Part 3

¶ Thenne the knyght delyuered to the esquyer the lytyl booke.

¶ And whanne he hadde redde therin/ he vnderstode that the knyght only amonge a thousand persones is chosen worthy to haue more noble offyce than alle the thousand/ And he had also vnderstanden by that lytyl booke/ the Rule and ordre of chyualry/ And thenne he remembryd hym a lytyl/ And after sayd/ A syre blessyd be ye/ that haue brought me in place and in time/ that I haue knowlege of Chyualrye/ the whiche I haue longe tyme desyred/ withoute that I knewe the noblesse of the ordre/ ne the honoure in whiche oure lord god hath sette alle them that ben in thordre of Chyualrye/

¶ The knight sayd/ Fayre sone I am an old man & feble/ and may not forthon moche longe lyue/ And therfor this lytyl booke that is made for the deuocion/ loyalte/ and the ordinance that a knyght ought to haue in holdynge his ordre/ ye shall bere with yow to the courte where as ye go vnto/ and to shewe to alle them that will be made knyghts/ And whan ye shalle be newe doubed knyght/ and ye shall retorne in to your countrey/ Come ageyne to this place/ And lette me haue knowlege who they be that haue ben maade newe knyghtes/ and shalle haue ben obeyssant to the doctryne of chyualry/ Thenne the knyght gaf to thesquire his blessynge/ and he took leve of hym/ and tooke the booke moche deuoutely/ And after mounted vpon his palfroy/ and went forth hastely to the courte/ And whan he was comen/ he presented the booke moche wysely and ordynatly to the noble kyng/ & furthermore he offryd that euery noble man that wold be in thordre of Chyualry myght haue a copye of the sayd book/ to thend that he myght see & lerne thordre of knyghthode and Chyualrye/

¶ Here endeth the book of thordre of Chyualry/ whiche book is translated out of Frensshe into Englysshe at a requeste of a gentyl and noble esquire by me/ William Caxton dwellynge in Westmynstre besyde london in the most best wyse that god hath suffred me/ and accordynge to the copye that the sayd squyer delyuerd to me/ whiche book is not requisyte to euery comyn man to haue/ but to noble gentylmen that by their virtu entende to come & entre in to the noble ordre of chyualry/ the whiche in these late dayes hath ben vsed accordyng to this booke here to fore wreton but forgeten/ and thexcersitees of chyualry/ not used/ honoured/ ne exercysed/ as hit hath ben in auncyent tyme/ at whiche tyme the noble actes of the knyghtes of Englond that vsed Chyualry were renomed thurgh the vnyuersal world/ As for to speke to fore thyncarnacion of Jesu Chryste/ where were there euer ony lyke to brenius and belynus that from the grete Brytagne now called Englond vnto Rome & ferre beyonde conquered many Royaumes and londes/ whos noble actes remayn in thold hystoryes of the Romayns/ And syth the Incarnacion of oure lord/ byhold that noble king of Brytayne king Arthur/ with all the noble kny[gh]tes of the ro[=u]d table/ whos noble actes and noble chyualry of his knyghtes occupye soo many large volumes/ that is a world/ or as thing incredyble to byleue/ O ye knyghtes of Englond where is the custome and vsage of noble chyualry that was vsed in tho dayes/ what do ye now/ but go to the baynes & playe atte dyse/ And some not wel aduysed/ vse not honest and good rule ageyn alle ordre of knyghthode/ leue this/ leue it and redde the noble volumes of saynt graal of lancelot/ of galaad/ of Trystram/ of perse forest/ of percyual/ of gawayn/ & many mo/ Ther shalle ye see manhode/ curtosy/ & gentylnesse/ And loke in latter dayes of the noble actes syth the c[=o]quest/ as in kyng Rychard dayes cuer du Lyon/ Edward the fyrste/ and the thyrd/ and his noble sones/ Syre Robert Knolles/ Syr Johan Cha[=u]dos/ and Syre gualtier Manuy/ rede froissart/ And also behold that vyctoryous and noble kynge harry the fyfthe/ and the captayns vnder hym his noble bretheren/ Therle of Salysbury Montagu/ and many other whoos names shyne gloryously by their vertuous noblesse & actes that they did in thonour of thordre of chyualry/ Allas what do ye/ but sleep & take ease/ and are al dysordred fro chyualry/ I wold demaunde a question yf I shold not displease/ how many knyghtes ben there now in Englond/ that haue thuse and thexcercyse of a knyght/ that is to wete/ that he knoweth his hors/ & his hors hym/ that is to saye/ he beyng eredy at a poynt to haue al thyng that longeth to a knight/ an hors that is accordyng and broken after his hand/ his armures and harnoys mete and syttyng/ & so forth/ _et cetera_/ I suppose and a due serche shold be made/ there shold he many founden that lacke/ the more pyte is/ I wold it pleasyd our souerayn Lord that twyes or threys in a year/ or at the least ones he wold do crye Justes of pees/ to thend that euery knyght shold haue hors and harneys/ and also the vse and craft of a knyght/ and also to tornoye one ageynst one/ or ij against ij/ And the best to haue a prys/ a dyamond or jewel/ suche as shold please the prynce/ This shold cause gentylmen to resorte to thauncyent customes of chyualry to grete fame and ren[=o]mee/ And also to be alwey redy to serue theyr prynce whan he shalle calle them/ or haue nede/ Thenne late euery man that is come of noble blood/ and entendeth to come to the noble ordre of chyualry/ read this lytyl book/ and doo therafter/ in kepyng the lore and commaundements therin comprysed/ And thenne I doubte not he shall atteyne to thordre of chyualry/ _et cetera_.

