¶ Here begynneth the firste chaptre the whiche speketh of the discrypcion of the body of polycye. Capitulo. Primo.

IF it be possyble that of vyce myght growe ver tue / it wyll please me well in this partye to be passyoned as a woma [...] lyke as many men h [...] den oppynyon that nature of woman can [...] kepe vnder scylence the abundance of hyr [...] rage: Now come hardely & shewe out by many clere ryue [...] and crystall sprynges / and by the vnst auchable countaynes of my courage / whiche can nat hyde for to cast out the desyres of vertue: O vertue a thynge noble and deyfyed how dare I be so bolde & auaunte my selfe to speke of the whiche I know right well that myne vnderstandyng cannat quyckely com­prehendene vnderstande clerely ne declare: But out thyng re comforteth me and gyueth me hardynes that I vnderstande the so benygne / that thou wyll nat be dylplcasyd thoughe I speke of the nat oonly in thy moste subtyll thynges / but only in such thyngꝭ as may be comprehende in my conceyt [...] wher fore I shall make a remembraunce of the in [...]dyfyeng of good vertues: And firste for to speke of the lernynge and rule for to lyue after our betters: That is to know after the prynces of the whiche thynge I beseche most lowly theyr hygh mageste that they take no disdeyne of so symplea wyt as myne is / and that so symple a creature dare take vpon for to speke of y^e rule of so hygh estate / but that it wolde please them to with holde y^e techynge of y^e Phylosopher whiche sayth / haue no disdeygne of the lytclnesse / though thou be neuer so great / and specyally on hym that speketh good wordes: And so hereafter I truste to speke meanly by the grace of god of the ordre of lyuynge of noble prynces & knyghtꝭ / and in the thyrde parte of all other people / the whiche thre gendres of estate ought to be in polyce [Page] and after the symylytude of one body that is quycke after the sentence of the honourable man that is named Pl [...]tarque / whiche in a pystell that he sente to Trai [...]n̄ the Emperour as an open thynge to a body y^t hath lyfe / of the whiche the prynce or the prynces holden the hygher place of the hed / for as moche as they shuld and ought to be soueraynes / and of them shuld come the synguler establysshynges in lyke wyse as out of the vnderstandynge of men spryngen and comen the foreyne wet kes that the membres accheuen▪ The knyghtes & the nobles holden the place of y^e handes & the armes▪ For lyke as the ar­mes of a man ben stronge to meyteyne laboure and payne / so they ought to haue the charge to defende the right of y^e prynce and the comen wele▪ And they also ben comparyd to the han­des / for lyke as the handes put away the thynges that noyen suche wyse they shuld put away all thynges that ben euyll & vnprofytable▪ The thyrde maner of the people ben lykenyd to the bely / to the fete / and to the legges. For lyke as the body re­ceyueth in hym all thynge that comforte the hed and the mem bres / in lyke wyse the excercyse of prync [...] and nobles ought re­tourne to the comen wele lyke as it shall be more playnely de­claryd hereafter▪ And lyke as the legges and feete bere vp the weyght of a mannes body in lyke wyse the laboures susteyne all other estates.

¶ Here after it speketh of vertuous felycyte. Ca. ii.

[...]Hen now we haue for to treate of vertue and profyte of the order of lyuynge of y^e thre estates by y^t which sayd vertuo / The lyfe of man ought to be receyued in all manere of werkes / without whiche no man may attayne to honour / for it is the ryght degree to worshyp as valere sayth / And yet he sayth more that worshyp is the moste plentuous nor y [...]ynge [Page] of vertu / And to this purpose Arystotyll sayth / that to honour longeth dewe renerence in wytnessing of vertue / y^t is to know that worshyp ought nat to be gyuen to none but to them y^• be vertuous▪ For he sayth nat y^t it shuld be gyuen to y^e myghty folkes / ne to the ryche. but to them that be vertuous▪ For after his oppynyon the good men shuld be worshypped alway / For there is no thyng so moche desyred in noble hertes as is wor­shyp / lyke as he sayth hym selfe in his booke of Ethiques in y^e fourth boke / that myght & ryches be nat desyred but only for worshyp▪ Then it is trewe that to kyngꝭ and great prync [...] syn gulerly belongeth worshyp / & so by consequent vertue▪ Now we must distynge y^e partyes that we vnderstande for vertue / For seynt Austen sayth in his booke of the Cyte of god in the xx. chapter / whiche declareth in this maner▪ And sayth y^e Phy losophers say y^t vertue is y^e ende of good & euyll of mā kynde▪ That is to say y^t y^e felycite of man kynde is for to be vertuous Nowe it is so than / that in felyeyte there ought to be great dy lectacion / or elles it were no felyeyte▪ And of this ioy & felyeyte the auncyent Phylosophers made paynt a fygure of an yma ge vnder this fourme / it was made in y^e lykenes of a fayre & an amyable quene syttyng in a ryall cheyre vpon y^e erth. And about her were y^e .iiii. vertuous lokyng in her vysage as who sayth for to obey her cōmaūdemētꝭ / & for to obey & obserue her [...] Then she cōmaūded to prudence y^t she shuld enquere dylygēt ly how she myght reygne lōge / & to be [...]heele & in sewre estate▪ Then she cōmaūded to Iust yee y^t she shuld do all thyng y^t she ought & kepe y^e lawes to y^e entent y^t the peas were kept / After that she cōmaūded to strength y^t if any sorowe came to her bo dy / that she shuld modre it in resystynge & vertuous thought Then she cōmaunded to attempetaunce that she shulde take wyne & meete & other delectable thyngꝭ so attemprely y^t what thynge y^t she toke it shuld be by reason & nat to her anoyaūce [...] [Page] And [...]oby this present wrytyng a man may vnderstāde that for to be vertuous is none other thyng but to haue in hym self all maner thyngꝭ that may drawe a man to wele / and to with drawe all thynges that sow [...]eth to euyll and to vyces: Then it is necessary for gouernaunce of the polycy publyke that the hed be hole / that is to saye vertuous: For and the hed be sycke all the body shall feele it. Nowe we wyll begynne to tell of the medycyne for the hed / that is to knowe of the kynge or of the prynces: And lyke as our werke begynneth at y^e hed. we wyll take the firste hed of the age: that is to say the chyldhode of the prynce whiche is norysshed vnder the rule of his frendes:

¶ Here after is declaryd how a man shuld norysshe the chyldren of prynces at theyr begynnynge. [...]a. .iii.

HOr bycause it is cōmaunded vs expressely for to loue god: therfore we muste firste introduce the sone of the prynce at the begynnynge of his vnderstandynge / lytell and lytell for to serue god with smale and lyght [...]risons after the wytte of the chylde: For tho thynges that ben accustomed in chyldhod▪ it is ryght harde to be lefte: And for men shuld vn­derstande y^• suche thynge is agreable to god the psalme sayth that in the mowthe of infauntes and sowkers / our lorde hath made his laude / that is to saye he is agreable therto: And so furthermore as he wareth in age he shuld be taught letters & seruyes suche wyse as our lord may be preysed lyke as it is ac customed [...] Fraunce to t [...]che the yonge pryncꝭ better than in other places for to here masse euery day & say theyr matyns / Also there must be purueyed for hym a mayster that must be wyse and redy and more in good maners than in seyence / for nat withstandyng that somtyme the chyldren of prynces were taught by y^e Phylosophers as it is wryten of Philyp kyng of [Page] Macedoyne fader to the great Alysaunder▪ whiche worte [...] Arystotyll that he was glad that he had a sone borne. But y [...] he had gretter ioy that he was borne ī his tyme to that ente [...] [...] that he myght teche hym and enforme hym / whiche happyd for to falle so afterwarde. For Arystotyll was mayster to the great Alysaunder. Neuerthelesse for as moche now in this ty­me as the prync, be nat so couetouse now a dayes to be lernyd in the seyens / whiche and it pleasyd god. I wolde that it were vsed now as it was want to be. Wherfore me semeth that it is beste to gette them a mayster that is a good man and a discre t [...] bothe in wysdome & in nurture and louyng to god / though so [...]e that he be nat moste excellent or subt yll Phylosophre. Ne uerthelesse it were more lowable and a man coude fynde suche [...]e so parfyte that were a noble clerke / And of suche men: he prynces shuld enquere dylygently / for the good condycyons & maners that the childe seeth in the mayster▪ and the wyse wor [...]s and countenaunce of hym. is to the childe as a doctryne & [...]mperoure. Also y^• mayst c [...]ought to m [...]teyne hym by gret [...]dence in that offyce. For natwithstandyng that natur [...] of [...]ren maye nat be brought to lernynge but oonly by drede [...] the sone of a prynce behoueth to be brought in by other m [...] [...] for to make hym dre [...] than by gret betynge / for in to har [...] [...]o [...]ec [...]yon of a childe that is brought vp in delytes myght [...]me many incouenyent▪ also whan he vnderstandeth som­ [...]at of the state of lordshyp by the worshyp that men do vn­ [...]maye under the maner of suche corre [...]yon conspyre a­ [...]his mayster great indignacion / whiche may be great [...] ler [...]nge and to the peryll of his mayster. And als [...] the helthe [...] the childe whiche is softely and dely­ [...] ▪ ¶ But what ought the wyse man for to doo [...] vse before hym suche ensample as is shewde by [...] it is accustomed that aboute the chil [Page] [...] of prynces ben norysshed / other yonge chyldren that ben [...] sones whiche ben his dyscyples / he ought to be shar­pe to theym when they mysse take them selfe / in suche case as the sone of the prynce hathe offended in / and ought to beete theym couenably. [...]ut more to chast yse them by sharpe coun­tenaunce than by great betynges. And in semblable wyse he muste vse suche manae [...]s to the sone of the prynce if he wyll nat correcte hym selfe. And at somtyme he muste lette hym fe­le his rodde. And so by suche meanes he shall make hym sha­ [...]efast of suche thynges as he both amysse and right ferefull and obeysant. And also the wyse mayster ought to kepe hym selfe y^• he shewe hym nat to famys [...]a [...]e / or to pry [...]e for his dys­cypie shall drede hym the laste [...]id that the chylde also [...]e hym nat play to nyce playes / nor lawghe at nofoly nor foly she wor des mor be nat to moche acqueynted / but lyke as he were hal­fe mayster ouer euery man. And his countenaunce ought to [...]e great fayre and stedfast / And his clothynge ought to be clene and honourable / and also byfore his dyscyple he ought nat to speke no vayne wordes / but profytable and of good en­samples. Yet nat for that he shulde nat at all tymes make a sharpe vysage nor sharpe wordes / but he ought to drawe the chylde vnto hym with amyable and swete wordes when that he with holdeth well that he lerneth / or ellys and he doo any other goodly thynge / And also the mayster ought to do hym somtyme pleasure with some maner of thynges th [...] is plea­saunt for chyldren. And for to tell hym other whyle some good chyldrens tale of some tryfull for to make hym lawghe. And all for bycause that he shulde loue his [...]oo [...]e as well in maner as his owne dysportes / Also the mayster ought to sette a co [...] petent houre and a certayne rewle / and a certayne sp [...]ce of ty­me in which the chylde shulde conty [...]e [...] in his [...]. And af ter that gyue hym space to playe byfore his dy [...] / [...] [...] [Page] ought to be rewlyd that he ete nat to swete & delycate meetes / nor drynke to stronge and myghty wynes whiche causeth oft tymes great corrupeyons or ellys sykenesses. And when the chylde cometh to his grāmer / Thenne the mayster muste be­gynne to vse more subtyll wordes in his doctryne / lyke as he feleth the vnderstandyng of the chylde / and that he be able to conceyue them. And sol ytell and lytell / and more and morely [...]ewyse as the nowryce encreaseth the fedynge of the chylde after his we [...]ynge / so I suppose verely that the prynce wyll that his sone be lernyd in letture soo ferre / as that he myght vnderstande the rewles of grāmer and to vnderstande latyne whiche and it pleased god / I wolde that it were so by a gene­rall custome of all prynces that ben nowe / and be for to come. For I suppose that moche profyte shuld growe that of to them and to theyr subiectes. In so moche that it shulde cause the peo ple to m [...]rea [...]e in goodnes and great vertue. And the prynces chyldren shulde be taughte so ferre in letture / as that they myght vnderstande theyr logyke / and so to contynewe there in▪ lyke as the noble and wyse prynce y^• duke of Orlyans that nowe leueth / at the Iustaunce of the right honourable wyse and vertu [...]use duches my lady his wyfe. whiche as she that is the preyser and worshypper of kunnynge and vnderstan­dynge is dylygent lyke a prudent moder to instructe her chyl dren to wysdome in lecture and kunnynge.

