Here begynneth the booke whiche is called the body of polycye And it speketh of vertues and of good maners, and the sayd boke is deuyded in thre partyes. The fyrst party is adressed to prynces. The seconde to knyghtes and nobles: and the thyrde to the vnyuersal people. The fyrst chapytre speketh of the dyscrypcyon of the body of polycye.

¶ The fyrste good condycyon that a worthy man shelde haue. Capitulo. xliii.▪

I Haue sayd here before that the fyrst good condycyon that he whiche is a good man of armes sholde desyre to haue is that he sholde loue worshyp aboue all thyn ges. And for bycause that it is an open thynge that he sholde so desyre / it shall suffyse me to proue my rea sons by good ensamples of the worthy auncyentes withoute sechynge of ony other argumentes. ¶ The worthy ••hemy••∣chocles / and noble knyghtes / whiche I haue spoken of before tyme in this booke loued and coueted so moche the worshyp of knyghthode / that it was in his herte / lyke as a sharpe nedyl•••• whiche brente soo sore in desyres of worshyp / that it wolde lette hym haue noo peas. Then it was asked hym of other knygh∣tes why he occupyed hymselfe so gretely without reste. Than he answered & sayd / for bycause y^• the fayre & hyghe knyghtho des of myne auncetryes & theyr grete vyctoryes enflambeth my courage to folowe theyr traces / so y^• I myght attayne to ge te parte of theyr excellent renownes / ••y my trauayle & excercy se in arme. ••ut for bycause y^• I se myselfe so ferre from theyr grete actes / it maketh me busy & full of thought / whiche wyll not lyghtly leue me. ••his good knyght was none of theym y^• for one lytell good dede / thought that he had done many excel∣lent dedes / & was in y^• tyme of ••ulcyades y^• duke of Athenes & was in the batayle that was called the batayle of ••araton

ayenst the percyens / lyke as Iustyne recordet•• in the seconde boke of his storyes whiche cōmendeth gretely his vertue and his grete knyghthode / whiche batayle was meruaylous gre∣te and fyers and by the manhode & worthynes of this knyght they of Athenes gate the vyctory \ And yet he thought that he had done but ryght a lytell thynge. \ So for bycause that some maynteyne and say that there is no honoure but in rychesse / & without rychesse honoure myght not be had. \ I saye sauynge the reuerence / that opynyon is false and vntrue. For let vs sup pose that honoure be not gyuen at this day as the auncyentes dyde of olde tyme to them that were vertuous / but begy••en to them that be ryche / ••et there can no man take away from hym that is vertuous / but that he ought to be cōmended in the sa∣me / & gretely alowed in his vertue. And also euery man sayth more good of hym / and more reuerence longeth vnto hym than men showe or doo vnto hym / whiche laude & praysynge as me semeth is more to commende than the other / thoughe so be y^• he ••e poore and the other ryche / to whome before his vysage men wyll gyue a greate recommendacyon / and behynde his backe wyll curse hym for his vyces. And so to y^• purpose in olde tyme theyr vertues was theyr worshyp / and not rychesse / wherfore men dyde gretter payne in those dayes for to gete vertues / th•• rychesses or ony other treasures And of this we haue in the sto∣ryes of Rome by the wyll of all the Senatours / that is to saye of al the prynces of the counsayle / was ordeyned that this noble knyght Cyronatus for his grete vertues & manhode was cho sen to be made a dyctatoure / whiche was the greatest estate of Rome / lyke as a mā myght say an emperour / whiche story is ryght profytable to be herde / as ••ytus ••yuyus sayth / to thē that desyre manhode & worshyp / more thā rychesse▪ for he was a passynge famous mā / & yet he was ryght poore•• ••nd for his grete manhode & worthynes / he was the man in the worlde y^•

the Romaynes had moost the trust i••▪ And for bycause that he was so gretely trusted amonge the Romaynes / it happened y^• a grete hoost of theym of Rome whiche were sente ayenst theyr enemyes / were so sore constrayned by theyr enemyes that they were fayne to take a relde and dyche it \ And pale it aboute too saue them from theyr enemyes▪ And when they of Rome her de therof they toke out a nōbre of knyghtes with a grete mul∣tytude of people for to sende to the rescowes ot theyr people that were besyeged / than were they dystytute of a good cheuetay∣ne▪ where vpon they sente vnto the house of this worthy man whiche dwelled without Rome & there they founde hym in ry ght symple maner consyderynge the grete estate of his perso∣ne / neuerthelesse as soone as he herde of the grete daungere of the people that were besyeged / forth withall he toke these kny∣ghtes & the people whiche was assygned by the Cyte & wente to the felde▪ And to speke shortely of this matter what by his wysdome & his manhode dyscomfyted them y^• had besyeged y^• Romaynes / and whan they were dyscomfyted he departed the good y^• was goten in the felde amonge his people whiche were causers of the dyscomfyture of the felde / and not to them that were besyeged for he blamed them gretely / & he deposed y^• cōsule y^e led them of his offyce / for bycause he wolde ••ustre hym selfe to be besyeged in his lodgynge / whiche lodgynge he had enforced with dyches and a grete pale: Than he sayd that mā was not worthy to haue an offyce of so grete a dygnyte & wor∣shyp as to be a consule to suffre hymselfe to be closed aboute / he hauynge suche a people with hym / but trusted moore in his pa••e & his dyches than in the manhode of his people / & also the armes of y^• Romaynes were not acustomed to be worne in pla ces closed. ¶ ••et of the same y^• the auncyent men praysed more the vertues than ryches / Ualere telleth in the thyrde chapytre of his fourthe boke of a noble knyght y^• was of a worshypfull

