Ramon Llull

“ Whether a bondman or slave may defend himself against his lord and master that designs to kill him? Whether a Monk may defend himself against his Abbot who designs to kill him? Whether the son may lawfully defend himself against the father who designs to kill him? ”

“ If a man having liberty to go out of prison, on condition that he should return upon such a day, re-enters again into the prison, fails in the day, how he should be punished? Whether it be lawful for one Prince to refuse another, with whom he is at peace, passage thorow his country? ”

“ Whether a man that has safe conduct promised to him and his attendants, can bring alongst with him a greater man than he himself is? If a man be taken prisoner upon another's safe conduct, whether he that had the safe conduct be obliged to relieve him upon his own charges? ”

“ If a man is overcome in duelling, if he may be afterwards accused in law? Whether, if the company pleases, they may fight in plain field, without barriers? How they should be punished that owns their crime, and is openly overcome? Whether, when one Knight chalenges another, he may be allowed to repent and recall his chalenge? ”

“ Whether a man may be compelled to go to the wars? If one man fairly wounds another, and he wounds him again, whether he ought to be punished for the same? If a bondman or slave kills another by his master's command, whether he ought to be punished for the same? ”

“ If a man at his own pleasure may make choice of another man's coat of arms? If a German finds a Frenchman in the field bearing the same coat of arms with him, if he ought to appeal him to a combat? How they ought to be punished that assume the arms of others? ”

“ Whether, if two Lords make peace, and the one breaks it, the other ought to break it likewise? Whether it be better to fight fasting, or before meat or after meat? Whether battle ought to be set before ladies? ”

“ As in the lyke maner, gif a maister armoureur of Parise, that had renoun to be the best of that craft, that war in France, and in his werkis had a takyn that his werkis were knawin by, and ane othir of Troyes in Champaigne tuke that ilke takyn, sa that for the renoun of the Parisien, his werkis suld be the better sauld; and rycht sa of coultellin, or ony othir craft, or of notairis, gif ane dois falset vnder the sailign of ane othir, I say, all sik men suld be well and cruelly punyst be justice; and gif the contrary war tholit, it war grete damage to the realme. ”

“ Quhilk gif he dois nocht, the King suld say him, "That sen he traistit nocht in Goddis help, he suld nocht traist that he war a gude Cristyn man, and that he suld haue the lesse fauour of him;" and than suld he ordane him a term within quhilk he suld put him in gude estate of the saule to Godwart, and syne spere, how thai had done at thair Confessoure, and sa suld he do to the tothir: And this is a takyn that a Prince is wyse, and lufis wele God, that begynnis at him to dispone all his gouernance and dedis. ”

“ Ane othir poynt of the Office of the Knychthede is, to accuse traytouris aganis his prince, or otheris that it efferis, and till appelle thame of bataill, and feicht wyth thame: And office of traytour is, to deny his tresone, and hyde it, and cover it, quhill he may, and eschewe all prufis tharof; and thus ar the twa curagis wele contrarius togidder, that neuer curage of traytour mycht ourcum ane noble curage of a trew Knycht; bot gif it be throw pride or surquidy, that is callit oure presumptuouse in himself: the quhilk God tholes quhilom be punyst in bataill place. ”

“ Item, Justice is till all Knychtis nedefull, ffor Knycht but justice is but honoure; for Justice and Knychthede is sa wele acordaunt that Knycht but justice is a body but saule, for but justice may na Knychthede be; ffor Knycht injurius is inymy of justice, and castis him self out of the Ordre, the quhilk reuys him and dispisis him in that cas.
Item, Prudence is a vertue als, that Knychthede may nocht be but; ffor Prudence is a knawlage that man has of all thing, bathe gude and euill, throu the quhilk he is maid inymy to euill, and frende till all gudenes ”

“ For sik cause men has gert geve ilke man his surname that makis the difference. Bot and mony men bare ane armes, how suld ony man, Haralde, or othir, knaw men, na geve the honoure of gude dede till him that had honourabily deseruit it, or to geve lak and dishonour till cowardis or flearis fra bataillis: And tharefore, in all sik debatis, the Prince suld ger sett remede. And gif ony complaynt war, se, be Harraldis and men of knawlage, quha had rycht, quha wrang, and do justice. ”

