awoke/ And thenne to hym came the knyght whiche was moche old/ and had a grete berde/ longe heer/ and a feble gowne worne and broken for ouer longe werynge/ And by the penaunce that he dayly made was moche discolourd and lene/ And by the teres that he had wepte/ were his eyen moche wasted/ and hadde a regard or countenaunce of moche hooly lyf/ Eche of them merueylled of other/ For the knyghte whiche hadde ben moche longe in his heremytege/ had sene no man sythe that he had lefte the worlde/ And the sqyuer merueylled hym strongly/ how he was comen in to that place/ Thenne descended the squyer fro his palfroy/ and salewed the knyght/ And the knyght receyued hym most wysely/ And after sette them vpon the grasse that one by that other/ And er ony of them spak/ eche of them byheld eche others chere/ The knyght that knewe that the squyer wold not speke fyrst/ by cause that he wold doo to hym reuerence spak fyrst and said/ Fayr frend what is your corage or entent/ and whyther goo ye/ wherfor be ye comen hyther/ Syre sayde he/ the renommee is sprad by ferre contreyes/ that a kynge moche wyse and noble/ hath commaunded a courte general/ And wylle be maade hym selfe newe knyght/ And after adoube and make other newe knyghtes/ estraunge barons and pryue/ And therfore I goo to this courte for to be adoubed knyght/ But whanne I was a slepe for the trauaylle that I haue had of the grete journeyes that I haue made/ my palfroy wente oute of the ryghte way/ and hath brought me vnto this place/ Whanne the knyght herd speke of the knyghthode & chyualrye/ And remembryd hym of thordre of the same/ And of that whiche apperteyneth to a knyght/ he caste out a grete syghe/ and entryd in a grete thouȝt remembrynge of the honoure/ in which chyualrye hadde ben so longe mayntened/

¶ In the meane whyle that the knyghte thus thought/ the Esquyer demaunded of hym/ wherof he was so pensyf/

¶ And the knyght answerd to hym/

¶ Fayre sone my thoughte is of the ordre of Knyghthode or Chyualrye/ And of the gretenesse in which a knyght is holden/ in mayntenynge the gretenesse of the honour of chyualry/ Thenne the esquyer prayed to the knyght/ that he wold saye to hym thordre and the manere/ wherfore me ought the better to honoure and kepe in highe worshippe hit/ as it ought to be after the ordenaunce of god/

¶ How sone sayd the knyght knowest thou not what is the rule and ordre of knyghthode/ and I meruaylle how thow darest demaunde chyualrye or knyghthode/ vnto the tyme that thou knowe the ordre/

¶ For noo knyght can loue the ordre/ ne that whiche apperteyneth to his ordre/ but yf he can knowe the defaultes that he dothe ageynst the ordre of chyualry/

Ne no knyght ought to make ony knyghtes/ but yf he hym self knowe thordre.

For a disordynate knyghte is he/ that maketh a knyghte/ and can not shewe the ordre to hym/ ne the customme of chyualry.

¶ In the meane whyle that the knyght sayd these wordes to the esquyer/ that demaunded chyualrye/ withoute that he knewe/ what thynge was chyualrye/ The esquyer answered and sayde to the knyght/ Syre yf hit be your playsyre/ I byseche yow/ that ye wylle saye and telle to me the ordre of chyualrye/

For wel me semeth and thynketh that I should lerne hit for the grete desyre/ that I haue therto/ And after my power I shalle ensiewe hit/ yf hit please yow to enseynge shewe and teche hit me/

¶ Frend sayde the knyght/ the Rule and ordre of chyualrye is wreton in this lytyl booke that I hold here in myn handes in which I rede and am besy somtyme/ to the ende/ that hit make me remembre or thynke on the grace and bounte/ that god hath gyven and done to me in this world/ by cause that I honoured and mayntened with al my power thordre of chiualrye/ For alle in lyke wyse as chyualrye gyueth to a knyghte all that to hym apperteyneth/ In lyke wyse a knyȝt ought to gyve alle his forces to honoure chyualrye/

¶ 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 knyȝtes of the roūd 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 cōquest/ as in kyng Rychard dayes cuer du Lyon/ Edward the fyrste/ and the thyrd/ and his noble sones/ Syre Robert Knolles/ Syr Johan Chaūdos/ 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