And thus this lytyl book I presente to my redoubted naturel and most dradde souerayne lord kyng Rychard kyng of Englond and of Fraunce/ to thend/ that he commaunde this book to be had and redde vnto other yong lordes knyghtes and gentylmen within this royame/ that the noble ordre of chyualry be herafter better vsed & honoured than hit hath ben in late dayes passed/ And herin he shalle do a noble & vertuous dede/ and I shalle pray almy[gh]ty god for his long lyf & prosperous welfare/ & that he may haue vyctory of all his enemyes/ & after this short & transitory lyf to haue euerlastyng lyf in heuen/ where as is Joye and blysse/ world without ende/ Amen/

III. THE BUKE OF THE GOUERNANCE OF PRINCES.

This very popular work is a translation of the "Secretum Secretorum," falsely attributed to Aristotle. Its popularity was so great that not less than nine English translations and six French translations are known. It is probable that Sir Gilbert Hay made his version from one of the French translations current in the Fifteenth Century.

* * * * *

In now adverting to SIR GILBERT HAY, the Translator of the "ORDERE OF KNIGHTHOOD," and of other Works, from the French, it is matter of regret that we possess no very certain information respecting him. Some of the uncertainty which prevails in regard to his lineage arises from the circumstance that the name of Gilbert, in the family of Errol, with whom we may presume he was nearly related, was of very common occurrence. The Hays of Errol, the chief of the name in Scotland, appear in the public Records as Hereditary Constables of Scotland before the end of the Twelfth Century. Without further entering upon their Genealogy, as exhibited in Douglas and Wood's Peerage of Scotland, vol. i. page 544, &c., and in similar works, it may briefly be noticed that, in the course of the Fifteenth Century--

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.

III. Gilbert Hay, eldest son of Sir William, was one of the hostages sent to England in 1412, and again in 1424, for the ransom of King James the First, who had been held in captivity for eighteen years. On the last occasion he is styled "Gilbertus Primogenitus et Hæres Willielmi Constabularii Scotiæ," his annual revenue being estimated equal to 800 marks; and at that time "Gilbert of the Haye, askyth conduct for 3 servants." (Rymer's Foedera, vol. x. p. 327). In 1426 he had a safe conduct. He died in England soon after 1426, leaving, by his wife Alicia, daughter of Sir William Hay of Yester, two sons, William and Gilbert.