“ Next to this follows our Author's translation of Dr Bonet's Book of Chevalry or Knighthood, which contains eight Chapters: In the first Chapter he tells us, how that a Batchelor, Squire of Honour, travelling to the Coronation of a great Prince, with an intention to take upon him the Order of Knighthood, he went astray in a wilderness, where he happened to light upon a hermitage, in which lived an old and venerable Knight, that had forsaken the world for the love of God ”

“ A King that will be ane worthy werryoure, he sulde be wiss, faire, and curageous: And that he be Lord of his subjectis, asto the Quaile the Sperehauk; and that he be misericorde and rigorouss in justice, as case requeris; and that gif he will be wele fortunyt in armes, be ay first.
Fol. 84. b.
Item, a Prince or a King suld nocht oure lichtly trow all talis na sudayn tydingis; ffor mony learis oft tymes flechis lordis with false talis, and settis thame in wrang and euill purpose. ”

“ And first and formast, a Knycht bot he be of gude Faith, all is for nocht that he dois; ffor he may neuer haue othir vertewe na gude custumes; ffor but faith all is bot syn that euer man dois: ffor be faith men has all gude knawlage and vnderstanding of God and his haly Sanctis; and but faith man is wer na nocht; ffor be oure faith we haue sight spirituale of hevin and hell, and all Goddis workis, visibilis and invisibilis. And be Faith men has Esperaunce, Cheritee, and Leautee, and ar servitouris to Veritee, and fault of Faith myssaris all thir thingis. ”

“ Bot sen thai ordanyt him to be a lorde: Bot quhat vnderstandis thou redare be a lorde? A man is nocht a lord supposs he haue neuer sa mekle of warldly gudis: bot he is a lord that has seignoury and jurisdictioun vpon other men, to gouerne thame, and hald law and justice apon thame quhen thai trespass. ”

“ Thare aw nane othir in that contree to tak the samyn to bere, na the Prince na the lord of that contree, suld nocht lat tham bere it on na wise, ffor than war the principale cause of Armes-taking all forletyn; ffor the principale cause of Armes-taking is for to knawe the personagis of noble men in bataill, or in armes, or in tournamentis, or to knawe a lord in felde be ane othir, with his men, and his frendis and wele willaris suld draw till him and knawe him be his takin, and sa suld the diuersitee of armes mak the knaulage of the diuersitee of personnagis ”

“ Bot he may nocht vndo that he has done, ffor suppose that he haue power to mak a Knycht, he has na power to vnmak him, sa mekle is the vertue of Knychthede; ffor na man but grete cause, and Juge with princis powar, may tak honour away quhare it is anys gevin. Than be resone, it aucht nocht to be that Prince nor Knycht mak na Knycht of ane unworthy persone, na of villaine lignage. ffor wald men understand that alsmekle is nature honourit, as for corporale nature, in tree and beste as in man; bot as for nature spirituale, man is mare honourde. ”

“ And because the Gold is comperit to the Sonne, as the propre effect of the Sonne, the quhilk is king and lord of all planetis, and alssua is figurit be Haly Wrytt be the visage of our Lord; and be that cause the ancien Princis, in ald lawis of armes, ordanyt that na noble man suld bere gold in his armes, bot Princis, Kingis, and Emperouris, for the nobless of him: And thus conclude we, that the maist noble coloure is Gold. And suppose sum ignorant men wald say, gold is metalle, and na coloure, that makis nocht ”

“ And as for remede of this, thare is a vertew callit Fortitude, that is stifnes in hert aganis vice, that will nocht falde no mare na rank stele, quhilk is sa ferme in itself, that it will nouthir bow to frende na faa, to help thame at nede, bot he be requerit and askit, and that is for the hie stifnes that is in him, of the vertu of fortitude of curage; that sa grete honour it is worthi to have for his worthynes, that he is euer redy to be at bidding of worthy dedis and honourable, quhen he is requerit. ”

“ Na, how suld that persone discerne betuix honorable and dishonorable act or vndertaking of worschip, quhare wisdome is away, ffor wisdome will never mare mak fault till his honoure. And forthy, is it signifyit till all Knychtis of honour, that a Knycht may neuer be hardy, na haue the vertues that to Knychthede suld pertene, bot he haue wisedome in him; na thare is na man that may sa mekle honour do till his Ordre of Knychthede, as to stand to the vtterest with stark curage for the rycht fermely, and neuer consent to leve his lord ”

