Chapter XII: Front Matter (12)

I rede in olde bokes thus:
[Sidenote: [SPERTACHUS AND THAMARIS.]]
Ther was a Duk, which Spertachus
Men clepe, and was a werreiour,
[Sidenote: Hic loquitur precipue[1266] contra tirannos
illos qui, cum in bello vincere possunt, humani sanguinis
effusione saturari nequiunt. Et narrat in exemplum de
quodam Persarum Rege, cuius nomen Spertachus erat, qui
pre ceteris tunc in Oriente bellicosus et victoriosus,
quoscunque gladio vincere poterat, absque pietate interfici
constituit. Set tandem sub manu Thamaris Marsegetarum
Regine in bello captus, quod a diu quesivit, seueritatem
pro seueritate finaliter inuenit. Nam et ipsa quoddam vas
de sanguine Persarum plenum ante se afferri[1267] decreuit,
in quo caput tiranni vsque ad mortem mergens dixit: ‘O
tirannorum crudelissime, semper esuriens sanguinem sitisti:
ecce iam ad saturitatem sanguinem bibe.’]
A cruel man, a conquerour 3420
With strong pouer the which he ladde.
For this condicion he hadde,
That where him hapneth the victoire,[1268]
His lust and al his moste gloire
Was forto sle and noght to save:
Of rancoun wolde he no good have
For savinge of a mannes lif,
Bot al goth to the swerd and knyf,
So lief him was the mannes blod.[1269]
And natheles yit thus it stod, 3430
So as fortune aboute wente,
He fell riht heir as be descente[1270]
To Perse, and was coroned king.
And whan the worschipe of this thing
Was falle, and he was king of Perse,
If that thei weren ferst diverse,
The tirannies whiche he wroghte,
A thousendfold welmore he soghte
Thanne afterward to do malice.
The god vengance ayein the vice[1271] 3440
Hath schape: for upon a tyde,
Whan he was heihest in his Pride,
In his rancour and in his hete
Ayein the queene of Marsagete,
Which Thameris that time hihte,
He made werre al that he myhte:
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 208=]
And sche, which wolde hir loud defende,
Hir oghne Sone ayein him sende,[1272]
Which the defence hath undertake.
Bot he desconfit was and take; 3450
And whan this king him hadde in honde,
He wol no mercy understonde, (3650*)
Bot dede him slen in his presence.
The tidinge of this violence[1273]
Whan it cam to the moder Ere,
Sche sende anon ay wydewhere
To suche frendes as sche hadde,
A gret pouer til that sche ladde.
In sondri wise and tho sche caste
Hou sche this king mai overcaste; 3460
And ate laste acorded was,
That in the danger of a pass,
Thurgh which this tirant scholde passe,
Sche schop his pouer to compasse[1274]
With strengthe of men be such a weie[1275]
That he schal noght eschape aweie.
And whan sche hadde thus ordeigned,
Sche hath hir oghne bodi feigned,
For feere as thogh sche wolde flee
Out of hir lond: and whan that he 3470
Hath herd hou that this ladi fledde,
So faste after the chace he spedde,
That he was founde out of array.
For it betidde upon a day,
Into the pas whanne he was falle,
Thembuisschementz tobrieken alle[1276]
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 209=]
And him beclipte on every side,
That fle ne myhte he noght aside:
So that ther weren dede and take
Tuo hundred thousend for his sake, 3480
That weren with him of his host.
And thus was leid the grete bost
Of him and of his tirannie:[1277]
It halp no mercy forto crie[1278]
To him which whilom dede non;
For he unto the queene anon
Was broght, and whan that sche him sih,
This word sche spak and seide on hih:
‘O man, which out of mannes kinde
Reson of man hast left behinde 3490
And lived worse than a beste,
Whom Pite myhte noght areste,
The mannes blod to schede and spille
Thou haddest nevere yit thi fille.
Bot nou the laste time is come,
That thi malice is overcome:
As thou til othre men hast do,
Nou schal be do to thee riht so.’
Tho bad this ladi that men scholde
A vessel bringe, in which sche wolde 3500
Se the vengance of his juise,
Which sche began anon devise; (3700*)
And tok the Princes whiche he ladde,
Be whom his chief conseil he hadde,
And whil hem lasteth eny breth,[1279]
Sche made hem blede to the deth
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 210=]
Into the vessel wher it stod:
And whan it was fulfild of blod,
Sche caste this tirant therinne,
And seide him, ‘Lo, thus myht thou wynne[1280] 3510
The lustes of thin appetit.
In blod was whilom thi delit,
Nou schalt thou drinken al thi fille.’
And thus onliche of goddes wille,
He which that wolde himselve strange
To Pite, fond mercy so strange,
That he withoute grace is lore.
So may it schewe wel therfore
That crualte hath no good ende;
Bot Pite, hou so that it wende, 3520
Makth that the god is merciable,
If ther be cause resonable
Why that a king schal be pitous.[1281]
Bot elles, if he be doubtous
To slen in cause of rihtwisnesse,
It mai be said no Pitousnesse,
Bot it is Pusillamite,
[Sidenote: [MERCY MUST BE WITHOUT WEAKNESS.]]
Which every Prince scholde flee.
For if Pite mesure excede,
Kinghode may noght wel procede[1282] 3530
To do justice upon the riht:
For it belongeth to a knyht
Als gladly forto fihte as reste,
To sette his liege poeple in reste,
Whan that the werre upon hem falleth;
For thanne he mote, as it befalleth,
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 211=]
Of his knyhthode as a Leon
Be to the poeple a champioun
Withouten eny Pite feigned.
For if manhode be restreigned, 3540
Or be it pes or be it werre,
Justice goth al out of herre,
So that knyhthode is set behinde.
Of Aristotles lore I finde,
A king schal make good visage,
That noman knowe of his corage
Bot al honour and worthinesse:
For if a king schal upon gesse
Withoute verrai cause drede,
He mai be lich to that I rede; 3550
And thogh that it be lich a fable,[1283]
Thensample is good and resonable. (3750*)

[Sidenote: [THE MOUNTAIN AND THE MOUSE.]]
As it be olde daies fell,
I rede whilom that an hell
[Sidenote: Hic loquitur secundum Philosophum, dicens quod
sicut non decet Principes tirannica impetuositate esse
crudeles, ita nec decet timorosa pusillanimitate esse
vecordes.]