IV. Sir William Hay succeeded his grandfather in 1436, and was created Earl of Errol in the year 1452-3. He married Beatrix Douglas, daughter of James third Lord Dalkeith. His brother Gilbert, who succeeded his uncle William Hay of Urry, had a charter of the lands of Urry, in the county of Kincardine, 12th August 1467; and died before September 1487. The Earl of Errol, who died about 1460, was succeeded by his eldest son,

V. Nicholas, second Earl of Errol. He died without issue in 1470, and was succeeded by his brother,

VI. William, third Earl of Errol, who survived till 1506.

This brief view of the Hays of Errol, during the Fifteenth Century, may serve to guide our conjectures in regard to Sir Gilbert Hay. That he was born about the commencement of that century, we are warranted to assume. There is no evidence of any of the younger sons in the Errol family, at this period, having had the honour of Knighthood; and therefore it may be conjectured that he was the son of Sir William Hay of Locharret, one of whose daughters, Jane, was married to Sir Alexander Home of Dunglas, who accompanied the Scotish forces under the Earl of Douglas to France, and who lost his life with the Earl at the Battle of Verneuil, 17th August 1424. It is certain, at least, that Gilbert Hay received a liberal education, and he appears to have prosecuted his studies at the University of St Andrews, which was founded in the year 1411. This we ascertain from the "Acta Facult. Art. Univers. S. Andreæ," where the name "Gylbertus Hay," occurs among the _Determinants_, or Bachelors of Arts, in the year 1418. In the following year, "Gilbertus de Haya, Magister," is included in the higher degree among the _Licentiates_, or Masters of Arts. One of his fellow students was William Turnbull, who afterwards became successively Doctor of Laws, Archdean of St Andrews, Keeper of the Privy Seal, and Bishop of Glasgow; and who, about three years before his death, so honourably distinguished himself by founding the College of Glasgow, in the year 1452-3.

After taking his Master's degree at St Andrews, Gilbert Hay proceeded to France, but whether it may have been to complete his education, or that he was sent on any special mission, must be left to conjecture.[10] It might have been, that like so many of the younger sons in Scotish families of rank, at an early as well as in more recent times, he had gone abroad to push his fortunes; and thus, like Quentin Durward, when first addressing Louis XI., he might have said,--"I am ignorant whom I may have the honour to address, but I am indifferent who knows that I am a cadet of Scotland; and that I come to seek my fortune in France, or elsewhere, after the custom of my countrymen." It will be seen that he styles himself "Gilbert of the Haye, Knycht, Master in Arts, and Bachelor in Decreis,"--titles expressive of academical distinctions; and also "Chamberlain umquhile to the maist worthy King Charles of France." Dr Mackenzie, overlooking the obvious meaning of these words in the position of _umquhile_, instead of "late Chamberlain to the King," made him "Chamberlain to Charles VI., King of France." But that Monarch began his reign in 1380, and died in 1422, probably before Hay had set his foot in France. His son, Charles VII., ascended the throne in 1422, and survived till 1461. Sir Walter Scott, in "Quentin Durward," chapter v., has given a very graphic account of the Scotish Archer Guard, which was instituted by Charles VI., and consisted of a select number of the Scotish Nation, supplied from the superabundant population of their native country. It is no improbable conjecture, therefore, that Gilbert Hay may have been one of their number, and like the imaginary character in the work of fiction referred to, have thus been brought under the special notice of the French King, and in this manner obtained the patronage of Charles VII. Another event that may have contributed to his holding an official appointment in the Royal Household, was the alliance between Margaret, eldest daughter of James I. of Scotland, and the Dauphin of France. This took place in July 1436, when she was only twelve years of age; and she was attended by a number of persons of rank, some of whom remained in her service. Be this as it may, and without attempting to conjecture on what occasion Hay received the honour of Knighthood, we know, from a passage to be afterwards mentioned, that he resided in France during a period of twenty-four years; and he may have returned to his native country soon after the death of the youthful Princess. She died of a broken heart in August 1445, or sixteen years before her husband, whose character is so ably depicted by Scott, had succeeded to the throne under the title of Louis XI.

