortacyon of all noble werkes and vertuouse condy¦cyons am hyther now come for to be as to thy helpe in the perfourmynge of this present loke of knyghthode & of fayt∣tes of armes where as thou by grete dyligence moeued with agood wille doest occupy thy self / And therfore confortinge the good desyre that thou haste to gyue a cause vnto all knyghtes and noble men that shal mowe rede or here hit / for to employe and more embellysshe hem self to thoos dedes that noblenesse requyreth / that is to wite to the sayd excercyse of armes / aswell by laboure of the hody as by the ryght that after the lawe wryton behoveth them / ¶It is good that thou take and gadre of the tree of bataylles that is in my gardyn somme fruytes of whiche thou shalt vse / So shall vygoure and strengthe the bettre growe wythyn thy self therfore for to make an ende of thy pesaunte werke / and for to bylde an edyfyce pertynaūt & couenable to the sayenges of vegece & of the other auctours of whyche thou hast ta∣ken help / thou muste cutte yet asonder som of the braūches of this said tree / & take of the best / and vpon the same tymber thou shalt sette foundement of one of thy said edyfyce / For

the whiche to perfourme / I as maister / and thy self as dysci¦ple / shal be there with the as thy helper / Thees thynges herde me semed thenne that I said to hym / O dygne master I knowe that thou arte that same studye whyche I loue and haue loued so moche that of nothynge more I remenbre me by whos hauntynge & vertue I haue al redy thanked be god broughte atte an ende many a fayre enterpryse / Certes of thy companye I am ryght glad / But where it ought not to dysplease the maister yf a dyscyple desyrouse of lernynge moeueth questyons / I pray the to telle me yf eny rebuke shal mowe be caste to the regarde of my werke for this that thou hast counseylled me for to vse of the sayde fruyte / S••¦re love to thys I ansuere the / that the more that a werke is wytnessed and approved of more folke / the more it is au¦ctorysed and more auctentyke / and therfore yf eny d••o mur¦mure after the gyse of euyll speke••s sayieng that thou beg∣gest in other places I ansuere them that it is a comon vse emonge my dyscyples to gyue and departe one to other of the floures that they take dyuersely out of my gardyns / And al thoo that help hem self with all they were not the fyrst that haue gadred them / Dyde not mayster Ioh̄n de Mown̄ help hym self with in hys boke of the rose of the say¦inges of Lorrys / and semblably of other / It is thenne noo rebuke / but it is lawde & praysynge whan wel & proprely they be applycked and sette by ordre / and there lyeth the may¦strye therof / and it is a token to haue seen and vifyted ma∣ny bokes / But there as were euyll to propos men shulde doo serue thynges whiche were taken ellis where / there we∣re the vice / doo soo thēne hardly & doubte the not / for thy wer¦ke is gode / and I certyfye the / that of many a wyse man hit shal be yet ryght well commended and praysed