lygnage that after the tyme that he hadde doone many nota∣ble dedes of hyghe and myghty hatyles a yenste the Uolques / & in other places also / and taken one of theyr castelles •• whiche was passynge myghty and stronge that was called ••onolon for whiche cause afterwarde he was named ••onolannus in his sure name / whiche was a grete rewarde for his demerytes and a grete worshyp in those dayes & that worshyp he refused not. But as for other grete rewardes of good he sette not by it / for it was offred hym after y^• customes of Rome whiche was ordeyned for worshypful men y^• had deserued an hondred Iour nays of londe / y^• is to knowe as moche londe as a ploughe my∣ght ere in an hondred dayes. Also he sholde haue. x. prysoners of the best that he wolde chose of them that were taken at that tyme / and. x. ryche horses wel armed and ordeyned for y^e warre and. x. grete oxen / and as moche syluer as he myght bere / but of all this wolde he none but a prysoner that had ben his hoste that had done hym grete fauoure before tyme / whiche he thou∣ght to quyte / for his goodnes / and soo he dyde / for he pardoned hym of his pryson / & gaue hym a good courser for to here hym in to batayle and nede were •••• ••r whiche vertue Ualere saythe that men wyst neuer of whiche he gate more worshyp / of that y^• he chase / or elles of that y^• he refused / that is to know of takyng so lytell / or refusynge of to grete a gyfte.

¶ pet of the same / and howe men worshypped in olde tyme the worshypfull knyghtes after theyr. desertes.

COntynuynge our purpose that in olde tyme the auncy∣entes loued better worshyp than ryches lyke as euery worshypful mā ought to do / Ualere speketh of y^• last Sypyon Auffrycan. I say y^• last for bycause there were two Sypyons whiche were bothe so worthy y^• no man coude well deserne the

one from the other in worthynes. And for bocause that bothe of them conquered Affryke by grete trauayle & many batayles wherof the fyrst conquered it for the Romayns / and after that it was rebelled. The other conquered it agayne with grete dyf fyculte / Neuertheles they were bothe called Affrykans / But this last destroyed the Cyte of Cartage / & the cyte also of Mu nya••••ce / and helde warre ayenst the gaules whiche ben called nowe Frensshe men. And he warred also ayenst the Lumbar des & had the vyctory of them. So after all these vyctoryes he wolde departe the honoures & the goodes to the knyghtes whi che had ben at y^e conquestes. Then he cōmaunded lyke as was the vsage at y^• tyme y^t men sholde brynge vnto the cheuetayne or to y^e prynce of the batayle all y^e worshypfull actes that y^e wor shypful knyghtes & men of warre dyde / for there were certay ne men lyke as we may say herawdes nowe a dayes / whiche were ordeyned to do suche thynges / & they had greate charge for to take good hede whiche mē dyde theyr deuoyre to y^• enten te y^• they myght be wel rewarded after theyr del••rtes / & suche as dyde not theyr parte sholde be rebuked / so amonge all other there was one knyght y^• quyt hymselfe so well in y^• felde y^t so∣me sayd he had wel deserued a certayne Iewel of golde y^• was ordeyned to be worne vpon y^• arme of suche folkes as had done suche semblable prowesses as he had done / & this Iewell was called Armel••es. Thā Sypyon made enquyre of this knyght whyder he had done on y grete prowesse before y^• tyme / or elles y^• suche aduenture happened fall to hȳ at y^• season / thā it was foūde y^• it was y^e fyrst grete prowesse y^t euer he dyde before / but they sayd y^• hym semed to be of good wyl & of manly courage. Sypyon thought he wolde assay hym / & lete call hym vnto his ••lence & made to gyue hym a some of golde / lyke as we myght say of Florynts / ryght largely & plenteously / & sayd to hym y^• shalte ••e payde lryches for thy good dede / but not in worshyp

when this knyght whiche had receyued y^e golde herde hym say so / he was shamefast & passynge sory. And anone he toke y^e gol∣de and cast it downe at y^e fete of Stypyon▪ ••hen it was asked hym whyther he had leuer to be rewarded and worshyped by the sygnes of manhode and prowesse / or elles to be rewarded in money for his noble dedes / he sayd he had leuer haue worshyp than the rewarde of money▪ ••hen Stypyon praysed hym gre tely and loued hym better than he dyde before▪ And for bycau∣se that he sholde be constaunt and perseuerynge in armes ma de gyue hym y^• sygne of syluer whiche was ordeyned for them y^• had done semblable actes of the prowesse y^• he had done hym∣selfe at y^• ••ournay / and had hym that he sholde contynewe & gete another y^• was made of golde / & other sygnes also y^• was ordeyned for them y^• were worshypfull. And Stypyon shewed this / for bycause y^• honoure ought not to be gyuen entyerly for one good dede / whiche by aduenture cometh at some one tyme but he wolde y^• it sholde parseuer in māly dedes & good werkes