After Sir Gilbert Hay's return to Scotland, we find him residing at Roslin Castle with Sir William Saintclair, third Earl of Orkney, (a title which he resigned, in 1456, for the Earldom of Caithness)--a nobleman of great influence and wealth, who had accompanied the Princess Margaret to France in 1436. He was twice married, his first wife being Lady Margaret Douglas, daughter of Archibald fourth Earl of Douglas; and he lived in such a kingly state, that we are told, his Lady "had serving her 75 gentlewomen, whereof 53 were daughters to noblemen, all cloathed in velvets and silks, with their chains of gold, and other pertinents; together with 200 rideing gentlemen, who accompanied her in all her journeys. She had carried before her when she went to Edinburgh, if it was darke, 80 lighted torches. Her lodging was att the foot of the Blackfryer Wynde: so that, in a word, none matched her in all the country, save the Queen's Majesty."[11] We are further told of this "Prince," William Earl of Orkney, that--"In his house he was royally served in gold and silver vessels, in most princely manner; for the Lord Dirletone was his Master Household, the Lord Borthwick was his Cup-bearer, and the Lord Fleming his Carver, under whom, in time of their absence, was the Laird of Drumlanrig, surnamed Stewart, the Laird of Drumelzier, surnamed Tweedie, and the Laird of Calder, surnamed Sandilands. He had his halls and chambers richly hung with embroidered hangings," &c. In 1446, he founded the Collegiate Church of Roslin, that beautiful specimen of architecture, the ruins of which still excite so much admiration under the popular designation of Roslin Chapel. It was at the request of this nobleman that he undertook the translations which are contained in the present volume, and which bear the date of 1456. Sir Gilbert Hay, like some of the persons here named, was probably connected with this nobleman, as in the genealogy of that family, the fifth of the nine daughters of Henry second Earl of Orkney, is said to have married a Hay Earl of Errol.

There is still preserved a curious document entitled "The Inventar of the Goods of Alexander de Sutherland of Dumbethe," whose daughter Marjory was the Countess of Caithness and Orkney.[12] It includes his Testament, and bears to have been made at Roslin, the castle of his son-in-law, on the 15th November 1456, "in the presence of ane hie and mighti Lord William Earl of Caithnes and Orkney, Lord Saintclair, &c., SIR GILBERT THE HAYE, Sir Henry Atkinson, Mr Thomas Thurberndson (or Thornebrande), Public Notar, &c., with dyvers uthirs." At the end of his numerous legacies and bequests, there is added, "Item, I gif and leive my sylar [silver] colar to _Sir Gilbert the Haye_, and he to say for my soul ten Psalters."[13]

The long residence of Sir Gilbert Hay in France rendered him familiar not only with the language, but with the current literature of the country. This may have suggested to him, upon his return to Scotland, the propriety of employing himself in translating some of the more remarkable productions of French literature, for the benefit or amusement of his friends. A fortunate discovery of an old Manuscript volume at Taymouth Castle, and the liberality of the Noble Proprietor in communicating it, brought to light another and a more important undertaking which Sir Gilbert Hay had accomplished, by rendering the Metrical Romance of ALEXANDER THE GREAT into Scotish Verse, at the request of Thomas first Lord Erskine, (properly second Earl of Mar, of the name of Erskine,) who succeeded his father in 1453, and died in 1494. The Work extends to upwards of 20,000 lines; but the imperfect state of the Manuscript, which exhibits an evidently inaccurate copy of the translation, added to its great extent, may possibly keep it from ever being printed entire. But some obscure lines, introduced by one of the transcribers, at the close of the volume, contains the information already alluded to, of its having been translated at the request "of the Lord Erskine, by SIR GILBERT THE HAY," and of his having spent twenty-four years in the service of the King of France.[14]

How long Sir Gilbert Hay may have survived can only be conjectured. The Taymouth MS. is transcribed from another copy which had apparently been written in the year 1493; and the mode in which the Translator is alluded to, indicates that he had been dead for several years. This serves to corroborate the mention of his name among the deceased Scotish Poets who are celebrated by Dunbar in his "Lament for the Death of the Makaris."[15]

NORTON HALL, _January 1847_.