Up in the londes of Archade
A wonder dredful noise made;[1284]
For so it fell that ilke day,
This hell on his childinge lay,
And whan the throwes on him come,
His noise lich the day of dome 3560
Was ferfull in a mannes thoght
Of thing which that thei sihe noght,
Bot wel thei herden al aboute
The noise, of which thei were in doute,
As thei that wenden to be lore
Of thing which thanne was unbore.
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 212=]
The nerr this hell was upon chance
To taken his deliverance,
The more unbuxomliche he cride;
And every man was fledd aside, 3570
For drede and lefte his oghne hous:
And ate laste it was a Mous,
The which was bore and to norrice
Betake; and tho thei hield hem nyce,[1285]
For thei withoute cause dradde.[1286]
Thus if a king his herte ladde
With every thing that he schal hiere,
Fulofte he scholde change his chiere
And upon fantasie drede,
Whan that ther is no cause of drede. 3580
[Sidenote: Nota hic secundum Oracium de magnanimo Yacide et
pusillanime Thersite.]
Orace to his Prince tolde,
That him were levere that he wolde
Upon knihthode Achillem suie
In time of werre, thanne eschuie,
So as Tersites dede at Troie.
Achilles al his hole joie
Sette upon Armes forto fihte;
Tersites soghte al that he myhte
Unarmed forto stonde in reste:[1287]
Bot of the tuo it was the beste 3590
That Achilles upon the nede
Hath do, wherof his knyhtlihiede[1288]
Is yit comended overal.
[Sidenote: Salomon. Tempus belli, tempus pacis.]
King Salomon in special
Seith, as ther is a time of pes,
So is a time natheles
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 213=]
Of werre, in which a Prince algate
Schal for the comun riht debate
And for his oghne worschipe eke.
Bot it behoveth noght to seke 3600
[Sidenote: [THERE IS A TIME FOR WAR.]]
Only the werre for worschipe,
Bot to the riht of his lordschipe, (3800*)
Which he is holde to defende,
Mote every worthi Prince entende.
[Sidenote: Nota qualiter inter duo extrema consistit virtus.]
Betwen the simplesce of Pite
And the folhaste of crualte,
Wher stant the verray hardiesce,[1289]
Ther mote a king his herte adresce,
Whanne it is time to forsake,
And whan time is also to take 3610
The dedly werres upon honde,
That he schal for no drede wonde,
If rihtwisnesse be withal.
For god is myhty overal
To forthren every mannes trowthe,[1290]
Bot it be thurgh his oghne slowthe;
And namely the kinges nede
It mai noght faile forto spede,
For he stant one for hem alle;
So mote it wel the betre falle 3620
And wel the more god favoureth,
Whan he the comun riht socoureth.
And forto se the sothe in dede,
Behold the bible and thou myht rede
Of grete ensamples manyon,
Wherof that I wol tellen on.

[Sidenote: [STORY OF GIDEON.]]
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 214=]
Upon a time as it befell,
Ayein Judee and Irahel[1291]
Whan sondri kinges come were
[Sidenote: Hic dicit quod Princeps iusticie causa bellum
nullo modo timere debet. Et narrat qualiter dux Gedeon cum
solis tricentis viris quinque Reges, scilicet Madianitarum,
Amalechitarum, Amonitarum, Amoreorum et Iebuseorum, cum
eorum excercitu, qui ad lxxxx^{ta} Milia numeratus est,
gracia cooperante diuina, victoriose in fugam conuertit.]
In pourpos to destruie there 3630
The poeple which god kepte tho,--
And stod in thilke daies so,
That Gedeon, which scholde lede
The goddes folk, tok him to rede,
And sende in al the lond aboute,
Til he assembled hath a route
With thritti thousend of defence,
To fihte and make resistence
Ayein the whiche hem wolde assaille:[1292]
And natheles that o bataille 3640
Of thre that weren enemys[1293]
Was double mor than was al his;
Wherof that Gedeon him dradde,
That he so litel poeple hadde.
Bot he which alle thing mai helpe,
Wher that ther lacketh mannes helpe,
To Gedeon his Angel sente,
And bad, er that he forther wente,
Al openly that he do crie
That every man in his partie 3650
Which wolde after his oghne wille
In his delice abide stille[1294] (3850*)
At hom in eny maner wise,
For pourchas or for covoitise,
For lust of love or lacke of herte,
He scholde noght aboute sterte,
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 215=]
Bot holde him stille at hom in pes:
Wherof upon the morwe he les
Wel twenty thousend men and mo,
The whiche after the cri ben go. 3660
Thus was with him bot only left
The thridde part, and yit god eft
His Angel sende and seide this
To Gedeon: ‘If it so is
That I thin help schal undertake,
Thou schalt yit lasse poeple take,
Be whom mi will is that thou spede.
Forthi tomorwe tak good hiede,
Unto the flod whan ye be come,
What man that hath the water nome 3670
Up in his hond and lapeth so,
To thi part ches out alle tho;[1295]
And him which wery is to swinke,
Upon his wombe and lith to drinke,
Forsak and put hem alle aweie.
For I am myhti alle weie,
Wher as me list myn help to schewe[1296]
In goode men, thogh thei ben fewe.’
This Gedeon awaiteth wel,
Upon the morwe and everydel, 3680
As god him bad, riht so he dede.
And thus ther leften in that stede
With him thre hundred and nomo,[1297]
The remenant was al ago:
Wherof that Gedeon merveileth,
And therupon with god conseileth,
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 216=]
Pleignende as ferforth as he dar.
And god, which wolde he were war[1298]
That he schal spede upon his riht,[1299]
Hath bede him go the same nyht 3690
And take a man with him, to hiere
What schal be spoke in his matere[1300]
Among the hethen enemis;
So mai he be the more wys,
What afterward him schal befalle.
This Gedeon amonges alle
Phara, to whom he triste most,
Be nyhte tok toward thilke host,
Which logged was in a valleie,
To hiere what thei wolden seie; 3700
Upon his fot and as he ferde,[1301]
Tuo Sarazins spekende he herde. (3900*)
Quod on, ‘Ared mi swevene ariht,
Which I mette in mi slep to nyht.[1302]
Me thoghte I sih a barli cake,
Which fro the Hull his weie hath take,
And cam rollende doun at ones;
And as it were for the nones,
Forth in his cours so as it ran,
The kinges tente of Madian, 3710
Of Amalech, of Amoreie,
Of Amon and of Jebuseie,
And many an other tente mo
With gret noise, as me thoghte tho,
It threw to grounde and overcaste,
And al this host so sore agaste[1303]
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 217=]
That I awok for pure drede.’
