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tin;* die>Hi.

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is at-

[kCit«?,!inj's tdiffteS

ftrln:.iis£.|ie, ka vet;taoi•ari»;1 ;tiocos'loriona

But the danger is of a farfleers,

difmal hue, when Of-

or

more cut mat tiue,

he that Ccmmands in Chief, or who has anypoft of Truft aligned him, either quit it, or is found de-fective in his Duty, as was Thomas Earl of Lancafier, whoquitted the Army at the Siege of Berwick,, the confequenceof which proved an abortion to the whole Deiign j andfor which he was proclaimed Traytor, Anno izE.i. Andtherefore whoever is culpable of any of thefe three Pointsof Rtfroacb, is difqualified from being Eleded into thismoft noble Order. Before we proceed any farther, it maynot be improper to take notice of an Error which PolydoreVirgil hath interwove with one, and which ErhardusCelias, in his Hiftory of England, hath copycd from thatAuthor, but refuted by the learned Pen of Dr. Heylein,that the Knights'Companions have certain Laws belong-ing to their Order, whereby they are obliged to help oneanother, and in Time of Battle never to betake themfelvestofhmeful Flight : The Statute Law of the Order is filentupon the firft Claufe, nor is the latter otherwife to betaken, than one of thofe Paints of Reproach fpoke of inthe fecond Statute of If. Henry VIII. which nulls the E-le8ion of the Perfon nominated, if he be peccant in thatPoint: Now that which gives lome Umbrage to theKnights mutual Affiftance and Defence, is founded uponan Article in their Statutes, which prohibits the armingthemfelves one againft another, to create a mutual Af-fedion, and to extinguifh Feuds, which is the Life andSoul of Society, and which the Founder, to prevent In-conveniencies, bad a great Regard to ; and therefore heOrdained, which has been confirmed fince by other Sta-tutes ; That none of the Knights-Companicns fhould Armthemfelves againft any of their Fellows, unlefs either in theCaufeofhis Sovereign, or his own juft Quarrel: Andthis Claule it was, that gave the Handle to both Parties,that fided with the Houfes of Trf and Lancafler ; fomefirmly adhering to Henry VI. whom they accounted So-vereign of the Order ; and others taking Part withEdward IV. as efteeming him Sovereign de Turs, thoughnot de FaQo.

But more firmly to tye this Knot of Amity amongthis noble Fraternity, leaft they fhould unhappily engage in■radioes one againft another, and proceed fo violently ascommence into Adions of Blood and Slaughter ;

S .1 it