¶ And ouer all this the wyse mayster before sayd whenne the vnderstandynge of the chylde begynneth to encrease and to haue greatter knowlege. Thenne he ought to lerne hym and fo [...]de hym with wyser d [...]ceryne / and namely in good maners by good ensamples or ellys to make hym reede in bookes of [...]esons / and he shulde make hym to vnderstande to knowe / and dyscer [...]e the good from the euyll / and teche hym and she­we hym the waye for to shewe good maners and vertue. lyke [Page] as the worthy prynces and well renowmed haue done before tyme as his predecessours and other noble prynces. And to she we hym all the great goodnesse that foloweth a good man. And in cōtrary wyse to them that ben euyl or vycious / and if he se hym in any wyse enclyned to the subtylte of kunnynge. he ought to shewe hym pleasaunt reasons to that entent that he shulde vnderstande the great felycyte that is in kunnyng / and open hym the wayes of Phylosophy. That is to know for to make hym fele and vnderstande it. And so for to haue such a mayster at his begynnynge the sone of the prynce if he con­tynewe in suche doctryne when he cometh to his age. he shall come to great excellence of vertue and to great renowne.

¶ Here after it sheweth to what maner of men ought to be gyuen the gouernaunce of the children of prynces. Capitulo. iiii.

WHan the sone of the prynce is somwhat growen vp / Then he ought to be departyd from the woman that haue norys [...]hed hym / And put hym to the warde pryn cypally of one of his auncyent knyghtes that is of great au­ctoryte. And it muste be well vnderstande that he be a wyse knyght [...]rewe manly and of good lyuynge. And with hym other unlyke wyse▪ Thenne this knyght ought dilygently to [...]ake good heede to the maners of the childe as moche or more then to the kepynge of his body▪ He oughte to be dylygent▪ al­so for to make hym ryse at a competent houre for to here his masse to saye his matens with fayre and well assewryd coun tenaūce speke fayre to y^• people [...]al [...]we them benygnely yelde euery man y^• doth hym worshyp lyke as longeth to his estate. [Page] [...]nd the same knyght shuld shewe hym o [...]te tymes what lon­geth to the honour and worshyp of knyghthodo / and shuld tel [...]ym of the worshypfull dedes that y^• worthy men haue done before tyme▪ Also he shuld let hym know which ben good men [...]nd better men and best men of his faders howse / And on the tother parte whiche that ought moste to be worshypped▪ Also he muste shewe hym what is the maner of batayle & the wor­shyp in armes how men fyghten▪ how mē assaylen. how men defende them / and for what quarelles men shuld do armes & fyght▪ what har [...]es is best moste stronge and moste sewre [...]or the most easy▪ and he shuld tell hym the causes why▪ And how a man shuld haue dyuers a [...]mures / after the case requyreth of the batayle or of the armes that he shall do / howe men dyd somtyme / and how men do now and how he shulde preyse the good and worshypfull men and to drawe them towarde hym loue them and worshyp them▪ And all suche goodly thyngꝭ he shuld do▪ And that knyght ought to take good hede y^• aboute the prynces sone there be nouther great man [...]e small / vse no dyshonest tales / nor that they induce hym nat to no foly▪ Also he ought to take good hede that the chyldren which ben about hym be well nory [...]shed and well manered to that entent that they brynge hym nat for to do lewdely nor folys [...]hely / And if y^• prynces sone do amysse / he shuld correcte hym saying in this wyse that it accordeth nat to the state of a prynce for to do so▪ And if he wyll nat amende hym selfe / it shall be to his great shame / for a prynce without honour is nothyng worthe▪ And if he wyll nat be gouerned otherwyse that he wyll leue hym & go [...]ro hym / and thus he shuld say to hym oft tymes▪ And vn­der this fourme they shuld be gouerned if they wolde attayne to worshyp in tyme to come / And this affermeth valere in his boke whiche speketh how y^• auncyent wyse men induced theyr chyldren to good maners▪ And for to take vpō them y^• hardnes [Page] of great empryses of worshyp and manhode▪ For they shewed them the great worthynes and dedes of good knyghtes. And shewed them also other good ensamples seyinge how that no man myght come to the degre of worshyp but by vertue▪ And at meete tymes made synge gestes of the worthy men that we re past out of the world / and of y^• worshypfull dedes of theyr pre decessours / to that entent that the wyll of yonge folkes shulde be the more couraged / And thus sayth valere that y^e olde aun cyent men taught thus theyr chyldren▪ And then were scoles kept of the worthynes of knyghthode and of good maners / of the whiche scoles he sayth come out the [...]esares / and the no­ble lygnes renomed in prowesse & manhode▪ So it is no doute that by good ensamples and by wyse steringes / ofte tymes to here & se in chyldhode may be the cause that a man shall come to excellence in all vertues: And semblably by euyll doctryne / they may be brought in to y^• way of pardycyon▪ For [...]uerroys sayth in the seconde boke of [...]hyseques / that a man may get hym a seconde nature▪ that is to knowe by longe custome of good or euyll▪ And therfore the frendes to theyr power oughte to kepe theyr chyldren from euyll customes takynge in theyr youthe▪ For as Orose sayth the erthen pot wyll kepe longe y^• swete taste of that lycoure that it is firste occupyed with. And for this cause they of Grece [...] that gouerned them somtyme by great knowynge & malyce. payned them selfe in suche wyse y^• these people y^• they hated shuld take dylectacyon ineuyll custo mes / & by such meanes foūde wayes to be venged vpon them

¶ The exhortacyons that men shulde make to the chyldren of prynces. Capitulo. v.

[...]so the sone of y^e prynce he beyng in chyldhode ought to be at somtymes brought in to couns [...]yle where that [Page] the wyse men ben assembled that determyne the nedes of the lande / and y^• causes that fallen therin▪ And the ordre to gouer ne well the polycye to that entent that from his chyldhode he shulde be desyrous to here and speke of the gouenaunce of the lordshyp whiche he is borne vnto / and that he is eyre of▪ so that he may at all tymes lerne to speke and to answere▪ of all suche thynges as belongeth vnto hym / And the knyghtes and the wyse men shulde say vnto hym that he shulde take good hede of that he hereth theym speke in counceyle / and that he bere it well awaye in his mynde▪ ¶ Furthermore they that haue hym in gouernaunce ought to make byfore hym▪ all maner of straunge thynges of dyuers countrees▪ And of the customes of men of werre. of batayles. And of the gouernaūce of dyuers places. of dyuers armes▪ Also of the feete of clergy / of the pope and of the churche▪ And the cōmaundementes to be shewed vnto hym by doctoures of Theologye▪ ¶ And all that a man ought to byleue as a good crysten man: Also he shulde here Sermons & collacions of clerkes at somtymes▪ And at som­tyme to here speke of y^• comōs. of marchaūtꝭ. of labourers how they leue and cheuys [...]he them selfe. of ryche men / & poore men. And also of all maner thynges to that entent that in his vn­derstandyng he be nat ygnoraūt of no maner thyng y^• ought to be vertuously knowen▪ ¶ For the Phylosopher sayth that man is nat wyse y^• hath nat vnderstandyng in all maner thy ges: ¶ And also it is ryght well done y^• his body be put in ex­cercyse of some maner of labour & trauayle▪ as in playng at y^e [...]ame or at the baase or other lyke playes / so that it be nat ouer moche. but mesurably to that entent▪ that he war nat to wery nor [...]o heuy / nor gowrdy by to moch rest / nor y^• it cause nat the superf [...]ue humours for to gadre in hym / semblably it shuld be tolde hym of the poore & nedy people & shewe them hym / & tell hym that he ought to haue pyte and compassyon vpon them. [Page] [...]nd that he do them good for the loue of god / whiche shall [...] a meane for to gette hym paradyse▪ And also that he haue py [...] vp on poore gentylwomen and orphalynes and socoure them in theyr nedes for the loue of god and gentylnesse▪ And to a [...] poore women and men to his power▪ And gentylly here they [...] requestes / and they shuld enduce hym also to be benygne an [...] humble and trew / and tell hym and she we hym that nat with standynge though he / by the grace of god be chosen to so gret estate. yet he is as mortall as another / and shal here nothyng with hym out of this worlde / but the good dedes and y^• euyll that he hathe done in this worlde▪ And for as moche as he is gretter than another man / he shall yelde the gr [...]tter accompt [...] Also he ought nat to be proude nor feers in corage thoughe so be that men do hym great re [...]erences and worshyppes / but ought to yelde all y^• graces to god / and shuld knowe the great gyftes that he receyueth of our lorde / And all suche good en­samples & mocyons wolde he shewed to y^• sone of the prynce / yet nat withstandynge this he muste be suffred at somtymes for to playe and take his dysportes lyke as it is rehersed here tofore▪ And alwayes amonge it shuld nat be forgoten to st [...]r [...] hym to good vertues and maners.

¶ [...]ere it telleth what the yonge prynce ought to do when he begynneth to gouerne. Capitulo. vi▪

WHen the sone of the prynce is ful growen and come to his age and to the tyme of receyuyng his lordshyp & so s [...]sed in his herytage by successyon / be it of Realme or other lordshyp / Then lyke as after the flowres of trees she weth the fruyte / In lyke wyse shuld appere and [...]e shewed in hym the perfeccyon of vertue / after the ensample of Charles the fyfte the wyse kynge of Fraunce / whiche helde well the [Page] wayes of vertue▪ For after that he was cr [...]wned / nat withstā dynge that it was in the flowre of his youthe / there was ne­uer persone that euer cowde take hym with any thynge of dis honeste nor that he neuer occupyed tyme / but in all vertues & cōmendable thynges [...]lyke as I haue wryten of hym byfore this tyme in the boke that speketh of his artes and dedes and of his good maners▪ And in thre thyng the vertues of a pryn ce ought to be shewed without whiche he may nat getene ha ue the crowne of his good name nor of his renowne and by cō sequent of worshyp. The firste is / and the moste pryncypall lo ue god and drede hym / and serue hym without feynyng▪ And rather to serue hym with good dedes / than be to longe lyinge in his orysons / Another is this▪ he ought to loue syngulerly the encrese of his Realme and of his people▪ And in that poynt he ought to set his studye rather than vpon his synguler pro­fyte▪ The thirde is that soueraygnely he ought to loue Iusty ce and kepe it▪ and holde it without brekyng / And he shuld do equyte to all people / and by obseruynge of these thre poyntes▪ he shall be crowned with glory bothe in heuen & in erth▪ Now from hensforth we wyll contynewe in our mater as in y^• firste partye whiche speketh of the heed / That is to wyt of the pryn ce or of prynces and we wyll founde vs vpon these thre poyn­tes / And for to speke of y^• firste poynte whiche is for to loue god out of the whiche we shuld drawe many braunches of vertue that hangeth there vpon / & all to our purpose / And after this in lyke wyse for to speke of the tother tweyne.

¶ Of the sadde auyse that is couenable for a yonge prynce for to haue▪ Capitulo. vii.