‘This swevene can I wel arede,’
Quod thother Sarazin anon:
‘The barli cake is Gedeon, 3720
Which fro the hell doun sodeinly
Schal come and sette such ascry
Upon the kinges and ous bothe,
That it schal to ous alle lothe:
For in such drede he schal ous bringe,
That if we hadden flyht of wynge,
The weie on fote in desespeir[1304]
We scholden leve and flen in their,[1305]
For ther schal nothing him withstonde.’
Whan Gedeon hath understonde 3730
This tale, he thonketh god of al,
And priveliche ayein he stal,
So that no lif him hath perceived.
And thanne he hath fulli conceived
That he schal spede; and therupon
The nyht suiende he schop to gon
This multitude to assaile.
Nou schalt thou hiere a gret mervaile,
With what voisdie that he wroghte.
The litel poeple which he broghte, 3740
Was non of hem that he ne hath
A pot of erthe, in which he tath
A lyht brennende in a kressette,
And ech of hem ek a trompette
Bar in his other hond beside;
And thus upon the nyhtes tyde
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 218=]
Duk Gedeon, whan it was derk,
Ordeineth him unto his werk,[1306]
And parteth thanne his folk in thre,
And chargeth hem that thei ne fle, 3750
And tawhte hem hou they scholde ascrie
Alle in o vois per compaignie,[1307] (3950*)
And what word ek thei scholden speke,
And hou thei scholde here pottes breke
Echon with other, whan thei herde
That he himselve ferst so ferde;
For whan thei come into the stede,
He bad hem do riht as he dede.
And thus stalkende forth a pas
This noble Duk, whan time was, 3760
His pot tobrak and loude ascride,
And tho thei breke on every side.
The trompe was noght forto seke;[1308]
He blew, and so thei blewen eke
With such a noise among hem alle,
As thogh the hevene scholde falle.
The hull unto here vois ansuerde,
This host in the valleie it herde,
And sih hou that the hell alyhte;
So what of hieringe and of sihte, 3770
Thei cawhten such a sodein feere,
That non of hem belefte there:
The tentes hole thei forsoke,[1309]
That thei non other good ne toke,
Bot only with here bodi bare
Thei fledde, as doth the wylde Hare.
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 219=]
And evere upon the hull thei blewe,
Til that thei sihe time, and knewe
That thei be fled upon the rage;
And whan thei wiste here avantage, 3780
Thei felle anon unto the chace.
Thus myht thou sen hou goddes grace
Unto the goode men availeth;
But elles ofte time it faileth
To suche as be noght wel disposed.
This tale nedeth noght be glosed,
For it is openliche schewed
That god to hem that ben wel thewed
Hath yove and granted the victoire:
So that thensample of this histoire 3790
Is good for every king to holde;
Ferst in himself that he beholde
If he be good of his livinge,
And that the folk which he schal bringe
Be good also, for thanne he may
Be glad of many a merie day,
In what as evere he hath to done.[1310]
For he which sit above the Mone
And alle thing mai spille and spede,
In every cause, in every nede[1311] 3800
His goode king so wel adresceth,
That alle his fomen he represseth, (4000*)
So that ther mai noman him dere;
And als so wel he can forbere,
And soffre a wickid king to falle
In hondes of his fomen alle.

[Sidenote: [SAUL AND AGAG.]]
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 220=]
Nou forthermore if I schal sein
Of my matiere, and torne ayein
[Sidenote: Hic dicit quod vbi et quando causa et tempus
requirunt, princeps illos sub potestate sua, quos iusticie
aduersarios agnouerit, occidere de iure tenetur. Et narrat
in exemplum qualiter, pro eo quod Saul Regem Agag in bello
deuictum iuxta Samuelis consilium occidere noluit, ipse
diuino iudicio non solum a regno Israel priuatus, set et
heredes sui pro perpetuo exheredati sunt.]
To speke of justice and Pite
After the reule of realte, 3810
This mai a king wel understonde,
Knihthode mot ben take on honde,
Whan that it stant upon the nede:
He schal no rihtful cause drede,
Nomore of werre thanne of pes,
If he wol stonde blameles;
For such a cause a king mai have
That betre him is to sle than save,
Wherof thou myht ensample finde.[1312]
The hihe makere of mankinde 3820
Be Samuel to Saül bad,
That he schal nothing ben adrad
Ayein king Agag forto fihte;
For this the godhede him behihte,
That Agag schal ben overcome:
And whan it is so ferforth come,
That Saül hath him desconfit,
The god bad make no respit,
That he ne scholde him slen anon.
Bot Saül let it overgon 3830
And dede noght the goddes heste:
For Agag made gret beheste
Of rancoun which he wolde yive,
King Saül soffreth him to live
And feigneth pite forth withal.
Bot he which seth and knoweth al,
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 221=]
The hihe god, of that he feigneth
To Samuel upon him pleigneth.
And sende him word, for that he lefte
Of Agag that he ne berefte 3840
The lif, he schal noght only dye
Himself, bot fro his regalie
He schal be put for everemo,
Noght he, bot ek his heir also,
That it schal nevere come ayein.
[Sidenote: [DAVID AND JOAB.]]
Thus myht thou se the sothe plein,
[Sidenote: Hic narrat vlterius super eodem, qualiter Dauid
in extremis iusticie causa vt Ioab occideretur absque vlla
remissione filio suo Salomoni iniunxit.]
That of tomoche and of tolyte
Upon the Princes stant the wyte.
Bot evere it was a kinges riht
To do the dedes of a knyht; 3850
For in the handes of a king
The deth and lif is al o thing (4050*)
After the lawes of justice.