“ And tharfore is Courser gevin him or Destrere, to betakyn noblesse and hicht of curage, that Knycht suld haue aboue all othir peple, sen he has bathe maist hye and noble order, and syne maist noble habilliament of armoure, and syne maist hye and noble hors; sa sulde he haue maist hye and noble curage, with force to passe all otheris in vailliaunce of armes and honoure, and to be sene aboue all his men, and mare fere of, sa that men that had nede of his help suld se him of fere, to draw till him for help. ”

“ HERE SPERIS THE DOCTOURE HOW THAI SULD BE PUNYST THAT BERIS OTHERIS ARMES WRANGWISELY, IN ENTENCIOUN TO DO MYS VNDER SCOUG OF THAME COUERTLY.
s gif a Souldiour of symple state tuke the armes of a Knycht Noble of France that war of gude renoune, bathe in honour of armes, and othir wayes of alde ancienetee, and that Knycht of Ducheland had tane thai armes newly, in entent to be mare presit and honourit, and to be hyar auansit, and tak mare wagis, in faith I traist that the King, at the persuyt and request of partye, the King aw to punyse him be law of Armes. ”

“ And becaus that till jugement of caus pertenis wele wisdome and discrecioun of Clergy to knaw the lawis, it is a noble thing quhen Knychthede and Clergy is assemblit togedir, sa that Knychtis war clerkis and wele letterit men, sa that thai war the mare sufficiand to be jugis be the knaulage of science of lawis, ffor than war thare na man mare worthy na hable till to be a juge, na a Knycht clerk: ffor bot science of Clergy to knaw the lawis, thare is na man worthy to bere office of justice. ”

“ And alssua, in samekle as man is mare worthy, mare curageus, and vertuous, and mare wit and vnderstanding has na womman, and of mair stark nature, in samekle is he better na womman, or ellis nature war contrary till it self; that bountee and beautee of curage suld folowe bountee, and beautee, and nobless of cors; and thus sen a man is mare hable till haue mare noble curage, and to be better na womman, in samekle is he mare enclynit to be tempit to vice na is the womman, ffor he is mare hardy vndertakare, bathe in gude and euill, opynly ”

“ Orgueille, that is callit Pryde, thinkis na man pere till him, and is a grete vice; ffor he wald na man war sa gude na sa worthy as he, and had leuer be him allane, na in ony company that him thocht na pere till him. And Humilitee and Fortitude are twa vertues that lufis evynlynes, and sa ar thai aganis Pride; and, tharefore, gif a proud, hichty, hautane Knycht may nocht stanche his awin pride, call till Mekenes and Fortitude; ffor mekenesse withoutyn stedefastnes may nocht gaynstand pryde; ffor quhen thai twa ar togidder, than may thai wele gaynstand pryde ”

“ Item, Prudence can with cautelis and subtiliteis, a man can, as be the apperaunce of the thingis that he seis, eschewe perilis that ar to cum, and mend ane euill fortune apperand be vertynasse, bathe corporalis and spiritualis. And thus knaw thai all tymes that is, and wes, and sal be, and puttis gouernaunce till all as efferis. The commone proufit, and the prince, ar mekle behaldin to the worthy Knychtis, for the mony perilis that thai expose thaim in for it: and thus is Prudence ane of the maist nedefull poyntis that may be for Knychtis ”

“ And thus quhen clerkis studyis in sciencis, how men suld be techit to knawe, lufe, and serue God, and doubt, and to geue gude ensample of doctrine to the lawit peple to rycht sa do, for the honour and reuerence of Almychtie God in deuocioun and gude lyf. ”

“ I. Sir Thomas Hay of Errol, Constable of Scotland, died in the year 1406. He married in 1372, Elizabeth third daughter of King Robert II., by his first wife Elizabeth Mure; and had two sons, Sir William, who succeeded, and Gilbert Hay, who is designed of Dronlaw; also three daughters, the youngest of whom, Alicia, married Sir William Hay of Locharret. [9]
II. Sir William Hay of Errol, who succeeded in 1406, died in 1436. By his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Patrick Gray of Broxmouth, he had two sons, Gilbert, and William Hay of Urry, in the county of Kincardine. ”