THe good prynce that loueth god / wyl be frede to do any thynge what someuer it he ayenst the reuerence and [Page] cōmaundement of god / and wyll payne hym self to knowe all thynges that hym ought to do / And all suche thyng [...] as hym ought nat to do / And by the lernynge of this he shall perceyue and knowe his fragylyte & that he is a man mortall. subiecte to shorte lyfe passyoned with mortall thynges. Naturell and [...]eell as another man without any dyfference / excepte the goodes of fortune / But when he shall studye the lawe of god to be wel enfourmed therin lyke as a good cristen man ought to be / he wyl auyse hym self well vpon y^• perell of these goodes for hurtynge of his scule. That is to wete if he vse them nat well he is loste / And that he dothe by the great lordshyp that he occupyeth / is nat ellys but an offyce transytory / and of ly­tell durynge and that he muste nedes leue it in shorte tyme. That is to knowe by waye of deth / whiche is derke and a fere full passage / and the counte that he muste yelde byfore that Iuge that no thynge is hyd fro▪ whiche wyll rewarde euery man after his deseruynge. [...]han if the prynce remembre this [...]he shal fynde mater ynought for to preyse but lytell these worldly worshyppes and goodes. whiche ben so full of peryll and solyt [...]ll whyle durynge / All suche thoughtes and remem braunces▪ euery good prynce ought to haue in his herte / whi­che shall cause to defende hym selfe agaynst the great arrey­synge of Pryde and mysknowynge his persone / But yet for all this [...]then that our lorde hath chosen them to the offyce of l [...]shyp / they ought to meynteyne it by worldly wysdome & discre [...]syon morall [...]en may he thynke that he shall rewle and gouerne the lawe lyke a prynce with good and vertuous maners. And also he muste be dylygent in all thynges that longeth to the comen wele of his Realme and to kepe them in peas to his power. And also he shulde vse so dyscretely his ho­noures & magnyficienc [...] that be [...] gyuen to hym / in suche wyse that his herte be nat empeched nor arreysed on heyght ayenst [Page] his god. This good prynce as goddes vycary in erthe muste take hede with a great herte to y^e wele of the Churche to that entent that his creature ought to be seruyd dewely as ferre as his reason maye gyue hym. And if there fall any dyscorde by the Instygacyon of the deuyll our ennemye he ought to ma­ke peas what laboure that euer he take therfore. And that he take good hede also to the promocyons of his mynysters that they make noo request for none of his seruauntes / nor none other thoughe he loue hym neuer so well / in lasse than he vn­derstande that he be a clerke / A good man and able to serue god in that prebende that he desyres. And of this he ought to enquere dylygently. or that he gyue it / or ellys he chargeth greatly his conscyence / and is cause of theyr dampnacion that ben promoted by hym to theyr benefyces / and be nat able thet to as it is founde in the decrees. But nowe a dayes / there is no suche rewle kepte / and that is great pyte. For god knoweth if that suffycyaūce of clergye / or a good man & of Iuste lyfe be nowe a dayes the causes of the promocyons of clerkes / Cer­teynly nay. but oft tymes they ben gyuen by meanes of flate­rynge / by adulacyon. and other wyckednesse. and by the pray­ers of lordes. ¶ And so it apperyth by the ruyne of the shyppe with what wynde it is smyten. For the false couetyse is the [...]cheson of theyr promocyons. ¶ And this causeth theym to fall in great and horryble erroure and so blynded in the Chur che / that it is meruayle withoute goddes mercy that euer it maye be in reste and peas. for the fowle Symony and other inconuenyentes that falle ther to / Alas and as our lorde Ihe­su criste sayth in the Euangelye spekynge to the Pharysees. The quene of Saba that came out of ferre countrees for to vnderstande the wysedome of Salamon. shall condempne you / that haue with you more than Salamon. and wyll nat knowe it. So in lyke wyse the paynems whiche kepte theyr [Page] lawe [...]yme dylygently and without trespasse in great re­uerence obseruynge all theyr cerymonyes▪ natwithstandyng that they were false and reproued of god may be in reprefe to cristen men / whiche obserue nat & kepe nat theyr lawes that ben so holy▪ Is it nat wryten of these auncyent paynems that they had so great deuocyon to theyr Idoles and goddes / that they were so dylygent and curyous in all thynges / that all maner ordynaunces and stablysshynges that they made we­re wele kepte: And also the prcestes that dyd the sacryfyces shuld be men of feyre and honest lyfe. And if they were foūde in the contrarye / they were punysshed right egerly▪ And they were so streytly taken hede vpon that they wolde nat suffre them to fayle of theyr seruyce / nor in no wyse to be vycyous / And as valere sayth that was right well shewed at Rome as it is declared in the firste chaptre of his booke / how it happed vpon a tyme that the chaplet fyll downe of one of the preest [...] he des whiche dyd the obseruaunces of theyr sacryfyce / whiche chapelet was a propre rayment that they vsed at that tyme▪ lyke as we myght say a mytre And for bycause he was so ne clygent that his chapelet felle so fro hym at the tyme of theyr seruyce / they thught he was nat worthy to kepe that off yee / & so they deposed hym: And in lyke wyse they dyd by a virgyne that was yelden in to a temple of one of theyr goddesses whi­che was called Uest a [...]nd for bycause that this virgyn that was as men myght say a Nunne was neclygēt to: ake hede of a lampe that shulde at no tyme be lefte vn [...]ght / and for by cause that oones it was nat attended with oyle it happed to be quenched / she was to greueusly punysshed therfore and depo­sed of her offyce. And many other ensamples I cowde shewe you of theyr sadde rewles that were kept amonge them and I had any leyser / But nowe a dayes amonge vs here there ben many of our pontyfy [...]alles and preestes in whiche is seen [Page] openly great plente of horryble diffaut / And there is nopryn ce ne none other man that wyll ones repreue them of theyr de­fautes / but suche there be that excuse them selfe or they be ac­cused and say they be men & none aungelles / And that it is y^• nature of man for to synnes Alas suche ben no men for the bo­dy of man is but a lytell vessell / whiche may be fylled with a lytell thynge but they be very deuylles & swolowers of helle For lyke as the moutne of hell may neuer be satisfyed nor fyl­led / though it receyue neuer so moche. no more may theyr desy res be fulf [...]ylled no staūchyd for y^e great coueryse y^t is in them & the great delyt [...] for whiche cause all euyll thyng is comon to them & the wordes of valere may well be veryfyed in them / that sayth / what maner thyng is y^• may it aunche the insa [...]ya ble man from couetyse / So than y^• good paynce ought to take hede to al these thyng / [...]r though so be that the correccion of people of the churche lyeth nat alloonly in hym noo lōgeth nat to hym / yet wher is y^• prelate be he neuer so gre [...]e other p [...]est in clerke y^• durst with say or murmur ayenst y^e prynce▪ though he rebuke of his hyghnes the vyces & synnes of suche people / And ouer this y^• good prynce ought to take good hede that the temple and the howse of god be nat pollutyd n [...] fowlyd by dy uers synnes done there in / lyke as our cristen men do now [...] a dayes / as Marchaunt and other estat / whiche haue no sha me to holde theyr Pariymentes of theyr wo [...]dly maters and god knoweth they make many false contractes▪ And yet our lorde Ihesu criste spake to such folkes in the gospell. When he sayd / wyll ye make of y^• temple of my fader which is an howse of prayer / a house o [...] a ca [...]e of th [...]u [...]s or a place of erthly thing yet more ouer to our damp [...]acpon / The ordre y^• the payne [...]s [...] as valere [...]cordeth vnto y^• same purpose of y^• [...] that the Romaynes had to they: goddes / speketh of [...] that is to know of two du [...] & prync [...] of Rome [Page] whiche were with a great hooste in straunge lande / but for by cause oonly that they hylde the counsayle of theyr ordynaunce in the temple. The senatoures of Rome, that is to say y^e great counseyle of the soueraygnes deposed them of theyr offyces / nat withstandynge that they were passynge worthy and wor shypfull men / And in lyke wyse they dyd by another prynce y^• was called Fabius maximus whiche was a [...] o [...]de famous knyght in armes / and was deposed from y^e hyghest offyce of prynce that was in [...] me / that is to say of y^e offyce that was called dictatour▪ for from all otther prynces men myght after theyr ordynaunce [...] & statute appele to the hyght estate of the di­ctatour. And further than that▪ there myght no man appele / and he was deposed for no thyng ellys / but for bycause that he h [...]ro [...] certayne questyons in the temple of dyuers thynges / & in lyke wyse / they deposed [...]ayns [...]myns from his ryalte [...] whiche was right a great cheuetayne of men of armes / But alas nowe a dayes they be nat deposed that make theyr Par­lymentes and assembles in the churche / but maketh the chur­che as fowle stables for horses.

¶ Of the obseruaunces and the lawe that a good prynce ought to holde. Capitulo. viii.

[...]e good prynce y^• leueth god ought to haue y^e great cō maū [...]ement / in his mynde / and how the hyghe name of god ought nat to be taken in veyne / And therfore he shulde make a crye / in all his lande by the which he shuld diffende on payne of great punyssyon / that no maner of man shuld custo­mably swertue forsake his creatour▪ Alas / it were great nede now a dayes / in Fraunce that such a crye were made▪ For this horroure is so great and vnyuersall amonge the people of the inreuerence of theyr creature / that vi [...]eth there [...] [Page] other langage be it in game or ernest but swere horribly at the affirmacion of euery worde by the tormentes of our lordes pas syon / whiche is our redemptour / and Reyne and forsake god / I byleue that the paynems in olde tyme had ben full lothe for to haue sworne so by theyr Idoles and goddes. All suche ma­ner thynges the good prynce ought to defende. For it is con­trary and reprouable to the Relygyon of all cristenmen. And it may be cause to gette goddes wrothe and the subuersion of [...]eames and coūtrees / where that it reygneth / as it is contey­ned in dyuers prophecyes / And thus euery good prynce that lo ueth god ought to kepe and obserue dylygently y^• lawe dyuy­ne and the holy establysshyngs in these thyng and [...]t all other that ben worshypfull and deuoute whiche I leue to declare at this tyme for lacke of leyser and shortnes of tyme. And for by cause also that moche spekynge of this mater noyeth some fol kes▪ whiche deyneth nat to obserue and kepe these thynges a­fore rehersed. [...]ut the good prynce that kepeth this / the good lorde aboue wyll dyffende hym and kepe hym & encreate hym in vertue both of body and soule. And why shuld nat he haue the tayth in that almyghty and iuste lorde. when y^• paynems had a truste and an hope that by theyr goddes they were rele­ [...]yd and greatly set vp as it apperyth by that / that valere re­cōmendeth of y^e Cyte of Rome in so moch as they had so great wyll to the seruyce of theyr goddes. And sayth thus▪ ou [...] hath sette asyde all maner thynges for the seruyce of the god­des. And also these thynges oonly that kept the worshyp and the soueraygne mageste / [...]hat is to say of y^e Emperours / for they had a very byleue that in wynnyng of these worshyppes to theyr goddes they gate the rewle and gouernaunce of all y^e worlde / And therfore y^e Emperoures of our cyte and all other generally haue nat be wery nor neclygēt to serue trewelyth it [...]ddes / So this suffyceth at this tyme as for the fyrste poynt [Page] [...] our firste party / whiche speketh how that y^• vertue of pryn­ces ought to be firste foūded and shewed in that / that he shuld serue and brede god.

¶Howe that a good prynce ought to be ressemblyd to a good shepeherde▪ Capitulo. ix.

[...]Nwe we haue towched in y^• firste poynte▪ where vpon the bounte of the prynce ought to be pryncypally foun [...]ed. And here after we muste speke of the seconde poynte / that is to knowe that the good prynce ought to loue ▪ yngulery the comon wele / and the encreace therof more than of his owne▪ after the doctryne of Arystotyle▪whiche is declared in his bo [...]e of polytykes / that sayth that tyrānye is when a prynce get­teth more goodes for his owne profyte / then for the comon wele And that is also agaynst the lordshyp Royall for he ought to be more dylygent to encreace the wele of his comons than his owne wele▪ Nowe it muste be deuyled in what maner he may [...]lande and shewe this loue▪ The good prynce that loueth his lande muste kepe his people dylygently after the ensample of a good Shepeherde / whiche kepyth well his shepe and ma­keth good watche by great dilygence for to defende them from the wolfe and other euyll beestes / and that they be clenly kept and in helthe to that entent. that they may encerace and fru­tyfye and yelde theyr wolle hoole and sounde▪ and made fatte by the e [...]the by y^• whiche they be norysshed and kept / So that the shepeherde maye be well payde of the fleces gadred in sea­son▪ But the great ryche shepeherde that gyueth great good to kepe his shepe / for bycause he maye nat kepe all his flokes hym selfe purueyeth hym of helpe good & couenable / & taketh with hym good dylygent. and wyse seruant / whiche he kno­weth w [...]ll that they ben trewe and loue his profyte / Then he [Page] ordeyneth that these men shulde be well garnysshed of good and myghty houndes well colered with yron. which houndes ben wel wont to chase the wolfes out of y^• feldes / and at nyght they leue them vntyed to kepe the shepe / to that entent that the theues come nat preuely for to stele them / but that anone they be redy to ronne vpon them / And in the day tyme they tye them to theyr gyrdelles aboute them whyle y^• shepe pasturen peasybly in the feldes▪ But and it happen that the sayde ser­uauntes here any noyse of wolues or any other euyll beestes cōmynge out of the woodes or from the mountaynes / Than anone they let lo [...]ose theyr houndes and let theym ronne and comforte them strongly and for to gyue them the more hardy­nes / they ronne after theyr hoūdes with good staues well py­ked with yron agaynst the wolues or other euyll beestes / and if it happen that any of the shepe go out of the flocke / the good houndes whiche ben well wonte therto ronneth after and fe cheth hym i agayne without doynge hym any harme. And by these meanes the wyse seruauntes diffende them & kepe them so well that they yelde a good accounte to the soueraygne she peherde whiche taketh right good heede to theyr rewle [...] In lyke wyse to our purpose / is the good prynce. Whiche is alway besy and dylygent for the saufgarde & y^• dyffence of his coun­tre and of his people ▪to the whiche saufgarde and diffence is nat possyble that his owne persone may be in euery place whe re charges lyeth in▪ Therfore he shuld puruey to gette hym good helpe as well for the feete of knyghthode as other wayes That is to knowe of worthy cheueteynes y^• he knoweth for good & trewe & such as loueth hym tenderly▪ as Counstable / marchall Amyrall▪ & other men▪ to y^• which he gyueth charge vnto / to make prouysyon of good men of armes well vsed and lerned in the werre / whiche he byndeth them by theyr othe to be aboute hym▪ and departe nat without his leue but be redy [Page] alwayes to do his cōmaundement. to that entent / if it be nede that they be redy for to go agaynst theyr enemyes ▪so that the countrey be nat dyffowled nor the people robbyd ne slayne.