To slen it is a dedly vice,[1313]
Bot if a man the deth deserve;
And if a king the lif preserve
Of him which oghte forto dye,
He suieth noght thensamplerie
Which in the bible is evident:
Hou David in his testament, 3860
Whan he no lengere myhte live,[1314]
Unto his Sone in charge hath yive
That he Joab schal slen algate;
And whan David was gon his gate,
The yonge wise Salomon
His fader heste dede anon,
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 222=]
And slouh Joab in such a wise,
That thei that herden the juise
Evere after dradden him the more,
And god was ek wel paid therfore, 3870
That he so wolde his herte plye
The lawes forto justefie.
And yit he kepte forth withal
Pite, so as a Prince schal,
That he no tirannie wroghte;
He fond the wisdom which he soghte,
And was so rihtful natheles,
That al his lif he stod in pes,
That he no dedly werres hadde,
For every man his wisdom dradde. 3880
And as he was himselve wys,
Riht so the worthi men of pris
He hath of his conseil withholde;
For that is every Prince holde,
To make of suche his retenue
Whiche wise ben, and to remue
The foles: for ther is nothing
Which mai be betre aboute a king,
Than conseil, which is the substance
Of all a kinges governance. 3890

[Sidenote: [SOLOMON’S WISDOM.]]
In Salomon a man mai see
What thing of most necessite
[Sidenote: Hic dicit quod populum sibi commissum bene
regere super omnia Principi laudabilius est. Et narrat in
exemplum qualiter, pro eo quod Salomon, vt populum bene
regeret, ab altissimo sapienciam specialius postulauit,
omnia bona pariter cum illa sibi habundancius aduenerunt.]
Unto a worthi king belongeth.
Whan he his kingdom underfongeth,
God bad him chese what he wolde,
And seide him that he have scholde
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 223=]
What he wolde axe, as of o thing.
And he, which was a newe king,
Forth therupon his bone preide
To god, and in this wise he seide: 3900
‘O king, be whom that I schal regne,
Yif me wisdom, that I my regne,[1315] (4100*)
Forth with thi poeple which I have,[1316]
To thin honour mai kepe and save.’
Whan Salomon his bone hath taxed,
The god of that which he hath axed
Was riht wel paid, and granteth sone
Noght al only that he his bone
Schal have of that, bot of richesse,
Of hele, of pes, of hih noblesse, 3910
Forth with wisdom at his axinges,
Which stant above alle othre thinges.
Bot what king wole his regne save,
[Sidenote: Hic dicit secundum Salomonem, quod regie
maiestatis imperium ante omnia sano consilio dirigendum
est.]
Ferst him behoveth forto have
After the god and his believe
Such conseil which is to believe,
Fulfild of trouthe and rihtwisnesse:
Bot above alle in his noblesse
Betwen the reddour and pite
A king schal do such equite 3920
And sette the balance in evene,
So that the hihe god in hevene
And al the poeple of his nobleie
Loange unto his name seie.
For most above all erthli good,
Wher that a king himself is good
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 224=]
It helpeth, for in other weie
If so be that a king forsueie,
[Sidenote: Quicquid delirant reges, plectuntur Achiui.]
Fulofte er this it hath be sein,
The comun poeple is overlein 3930
And hath the kinges Senne aboght,
Al thogh the poeple agulte noght.
Of that the king his god misserveth,
The poeple takth that he descerveth
Hier in this world, bot elleswhere
I not hou it schal stonde there.
Forthi good is a king to triste
Ferst to himself, as he ne wiste
Non other help hot god alone;
So schal the reule of his persone 3940
Withinne himself thurgh providence
Ben of the betre conscience.
And forto finde ensample of this,
A tale I rede, and soth it is.

[Sidenote: [THE COURTIERS AND THE FOOL.]]
In a Cronique it telleth thus:
The king of Rome Lucius
Withinne his chambre upon a nyht
[Sidenote: Hic de Lucio Imperatore exemplum ponit, qualiter
Princeps sui nominis famam a secretis consiliariis
sapienter inuestigare debet; et si quid in ea sinistrum
inuenerit, prouisa discrecione ad dexteram conuertat.]
The Steward of his hous, a knyht,
Forth with his Chamberlein also,
To conseil hadde bothe tuo, 3950
And stoden be the Chiminee
Togedre spekende alle thre. (4150*)
And happeth that the kinges fol
Sat be the fyr upon a stol,
As he that with his babil pleide,
Bot yit he herde al that thei seide,
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 225=]
And therof token thei non hiede.
The king hem axeth what to rede
Of such matiere as cam to mouthe,
And thei him tolden as thei couthe. 3960
Whan al was spoke of that thei mente,
The king with al his hole entente
Thanne ate laste hem axeth this,
What king men tellen that he is:
Among the folk touchende his name,
Or be it pris, or be it blame,
Riht after that thei herden sein,
He bad hem forto telle it plein,
That thei no point of soth forbere,
Be thilke feith that thei him bere. 3970
The Steward ferst upon this thing
Yaf his ansuere unto the king
And thoghte glose in this matiere,
And seide, als fer as he can hiere,
His name is good and honourable:
Thus was the Stieward favorable,
That he the trouthe plein ne tolde.
The king thanne axeth, as he scholde,
The Chamberlein of his avis.
And he, that was soubtil and wys, 3980
And somdiel thoghte upon his feith,
Him tolde hou al the poeple seith
That if his conseil were trewe,
Thei wiste thanne wel and knewe[1317]
That of himself he scholde be
A worthi king in his degre:
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 226=]
And thus the conseil he accuseth
In partie, and the king excuseth.
The fol, which herde of al the cas[1318]
That time, as goddes wille was,[1319] 3990
Sih that thei seiden noght ynowh,
And hem to skorne bothe lowh,
And to the king he seide tho:
‘Sire king, if that it were so,
Of wisdom in thin oghne mod
That thou thiselven were good,
Thi conseil scholde noght be badde.’
The king therof merveille hadde,
Whan that a fol so wisly spak,
And of himself fond out the lack 4000
Withinne his oghne conscience:
And thus the foles evidence, (4200*)
Which was of goddes grace enspired,
Makth that good conseil was desired.[1320]
He putte awey the vicious
And tok to him the vertuous;
The wrongful lawes ben amended,
The londes good is wel despended,
The poeple was nomore oppressed,
And thus stod every thing redressed. 4010
For where a king is propre wys,
And hath suche as himselven is
Of his conseil, it mai noght faile
That every thing ne schal availe:
The vices thanne gon aweie,
And every vertu holt his weie;
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 227=]
Wherof the hihe god is plesed,
And al the londes folk is esed.
