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 ...

¶Whether it is of ryght that men may take vpon the en¦nemyes londe / the poure laborers / ¶Capitulo / xviij /

I aske the whan a kynge or a prynce hathe werre ay∣enst another though that it be Iuste / whether he may by ryght ouer renne the contrey of his enemye takynge al manere of folke prysoners / that is to wite them of the co∣myn poure peple as ben laborers / shepardes and suche folke / & it shulde seme that nay / For what reason ought they to be¦re the penaunce of that that they medle not hem self / where as they can not the crafte of armes / nor it is not theyre of¦fice / nor they be not called for to iuge of werres / & also wer∣res comen not by suche poure folke / but they be full sory for it / as they that full fayne wolde alwayes lyue in gode peas nor they aske no more / So ought they thēne as me semeth to be free therof / lykethat of ryght ben prestes relygyouse &

all folke of the chyrche / by cause that theyre a state is not to entremette hem self of warre / And wyth thys what worship may thys be nor what pryce of armes for to slee & renne vpon them that neuere bare harneys nor coude not help hym self wyth all / and that haue noon other offyce / but poure Innocentes to goo to ploughe and laboure the lande and to kepe the bestes / To thys I ansuere the supposyng in thys manere / We putte caas that the people of Englan¦de wolde make no manere of helpe to theyre kyn•••• for to gre¦ue the kynge of Fraunce / and that the Frens••e men went vpon them / wythout faylle by ryght and reason and aft••r the lawe they ought not to hurte nor misdoo nother in body nor in goodes of the people nor of them that they shulde knowe that had not meddled them self in nothynge to helpe nother by theyre goodes nor by theyre counseyll theyre kyn∣ge / But and yf it be so that the subgectes of the same kynge or of som other in semblable a caas be it ryche or poure labo¦rers or other gyue ayde comfort and fauoure for to may••••ten the werre / the Frenshmen after the right of armes may ouer renne theire lande and take al that they fynde / that is to wyte prysoners of all astates / and al thynges and be not bounde for to yelde them ayen For I telle the / that suche right is determyned ryght of werre / Iuged by bothe kynges or prynces counseyll theyre men of werre may gete the one v••pon the other / And yf som tyme the poure and symple th••u¦ghe they arme not hem self doo a byd the bargeyne and be s••¦re hurt therby / it can not be other wyse / For the euyll herbes can not be had out from emonge the goode by cause they be so nyghe eche other wythout that the gode herbes haue a fe∣lyng therof / But to beh••lde ryght well it is true that the va¦lyaunt and gentylmen of armes ought to kepe hem self as

moche as they can that they dystroye not the goode symple folke nor to suffre that theyre folke shal Inhumaynly hurt them / For they ben crysten / and not sarrasyns / And yf I haue sayde that myserycorde is due vnto the one / Knowe thou that not lesse it is due to the other / Soo ought they to hurt them that ledeth the werre / and spare the symple and peasyble of all theyre puyssaunce /