* * * * *

The Buke

of

The Order of Knyghthood,

Translated

by Gilbert of the Haye knycht.

[Decoration]

PROLOGUS.

At the honour and the reuerence of God Almichty his glore and louyng of his prouidence, the quhilk is souerane lord and syre de toutes choses, of all thingis in heuyn and in erde, we begyn here THE BUKE OF THE ORDRE OF KNYCHTHEDE: ffor to schaw, how be the semblaunce of the hye almychty prince of hevin, quhilk has dominacioun and seignoury apon the vij planetis of the hevyn,--the quhilkis seuin planetis makis all the courss of the hevyn, and gouernis the influences celestiales, and has powere apon the ordinancis of all erdely corporale thingis; and to schaw, that as kingis and princis has dominacioun and seignoury here apon all knychtis, sa suld knychtis haue dominacioun and seignourye subordinate of the princis and lordis behalue, be semblaunce of syk like figure, apon the small peple, to gouerne, reugle, and defend thame in all thair necessiteis: The quhilk Buke is deuidit in sere parties, as sall efterwart appere be the declaracioun of the chapitres efter folowand.

HERE FOLOWIS THE DECLARACIOUN OF THE RUBRIKIS EFTIR THE PARTIES OF THE BUKE.

The Fyrst chapitre is, How a bachelere Squyere of honoure passit till a grete semblee of Lordis, at a Kingis crounyng, in entencioun to tak the Ordere of Knychthede, and how he forvayit, and willit in a wilderness quhare thare was ane alde Knycht duelland in ane hermytage, that had tane him fra the warld, to lyue in contemplacioun of Almychty God, to mend his lyf, and mak gude end, etc.; And how the worthy anciene Knycht techit the Squyere the poyntis of honour and propereteis pertenand to the said Ordre, etc.

Quhat the secund chapitre contenis, sequitur.--

The Secound chapitre is, How the Bachelere quhilk suld ressaue that hye Ordre, how he suld first lere the pointis and the propereteis of the Ordre, before that he tak it, in the begynnyng.

Quhat the thrid chapitre contenis.--

The Thrid chapitre contenis, All the said properteis of the noble Ordre and office of Knychthede, as the Knycht deuisis.

Quhat the ferde chapitre contenis.--

The Ferde chapitre contenis, The forme of the examinacioun how the Bachelere Squyere suld be examynit, be the faderis of the Ordre, before or he ressauit the said Ordre.

Quhat the fyft chapitre contenis.--

The Fyft chapitre contenis, How the Bacheler Squyer suld ressaue the noble Ordre, and the forme and manere tharof, and of the process of the making of Knychtis be ordre.

Quhat the sext chapitre contenis.--

The Sext chapitre contenis, The poyntis of the takenyngis of the blasoun of the signis and seremons custumable to be maid in geving of the said Ordre, and all be ordre.

Quhat the sevynt chapitre contenis.--

The Sevynt chapitre contenis, The gude thewis, vertues, and custumes that pertenis to the Knychtis that honourably wald manetene the foresaid Ordre of Knychthede.

Quhat the auchtand chapitre contenis.--

The Auchtand chapitre contenis, How the said Ordre suld be haldyn at honour, and quhat honoure suld be done to thame that beris the said Ordre, and has optenyt it with honoure.

[Decoration]

HERE BEGYNNYS THE FIRST CHAPITRE OF THE BUKE.