¶ It is nat to vnderstande that the men of armes them selfe shuld diffowle and pyle the countrey lyke as they do in Fraū ce now a dayes. wherfore as in other coūtrees they durste nat do so▪ which is a great myschefe & an ouerthwarte ordynaun ce▪ that they that ben stablysshed and ordeyned for the defence of the people. They them self pyle them & robbe them full cru­elly / suche there ben that without kyllynge or settynge theyr howses a fyre y^• enemyes myght do no more to them. This is nat the ryghtfull meanes of werre whiche ought to be Iuste and without extorcion / But the men of werre and the prynces that sende them to werre / so on the people ben in great peryll y^• the wrath of god fall nat vpon them & greuously to punysshe them. For it is no doute that the cursynge of the people / ryght fully gyuen by suffrynge of to great oppressynge / may cause before god many euyll auentures for to fall▪ lyke as we fynde ensample in holy wryt & in many other places. For euery man ought to know well that god is [...]ust and rightfull / And this great faute cometh but of euyll ordynaunce. For and the men of werre were well payde▪ men myght charge theym in payne of deth that they shuld take no manes good vnpayde for / And by suche meanes men shuld fynde vytayles & all other thyn­ges ynoughe▪ that were necessary and great chepe ynoughe & pleute / me thynke it is a great meruayle▪ how the people may lyue vnder this ordynaunce▪ and of the pyte of theyr lyfe there is no compassion. Now the holy goost fader of the poore people haue mercy on them and byset them. [...]ow to y^• purpose afore­sayd▪ if a shepeherde had an hoūde that wolde ronne vpon his shepe▪ anone he wold gyue hym a great stroke with his staffe Then it is nat syttynge for a good prynce that loueth god & [Page] his people / to suffre his people to be robbed & pyled / & lyke as the houndes lye vnbounden in y^e nyght to kepe the shepe from theues in lyke wyse the cheueteynes ought to set watche and espyes vpon the Frounteres and to sende ferre aboute them to that entent / that the coūtrey and the people be nat stolen vpon the nyght with theues / nor by no maner of cautele. And also that they may vnderstande the couyne of theyr enemyes: yet there longeth another offyce to the men of armes. and that is this / lyke as the good hounde getteth agayne the shepe that is gone out from the flocke / in suche wyse ought they to brynge in y^e poore comons if they wold erre or fall in euyll wyll of rebellyon outher by manaces or ellys y^t they take good heede of them. And for bycause that it myght dysplease / and be meruayle to some men / that a man shulde lyken y^e offyce of armes to the nature of an hounde Certaynly the hounde hath many propretees. whiche a good man of armes ought to take heede of / and he lyke vnto [...]or the hounde loueth his mayster mer­uaylously well / and is full trewe vnto hym / And in lyke wyse it is necessarye to the good man of armes dyspose hym selfe to the dyffence of his mayster for to dye therfore / And when he is cōmytted to haue the kepynge of any place / He hereth clere­ly and watcheth anone / and maketh hym redy for to god vpon the euyll doers and robbers / but they wyll nat byte the fren­des of his mayster / but smelleth them naturally / nor his neyghboures / nor theym that ben of the howseholde whiche he is norysshed in [...]ut to his power he wyll kepe them / Also an hoū de is right hardy and feyghteth with great vertue. Also he is of great vnderstandynge and of great knowlege / and ryght louynge to hym that sheweth hym loue / And all these condy­cyons the good man of armes ought to haue.

¶ The loue that the good prynce ought to haue to his sub­iectes. Capitulo. x.

THere we must se a lytell of the ryght of the prynce after the lawes. That is to were yf the good prynce may set ony new imposycyon or subsydy vpon his people aboue his de meynes for ony cause in y^e worlde. And me semeth y^t the lawes gyueth lycence ynoughe and graunteth that the prynce maye do it in some case. Notwithstandynge it sholde be done as syl­dome as it myght. And for to knowe for what cause it sholde be done / it is to vnderstande / for the defence of his londe ayenst his enemyes / if so be that he be assayled by the warre / for y^e whi che he must holde men of warre vnder wages for the defence of the londe. Also for maryenge of his chyldren / or for getynge them out of pryson / yf they be in that case. [...]nd for these causes specyally he may set a subsydy vpon his subiectes without of fendynge of the lawe. But yet it ought to be done with grete compassyon & dyscrecyon for y^• leest charge of the people y^• my­ght be. [...]nd that he take noo more than is necessary for the sa­me cause that he sette it for. [...]nd in this case / the ryche ought [Page] to supporte the poore. And not that the ryche to be excused nor exempte / Lyke as it is nowe a dayes / and that the poore folke be so moche more charged / for [...]dare saye who so euer be dys­pleased ther with / that is a grete meruayle sauynge theyr re­uerence y^t the grete and ryche offycers of the kynge or of other prynces whiche haue theyr grete estate and power of y^e kynge and of the lordes / and that maye well bere the charges / that they sholde be excepte. And the poore men that haue nothynge of the kynge / he bounde to paye. And howe may this be by rea son / yf I haue gyuen a grete good to one of my seruauntes for to maynteyne his lyfe honourably / and it happened that a ne­de fell vnto me / ought not he to helpe me soner in my dystresse than he that had neuer nothynge of melyt is a straunge custo me nowe a dayes that is vsed in this royalme / In the teate of tayles or imposycyons whiche ben sette [...] for the poore men pay and the ryche go free. But who that wolde do well sholde bre­ke this and make it to be borne euenly. Not that some of y^e gre te men paye and some not. Nor of suche thynges wolde aryse enuytees. For it sholde seme a maner of a bondage and a dys­praysynge to them that pay it. But and it were brought that euery man sholde paye / then sholde there be noo reproche / yet notwithstandynge I holde not with that / that they that folo­we the warre for the defence of the londe / but that they sholde be exempte And this that I saye for the poore people / compas­syon hath moued me for the grete wepynges and syghynges that cometh bytterly frome theyr hartes. [...]or some of theym there be that whan they shall make theyr payment of this mo­ney whiche they be sette vnto / they must fast and fare euyll af­terwarde / the poore man and all his housholde / and fayne for to sell theyr bedde and theyr other thynges as good as for nou ght. ¶ A wolde god that the kynge and the noble prynces of fraunce were well enfourmed of this greate myschyefe.

[Page]For then I wolde not doubte / for the grete noblesse that is in theyr blode / they wolde not suffre this grete hardenes and so­rowe amonge the people▪ But it happeneth often tymes that there ben suche that he receyuours of this y^• is gadered / whi­che ben grete fatte and ryche / and wheder that all this good y^• is gadered come to the profyte for that y^• it is gadered for / god knoweth / and so knoweth other men▪ And without fayle yf su che goodes be gadered for to be employed in superfl [...]yte / & for other causes than for pure necessyte lyke as I haue sayd befo­re / it is grete synne to them that sette it / and a greuous hurte ¶ And nowe to the purpose that hath ben sayd here tofore of the noble Romaynes whiche were paynymes & mysbyleuers yet they gouerned them so well / that it ought to be ensample to vs / as Ualere sayth / for he telleth y^• the lawe of Rome was suche [...] That all maner of goodes y^• were gadered for y^• warre sholde not be employed / but onely to the vse of that same / that it was ordeyned to (and in no wyse to be dyspended vpon super fluyte of estate / for superfluyte of wynes & meetes taken mo­re than is necessary causeth the body more to desyre rest / than the trauayle of the warre▪ ¶ Nowe I wylleue at this tyme to speke ony more of this purpose / Notwithstondynge I coulde say moche more / but for bycause that the sentence of suche ma ters please not the euyl mynystres whiche ben made ryche by this meanes / and wyll also blame me therfores I maye saye to them without boost lyke as [...]ryppydes that was a grete [...] t [...] sayd vnto them of Athenes / whiche prayed hym y^• he wold [...] put out a sentence of a tragedy y^• he had mades Tragedy val [...] re sayth it is a maner of a dyte that blameth thynges that bē euylldone in ordre of polycy of the comontye or of prynces / and sayd he made not his dytyes to blame ne to be blamed / but to that entente that it sholde enduce & styre men to good lyuynge And yet Ualere sayth more of y^• same poete▪ that he wolde not [Page] put hymselfe suche wyse vnder / that he wolde obey the senten ce of the people / and leue his owne sentence. And vpon this Ua lere sayth / for certayne sayth he / feaute is to be alowed that is drawne and cometh out or reason. And sayth also that he that hath so grete reason maye Iuge the trouthe of his owne w [...]r ke / so that it be not done with pryde ne boost / but in susteynyn ge the meryte of his thynge whiche he vnderstondeth is wor­shypfull and lowable / For he saythe / whopray [...]eth another y^• he seeth vertuous / desyreth to haue hymselfe praysed / for bo­the cometh of one case and of one lyke wysdome.

¶ Ensample of auncyent deedes to the purpose afore sayd. Capitulo. xi.

