Thursday, November 25, 2010

Excerpt from my translation of 'The Book of Chivalry'

To examine a squyer that wylle entre in to the order of chyualrye apperteyneth wel / and hym behoueth an examynatour whiche ought to be a knight [snip] Ther fore yf the Examynoure loueth more multitude of knyghtes / than noblesse of chiyaulrye / he is not couenable ne worthy to be an examynour / but it shold be need that he shold be examined / and repreuyd of the wrong / that he hath done to the hyhe honour of Chyualrye…

And therefore a knight / that is a robber & a theef / ought to be taken and deyuerd to dethe by other knyghtes / And euery knight that susteyneth & suffreth a knight to be a robbour & theef / in that doying he vseth not his office / For yf he vsed in that maner / he shold do thenne ageynst his office…
To examine a squire that will be entering into the order of chivalry, an examiner is needed who should preferably be a knight [snip] Therefore, if the examiner loves making more knights than he does the nobleness of chivalry, he is not considered worthy to be an examiner, and further more should himself be examined by his fellow knights and reproved of the wrong he has done to the high honour of Chivalry…

And therefore a knight who is a known robber and thief, should be taken and executed by his fellow knights. And every knight that knowingly sustains or allows a fellow knight to be a robber and a thief is not doing his duty and is no true knight. For by allowing this to continue, he would be going against the doctrines of his office…

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