For if the comun poeple crie,
And thanne a king list noght to plie[1321] 4020
To hiere what the clamour wolde,
And otherwise thanne he scholde
Desdeigneth forto don hem grace,
It hath be sen in many place,
Ther hath befalle gret contraire;
And that I finde of ensamplaire.

[Sidenote: [FOLLY OF REHOBOAM.]]
After the deth of Salomon,
Whan thilke wise king was gon,
[Sidenote: Hic dicit quod Seniores magis experti ad
Principis consilium admittendi pocius existunt. Et narrat
qualiter, pro eo quod Roboas Salomonis filius et heres
senium sermonibus renuncians dicta iuuenum preelegit, de
xii. tribubus Israel a dominio suo x. penitus amisit, et
sic cum duabus tantummodo illusus postea regnauit.]
And Roboas in his persone
Receive scholde the corone, 4030
The poeple upon a Parlement[1322]
Avised were of on assent,
And alle unto the king thei preiden,
With comun vois and thus thei seiden:
‘Oure liege lord, we thee beseche
That thou receive oure humble speche
And grante ous that which reson wile,[1323]
Or of thi grace or of thi skile.
Thi fader, whil he was alyve
And myhte bothe grante and pryve, 4040
Upon the werkes whiche he hadde
The comun poeple streite ladde:
Whan he the temple made newe,
Thing which men nevere afore knewe[1324]
He broghte up thanne of his taillage,
And al was under the visage
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 228=]
Of werkes whiche he made tho.
Bot nou it is befalle so,
That al is mad, riht as he seide,
And he was riche whan he deide; 4050
So that it is no maner nede,
If thou therof wolt taken hiede, (4250*)
To pilen of the poeple more,
Which long time hath be grieved sore.
And in this wise as we thee seie,
With tendre herte we thee preie
That thou relesse thilke dette,
Which upon ous thi fader sette.
And if thee like to don so,
We ben thi men for everemo, 4060
To gon and comen at thin heste.’
The king, which herde this requeste,
Seith that he wole ben avised,
And hath therof a time assised;
And in the while as he him thoghte
Upon this thing, conseil he soghte.
And ferst the wise knyhtes olde,
To whom that he his tale tolde,
[Sidenote: De consilio Senium.]
Conseilen him in this manere;
That he with love and with glad chiere 4070
Foryive and grante al that is axed
Of that his fader hadde taxed;
For so he mai his regne achieve
With thing which schal him litel grieve.
The king hem herde and overpasseth,
And with these othre his wit compasseth,
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 229=]
That yonge were and nothing wise.
And thei these olde men despise,
[Sidenote: De consilio iuuenum.]
And seiden: ‘Sire, it schal be schame
For evere unto thi worthi name, 4080
If thou ne kepe noght the riht,[1325]
Whil thou art in thi yonge myht,
Which that thin olde fader gat.
Bot seie unto the poeple plat,
That whil thou livest in thi lond,
The leste finger of thin hond
It schal be strengere overal
Than was thi fadres bodi al.
And this also schal be thi tale,
If he hem smot with roddes smale, 4090
With Scorpions thou schalt hem smyte;[1326]
And wher thi fader tok a lyte,[1327]
Thou thenkst to take mochel more.[1328]
Thus schalt thou make hem drede sore
The grete herte of thi corage,
So forto holde hem in servage.’
This yonge king him hath conformed
To don as he was last enformed,
Which was to him his undoinge:
For whan it cam to the spekinge, 4100
He hath the yonge conseil holde,
That he the same wordes tolde (4300*)
Of al the poeple in audience;
And whan thei herden the sentence
Of his malice and the manace,
Anon tofore his oghne face
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 230=]
Thei have him oultreli refused
And with ful gret reproef accused.
So thei begunne forto rave,
That he was fain himself to save; 4110
For as the wilde wode rage
Of wyndes makth the See salvage,
And that was calm bringth into wawe,
So for defalte of grace and lawe
This poeple is stered al at ones[1329]
And forth thei gon out of hise wones;
So that of the lignages tuelve
Tuo tribes only be hemselve
With him abiden and nomo:
So were thei for everemo 4120
Of no retorn withoute espeir
Departed fro the rihtfull heir.
Al Irahel with comun vois[1330]
A king upon here oghne chois
Among hemself anon thei make,
And have here yonge lord forsake;
A povere knyht Jeroboas
Thei toke, and lefte Roboas,
Which rihtfull heir was be descente.
Lo, thus the yonge cause wente: 4130
For that the conseil was noght good,
The regne fro the rihtfull blod
Evere afterward divided was.
So mai it proven be this cas
That yong conseil, which is to warm,
Er men be war doth ofte harm.
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 231=]
Old age for the conseil serveth,
And lusti youthe his thonk deserveth
Upon the travail which he doth;
And bothe, forto seie a soth, 4140
Be sondri cause forto have,
If that he wole his regne save,
A king behoveth every day.
That on can and that other mai,
Be so the king hem bothe reule,
For elles al goth out of reule.

[Sidenote: [WISDOM IN A KING’S COUNCIL.]]
And upon this matiere also
A question betwen the tuo
[Sidenote: Nota questionem cuiusdam Philosophi, vtrum
regno conueniencius foret principem cum malo consilio
optare sapientem, quam cum sano consilio ipsum eligere
insipientem.]
Thus writen in a bok I fond;
Wher it be betre for the lond 4150
A king himselve to be wys,
And so to bere his oghne pris, (4350*)
And that his consail be noght good,
Or other wise if it so stod,
A king if he be vicious
And his conseil be vertuous.
It is ansuerd in such a wise,
That betre it is that thei be wise
Be whom that the conseil schal gon,
For thei be manye, and he is on;[1331] 4160
And rathere schal an one man[1332]
With fals conseil, for oght he can,
From his wisdom be mad to falle,
Thanne he al one scholde hem alle
Fro vices into vertu change,
For that is wel the more strange.
[Sidenote: [MERCY AND JUSTICE.]]
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 232=]

Forthi the lond mai wel be glad,
Whos king with good conseil is lad,
Which set him unto rihtwisnesse,
So that his hihe worthinesse 4170
Betwen the reddour and Pite
Doth mercy forth with equite.