[...]r to make conclusyon of that is sayd before. That is to wete that the good prynce sholde loue more the wele of his people than his owne propre / and that he sh [...]lde not set▪ [...] moche by the goodes that be gadered for his synguler profyte we wyll yet call the Romaynes to our ensample and it be [...]he wordes of Ualere. The ryght worthy Romayne prynces say­th he had theyr hertes somoche in the loue of the comon wel [...] / and sette solytel by theyr owne / that for very nede they myght not mary theyr owne doughters / but of the propre dyspen [...]es of y^• comons / for they spared not somoche that they had wher­of to gyue them so largely as accorded for theyr euate: And [...] lyke wyse when they were paste out of this worlde theyr d [...] ­tes and theyr absequyes of the grettest of them▪ as of the wor thy Fabrycyus / and also of Scypys Auffryquant / whiche were passynge famous men▪ And also of other solemp [...]e con­queroures / and other prynces of Rome whiche hadde rule of the comons goodes payde them / to the whiche all the comons were well as [...]ented / for the meryte and contemplacyon [...]. the [Page] grete honoures and worshyppes that they had done vnto the cyte before tyme. For the worshypfull men themselfe hadde no thynge to make acounte of / but onely of theyr grete and solem [...]ne actes whiche they dyde in theyr dayes. F [...]r thoughe so we re that they were not ryche of the goodes of fortune / yet were they ryche of the ryght grete and noble honoures whiche they had deserued before tyme. [...]herfore it semeth and true it is / y^• the moost worthy be not at all tymes moost tyche nor best for­tuned to rychesse / but fortune helpeth them by another maner whiche is more worshypfull / when she helpeth them for to gete souerayne renowne and worshyp / for notwithandynge the [...]o uerte of these worthy couqueroures and noble men / [...]et were they dyctatoures or consules that is as men myght saye [...]m peroures / or the moost souerayne prynces whiche receyued y^• tryumphe gloryously dyuers tymes / whiche was a meruay [...]o [...]s grete worshyp that the [...]omaynes dyde to theyr pryn­ces or soueraynes / whan they had wonne grete vyctoryes / as it shall be declared here after what thynge the tryumphe shol de be. For in those dayes vertue was theyr rychesse. And at Ro me the courage of men and women was ryght vygorous / & who that was moost vertuous moost had of dygnyte / for mē loked not after at that tyme what euery man was worthe in rychesse / but howe moche he was worthe in goodnes and cun nynge / he was moost auctorysed that surmounted in vertues wherfore Ualere sayd these fayre wordes. Suche thynges re consyleth and Ioyneth the affynyte of lordes / suche thynges haue power within and without. For by this ordynaunce eue ry man entended for the profyte of the comon welthe / and not for his owne synguler welthe / seynge that the prynces hadde leuer be poore in a ryche empyre thā to be ryche and plenteous in a poore countre. And therfore suche guerdon was graunted to them y^• the noblemen were soceured by y^• goodes of the co­mons. [Page] And syth we be entred in the purpose of these noble Ro­mayne prynces howe y^• theyr noble vertues myght & ought to because of ensample and myrroure to all good prynces & wor shypfull men / yet Ualere sayth. [...]e wyll speke of another wor shypfull consule / whiche was called Marcus [...]urynus / whi che was a grete conqueroure / & gate many grete lordshyppes to the Romaynes. But on a tyme when he was at seege befo­re the cyte of [...]amary / the spyes of y^• same cyte reported how [...] this Marcus sate but in ryght poore estate at the seege / but of men of armes he hadde ynowe / Neuerthelesse of vessell / of ry­chesse / [...]ne of vytayle he had no plente. Than anone they of the cyte sente messen [...]ers to hym with grete gyftes for they sup­posed to ouercome hym with y^• / and the answere of hym Uale re putteth in wrytynge for declaracyon of his grete constaun ce & worthynes / & sayth Marcus [...]urynus whiche was a cle re morroure by the holy rule of attemperaunce & polysshed in vertues / wolde y^• the messengeres of Samary sholde se what meete y^• he ete / & howe he sate vpon a fourme before y^• fyre and was serued with lytell meases in treene dysshes / yet notwith­stondynge y^• he refused the gyftes whiche were grete sommes of golde & syluer & of ryche vessell. And he answered them and sayd / y^• he loued better to be mayster ouer ryches / thā ryches sholde be mayster ouer hym / than hym semed y^• he was may­ster ouer ryches / in as moche as he refused it. But & he had re ceyued & taken [...] he thought hymselfe that he had ben ouerco me. And remembre you ryght quod he / that Marcus wyll not be ouercome w^t no gyftes / nor by batayle yf he maye. ¶ This Marcus [...]uryus was so worthy a man that he dyscomfyted the kynge Pyrrus whiche came to the rescowes of the Cyte of Tarente aye [...]st the Romaynes / and the sayd [...]yrrus had in his armye. xxiiii. thousande men on fot [...] / and. xxvi. thousande then on horse backe / of the whiche was slayne. xxx. thousande. [Page] and there was taken. xiii. thousandes And Pyrrus hymselfe fledde in to Italy▪ The fyrste yere of his warres the Romay nes wanne moche good / but the worthy prynce wolde neuer en ryche hymselfe / but gaue the good and parted it amonge his knyghtes and his men of warre excepte that that he sente to [...] Rome / there to be kepte for treasoure of the cyte / & as for hym­selfe / the worshyp suffysed hym / and wolde that other had the profyte and the wynnynge. [...] Also amonge other prynces Ua lere commendeth the grete vertue of a worthy consule called Fabrycyus / whiche I haue spoken of heretofore / whiche sem­blably was of so grete vertue that notwithstandynge he had no rychesse of fortune / yet he refused tyght grete & notable gyf tes y^• the sayd kynge Pyrrus sente hym / hopynge y^• he sholde ouercome hym therby. And it was y^• same Fabrycyus of whi­che men speke of the grete worshyp and lawde that the kynge Pyrrus his aduersary sayd of hym / whiche was a worshyp­full and a fayre worde when he sayd▪ that the Sone sholde ra ther lese his lyght than Fabrycyus his trouthe / for the physy­cyan of Pyrrus came to Fabrycyus and sayd vnto hym / that and he wolde quyte hym well his laboure▪ he wolde enpoyson his mayster. But this worshypful man answered / that suche maner of conquerynge the Romaynes vsed not. And so toke y^• physycyan & sente hym to kynge Pyrrus / for the whiche boun te and vertue of his trouthe he loued hym so wel that he sente vnto hym / & sayd / that he wolde for his sake make peas with the Romaynes / and wolde neuer greue them more / with that that they wolde suffre hym to haue in peas that londe that he had conquered of the Romaynes▪ But to that peas thys wor shypfull man wolde not consente in lasse than / Pyrrus wolde departe frome all the demeynes of the foresayd Romaynes. Then dyde this Pyrrus all his power for to drawe Fabrycy­us vpon his partye / and be with holde with hym / and when [Page] he sawe y^• he myght in no wyse gete hym the praysed so moche his vertue y^• he sayd he wolde neuer fyght ayenst hȳ in a felde & yet were y^• batayles redy / but he wēte his way vnto tarente ¶ And yet Ualere speketh more of this Fabrycyus & sayth y^• there was tolde in his presence how there was a Phylosopher i Athenes that sewe a seede vpon a maner of leuynge / in suche wyse that he sayd / that men sholde do nothynge but onely for theyr delyte / and for theyr bodely ease / and this worthy man dispraysed moche this doctryne / and helde it for a folysshe and a dyshonourable conceyte / and sayd / that all maner of delytes and they were not labourous in vertue ought to be dyspray­sed / not onely of the body / but as well of the soule▪ But they y^• haue the good vertues and delyte in them / ben to commende▪ And his sentence was true as Ualere sayth as it appered opē ly / for the cyte of Athenes that was wonte to be gouerned by the laboure and study of wysdome and vertue / as soone as it was wrapped in delytes and lustes / lost his lordshyp / also the cyte of Rome as longe as it haūted y^• vertuous exercyse ouer­came and gate and surmounted all other lordshyppes / & how that Athenes lost his vertue hereafter ye shall knowe / yet to our purpose of the good prynce whiche loued the comon wele of his loude: ¶ There was a kynge in Athenes that was cal­led Epamymydas whiche was a man of meruayious grete vertue and helde his enemyes gretely vnder hym / and at the laste as he was in a batayle he happed to be smyten thrughe y^• body with a spere / and when that he sholde dye / he had so grete Ioy that he had ouercome his enemyes that his deth greued hym not: Then he sayd to them that were aboute hym / nowe hath the goddes gyuen me suche grace / that I may se my cy­te of [...]hebes the chyefe cyte of [...]ce: And the grete and coura gyous cyte of Lacedemone [...]is put vnder by our worthynes in [...]rmes / & I dye not without ayre / for I leue you. ii. doughters [Page] whiche I haue begoten. And this he mente by two grete [...]y­tees whiche he had conquered. For he had no hayre of his body but he vnderstode y^• by the conquest of these two cytees / his na me sholde be alwayes had in memory / lyke as by the chyldren the fader. This Epamymydes loued Iust yee meruaylously well. The lordshyppes that he gate / he gate them not for hym­selfe / but for the encreace of his londe / for he was so lytell coue­tous vpon good / that when he was deed / men coulde not fyn­de wherof to do his obsequyes. And also he was as lytell a bo­ster / as he was a couetous man. And he bare his estate so tem perately that nother of these poyntes was shewed in hym / bu [...] they shewed by hym. This is to say that his vertue surmoun ted al other / she wynge outwarde. And the reason that he had in his lyfe / he lost it not at his dethe as Ualere sayth. For when he was brought home to his lodgynge as good as halfe deed / and his spyryte was comen a lytell to hym agayne / he asked of the [...] that were aboute hym / whether his enemyes after y^• he was felled toke his shelde fro hym or naye. And whan he herde that they had it not / he was pas [...]ynge Ioyfull / and ma­de it to be brought vnto hym. And whan he had it / with a ma­ner of myrthe he kylled it. And asked of the maner of the vycto ry. And whan it was tolde hym / he sayd y^• all thynges wente well. And anone he passyd out of this worlde / by the whiche d [...] the / the men of Athenes whiche often tymes hadde proued his force and vertue / became ydell and were in teste / and were oc­cupyed but with vanytees. For whiche cause they felle in too myschyefe and dystruccyon.

¶ Here after foloweth the cause why Ualere is so grete ly aledged in this boke. Capitulo. xii.

[Page] FOr bycause of the noble boke y^• the grete Ua­lere made of the worthy dedes of Romaynes gyueth me mater to proue by ensample y^e clene entencyon whiche I laboure in / as it is shew­ed here tofore / in gyuynge cause to styre coura ges to vertue and good lyuynge / as wel to prynces / knyghtes and nobles as the comon people. I aledge hym more than ony other auctoure. For the same Ualere sayth / that vertue moue­th a man more to desyre honoure and worthynes / and to here good ensamples / than dothe y^• symple and feble wordes. And this wytnesseth [...]ystotle in y^•. x. boke of Ethyques. And ther fore in she wynge the style of that noble auctoure Ualere for to encreace the courages of them y^• lyst to here the werkes of ver tuous doctryne / by the whiche men gete very worshyp. I am moued to shewe here dyuers ensamples of thynges that ben fallen to dyuers worthy men in tymes passed / for theyr deser­tes sette in mynde in the same boke / whiche gyueth grete plea saunce to y^• noble courages of them y^• sholde here it / in trustyn ge therby to gete grete worshyppes. For which honoures / ver tue is to be desyred. For we se that honoure belongeth to all so­lempne and excellente thynges / as in cunnynge and vertue. And for as moche as I call these Romayne prynces worthy cō ­querours & other y^• may be lyke thē / thoughe they be no pryn ces / nor may not be / for as moche as they haue not so grete lō ­des and rychesse. Neuertheles after the style of Ualere▪ It ys shewed that the Romaynes reputed the gretnesse of worshyp­pes & worthynes in vertue / and not in goodes / he calleth them not onely prynces / but calleth them in his boke Emperoures / lyke as it appereth in dyuers chapytres / as of Scipre / Affry­can / the grete Pompee / [...]ylla / and other / and yet were they neuer [...]peroures made.

O [...] y^• lyberalyte in prynces & exāple of y^• Romaynes. Ca. xiii.

[Page]Athen we wyl contyne we our matter by approba cyons of ensamples longynge to the samelyer to a vertuous good prynce vpon the seconde poynte of the thre thynges whi­che ben necessary to hym / y^• is to wete y^• he sholde loue y^• comon wele▪ The good prynce whiche y^• loueth the vnyuersal goodes from his [...]he ought to haue lyberalyte / for it is to hym a thynge passynge necessary / & by the hauynge of that he shall be profy­ted in terryble wyse▪ That is to knowe for the welth of his sou le / yf it be dysc [...]etely done. ¶ Secondely to his grete honoure and renowne▪ ¶ Thyrdely in that y^• he shall drawe to hym as well the courage of his owne people as of staungers / for it is no doubte that there is nothynge that profyteth more a pryn­ce thā lyberalyte with dyscrecyon▪ O howe moche dyde it ones profyte to y^• Romaynes whā the legates of them of Cartage were come to Rome for to bye agayne theyr prysoners whiche were taken in the batayles & warres amonge them▪ For y^• Ro maynes gaue al y^• prysoners agayne frely to y^• legates y^• were sente for them / without payenge of on y raunsome / whiche we [...] ryght worthypfull men in theyr floures▪ And also of grete au [...]to: yte to the nombre of a thousande seuen hundreth & foure and fourty / wherfore Ualere magnefyeth gretely this lybera lyte in thre thynges and sayth: O lorde god sayth he [...]how mer uaylous a lyberalyte was it / that they wolde let go frome thē so many grete enemyes / and l [...]ue so grete goodes as they my [...]ht haue had for them / I suppose quod he that y^• legates that came for them had grete meruayle of theyr grete largesse / then he sayd▪ O the grete magnyfycence of Romaynes / egall to y^• benygnyte of goddes For that dede was more plenteuous thā your enemyes coulde haue desyred / wherfore it is no doubte y^• for bycause of theyr grete lyberalyte the Romaynes gatema­ny lordshyppes and dom ynacyons as many or mo than they gate by force of armes. For many straunge countrees seynge [Page] theyr grete fredome and worshypfull custome yelded them to the Romaynes / not trust ynge to be made as seruauntes / but to be made more free. And Ualere wytnesseth the same / sayen­ge that the Empyre of Rome that is to saye / the lordshyp was not so gretely encreaced by the strengthe of theyr bodyes / as it was by the myght of theyr courages [...]nd yet in more pray­synge of lyberalyte whiche ought to be in prynces / and also of theyr mekenes / Ualere sayth worde by worde lyke as Ifynde in his boke that for theyr beaute & substaunce / there may not be gyuen to lyberalyte a more couenable cōpany thā humany [...]e and mekenes / for they deserue one maner of laude / for lybe­ralyte is shewed to them that ben poore and nedy / and huma­nyte sheweth hymselfe to them that be in sykenes / and in pry­son / or in mysease of theyr body. [...]kenes showeth hymselfe to them that ben fallen in myserye / in daunger / and peryll of theyr bodyes / or of theyr goodes / & ouer suche as he hath lorde shyp and power to punysshe and to forgyue whiche myleryes for to pardon and as [...]wage the grete greues that they be unbe vnder the grace of the prynce / wherfore euery good prynce is bounde yf he wyl vse ony goodnes to heele his poore subiectes with grete compassyon / by the vertuous meanes aboue sayd / kepynge alwayes the ordre of Iust yee / not to rygorously / and specyally in suche thynges as be not contrary to nature. And thoughe so be sayth Ualere that thou knowe not whiche of all these vertues is moost to be alowed / yet it semeth y^• it is moost souerayne that hath taken his name of the godhede / & that he sayth is lyberalyte / whiche is as a vertu deuyne / & streteheth to euery mā / for by that vertue men gete them moost frendes▪ And for bycause it lyeth more in y^• puyssaunce of prynces than of other men for to be lyberall▪ [...]nd also that frendes and well wyllers is to theym a thynge passynge necessary / wherfore he sayth it is to th [...]m couenable onely for y^• encreasynge of theyr [Page] glory [...]yke as it is wryten in [...]olycratyque / in y^• thyrde boke of the same in the .xiiii. chapytre of [...]ytus y^• [...]mpereure / whi che by his lyberalyte [...]ourged the vyce of [...]uaryce that was in his fader in suche maner that he was called of all men / the loue and delytes of all mennes lygnage. And [...]ullyus sayth in the seconde booke of offyces. [...]here maye be no gretter vy­ce in a prynce / or in hym that gouerneth the comon welthe then [...]uetyse / But for bycause that we saye soo moche that euery good prynce ought to be lyberall / It is necessary for to showe in what maner / and in what thynges he ought to be lyberall where vpon Senecke declareth in the seconde booke of beny­ [...]yces / and sayth. The prynce or he that wyll gyue / ought too vnderstonde and knowe the puyssaunce and the auctoryte of hymselfe that ys the gyuer. And also the state of hym that he wyl gyue vnto. To that entente that he sholde not gyue a less [...] gyfte than were accordynge to his honoure. Nor all so a gret­ter gyfte than were necessary to hym / that sholde receyue it. And the prynce / or the gyuer ought to consyder to whome and why he gyueth that gyfte. For there is a dyfference in gyuyn ge to a man that hathe deserued it / from a man that the pryn [...] lyst to gyue by his fredome and courteysye. For and a man haue deserued it / the prynce ought well to se that the gyfte be [...]uche that he be not blamed in no nygardyse / nor in no cayty­ [...]en [...]sse / and yet it must be done moche vpon the largesse after [...] the man hathe deserued it. But when the gyfte ys gyuen without meryte or deseruynge / thoughe so be that it longe to a prynce / or other myghty persones to gyue grete gyftes as lon geth to theyr estate / yet maye they gyue lytell small gyftes to the poore and nedy persones. [...]nd this lyberalyte ought to be moderate by dede of dyscrecyon. As [...]ullyus hathe sayd her [...] before. [...]or lette vs suppose that the prynce or ony other be ly­berall and in wyll for to gyue / yet ought be to be well aduysed [Page] howe he maye contynewe in vertue. [...]ot onely as they y^• gyue theyr goodes folely / and departeth yt without ony ordre. For the lyberalyte of theyr gyftes / ought to be of theyr owne goo­des / and not of other mennes. For as saynt Ambrose saythe in the fyrste boke of offyces. That maye be called noolyberalyte sayth he. whan a man gyueth to one and taketh from another [...]or there maye nothynge belyberall but it be Auste. And also for as moche as it is sayd / that lyberalyte is a vertue deuyne / whiche longeth to euery good prynce.

