The Proheamel[1]
Amonge suche virtues & commendable Qualities, as ought to
be in all nobilitie, & gentlemen, the knowledge of honnor
& armes is in mine opinion of moste necessitie & estimacion.
Of wch minde was the Earle Baldessar Castilio, in his booke
of the Courtier, translated into or tonnge by Sr Thomas hobbye
whose labor meriteth a singular praise, and obligation of all
the nobilitie of this Realme. But for so much as the Earle
to advoyde tediousnes, hath not in his booke particularlie
handled, the questions & doubtfull cases of honnor, daylie
hapenings emonge nobilitie, sometimes in Court, sometimes
in Campe, sometimes in ernest & sometimes in triumphe &
sporte: I have thought meete, emonge manie workes writ:
ten of that matter to chose the moste anntiente, & reduce the
same into our englishe, wherby gentlemen wanting the
experience of forraine nations, and knowledge of their
tonnges, maye happelie find some fruite. And albeit I
knowe that at this daye publique Combatte be seldome
suffred, yet by consideringe of such accidente, as in those trialls
have happened, we may learne wch way to behave our
selues in euery question & quarrell touchinge the fame &
honestie of a gentleman: when to speake & when to be
silent: when to revenge, & when to rest satysfied, what
is quarrell & iuste offence, and what is none at all: &
finallie howe to aduoyde iniurie, or by what means to re:
pulse it wch thinge howe necessarie they are to be
knowen, I refer to your owne Iudgemente. And certeinly
yf iniuries of honnor were orderly & honorablie reven:
ged, I perswade my selfe, they wolde be seldome offred.
ffor who is by kinde or custome, so spitefull & iniurious
as willinglie will offende anie man, or so folish hardie
as wth tonnge or hande wolde quarrell wth others, yf he
knewe hym self in honnestie bounde by triall of life to
mainteine his needles combat. But the cause of theis
dishonnorable doinge, dooth assuredlie preede[2] from igno:
rannce of honnor. ffor everie man wthout respecte
offereth him self not as he is, but as others in courtesie
are content to take him, or (to saye better) as they are plea:
sed to name him. This humor not only of iniuringe
but also of overweninge, is generall amonge all sortes
of People: but emonge our gentilmen moste conninge
ffor the greater parte of them be so ignorannt as notwth:
standinge they are vtterlie voyde of all virtue: Doe
nevertheles thinke them selues worthie of anie title dignitie