A king is holden overal
To Pite, bot in special[1333]
To hem wher he is most beholde;
Thei scholde his Pite most beholde
That ben the Lieges of his lond,
For thei ben evere under his hond
After the goddes ordinaunce
To stonde upon his governance. 4180
[Sidenote: Nota adhuc precipue de principis erga suos
subditos debita pietate. Legitur enim qualiter Anthonius a
Cipione exemplificatus dixit, quod mallet vnum de populo
sibi commisso virum saluare, quam centum ex hostibus
alienigenis in bello perdere.]
Of themperour Anthonius
I finde hou that he seide thus,
That levere him were forto save[1334]
Oon of his lieges than to have
Of enemis a thousend dede.[1335]
And this he lernede, as I rede,[1336]
Of Cipio, which hadde be
Consul of Rome. And thus to se
Diverse ensamples hou thei stonde,
A king which hath the charge on honde 4190
The comun poeple to governe,
If that he wole, he mai wel lerne.
Is non so good to the plesance
Of god, as is good governance;[1337]
And every governance is due
To Pite: thus I mai argue
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 233=]
That Pite is the foundement
Of every kinges regiment,
If it be medled with justice.
Thei tuo remuen alle vice, 4200
And ben of vertu most vailable
To make a kinges regne stable. (4400*)
Lo, thus the foure pointz tofore,
In governance as thei ben bore,
Of trouthe ferst and of largesse,
Of Pite forth with rihtwisnesse,
I have hem told; and over this
The fifte point, so as it is[1338]
Set of the reule of Policie,
Wherof a king schal modefie 4210
The fleisschly lustes of nature,
Nou thenk I telle of such mesure,[1339]
That bothe kinde schal be served
And ek the lawe of god observed.

[Sidenote: [THE FIFTH POINT OF POLICY. CHASTITY.]]
xi. _Corporis et mentis regem decet omnis honestas,_
_Nominis vt famam nulla libido ruat._
_Omne quod est hominis effeminat illa voluptas,_
_Sit nisi magnanimi cordis, vt obstet ei._

The Madle is mad for the femele,
Bot where as on desireth fele,
That nedeth noght be weie of kinde:
[Sidenote: Hic tractat secundum Aristotelem de quinta
principum regiminis Policia, que Castitatem concernit,
cuius honestas impudicicie motus obtemperans tam corporis
quam anime mundiciam specialius preseruat.]
For whan a man mai redy finde
His oghne wif, what scholde he seche
In strange places to beseche 4220
To borwe an other mannes plouh,
Whan he hath geere good ynouh[1340]
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 234=]
Affaited at his oghne heste,
And is to him wel more honeste
Than other thing which is unknowe?
Forthi scholde every good man knowe
And thenke, hou that in mariage
His trouthe plight lith in morgage,
Which if he breke, it is falshode,
And that descordeth to manhode, 4230
And namely toward the grete,
Wherof the bokes alle trete;
So as the Philosophre techeth
To Alisandre, and him betecheth
The lore hou that he schal mesure
His bodi, so that no mesure
Of fleisshly lust he scholde excede.
And thus forth if I schal procede,
The fifte point, as I seide er,[1341]
Is chastete, which sielde wher 4240
Comth nou adaies into place;
And natheles, bot it be grace
Above alle othre in special,
Is non that chaste mai ben all.
Bot yit a kinges hihe astat,[1342]
Which of his ordre as a prelat
Schal ben enoignt and seintefied,
He mot be more magnefied
For dignete of his corone,
Than scholde an other low persone, 4250
Which is noght of so hih emprise.
Therfore a Prince him scholde avise, (4450*)
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 235=]
Er that he felle in such riote,
And namely that he nassote
To change for the wommanhede
The worthinesse of his manhede.
[Sidenote: Nota de doctrina Aristotilis, qualiter Princeps,
vt animi sui iocunditatem prouocet, mulieres formosas
crebro aspicere debet. Caueat tamen, ne mens voluptuosa
torpescens ex carnis fragilitate in vicium dilabatur.]
Of Aristotle I have wel rad,
Hou he to Alisandre bad,
That forto gladen his corage
He schal beholde the visage 4260
Of wommen, whan that thei ben faire.
Bot yit he set an essamplaire,[1343]
His bodi so to guide and reule,
That he ne passe noght the reule,
Wherof that he himself beguile.
For in the womman is no guile[1344]
Of that a man himself bewhapeth;
Whan he his oghne wit bejapeth,
I can the wommen wel excuse:[1345]
Bot what man wole upon hem muse 4270
After the fool impression
Of his ymaginacioun,
Withinne himself the fyr he bloweth,
Wherof the womman nothing knoweth,
So mai sche nothing be to wyte.
For if a man himself excite
To drenche, and wol it noght forbere,[1346]
The water schal no blame bere.
What mai the gold, thogh men coveite?
If that a man wol love streite, 4280
The womman hath him nothing bounde;
If he his oghne herte wounde,
[Sidenote: =P. iii 236=]
Sche mai noght lette the folie;
And thogh so felle of compainie
That he myht eny thing pourchace,
Yit makth a man the ferste chace,
The womman fleth and he poursuieth:
So that be weie of skile it suieth,
The man is cause, hou so befalle,
That he fulofte sithe is falle 4290
Wher that he mai noght wel aryse.
And natheles ful manye wise
Befoled have hemself er this,
As nou adaies yit it is
Among the men and evere was,
The stronge is fieblest in this cas.
It sit a man be weie of kinde
To love, bot it is noght kinde
A man for love his wit to lese:
For if the Monthe of Juil schal frese 4300
And that Decembre schal ben hot,
The yeer mistorneth, wel I wot. (4500*)
To sen a man fro his astat
Thurgh his sotie effeminat,
And leve that a man schal do,
It is as Hose above the Scho,
To man which oghte noght ben used.
Bot yit the world hath ofte accused
Ful grete Princes of this dede,
Hou thei for love hemself mislede, 4310
Wherof manhode stod behinde,
Of olde ensamples as I finde.[1347]

[Sidenote: [EVIL EXAMPLE OF SARDANAPALUS.]]
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 237=]
These olde gestes tellen thus,
That whilom Sardana Pallus,[1348]
[Sidenote: Hic ponit exemplum qualiter, pro eo quod
Sardana Pallus[1349] Assiriorum Princeps muliebri[1350]
oblectamento effeminatus sue concupiscencie torporem quasi
ex consuetudine adhibebat, a Barbaro Rege Medorum super hoc
insidiante in sui feruoris maiori voluptate[1351] subitis
mutacionibus extinctus est.]