¶ And trewely yt longeth to euery good prynce soueraynely to guerdon euery man that hathe done hym good / and shew­ed hym loue / and he ought not to take hede of the [...]eblenesse of the persone yf he haue done hym good se [...]uyce / [...]ut to the gret nesse of his estate / whiche maye ryght well rewarde hym for hys good dede. [...]yke as yt ys wryten of kynge [...]ary o [...] [...]t se [...] [...]ot y^• same kynge Dary y^• y^• grete Alyxandre dyscomfyted but he that entred in to the lordelhyppe by a cawtelous meane that he made hys horse to ney / for bycause that the Prynces hadde made suche an ordynaunce. For when they myght not accorde amonge theymselfe / whiche sholde be heyre vnto the kynge and to gouerne the royalme. [...]hen they made an ordy­naunce y^• they sholde go forthe togyder erely in y^• mournynge before the temple. And whose horse y^• neyed fyrst sholde be cho­sen for kynge / & this [...]ary the nyght before made lede his hor se with a mare in to the place where the assemble sholde be on [...]y morowe / & there the horse lepte the mare / & on the morowe wh [...] the horse came agayne in to the same place / anone he beganne to ney. And soo this [...]rye was chosen kynge of [...]rse. That same [...]arye beynge in hys lytell fortune / a man that was cal led [...]hylomytes gaue hym without ony askynge a mantell with hys good wyll▪ [...]t withstandynge that he was a ry­ght grete negarde. The whiche mantell pleased meruaylous [Page] gretely to Dary: Then it happened afterwarde whan Dary was kynge he forgate not the grete courteysy y^• Phyl [...]mytes had done to hym / but gaue hym the cyte and all the yle of Sa­mos. whiche was a plenteuous and a good yle / in the whiche the phylosopher Pyctogoras was borne. But this kynge Da ry [...]xtemed not the pryce of the mantell that was gyuen hym but onely the lyberalyte of the gyuer / and the puys [...]aunce also of hymselfe y^• myght goodly rewarde hym for his kyndnes.

¶ Also Mytrydates the passynge ryche kynge / whiche rey­gned ouer. xii. countrees shewed grete lyberalyte & guerdon [...]o one of his knyghtes / whiche was named L [...]on yeus for the getynge hym out of pryson from the handes of his enemyes / whiche had taken hym before in batayle / gaue for hym grete noumbre of prysoners. For he loued better for to encreace his enemyes than men sholde thynke that he wolde not rewarde his men that had worshypfully deserued it.

¶ Of the humayne pyte in a prynce. Capitulo. xiiii.

W [...] haue spoken ynoughe of lyberalyte in y^• good pryn ce. And nowe we must speke of other vertues longyn ge to the same by lyke meryte and lawde / that is t [...] wete of humanyte & mekenes▪ whiche ben necessary to be kno wen with euery good prynce / and for to proue y^• it is so / we shal shew it by exsāyle. And fyrst of y^• grete humanyte y^• y^• worthy Romayne prynce Lucyus Emylyus Publyus shewed vn­to the kynge Par [...]es whā he had dyscomfyted hym in playne batayle / so vyctoryou [...]ly that he was taken and ledde towar▪ Lucyus▪ But when he vnderstode the bryngynge of this kyn ge Parses? The worshypful man Lucyus wente ayenst hym And when he met hym / he wolde in no wyse suffre hym to kn [...] le before hym but toke hym benygnely by the hande and toke [Page] hym with hym arme in arme / and comforted hym & worshyp­ped hym / and made hym to sytte with hym at his borde and in his counsayle. Notwithstandynge y^• kynge Parses was full lothe therto / and wolde not by his wyll haue taken soo moche vpon hym▪ But neuerthelesse this worthy Lucyus entreated hym as he had ben his owne brother? A what noble vertue is it in a prynce / or in ony worthy man of armes to be pyteous & humayne to theym that they haue ouercomen and dyscomfy­ted / as we may haue ensample of E [...]tor of Troye of whom mē saye / there was neuer [...]yon more fy [...]rse / ne more cruell in ba­tayll than he was? But anone as he had ouercome his enemy­es and meked them to hym / in yeldynge & cryenge hym mer­cy▪ [...]here was neuer lambe more meke nor debonayre than he was / for he wolde entreate them as gentylly as they had ben his bretherne / by the whiche he was soo gretely profyted that for his deboneyrete dyuers people came and yelded them vnto hym: And so this condycyon euery good prynce and worshyp­full man ought to haue? But not as the lordes and other men of armes doo nowe a dayes / when they conquere londes and fortresses Eytees and other places / as soone as they be entred in them / it semeth as they were dogges that were famysshed for hongre / and without ony pyte of mordres and horryble oc­cysyons of crysten people / dyshonouryn [...]e the women and put all to ruyne▪ Alas what hartes haue these people to do so cruel­ly to theyr owne lykenes / whiche is ayenst nature and ayenst the lawe of god / whether they be not aferde that the fyers de­uylles of hell wyll [...]auysshe them in to the cyte infernall / For it is no doubte but they shall come therto at the laste ende? And certaynly suche people ought rather to bere the fygure and the chere of an horryble serpente / than humayne and pyteous che­re / for vnder the lykenes of man they bere the grete f [...]lony and cruelte of a wode beest▪ But Marcus Marcellus whiche was [Page] a prynce of Romaynes and of greate auctoryte dyde not [...]oo. / For when he by his greate manhode hadde wonne the cyte of Syracuse whiche was a noble and a stronge [...]yte / when he was goten vp to the hyghest toppe of the castell for to se the for tune of the cyte / and hadde consyderacyon of the grete st [...]g the that it was of / and howe it hadde ben gouerned before ty­me with many worthy kynges / and how it was wonte for to haue grete power bothe by see & by londe / & how it was wonte fulfylled with grete sorowe and mys [...] yefe / he had suche pyte vpon the desolacyon of his enemyes / that he wepte for sorowe.

¶ [...]et ayenst them that ben so cruell and so [...]naturall ayenst theyr prysoners for bycause of [...]ouetyse / and for to constrayne them to paye gretter raunsomes than they maye gete whiche is grete horroure to se or here the grete tourmentes that som [...] that ben cruell and borryble men done to theyr prysoners / for [...]arasynes maye doo no worse then they doo. [...]ut and suche handgemen dye on good deth [...] / me semeth that god and natu­re do [...]he theym wronge / Neuerthelesse I doubte not but that they shall be sore punysshed therfore / for god is Iuste. A lord [...] god / so dyde not that noble and worthy prynce Pomp [...]e whi­che was an excellente man of armes / for he conquered almoost all the partyes of the ory [...]ute. But amonge all other when he had subdued the kynge [...]gram of [...]rmonye / and taken. xl. thousande of his men / and kynge [...]ygram was brought be­fore hym also / whiche toke of his crowne and sette it downe a [...] the [...]eete of this noble Pomp [...]e / and thought too haue [...]n [...] downe before hym [...]pynge full tenderly. This noble Pom­p [...]e wolde not suffre hym but comforted hym with al his pow er and at the laste sette hym agayne in his estate / vnder the obeysaunce of y^• [...]maynes / for hym thought it was as grete worshyp for to make kynges / as for to put theym downe / and vnmake theym.

¶ Of mekenesse and deboneyryte in a Prynce Capitulo. xv▪

H [...]re before we haue spoken of the humanyte o [...] the good prynce. And nowe we wyll speke of y^• mekenes that he ought specyally to showe vn to his subiectes / in confourmynge and draw­ynge to hym the loue of his people / for without ony doubte there is nothynge more swetter ne more fauoura­ble to a subiecte / than for to se his prynce benygne and courtey se vnto hym / nor the prynce maye not soo well contente the her­tes of his men and famylyeres with his good / as he maye by his mekenes and benygny [...]e wysely and dys [...]retely done / not that he sholde be soo famylyer / that men sholde sette the lesse by hym and haue hym in the lesse reuerence / but in kepynge of his honoure whiche of dewetye ought for to be showed vnto hym of his subiectes / yet [...]e ought benygnely to here and vn­derstande theyr requestes and petycyons / and answere theym with fayre and swete wordes. And for a lytell mysse dede he ta ke not ouer greate dysdayne agaynste none of theym / For the grett [...]r and the hygher that a towre is the lesse it semeth by the caste of a lytell stone. Also in lykewyse ye shall vnderstande of [...]hylostratus that was Duke or kynge of Athenes whiche [...]yde a worshyp full dede / as ye maye vnderstande here after / He hadde a trusty frende whiche he loued entyrely and he was called [...]ranlypus [...]oo [...]t happened on a tyme as they sate at theyr souper / thys [...]ransypus was greately amoued with an gre / and sayd many grete Iniuryes and vy [...]anyes vnto Phy lost [...]atus hys lorde / But his noble lorde sayd neuer an angry worde agaynste hym / But prayed hym faste that he sholde not be angrye. [...]or that he sholde not aryse frome hys souper with angre and wrathe. But this [...]ransypus was so gretly [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [Page] moued with Ire / that he spytted in his lordes vysage / but for all that / this worthy prynce wolde not be moued with angre / in his courage / but withdrewe his chyldren whiche wolde ha ue shayne this Transypus / and to auenge the hyghe mage­ste of theyr fader. On the morowe came one vnto this worthy prynce & sayd / that Transypus was as a man out of his myn de for angre and shame of that he had done & sayd ouer euen. And lyke to slee hymselfe. For the whiche Phylostratus hadde greate pyte▪ And anone came vnto hym and cleped hym / and comforted hym / and forgaue hym / and promysed hym by hys faythe that he was & sholde be as well in his grace as he was tofore▪ yet more of the good prynce Phylostratus / he had a fay re yonge mayde to his doughter / and a yonge man that dwel­led in the towne loued her soo moche that he was almoost deed for her sake▪ [...]oo yt happened on a tyme that she wente with her moder in the towne / and the yonge man that loued her soo well mette her of fortune in the strete / and he was soo ouerco­me with loue / that he myght not restrayne hymselfe / but so­d [...]ynly wente to her and kyssed her afore all the people: The mo der of this mayde / whiche was wyfe to Phylostrate wolde ne des that this yonge man sholde be deed for that offence / and often tymes styred her lorde thereto▪ But Phylostratus an­swered her agayne full pyteously and sayd: And we sholde ma ke theym to be slayne that doth loue vs / what shall we do [...] theym that doth hate vs▪ And this was a worshypfull and a pyteous answere▪ ¶Also of the worthy Pompee that ys spo­ken of here tofore / It is wryten that he was of soo greate ver­tue and courage that he wolde n [...]t be lyghtely moued to angre ¶He suffered pacyentely many Iniures and wronges that were doone vnto hym by Enuyous people: For bycause that he was so curyous in Cunnynge for too encreace the comon welthe▪ ¶But for all that / he wolde neuer leue too doo well. ▪ [Page] wherfore it appereth to be true that Ualere sayth in his thyr­de boke / in the fyrst chapytre of Sapyence / where he sayth y^t Sapyence is so lyke to force / that it semeth that it is borne of her or with her. ¶yet may ye se another ensample of y^• ryght debonayre & cheualrous kynge Pyrrus whiche we haue spo­ken of dyuers tymes here tofore / he was a mā of grete coura­ge / and had many vertues / he worshypped y^• good and honou­rable persones / lyke as he shewed ofte tymes to y^• Romaynes durynge the terme of warres that was amonge them▪ So it happened vpon a tyme he dyscomfyted y^• Romaynes / yet was he neuer the more proude nor cruell ayenst them / syke as nowe a dayes yf men haue vyctory of theyr enemyes / they wexe soo proude that they can not knowe god neman / whiche is a grete foly / for a mā sholde thynke that fortune dystrybueth often ty mes after her wyll / and gyueth vyctoryes to a man at one ty­me / and at another tyme tourneth y^e whele▪ But this Pyrrus for the worthynes that he knewe in the Romaynes wolde not leue his noblesse▪ Notwithstondynge that he had the vyctory / but wente ayenst theyr enbassadoures / whan he vnderstode y^t theyr comynge was for to desyre theyr prysoners & worshyp­fully receyued them.