“ And thus suld ilke noble Knycht think on the noble King Alexander of Macedoyne, and of his liberalitee, the quhilk had sa noble a curage, that he dispisit auarice and couatise; in largesses of giftis, he had euer the hand opyn till all men, alswele frende as fa; throu the quhilk renoune of fredome the souldiouris of his inymyes that war auariciouse and couatouse, come fra thame till hym, and gert his company grow, and euermare and mare he conquest, and euermare and mare delt till his men ”

“ Rycht sa apon the tothir part, quhen Knychtis ar maid be Princis, thai suld sett thame with gude virtues and gude ensamplis and nobless of curage, and othir wayis gif nede war be force of armes to manetene, gouerne and defend the small peple in all justice and equitee, in lufe and drede both of God and of the Prince as is before recomptit, be the quhilkis thai suld throu lufe haue contynuale charitee amang tham, and be the drede thai suld stand awe to do oucht ilkane till othir wrang, or wikkitness ”

“ Item, Men countrefait in thair persone, na oure grete growin men, na men oure fat, or that has euill disposicione, or euill sekenes in thair body; ffor it war lak to the makare to mak men Knychtis that war nocht hable till armes, and to do vailliaunce in tyme of weris; ffor the nobilnesse of the Ordre is sa worschipfull, that it sufferis na man that has mahaigne, na demembrit, na othir wayis manket in corssage, visage, na membris—be he neuer sa riche—to be admyttit to the said maist noble Ordre, the quhilk excludis vttraly all ignobilitee and vilitee. ”

“ And a mare grete resoun ffor be all gude custumes of noblesse, lordis, and gentilis, makis thair selis efter thair armes, and gif ane suld bere ane otheris armes in his sele, men suld nocht wit quhais it war. Item, all Kingis suld kepe that na man do till othir dishonour, schame, na villany, na injure, na new novelliteis. And it is to presume, gif ony man wald newly tak ane alde armes of ane otheris that it war for dispyte or injure to despise him to prouoke noise and debatis for alde fede or enuy, the quhilk the Prince suld stanch. ”

“ And be honourabilitee of the Ordre of Knychthede grete honour is ordanyt be the lawis to do to Knychtis, and be nobless of honour that is put till him, he suld haue nobless of vertues, and worthyness in his curage; be the quhilk nobless of curage he suld be less inclynit till all wikkitness, and all vicis of barat, and trechery, and othir villain condiciouns, na ony othir persone. ”

“ Bot thare is nane that all knawis, na all may punyse, bot the Emperoure, the quhilk ordanyt Knychthede spirituale, to kepe justice, ordinare, be reugle vertuouse, in pes and concorde, and justice rigorouse, that is, the Ordre of Knychthede, quhilk suld on force compell euill men, and of wikkit lyf, to desist and cesse fra thair wikkitnesse, and punyse thame tharfore: And thus is thare Knychtis of pes and concorde amorouse, and be reugle of justice, to mak gud reugle and gracious concorde and gouernaunce in the peple ”

“ And tharfore the noble Philosophour said in his counsale geving till Alexander, that it was nocht spedefull that this Buke war till all men publist, bot anerly to the secrete counsale of Princis, and of grete Lordis, and nocht to Commouns; and to rede it oft tymes before thame, to tak, as myrour schawis the faultis and the suthfastnes, ensample, and doctrine of gude lyfing, and formable as efferis to thair honour and prouffit, and of thair subjectis. For it is nocht spedefull that popularis wit the secrete of Princis, na Lordis gouernance, na the reuglis of thair Ordre ”

“ And thus nobless of curage is better pertenand to Knychtis na is force of corssage, or ellis suerenes and cowardise in mannis persone suld be of the propereteis of the Ordre. And hardynes and largess suld be contrarius till it, and that war mekle vnresone; bot be all gude way of ordere, quhen a gude Knycht is oure sett with oure grete powar, and lesse has of help and of falouschip to supple him, in sa mekle suld he haue mare hye curage and mare force of spirit, to oure cum all his aduersaris ”

“ And sayand, That all sik folyis efferis nocht to wisedome, resone, na discrecioune, na to gude faith. Bot it as foly of fulis that grevis God, and castis men of Goddis grace, and gerris thair inymyes oft tymes be maisteris of thame, quhen thai will nocht tak documentis of gude teching, na gude thewis to reugle thair dedis, and mare has traist in thair fretis and folyis, na in the faith of God Almychty. ”