Which hield al hol in his empire
The grete kingdom of Assire,
Was thurgh the slouthe of his corage
Falle into thilke fyri rage
Of love, which the men assoteth,
Wherof himself he so rioteth, 4320
And wax so ferforth womannyssh,[1352]
That ayein kinde, as if a fissh
Abide wolde upon the lond,
In wommen such a lust he fond,
That he duelte evere in chambre stille,
And only wroghte after the wille
Of wommen, so as he was bede,
That selden whanne in other stede
If that he wolde wenden oute,
To sen hou that it stod aboute. 4330
Bot ther he keste and there he pleide,[1353]
Thei tawhten him a Las to breide,
And weve a Pours, and to enfile
A Perle: and fell that ilke while,
On Barbarus the Prince of Mede
Sih hou this king in wommanhede[1354]
Was falle fro chivalerie,
And gat him help and compaignie,
And wroghte so, that ate laste
This king out of his regne he caste, 4340
Which was undon for everemo:
And yit men speken of him so,
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 238=]
That it is schame forto hiere.
[Sidenote: [DAVID.]]
Forthi to love is in manere.
[Sidenote: Nota qualiter Dauid amans mulieres propter hoc
probitatem Armorum non minus excercuit.]
King David hadde many a love,
Bot natheles alwey above
Knyhthode he kepte in such a wise,
That for no fleisshli covoitise
Of lust to ligge in ladi armes
He lefte noght the lust of armes. 4350
For where a Prince hise lustes suieth,
That he the werre noght poursuieth, (4550*)
Whan it is time to ben armed,
His contre stant fulofte harmed,
Whan thenemis ben woxe bolde,
That thei defence non beholde.
Ful many a lond hath so be lore,[1355]
As men mai rede of time afore
Of hem that so here eses soghten,
Which after thei full diere aboghten. 4360

[Sidenote: [CYRUS AND THE LYDIANS.]]
To mochel ese is nothing worth,
For that set every vice forth[1356]
[Sidenote: Hic loquitur qualiter regnum lasciuie
voluptatibus deditum de facili vincitur.[1357] Et ponit
exemplum de Ciro Rege Persarum, qui cum Liddos mire[1358]
probitatis strenuissimos sibique in bello aduersantes nullo
modo vincere potuit, cum ipsis tandem pacis tractatum
dissimilans concordiam finalem stabiliri[1359] finxit.
Super quo Liddi postea per aliquod tempus armis insoliti
sub pacis torpore[1360] voluptatibus intendebant: quod
Cirus percipiens in eos armatus subito irruit, ipsosque
indefencibiles[1361] vincens sub imperio tributarios
subiugauit.]
And every vertu put abak,
Wherof priss torneth into lak,
As in Cronique I mai reherse:
Which telleth hou the king of Perse,
That Cirus hihte, a werre hadde
Ayein a poeple which he dradde,
Of a contre which Liddos hihte;
Bot yit for oght that he do mihte 4370
As in bataille upon the werre,
He hadde of hem alwey the werre.
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 239=]
And whan he sih and wiste it wel,
That he be strengthe wan no del,
Thanne ate laste he caste a wyle
This worthi poeple to beguile,
And tok with hem a feigned pes,
Which scholde lasten endeles,
So as he seide in wordes wise,
Bot he thoghte al in other wise. 4380
For it betidd upon the cas,[1362]
Whan that this poeple in reste was,
Thei token eses manyfold;
And worldes ese, as it is told,
Be weie of kinde is the norrice
Of every lust which toucheth vice.
Thus whan thei were in lustes falle,
The werres ben foryeten alle;
Was non which wolde the worschipe
Of Armes, hot in idelschipe 4390
Thei putten besinesse aweie
And token hem to daunce and pleie;
Bot most above alle othre thinges
Thei token hem to the likinges
Of fleysshly lust, that chastete[1363]
Received was in no degre,
Bot every man doth what him liste.
And whan the king of Perse it wiste,
That thei unto folie entenden,
With his pouer, whan thei lest wenden, 4400
Mor sodeinly than doth the thunder
He cam, for evere and put hem under.[1364] (4600*)
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 240=]
And thus hath lecherie lore
The lond, which hadde be tofore
The beste of hem that were tho.
[Sidenote: [THE COUNSEL OF BALAAM.]]
And in the bible I finde also
A tale lich unto this thing,
[Sidenote: Nota hic[1365] qualiter fata bellica luxus
infortunat. Et narrat quod cum Rex Amalech Hebreis sibi
insultantibus resistere nequiit, consilio Balaam mulieres
regni sui pulcherrimas in castra Hebreorum misit; qui ab
ipsis contaminati[1366] graciam statim amiserunt. Et sic ab
Amalech deuicti in magna multitudine gladio ceciderunt.]
Hou Amalech the paien king,
Whan that he myhte be no weie
Defende his lond and putte aweie 4410
The worthi poeple of Irael,[1367]
This Sarazin, as it befell,
Thurgh the conseil of Balaam
A route of faire wommen nam,
That lusti were and yonge of Age,[1368]
And bad hem gon to the lignage
Of these Hebreus: and forth thei wente
With yhen greye and browes bente
And wel arraied everych on;
And whan thei come were anon 4420
Among thebreus, was non insihte,
Bot cacche who that cacche myhte,
And ech of hem hise lustes soghte,
Whiche after thei full diere boghte.[1369]
For grace anon began to faile,
That whan thei comen to bataille
Thanne afterward, in sori plit
Thei were take and disconfit,
So that withinne a litel throwe
The myht of hem was overthrowe, 4430
That whilom were wont to stonde.
Til Phinces the cause on honde
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 241=]
Hath take, this vengance laste,
Bot thanne it cessede ate laste,
For god was paid of that he dede:[1370]
For wher he fond upon a stede
A couple which misferde so,
Thurghout he smot hem bothe tuo,
And let hem ligge in mennes yhe;
Wherof alle othre whiche hem sihe 4440
Ensamplede hem upon the dede,
And preiden unto the godhiede
Here olde Sennes to amende:
And he, which wolde his mercy sende,
Restorede hem to newe grace.
