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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 some:
times 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 & clay:
minge 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 appoin:
ted, yet it was wth one legge onlye, & yt not purposelie nor wil:
linglie 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 distres:
sed wthin the lists, yf afterwardes the distresser doe happen