Page:The booke of thenseygnementes and techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his doughters - 1902.pdf/210



HE fyrst enseygnement that he taught me was thys: that if euer god gaf me chaunce and good ynough, that I shold thanke hym moche of hit, and haue in me suffysaunce, and not coueyte ne aske more of god. And by cause I shold haue suffysaunce, he commaunded and charged me that neuer I shold put my self in subiection of none offyce vnde my souerayne lord, for yf I dyd so by couetyse of more good, somme enuyous, by somme fals repporte, shold make me to lese my good and my self also; and that hit was a peryllous thynge to serue ony prynce or grete lord of lyght and hasty wylle, for many one ther ben whiche enquereth them not yf the repporte to them made is trewe or not, wherfor the commaundements of suche hasty lordes ben straunge and peryllous, as ye now haue sene how this ensample is to me, whiche al most hath be shamefulle & greuable. And yf I had byleued the counceyll of my fader, I had neuer falle in suche perylle. For thanked be god, I had of erthely goodes ynough, and more than I haue deseruyd to god, and myght wel haue deported my self of takynge of thoffyce. The second enseygnement was, that I neuer shold respyte ne saue to no man his lyf, whiche had deserued to deye, and in especiall a theef or an homycyde, whiche were custommed to theftes and murdre of folke; and that yf i dyd, I shold euer be partener of alle suche ewylle dedes that they myght doo afterward. And this commaundement I haue enfrayned and broken, for this daye haue I sene hym whiche I haue respyted hym fro the shamefulle dethe, that offred and presented hym self for to be the hangman of my body. Lytell reward he offred to me. The thyrd enseygneiment was, that I shold essaye my wyf or euer I shold discouere to her ony grete counceylle, for therin is to grete paryll. Neuer-