Of two fighters of whome the one taketh the other by the legge, & so holdeth him till the ende of the daie wthout further hurte whether for yt he ought to be Victorious.
Ca. 15.
Twoe gent one of them challenginge the other to fight on horsbacke entred into a liste, marked owte wth a plough & not otherwise. The Iudge chardged them vppon paine of losse of honnor not to passe the saide lymitts, wherin after longe fighte it hapened that one of the gentlemen fell wth his horse, yet sauinge him selfe, the man recouered his feete & escaped the violence of his ennemie travellinge to kill him or at the least wise to make him yelde. But he that remained on horsback seinge he coulde not prevaile did willinglie dismounte & after somme blowes, came to the close & in wrestlinge fel both to the grounde, where sometimes the one & sometimes the other got the aduauntage, strivinge & striking wth their daggers till at thende the one recouered his feete, holdinge his ennemie for a time by the foote so stronglie as he coulde not arise, and thus drawing him vp & downe & clayminge him for his prisonner, it happened that all vnwares stepping back wth one of his feete he passed the appointed liste or furrowe wch beinge diligentlie marked by him that was holden downe, he saide, that because he was driuen owt of the lists by force of his legg being vppon the grounde he ought to be reputed as vanquished wherto holding him still by the foote, the other answered thow art my prisoner, and yf thow do not forthwth yelde thy selfe I will kill thee, wch it semeth he coulde not doe, because both his handes were occupied in holdinge his legge, that he coulde not have done wth one. ffurther it was alleadged by him that had ye aduauntage that his ennemie was by him distressed wthin the lists & though vnwares after he happened to passe the lymitts appointed, yet it was wth one legge onlye, & yt not purposelie nor willinglie to transgresse the Iudgs commaundemente, but to keepe & mainteine the aduauntage of his ennemie, because the nature of Combatt is, that wheras a prisoner is distressed wthin the lists, yf afterwardes the distresser doe happen