¶ yet of deboneyryte & howe fortune maye chaunge. Ca. xvi.

YEt to the purpose of the wyse / Mekenes of the prynce. And also howe fortune may chaunge in a lytel whyle we haue ensample in that that befell to the sayd kyn­ge Pyrrus / by the whiche we may conclude for certayne / y^• by pryde a man is not enhaunced to good fortune: This kynge Pyrrus was a grete warryoure and a vyctoryous man ouer many other prynces & kynges▪ And lyke as fortune dyde hel­pe hym for to conquere & gete royalmes & lordshyppes / in lyke [Page] wyse she [...]oyed and condyted hym for to lose them by greuous dyscomfytures / and fynally by batayle brought hym to hys laste terme / and that was the deth / for as he maynteyned the warre in many londes that he had goten / they of [...]rece were so adradde and soo a ferde of hym for the greate batayles that he had made ayenst the Romaynes / and ayenst the [...]artagyen­ces that they wyste not well what for to do. So it happened y^• he wente agaynst a cyte of Grece that was called Lacedemone whiche was a cyte of grete renowne. But at that tyme it was better defended and saued from dystruccyon by women than by men / as Ualere sayth / for in defence of the same countree / there came so grete nombre of women / that of very force Pyr­rus must nedes departe thens shamefully / and had one of his owne sones slayne / whiche caused hym to take ryght grete so rowe & heuynes / and so fortune at that tyme was not his fren de. And whan he was parted from thens / he wente before the cyte of Arges / and there he was slayne with the cast of a stone & thus ended the kynge Pyrrus / whiche had tourmented ma ny one vpon erth. [...]elenus sone of [...]tygone whiche was kyn ge of [...]rges made grete Ioy for the dethe of Pyrrus and ma de smyte of the hede from the body & with grete Ioy he brou­ght it to his fader. But [...]ntygone lyke a wyse prynce blamed hym for y^• he made so grete Ioye for y^• dethe of so noble a kny­ght as he was. And for because also y^• he had no pyte / seynge [...] grete [...]reylte of fortune whiche is neuer stable / & forthwith he worshypped y^• hede / & toke away the couerynge of his owne h [...] de whiche was couered after y^e maner of kynges of Macydo­ne / & with grete honoure couered the hede of Pyrrus / & made take the body worshypfully out of the felde to be brought vnto hym / & forth withall he lete bury hym with grete reuerence / & made for hym worshypfull obsequyes after the vse & custome in those dayes / & as the sone of Pyrrus whiche was brought [Page] vnto hym prysoner / made clothe hym in royal clothynge & ba­de hym take vnto hym y^• courage of a kynge / & gaue to hym y^• asshes of his faders body in a vessel of golde & bade hym go ho me agayne to the Empyre whiche was his faders kyngdom [...]d so it semeth to me truely y^• in the sentence of this story ys well comprehended y^• varyaūce of fortune lyke as it is openly declared by Pyrrus / as for y^t grete lyberalyte / mekenes / & hu­manyte. And also of y^e worshyp & honoure of this worthy pryn ce whiche ought gretely to be recōmended amonge other pryn­ces afore sayd. ¶ Notwithstondynge it is wryten in lyke wy se of Hanyball the Emperour of Affryke whiche was a ryght famous & a manly knyght / & had many vyctoryous batayles ayenst the Romaynes / & other whyle he loste. But this same worthy prynce when he had wonne the vytory of ony batayle / as he dyde of many one / he wolde an one make serche the felde And all worthy prynces & knyghtes y^t were founde deed in y^• batayle / he wolde an one lete take & bury them / as well of hys enemyes as of his owne with grete honoure & worshyp / lyke as he dyde with the worthy Romayne prynce that was called [...]mulus [...]aulus / whiche was slayne in the batayle of [...] ­nes / where was so grete occysyon of Romaynes / that he fylled threpypes full of rynges of them that were slayne / and sente them home in to his countree / for at that tyme it was custome that all noble men sholde were rynges / and thoughe this seme a grete meruayle / it is no wonder / yet all these cronyclers and wryters of storyes recordeth the same. But yt maye well hap pen that the pypes were not so grete in those dayes as they be nowe / orelles it was some other measure that was so called at that tyme. And after this batayle he lete nobly bury the bo­dy of the sayd [...]mulus Paulus. And in lyke wyse he dyde vn to another noble Romayne prynce / [...]e whiche was called [...]yberyus Graccus the whiche was slayne also in another [Page] batayles and wh [...]n he was brente toke the asshes / & gaue th [...] to his knyghtes in a vessell of golde to bere home in to his ow­ne countrees and in lyke wyse also she dyde to Marcus Mar­cellus whiche was slayne in another batayle / for anone after y^• batayle he made cast ryche clothes vpon hym and brente hym as y^• custome was at that tyme / and set a crowne of [...]auryer on his hede as for a vyctoryous prynce / for not withstandynge that he was slayne / yet had he wonne the felde vpon hanyball But yet was the noblesse and y^• courage so grete of y^• worthy prynce Hanyball y^• he worshypped as well his enemyes when they had ouercomen hym / as he wolde be worshypped whā he had ouercomen them. Wherfore Ualere sayth / that this huma nyte gaue a gretter voyce and lawde to Hanyball / [...]han the byctoryes that he had wonne▪ For he sayth y^• he ouercame thē by the malyce of [...]fryke / and worshypped them by the cour­teysy and the mekenes of Romaynes.

¶ Howe a prynce sholde not be proude thoughe fortune fa­uoure hym neuer so moche▪ Capitulo. ▪ xvii.

[...]Or bycause we haue touched that no mā for no mane [...] of fortune that myght fall vnto hym sholde be proude. And that it maye be exsample to euery good prynce for to kepe hym therfro / I wyll shewe you what Ualere sayth therin / he sayth thus▪ That y^• Romaynes were conquerours for bycau­se that they were not proude when good fortune fell vnto thē / lyke as some done that ben as halfe out of theyr mynde for ioy when prosperyte falleth vnto them. ¶ But the Romaynes he sayth gate more in sparynge of them y^• were ouercomen / [...]at is to saye in the goodly demeanynge of them that were taken then by ouercomynge of them / [...]nd for to vnderstāde certayn­ly that mannes good fortune blyndeth hym soo by pryde that [Page] he can not knowe hymselfe / nor vnderstondeth not the course of her pleye / and afterwarde casteth them downe in his horry ble pytre / It appereth amonge other ensamples by Hanyball whiche was prynce of Cartage afore sayd / For notwithston­dynge that he had many good vertues in hym / he rose in to so grete a pryde for bycause of the vyctorye that he had vpon the Romaynes as hath ben declared here before / that he dysday­ned for to here ony man speke to hym / but made other men spe ke with the people / whiche brought vnto hym reporte agayne And he trusted soo moche in his owne wytte and in his good fortune & felycyte / that hym semed no man coude showe hym nothynge but that he knewe it well ynoughe before / wherfore on a tyme he dyspraysed a wyse knyght of his whiche was cal led Maherball that sayd and affermed / howe he had aduysed by what maner of meane Hanyball sholde gete Rome / [...] how he sholde soupe in the Capytole whiche was y^e chyefe fortresse of the Cyte / but he lyste not to here it / nor sette not therby / for hym semed that he was wyse ynoughe hymselfe / for to gete it without ony fayle / but his thought begyled hym / for he fayl­led therof / wherfore no prynce ought not disprayse to here other mennes opynyons / and specyally of suche as ben wyse men / For there is no thynge be it neuer so subtyll / but mannes wyt maye ymagyne the meanes for to optayne it▪ But the proude man deygne not to enquyre / For as Ualere sayth / felycyte af­ter the comon course wyll not suffre a proude man for to here y^• voyce of a meke man / thoughe it be neuer so true and profyta­ble vnto hym / for because he hath no moderacyon of attempe­ [...]aunce / So was the ende of this Hanyball as it is conteyned in the Romayne storyes▪ For after that he had longe trauay­led the Romaynes by many grete batayles / fortune tourned so moche ayenst hym that at the ende he loste all his Empyre / his men / and his goodes / and was compelled for to flee & hyde [Page] hymselfe. But he coude fynde no prynce in y^• worlde that wol­de receyue hym for fere of the Romaynes for whiche cause he fell in dyspayre and slewe hymselfe by v [...]nyme that he dranke [...]nd so this Hanyball dyed wretchedly / whiche was in his ty­me one of the manlyest prynces and best fortuned in y^• worlde as it is shewed in storyes. And therfore to our purpose / y^• wor­des that was somtyme sayd by Salon one of the. vii. sages is veryfyed here ayenst them that weneth to fynde & haue fely­cyte by rychesses / honoures / and delytes / saynge that no man ought to calle hymselfe vrouse as longe as he lyueth in thys worlde / for we ben subiecte to fortune vnto our last dayes / whi che is chaungeable and doubtefull / by the whiche chaunges / it happeneth often tymes that the name of felycyte is taken a maye f [...]o [...]e many creatures.

¶ Howe the good prynce ought to loue Iustyce. Ca. xviii.

AS me semeth we haue spoken ynoughe of the matter of two of the fyrst poyntes and of the brauuches longynge to the same / Upon whi­che the naturall prynce and not the tyraunte ought to be founde / vpon the fete of his gouer naunce lyke as we haue promysed to speke of here before. That is to were howe he ought to loue and drede god aboue all thynges. ¶ Also the seconde poynte that he shol de loue and kepe the comon welthe of his londe more than his owne propre. ¶ Nowe we must speke of the thyrde poynte whi che is / that he ought to kepe and loue Iustyce / where vpon we must fyrst se what is Iustyce / & afterwarde the maner howe the good prynce ought to kepe it / and what thynges be necessa ry for the kepynge therof. And howe the olde auncyentes that were well taught kepte it. And vpon this we wyll shewe some [Page] ensamples to y^• purpose lyke as we haue done here tofore? Ary stotle saythe / that Iustyce is a measure that yeldeth to euery man his ryght. And yet a man might declare more vpon this worde after the dyscrypcyon of the sayd vertue / but for as mo­che as I haue before this tyme touched this matter and spe­cyally in the boke of dyscrypcyon / whiche is made of the wys­dome of man. I passe the more lyghtly ouer at this tyme for by cause that I wyll declare you ensamples accordynge to oure matter. Fyrste the good prynce ought to loue Iustyce in suche wyse / that for no maner of fauoure he breke it not? For the aun cyent faders before vs loued Iustyce so well / that they wolde not spare theyr owne chyldren? Lyke as it was shewed by an▪ Emperoure whiche commaunded / that what man that bra­ke a certayne commaundement whiche he hadde made sholde [...]ose bothe his eyen / For thoughe his owne sone fell in the case he sholde not be pardoned of that same payne? So it fortuned afterwarde that his sone brake this cōmaundement / and for­the withall he wolde haue doone this Iustyce vpon hym. But for as moche as that he sholde reygne after hym and he were made blynde of bothe eyen / yt semed to hym that he myght ne uer gouerne well his subiectes / nor the comon welthe of hys royalme▪ wherfore he founde a remedy for to satysfye his com maundement▪ [...]nd also that the lybertye of his gouernaunce sholde not be all taken from hym / But that remedy was ry­ght pyteous / for he made to put out the one eye of his sone and another of his owne▪ Thenne I saye yf they kepte rygorous Iustyce at that tyme▪ it is as moche released in the tyme that nowe ys▪ and more ouer I haue before thys spoken of euyll mynystres / wherfore I wyll as nowe passe ouer more shorte­ly▪ ¶ But yet to the purpose of rygorous Iustyce / the worthy Romayne prynce / whiche was named AulusPostunus whi che by his wysdome & grete hardynes dyscomfyted a maner [Page] of people that were called Uolques. But before or the batayle telle [...]he made crye and defende vpon payne of dothe that none were so hardy to put themselfe in prees for to fyght nor depar te out of theyr lodgynge without y^• lycence of hym. This sayd Aulus Postumus happened to go out of his hooste for certay­ne matters that he had to do. So it fortuned that a sone of his had a knowlege where a cerayne of his enemyes were lodged and anone he toke a certayne people with hym & faught with them and dyscomfyted theym. And when his fader was come home agayne to his hooste / and herde of this thynge / an one he gaue Iugemente and sayd / that it was more harme for to sa­ue that man fro dethe that breketh the lawes and commaun­dementes of prynces / not withstondynge that he had the vyc­tory of his enemyes / and also for ensample to other men / than the dyscomfyture of a fewe po [...]ple. And forthe withall he ma­de [...]myte of his sones heede. ¶ Nowe we wyll passe ouer of the rygorous ensamples and we wyl speke of y^• good prynce how he ought to kepe Iustyce / and what thynges be necessary vn­to hym for the same. And fyrst he must be puruayed specyally of ryghtwyse & true counsaylers / and that they loue better y^• lyfe and worshyp of the prynce and the welthe of the comons / than theyr owne synguler profyte. But Ifeere me that there be fewe suche to fynde nowe a dayes. But and a prynce haue suche dyscrete men aboute hym / he maye well kepe the rewle of Iustyce and other partyculer matters whiche shall encrea ce and multyply hym in power / in myght and in rychesse. O where is that prynce y^• may thanke a true counsayloure suffy [...]yently ynoughe / for the grete goodnes that he maye fynde in shew ynge of his counsayle yf he wyll byleue hym / It ys not shewed in the story of Romaynes that Scypyon Nasyca the wyse man whiche was of the noble lygne of these other Scy­pyons y^• were so worthy men of armes / y^• he notwithstondyng [Page] that he sewed not the warres as these other dyde / yet was he so wyse in counsayle and gouernaunce of the comon profyte / that he dyde as moche by his wysdome as the others dyde by theyr armes For he faught so with his wyse reasons namely ayenst some of y^• myghty men of Rome / that wolde haue put vnder the Senat / and also the comon welthe / wherfore Uale re sayth of hym that he deserned no lesse thanke of the people in his koote / then the other warryoures in theyr armes / for he kepte the cyte from any grete inconuenyentes & moche good [...] nes shewed them by his meanes.