Thus mai it schewe in sondri place,
Of chastete hou the clennesse
Acordeth to the worthinesse
Of men of Armes overal;
Bot most of alle in special 4450
This vertu to a king belongeth,
For upon his fortune it hongeth (4650*)
Of that his lond schal spede or spille.
Forthi bot if a king his wille
Fro lustes of his fleissh restreigne,
Ayein himself he makth a treigne,
Into the which if that he slyde,
Him were betre go besyde.
For every man mai understonde,
Hou for a time that it stonde, 4460
It is a sori lust to lyke,
Whos ende makth a man to syke
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 242=]
And torneth joies into sorwe.
The brihte Sonne be the morwe
Beschyneth noght the derke nyht,
The lusti youthe of mannes myht,
In Age bot it stonde wel,
Mistorneth al the laste whiel.

[Sidenote: [EVIL EXAMPLE OF SOLOMON.]]
That every worthi Prince is holde
Withinne himself himself beholde, 4470
[Sidenote: Hic loquitur qualiter Principum irregulata
voluptas eos a semita recta multociens deuiare compellit.
Et narrat exemplum de Salomone, qui ex sue carnis
concupiscencia victus mulierum blandimentis in sui
scandalum deos alienos eolere presumebat.]
To se the stat of his persone,[1371]
And thenke hou ther be joies none
Upon this Erthe mad to laste,
And hou the fleissh schal ate laste
The lustes of this lif forsake,
Him oghte a gret ensample take
Of Salomon, whos appetit
Was holy set upon delit,
To take of wommen the plesance:
So that upon his ignorance 4480
The wyde world merveileth yit,
That he, which alle mennes wit
In thilke time hath overpassed,
With fleisshly lustes was so tassed,
That he which ladde under the lawe
The poeple of god, himself withdrawe
He hath fro god in such a wise,
That he worschipe and sacrifise
For sondri love in sondri stede
Unto the false goddes dede. 4490
This was the wise ecclesiaste,
The fame of whom schal evere laste,[1372]
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 243=]
That he the myhti god forsok,
Ayein the lawe whanne he tok
Hise wyves and hise concubines
Of hem that weren Sarazines,
For whiche he dede ydolatrie.
For this I rede of his sotie:
Sche of Sidoyne so him ladde,
[Sidenote: De filia Regis Cidonie.]
That he knelende hise armes spradde 4500
To Astrathen with gret humblesse,
Which of hire lond was the goddesse: (4700*)
[Sidenote: De filia Regis Moab.]
And sche that was a Moabite
So ferforth made him to delite
Thurgh lust, which al his wit devoureth,
That he Chamos hire god honoureth.
[Sidenote: De filia Regis Amon.]
An other Amonyte also
With love him hath assoted so,
Hire god Moloch that with encense
He sacreth, and doth reverence 4510
In such a wise as sche him bad.
Thus was the wiseste overlad
With blinde lustes whiche he soghte:
Bot he it afterward aboghte.
[Sidenote: [DIVISION OF HIS KINGDOM.]]
For Achias Selonites,
Which was prophete, er his decess,
[Sidenote: Nota hic qualiter Achias propheta, in signum
quod regnum post mortem Salomonis ob eius peccatum a suo
herede diminueretur, pallium suum in xii. partes scidit,
vnde x. partes Ieroboe filio Nabal, qui regnaturus postea
successit, precepto dei tribuit.]
Whil he was in hise lustes alle,
Betokneth what schal after falle.
For on a day, whan that he mette
Jeroboam the knyht, he grette 4520
And bad him that he scholde abyde,
To hiere what him schal betyde.
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 244=]
And forth withal Achias caste
His mantell of, and also faste
He kut it into pieces twelve,[1373]
Wherof tuo partz toward himselve[1374]
He kepte, and al the remenant,
As god hath set his covenant,
He tok unto Jeroboas,
Of Nabal which the Sone was 4530
And of the kinges court a knyht:
And seide him, ‘Such is goddes myht,
As thou hast sen departed hiere
Mi mantell, riht in such manere
After the deth of Salomon
God hath ordeigned therupon,
This regne thanne he schal divide:
Which time thou schalt ek abide,
And upon that division
The regne as in proporcion 4540
As thou hast of mi mantell take,
Thou schalt receive, I undertake.
And thus the Sone schal abie
The lustes and the lecherie
Of him which nou his fader is.’
So forto taken hiede of this,
It sit a king wel to be chaste,
For elles he mai lihtly waste
Himself and ek his regne bothe,
And that oghte every king to lothe. 4550
O, which a Senne violent,
Wherof so wys a king was schent, (4750*)
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 245=]
That the vengance in his persone
Was noght ynouh to take al one,
Bot afterward, whan he was passed,
It hath his heritage lassed,
As I more openli tofore[1375]
The tale tolde. And thus therfore
[Sidenote: Aristotiles.[1376] O Alexander, super omnia consulo,
conserua tibi calorem naturalem.]
The Philosophre upon this thing
Writ and conseileth to a king, 4560
That he the surfet of luxure
Schal tempre and reule of such mesure,
Which be to kinde sufficant
And ek to reson acordant,
So that the lustes ignorance
Be cause of no misgovernance,
Thurgh which that he be overthrowe,
As he that wol no reson knowe.
For bot a mannes wit be swerved,
Whan kinde is dueliche served, 4570
It oghte of reson to suffise;
For if it falle him otherwise,[1377]
He mai tho lustes sore drede.[1378]
[Sidenote: [ANTONIUS.]]
For of Anthonie thus I rede,[1379]
[Sidenote: De voluptuoso Antonio.]
Which of Severus was the Sone,
That he his lif of comun wone
Yaf holy unto thilke vice,
And ofte time he was so nyce,
Wherof nature hire hath compleigned
Unto the god, which hath desdeigned 4580
The werkes whiche Antonie wroghte[1380]
Of lust, whiche he ful sore aboghte:
[Sidenote: =P. iii. 246=]
For god his forfet hath so wroke
That in Cronique it is yit spoke.
Bot forto take remembrance
Of special misgovernance
Thurgh covoitise and injustice
Forth with the remenant of vice,
And nameliche of lecherie,
I finde write a gret partie 4590
Withinne a tale, as thou schalt hiere,
Which is thensample of this matiere.