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 ben deuysed the consideracions & regardes that the kynge or prynce ought to haue in the fayte to entrepryse w¦arre and the maners that he ought to holde / to fore he conclu¦de the said warre / ¶Capitulo quinto

Syth it is soo that it is leefful to a prynce tentrepryse w¦arre & bataylles / and theym mayntene for the causes a¦boue said / And how be it that these thynges be grete & poysa¦unt / as they that touche pryncypally the lyf / the blood / thon∣nour / and chyuaūce of infenyte persones / wythout whiche re¦gard all byfore the werke / ought not to be emprysed / ne for light moeuynges ne yong willes but that it ought to be re∣doubted tempryse newe warres / but for to modere hym self we haue ensamples ynowe / O remēbre / that the puissaunce of auffryke / ne thorguillo{us} cyte of cartage whiche was chi¦ef & heed / and the spaynards / ne the right puissaūt kyng an¦thyochus lord of a grete parte of the orient / whiche brought so moche people to bataylle that it was infenite wyth theyr dredeful olyphaūtes / ne also the right myghty prynce kynge metridates whiche lorded vpon .xxiiij. contrees / and also all the world / but y^t the right lytil puissaūce of romayns myght wel subdue them / & therfore ought no prynce lightly to put

hym self in peryll whiche is for to be determyned by the destri¦bucōn of fortune / of whyche noman may knowe to what sy¦de it shal tourne / Thēne it is necessarye that the prynce be w¦yse / or at the lest wylle vse the coūseyl of wyse men for plato saith that the royame or contre is blyssed & wel happy where the wyse men gouuerne / and the thopposite or contrayre it is acursyd & vnhappy lyke as witnesseth the holy scripture And without faylle ther is nothyng so moche necessarie to be cōueyed by wisedom / as is warre & bataille lyke as it shal be said her after / for ther is no faulte made in ony caas lasse repayrable / than that whiche is executed by armes & by euyl gouernyng of bataille what shal thēne doo the wise prynce to whome shalbe of necessite for som̄e of the caas aforesayd tempryse warre or bataylle / first to fore all thyng ••e must be holde & take hede what puissaūce or power he hath or may haue as moche people / as of synaūce & money / without the whiche the two pryncypal thynges to be wel garnysshid & surely it is folye tentrepryse ony warre / for aboue alle thynges they ben necessarie / & in especial moneye / for who that hath money ynowh / & wylle enploye it / he shal alleway fynde ayde & helpe of men ynowh / & more than he wolde: wytnesse of the warres of ytalic: & in especyal of florence: of venyse: & other places y^• whiche comynly fyght more with theyr money than they of the contree: And therfore wythoute payne: and vnnethe may they be vaynquysshed: And it shold more auay••le and be moche better to a prynce: yf he fele hym not wel garnyss∣hed of tresour or of ryche subgettes full of good wyll to ay∣de hym: to make somme trayttye with his enemyes: yf he fe¦le hym self assaylled: Or for to deporte and forbere tempry¦se warre: Rather than to begynne yf to mayntene it he hath not wherof: For be he all certayn: that yf he entrepry∣seth

in hope to take more of his subgettis than they may bere & ayenst theyr wyll / it shal encreace the nombre of his enemyes / so sholde it be to hym lytil prouffyt for to destroye the strange & ferre enemyes / for to gete pryuee & nygh ene∣myes / for it is to wite that y^e prince capitayn ought not des∣pyse noo puyssaūce of enemyes though it seme to hym but ly¦til for he may not knowe what fortune y^e other shal haue for hym self / as it is wreton how y^t ther was a shepherd named vriacus / to whom fortune was so propice / that she helde him in puissaūce with grete foyson of theues & pillyardes whiche he had assembled for to make warre to rome / whiche was so myghty by the space of / xxiiij / yere / that he dyde moche grief to theym / And ofte tymes vaynquyssed in bataille / & the ro¦mayns myght neuer destroye hym / but fynysshed his lyf by one of his owen men whiche slewe hym / and therfor to then¦de that he be not deceyued he shal assēble to couns••il the foure estates of his contree whiche ought to be called or he empri∣se so chargeable a thyng / y^t is to wite thaūcyen nobles exper¦te in armes whiche knowe what the fayt of warre moun∣teth / Item the clerkes legystes / by cause that ī the lawes ben declared alle the caasis of whom ought to sourde iuste warre as many ensamples we haue to this purpoos / Item the bourgeises by cause it is of necessite and by cause they parte in the myse and tresour whiche therto by houeth as said is / and that they take hede to the fortificacōn of townes cytees and enduyce the mene people to ayde theyr lord / Item som̄e of the men of Crafte for more to honoure the sayd peple / And that they be the more enclined and the better willed to aide their lord with their goodes / of whiche thing they ought alle to be swetely prayd / O how is that a proffitable thyng in seygnourye / Royame / or Cyte to haue true subgettis /

& of grete loue / For they faylle not in bodyes ne in goodes / lyke as it appiered many tymes in rome / whan y^e tresours of y^e cyte despēded in grete warres in so moche that they had no thynge / Thēne the ladies them self of their propre mocōn brought theyr Iewellis & ryche adournemens / and with the¦yr good wylle brought & delyuerd them for to socoure to the necessite of the toun & cyte / the whiche afterward were gre∣tely restored agayn as good reason was / And for to holde this waye / wel gaaf ensample the good wyse kyng charles the fyfthe of that name / fader of this that presently regneth the whiche anon after he had be crowned / what dyde he as in the age of xxv / yere / as he behelde that the englissh men helde euyl the couenaūtes made of the treatye of the peas / whiche he hadde by necessite & dyu{er}se fortune acoorded to theym how wel it was to hym right dōmageable / and that not with••stondyng that it was agreed to theym to holde grete parte of the duchye of guyenne & many other londes & seignouri¦es in other places in the royaulme of fraūce but that suffy¦sed them not / but marched defowled & greued by theyr pryde & ouerwenyng the other contrees neyghbours whiche apper¦teyned nothyng to theym / sente the sayd kynge by aduyse his ambassiadours auctorised to the duc of lancastre sone of kynge edward of englond & to his people whiche had doon the said oultrage / that therof he wold cesse / & make amēdes of the grieues & dōmaiges made syth the said peas of whi¦che thynge suche was theffecte / how wel the ansuere was curtoys ynowh / the said ambassiadours were slayn in that iourney or waye / wherfore y^e good wyse kynge seen that by constraynt had accorded the dishonourable peas the whiche englyssh men euyl helde / & for many other reasons whiche shold be ouer longe a thynge to recounte / assēbled at parys

at his parliamēt the forsaid foure estates / and with them alle the wyse iurystes strangers / as wel of boloyne the cra∣as / as of other places suche as he myght haue / and to theym purposed his reasons ayenst thenglyssh men demaundyng theyr aduys / yf he had cause to bygynne warre / for without iuste cause / the regarde & deliberacōn emonge theym / and the consente & wylle of his good subgettes in no wyse he wold doo it / at whiche counseyl by long deliberacōn was concluded that he had good & iuste cause to begynne agayn the warre & thus the good wise kynge entreprysed it / in whiche thynge god hath be so moche fauourable to his good right loued be he / with the grete prudence of hym / that alle the londes loste he gath sith recōquerd with y^e swerde / like as yet it appiereth