[Sidenote: [The 5^the p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: _P._ Do kingdoms and a familiarity with princes make a
man mighty?]
++Bvt regnes {and} familarites of kynges may þei maken a
ma{n} to ben myȝty.
[Sidenote: _B._ Why should they not if they are durable?]
how ellys. ¶ whanne hir 2060
blysfulnesse dureþ p{er}petuely
[Sidenote: _P._ Past ages, as well as the present, furnish us with
many examples of princes who have met with dismal reverses of
fortune.]
but certys þe olde age of
tyme passeþ. {and} eke of p{re}sent tyme now is ful of
ensau{m}ples how þ{a}t kynges þat han chaunged in to
wrechednesse out of hir welefulnesse.
[Sidenote: O then how noble and glorious a thing is power that is
too weak to preserve itself!]
¶ O a noble þing 2064
{and} a cler þing is power þat is nat founden myȝty to
kepe it self.
[Sidenote: If dominion brings felicity, then misery will follow if
it be defective.]
¶ And yif þat power of realmes be auctour
{and} maker of blisfulnesse. yif þilke power lakkeþ on
any side. amenusiþ it nat þilke blisfulnesse {and} bryngeþ 2068
in wrechednesse.
[Sidenote: But human rule has its limits, therefore wherever power
ceases there impotence enters, bringing misery along with it.]
but yif al be it so þat realmes of mankynde
stretchen b{r}oode. ȝit mot þer nede ben myche
folk ouer whiche þat euery kyng ne haþ no lordshipe
no comaundement ¶ and certys vpon þilke syde þat 2072
power failleþ whiche þat makiþ folk blisful. ryȝt on þat
same side nou{n}power entriþ vndirneþ þat makeþ hem
wreches.
[Sidenote: Kings, therefore, have a larger portion of misery than
of felicity.]
¶ In þis manere þanne moten kynges han
more porciou{n} of wrechednesse þan of welefulnesse. 2076
[Linenotes:
2060 _myȝty_--MS. vnmyȝty, C. myhty
2062 _passeþ_--passed
_of_ (2)--omitted
2063 _kynges þat han_--kynges ben
2066 _kepe_--kepen
2067 _maker_--maker{e}
2069 _yif_--yit
_realmes_--the Reaumes
2070 _stretchen_--strechchen
_myche_--moche
2071 _haþ_--MS. haþe
2073 _whiche_--whych
2074 _vndirneþ_--vndyr-nethe]
[Headnote:
POWER DOES NOT DRIVE AWAY CARE.]
[Sidenote: Dionysius of Sicily, conscious of this condition,
exhibited the fears and cares of royalty by the terror of a naked
sword hanging over the head of his friend and flatterer Damocles.]
¶ A tyraunt þat was kyng of sisile þat had[de] assaied
þe p{er}il of his estat shewid[e] by similitude þe dredes
of realmes by gastnesse of a swerde þat heng ouer þe
heued of his familier.
[Sidenote: What then is this thing called Power, which cannot do
away with care or fear?]
what þing is þan þis power þat 2080
may nat don awey þe bytynges of besines ne eschewe [[pg 76]]
þe prikkes of drede.
[Sidenote: Men would live in security but cannot, and yet they
glory in their power.]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 18.]]
and certys ȝit wolden þei lyuen
*in sykernesse. but þei may nat. and ȝit þei glorifien
hem in her power
[Sidenote: Is he powerful who cannot do what he wishes?]
¶ Holdest þou þan þat þilk[e] man 2084
be myȝty þat þ{o}u seest þat he wolde don þat he may
nat don.
[Sidenote: Is he a mighty man who goes surrounded with an armed
guard, to terrify those whom he himself fears, and whose power
depends solely upon his numerous retinue?]
¶ And holdest þou þan hym a myȝty man
þat haþ environed hise sydes wiþ men of armes or
seruauntes {and} dredeþ more [hem] þat he makeþ agast. 2088
þen þei dreden hym. {and} þat is put in þe handes of hise
seruauntȝ. for he sholde seme myȝty but of familiers
[or] seruauntȝ of ky{n}ges.
