y’e batayll of assise/ But I faught for the.
And than he shewed to hym the places of his woundes
that he had receyuyd in the batayll And than cam cesar
in his propre persone for to be his aduocate & to plete
his cause for hym/ he wold not haue the name of vnkyndenes/
but doubted that men shold saye that he were proude
And that he wold not do for them that had seruyd hym
They that can not do so moche/ as for to be belouyd
of her knyghtes/ can not loue the knyghtes And this
sufficeth of the rooks.
[Illustration]
The thirde tractate of the offices of the comyn
peple. The fyrst chapitre is of the office of
the labourers and werkemen.
For as moche as the Noble persone canne not rewle
ne gouerne with oute y’e seruyce and werke of
the peple/ than hit behoueth to deuyse the oeuurages
and the offices of the werkemen/ Than I shall begynne
fyrst at the fyrst pawne/ that is in the playe of
the chesse/ And signefieth a man of the comyn peple
on fote For they be all named pietous that is as moche
to saye as footemen And than we wyll begynne at the
pawne whiche standeth to fore the rooke on the right
side of the kinge for as moche as this pawne apperteyneth
to serue the vicaire or lieutenant of the kynge and
other officers vnder hym of necessaryes of vitayll/
And this maner a peple is figured and ought to be
maad in the forme & shappe of a man holdynge in his
ryght hande a spade or shouell And a rodde in the
lifte hand/ The spade or shouell is for to delue &
labour therwith the erthe/ And the rodde is for to
dryue & conduyte wyth all the bestes vnto her pasture
also he ought to haue on his gyrdell/ a crokyd hachet
for to cutte of the supfluytees of the vignes & trees/
And we rede in the bible that the first labourer that
euer was/ was Caym the firste sone of Adam that was
so euyll that he slewe his broder Abel/ for as moche
as the smoke of his tythes went strayt vnto heuen’/
And the smoke & fumee of the tythes of Caym wente
downward vpon the erthe And how well that this cause
was trewe/ yet was ther another cause of enuye that
he had vnto his broder/ For whan Adam their fader
maried them for to multyplie y’e erthe of hys
lignye/ he wolde not marye ner Ioyne to gyder the two
that were born attones/ but gaf vnto caym her that
was born wyth Abel/ And to Abel her that was born
with caym/ And thus began thenuye that caym had ayenst
abel/ For his wyf was fayrer than cayms wyf And for
this cause he slough abel with the chekebone of a
beste/ & at that tyme was neuer no maner of yron blody
of mannes blood/ And abel was y’e first martier
in tholde testament/ And this caym dide many other
euyl thinges whiche I leue/ for hit apperteyneth not
to my mater/ But hit behoueth for necessite y’t
some shold labour the erthe after y’e synne of
adam/ for to fore er adam synned/ the erthe brought
forth fruyt with out labour of handes/ but syn he
synned/ hit muste nedes be labourid with y’e
