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.