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.

¶ Of the fyrste.

NOwe as me semeth I fynde in the wrytynges of auc∣toures whiche haue treated of the maners and condy∣cyons

of noble men / that .vi. condycyons ben necessary to kny∣ghtes and nobles yf they wyll haue the worshyp that is due to māhode. And without thē there is no noblesse worthe / but as a mockery / ¶ The fyrst of thyse condycyons is / they ought to lo ue parfytely armes / and kepe y^• ryghtwysnes therof / and they ought to put them in excercyse of that laboure. The seconde cō dycyon is that they ought to be hardy / and that hardynes ou∣ght to be so ferme and so constaunte that they ought not to fl••e ne parte from batayle for fere of dethe / ne for losynge of blode ne lyfe / for the welthe of theyr prynce and saufegarde of the lon de / and for the comon welthe / for and they do / they renne in the payne of losynge of theyr heedes / by sentence of the lawe / & also shamed for euer. The thyrde is / they sholde gyue courage and hardynes one to another / and styre theyr felawes for to do wel to that entente that they sholde surely abyde: The fourth is y^• they ought in ony wyle to be true / and kepe theyr faythe & pro myse. The fyfth is / that they ought to loue & desyre worshyp aboue all thynges worldely: And the syxte is / they sholde be wyse and subtyll ayenst theyr enemyes in all maner of feares of armes. And yf these syxe condycyons be weli kepte / they y^• obserue them may neuer fayle of honoure. But certaynly the∣re is more dyffyculte in the perfourmynge of these condycyos then in the spekynge of theym▪ ••nd therfore Arystotle saythe / where is moost dyffyculte / there is the grettest worshyppe▪ ¶ ••owe for to speke of the fyrste condycyon that the noble mā ought to haue / that is to knowe he sholde loue and put hymsel fe ••••excercyse of armes / and kepe y^• ryght of the same / we may gyue ensample of many worthy knyghtes: But for as moche as we be entred in y^• storyes of ••omaynes / we wyl contyne we in them whiche as me semeth we may take generally / for the specyall louers of armes / and by consequent they were ryght noble / y^• is to knowe of the good knyghtes of whome mencyon

is made in y^• wrytynges of olde auctours whiche make men∣cyon of theyr dedes and thoughe they loued well armes / they kepte the obseruaunces of y^• same by theyr cheualrous dyscy∣plyne / that is to saye / by theyr good rules to kepe ryght in all thynges couenable / so that they fayled in no thynge For in ca se y^• on y man had done ayenst theyr ordynaunce whiche was stablysshed amonge them they were ryght sharpely punyssh ed. wherfore ••alere sayth / dyscyplyne o•• knyghthode / that is to knowe rule and ordre kepte whiche longe to the same / was the souerayne honoure and stedfast foundement of the Empy∣re of Rome. And more ouer he sayth / by the well kepynge of y^• dylcyplyne they gate the grete vyctoryes and the sure estate of peas and tranquylyte. ¶ And of the maner howe ••alere gy∣ueth dyuers ensamples vpon y^• same dyscyplyne / it is to were that amonge all other he speketh of a rebellyon whiche was in ••ylyle ayenst the ••••maynes. There was a consule that is to say one of theyr prynces / or elles a soucrayne capytayne / and he was sente forthe w^t a grete hoost whose name was called ••al∣purynus Pyso So it happened that he had sent one of his the actaynes with a company of his men of armes to kepe a passa ge ayenst his enemyes / neuertheles he was supprysed with so grete multytude of his enemyes / that he and his hoost was so ••ōst rayned y^• they were fayne to yelde theyr armes vnto them ••nd when y^• the consule ••alpurynus vnderstode this aduē ture / he supposed y^• it fell so for lacke of good watche. ••o whan he was come agayne to this ••alpurynus he dyde hym suche ••ylanyes as here after foloweth / for he made hym were suche clothynge as the nobles dyde / whiche was called ••ogue / and in token that he had dyshonoured his noblesse for bycause y^• he had so symply yelde hym to his enemyes / he made take away the freuge y^• was set aboue on his garment & set it benethe at •• is feete / whiche was taken for a grete vylany and the frenge

was lette styll there all longe as that arme endured / and was defended hym that he sholde not company with the knygl tes that is to saye / he sholde not come on horsbacke amonge y^• men of armes / where as afore he was a capytayne / so he and these men that were yelded with hym were let amonge y^• foote men and boyes / whiche were of no pryce nor reputacyon.