[Sidenote: Why need I enlarge upon the favourites of princes
having thus displayed the imbecility of kings!]
¶ what sholde I telle þe
any þing. syn þat I my self haue shewed þe þat realmes 2092
hem self ben ful of gret feblenesse.
[Sidenote: Their prosperity is affected by the caprice of their
fortunate masters as well as by the adversity to which they are
incident.]
þe whiche familiers
certis þe real power of kynges in hool estat {and} in estat
abated ful [ofte] þroweþ adou{n}.
[Sidenote: Nero only allowed his master Seneca to choose the
manner of his death.]
¶ Nero co{n}streined[e]
his familier {and} his maistre seneca to chesen on what 2096
deeþ he wolde deien.
[Sidenote: Antonius (Caracalla) commanded Papinian to be slain by
the swords of his soldiers.]
¶ Antonius comau{n}did[e] þat
knyȝtis slowen wiþ her swerdis Papinian his familier
whiche Papinian had[de] ben long tyme ful myȝty
a-monges hem of þe courte.
[Sidenote: Yet both would have given up all they possessed.]
and ȝit certis þei wolde boþe 2100
han renou{n}ced her power.
[Sidenote: Seneca begged for poverty and exile. But relentless
fortune precipitated them to destruction, and did not permit them
to choose their fate.]
of whiche [two] senek enforced[e]
hym to ȝiue{n} to Nero his rychesses. {and} also
to han gon in to solitarie exil. ¶ But whan þe grete
weyȝt. þat is to sein of lordes power or of fortune 2104
draweþ hem þat sholden falle. neyþer of hem ne
myȝt[e] do þat he wolde.
[Sidenote: What then is Power, which terrifies its possessors, and
which cannot be got rid of at pleasure?]
what þing is þanne þilke
power þat þouȝ men han it þat þei ben agast. ¶ {and}
whan þou woldest han it þou nart nat siker. ¶ And 2108
yif þou woldest forleten it þou mayst nat eschewen it.
[Sidenote: No advantage is to be gained by friendship based on
prosperity instead of virtue.]
¶ But wheþir swiche men ben frendes at nede as ben
conseiled by fortune {and} nat by vertue.
[Sidenote: Adversity will turn this sort of friendship into
enmity. And what greater plague can there be than the enmity of
thy familiar friend?]
Certys swiche
folk as weleful fortune makeþ frendes. contrarious fortune [[pg 77]]
makeþ hem enmyse. ¶ And what pestilence is 2113
more myȝty forto anoye a wiȝt þan a familier enemy.
[Linenotes:
2077 _had[de]_--hadde
2078 _shewid[e]_--shewede
2079 _realmes_--Reaumes
_swerde_--swerd
_heng_--MS. henge, C. heng
2081 _besines_--bysynesse
2083 _ȝit_--yif
_glorifien_--gloryfye
2084 _þilk[e]_--thylke
2087 _haþ_--MS. haþe
_environed_--enuyrownede
2088 [_hem_]--from C.
2089 _þen_--than
2091 [_or_]--from C.
2092 _realmes_--Reames
2093 _feblenesse_--feblesse
2094 _real_--Ryal
2095 [_ofte_]--from C.
_constreined[e]_--co{n}streynede
2096 _his_ (1)--hyr
_seneca_--Senek
2097 _comaundid[e]_--comau{n}dede
2098 _her_--hyr
2099 _whiche_--which
_had[de] ben long_--þ{a}t hadde ben longe
2100 _courte_--court
_wolde_--wolden
2101 [_two_]--from C.
_enforced[e]_--enforcede
2102 _ȝiuen_--yeuen
_his_--hyse
2104 _weyȝt_--weyhte
2105 _sholden_--sholen
2106 _myȝt[e]_--myhte]
[Headnote:
GLORY IS DECEPTIVE.]