¶ what maner counsaylours a prynce sholde take. Ca. xix.

[...]Owe we must aduyse / amonge what people the prynce sholde chose his counsayloures / for to be well counsayled / shall it not be amonge the yon­ge men / Nay / for they counsayled somtyme euyl the kynge Ieroboam / and so haue they done ma ny another prynce [...] But he shall chose them amonge the olde wyse men / whiche ben good men / and well experte in coūsayle for they ben more redy to gyue good counsayle than the yonge And of necessyte it longeth to a good counsayloure / that he be well aduysed of the matter that he comeneth of [...] or he gyue coū sayle therin / and that he gyue not to hasty credence thoughe a matter appere fayre before hym / vnto the tyme that he haue wel proued the trouthe therin / for at y^• fyrst apparens a matter maye shewe otherwyse than it is in effecte [...]nd Arystotle spe­keth of the maners of the olde auncyentes in the booke of Re­thoryke▪ and saythe that they were not lyght of byleue / for by cause that they had ben often tymes defrauded / wherfore they wyll not lyghtly determyne a thynge in haste that is doubte­full▪ But they wyll often tymes construe it to the worste / For [Page] they haue sene it often tymes fall so in theyr tyme. And ther­fore they be not redy for to gyue counsayle hastely. ¶ Also they wyll not gyue no grete truste vpon a lytell foundemente / nor vpon a lytell encheson / for they haue often tymes sene a thynge fall otherwyse than they thought / wherfore they wyll not gy­ue hasty counsayle vpon grete empryses / without grete ad­uyse and delyberacyon. [...]nd al these thynges be comonly con trary to yonge men. And also all other naturall thynges way eth more in the olde man than in the yonge. But to say that al olde men ben wyse. Iwyll not say so / [...]or Arystotle sayth that there b [...]n two maner of ages / one is that that foloweth after youthe / well ordeyned / and well attempred / and this age Tul­lyus aloweth gretely in his boke of age. The other age that co meth after youthe / is that / that is vndyscrete & wauerynge & this age is subiecte to many myseryes / & is not worthy to be recōmended. And therfore Ihaue sayd that the prynces sholde chose his counsaylours of the olde wyse men. And yet to speke more of them thought so be that they haue not so grete bodely strength as haue the yonge men / yet they may haue gretter vertue & dyscrecyon in counsayle / as Ihaue sayd before / whi­che is more nedefull & profytable then the strengthe of the bo­dy / In as moche as it is more to be alowed & is more noble / the vertue of vnderstondynge & of dyscrecyon & knowlege / then is the strength of the body / for after the wyse werkynge of coū sayles of olde wyse men ben well susteyned & gouerned y^• roy all magestees / the [...]ytees / and the polycyes / & the comon wel­the / whiche often tymes ben cast downe by the yonge men / as Tullyus sayth / as it appereth clerely in dyuers storyes. Thē thoughe so be that age taketh awaye the. bodely strength / yet it haboundeth in wysdome and vnderstandynge whiche thyn ges ben moost to be alowed. And therfore aged men that ben sory that theyr youthe is past / it is a sygne that they be nother [Page] wyse nor vertuous / for that man is not wyse that choseth not the more profytable thynge / and why that men dysprayse age is for nothynge elles / But that it taketh awaye the wyll and the delectacyons of the flesshe. And therfore age ought not to be blamed / but ought to be gretely thanked. For in that it taketh awaye the rote of all euylles / For after the sayenge of Archyca of [...]arence that was ryght a grete phylosophre. There is no gretter pestylence gyuen to the nature of mā / then is the wyll of the body / of the whiche groweth treasons / subuersyons of cytees / and of people / and defoulynge of women / and all euyll thynges / nor there is none vnthryfty thynge but it wyll dra­we it vnto the courage of man at some tyme / it is she that de­stroyeth the Iugemente of reason / and putteth out the eye of mannes lyfe. And also she hath none affynyte nor communy­cacyon with vertues / So than it is more lowable for to chose age then the dylectacyons of y^e body / whiche yonge men glad ly wyll not eschewe. Wherfore the olde men ben more noble & set lesse by contrary thynges & reproues ayenst themselfe thē the yonge men doone. As Arystotle saythe in the. viii. booke of [...]thyques: And Tullyus speketh too the same purpose and saythe / that age is stronger & more couragyous thā is youthe wherfore Salon the grete wyse man of Athenes answered to the [...]yrante [...]ytsycratus whiche asked hym howe he durste be so bolde to answere hym soo malepertely / he answered hym and sayd / that it was by y^• force of age / and this is conteyned in the translacyon of Ualere whiche Ihaue gadered out of his bookes / somewhat goynge out of my fyrst processe that speke­th of Iustyce / for to declare what counsayloures longeth to a good prynce.

¶ [...]owe a good prynce not witstondynge y^• he be debonayre & meke ought to be dredde and doubted. [...]apitulo. xx.

[Page] OF Iustyce and wherof [...]ueth / it is tyght wel knowen that yt longeth to a good prynce to pu­nysshe or cause to punysshe y^• euyll d [...]ers / wher fore I wyll leue spekynge of it at this tyme / for bycause that I haue touched it here before▪ And I wyll procede vpon that that longeth to the sayd good pryn­ce after the trouthe of Iustyce / and that he sholde yelde to eue­ry man that belongeth vnto hym after his power▪ And yf he kepe this meanes of Iustyce / he may not fayle for to do ryght in euery thynge / for yf he do thus he shall yelde to hymselfe y^• is dewe. For it is reason that he vse y^• same ryght that he wyl do to euery man. That is to knowe that he wolde be obeyed & doubted of ryght and reason as is accordynge to the mageste of a prynce. For in what lōde or place that a prynce is not doub­ted / there maye be no good Iustyce▪ [...]nd howe that it longeth to a prynce for to be doubted it appereth by the worthy man y^• was named Cleartus that was duke of Lacedemone / whiche is a grete parte of Grece where were sometyme passynge mā ly people▪ This duke whiche was a knyghtly man and a gre­te warryoure to that entente that his people sholde drede more for to flee than to deye / sayd to theym in this wyse / that men of warre ought rather to drede theyr prynce than y^• deth of theyr enemyes. For the whiche wordes / and for the greate Iustyce that he dyde vpon them that were euyll and cowardes. They abondoned themselfe without sparynge or fere y^• they acheued many meruayllous empryses / wherfore it is no doubte but y^• y^• prynce ought to be doubted though he be neuer so mekene so gētyl / for y^• mekenes ought to be takē but as a thȳge of grace / whiche euery mā ought syngulerly to take hede of / & not to y^• ētente y^• they sholde dysprayse theyr prynce for his grete gētyl nes. And for this cause y^• olde aūeyentes paynted y^e goddes of lordshyp whiche was fygured lyke a lady & set vp [...]an hyghe [Page] royall trone / & in the one hande she helde a braunche of Olyfe and in y^e other honde she helde a naked sworde / whiche sygny­fyed that in lordshyp ought to be benygnyte and mercy / & also Iustyce / and myght. Then the good prynce as it is sayd befo re sholde be gouerned by the olde wyse men / and yelde to euery man that is his dewe. And also he sholde wyll that these good and worshypfull men sholde be reuerenced for theyr merytes and theyr good vertues after the sentence of y^e wyse man whi­che sayth. Aryse ayenst the balled man. For in olde tyme men were wonte to do grete reuerence to the auncyent wyse men▪ and namely they of Lacedemone whiche made many worshyp full pleyes. And this came in by the introduce you & the lawes of Lygnegus theyr honourable & wyse kynge whiche he had taught them. For he made many dyuers of them / whiche they maynteyned longe tyme after. So it happened on a tyme that an olde auncyent man wente to the Theatre of Athenes for to se the pleyes. This Theatre was a place in whiche all the yon ge men assembled in / for to proue theyr myght one ayenst ano­ther / as in armes / or Iustes / or wrastelynges / and all suche other thynges. But none of all the other cytesyns of Athenes wolde gyue no place vnto the auncyent man for to sytte in [...] So he wente so longe aboute that of auenture he came where the Embassadours of Lacedemone were set to se these pleyes whi che were come in message to Athenes goodly yonge men & lu­sty / & when they sawe this olde man come / they rose vp a yenst hym after theyr olde custome and dyde hym reuerence and set hym in an honest place amonge theym. And whan the people sawe this they cōmended moche y^• good custome of the straun­gers / and sayd amonge themselfe / we wote wel ynoughe that they dyde ryght / But we abode for too vnderstonde what the straungers wolde do.

¶ Howe the good prynce sholde vse the counsayle of the wyse men. Capitulo. xxi▪

WE haue sayd / howe the good prynce sholde worsh [...]yp the olde wyse men / and vse of theyr counsayle. ¶ And for to vse the counsayle of wyse men▪ A knyght that was Capytayne of the men of armes whose name was cal­called Mynucyus sayd a fayre worde to this purpose / as Ua­lere resyteth▪ For when he wolde go to yelde grace to Fabyus of that that he hadde saued hym and his hooste / he sayd vnto his knyghtes / fayre lyrdes sayth he / I haue often tymes her­de saye / that he is the fyrste in the werke that can gyue good counsayle of suche matters as ben for to do / as the case requy­reth. [...] The seconde is he / that byleueth the good counsayle. But he that nother can counsayle / [...]e vnderstonde good coun [...] sayle / he is of noo maner of profyte▪ And therfore fayre lordes / we wyll sette asyde the fyrst / that is to saye / that we be not wy se ynoughe for to gyue good counsayle / for we haue noo suffy­cyent wytte ther to / wherfore lette vs take the seconde / that is to saye▪ Lette vs obeye vnto Fabyus / whiche is ryght a wyse man▪ and of good counsayle / and soo they dyde▪ For the whiche cause and counsayle he ouercame them in batayle / for he was ryght a wyse man: ¶ And yet to the same purpose / that ys to saye / that Prynces sholde byleue and vse the counsayle of the wyse men▪ The grete Dyaletyque saythe / that euery man ou ght to byleue hym that is experte in his crafte. That ys to kno we that the good prynce ought to take counsayle of dyuers fo [...] kes / after the matters that he hathe to do in / For as the gouer naunce of Iustyce / [...] the dyuers thynges y^• may fall therin of suche thynges as he ought not for to take counsayle of his mē of arme [...] / nor of his knyghtes. But of the Legystres and cler kes / whiche ben experte in that scyence▪ And as to the [...]eete of [Page] armes he sholde not take his counsayle of y^e clerkes. And in ly ke wyse of all other thynges. Lyke as Ualere sayth of Quin tus Scenola. That not with stondynge he was ryght a grete Legystre and a shewer of ryght / yet whan men come to aske hym counsayle of certayne customes of the offyces of Rome. / He sente theym worde that asked hym the questyons to Fur­nes / or to Chastelanus / whiche were experte in the same custo mes. Not with stondynge paraduenture he coude as wel haue tolde yt hymselfe. But he wolde that euery man sholde entre­mete or medle of that Scyence that he had gyuen hym vnto without more. For the whiche feete Ualere saythe / he recom­mended more the auctoryte in that / that he wolde not take vp­on hym other mennes offyces / then for the gretnesse of his wys dome / And this is ayenst them that wolde be aboue all other / and medle of euery thynge by E [...]ye and Pryde. ¶ Nowe a good prynce sholde vse the co [...]msayle of wyse men / for to kepe Iustyce and doo equyte to hymselfe / and to all other. Fyrste he must take hede that these men that be commytted by hym in to offyces / be not corrupte ne defouled / nor of euyll lyuynge / And that his Iustyces be not fauourable vnto one partye me re than to another. Lyke as it hathe ben touched here tofore / And also that he spare noo more the greate than he dothe the smalle. ¶ And for bycause that comonly there is shewed mo­re fauoure to the ryche / than vnto the poore / whiche is ayenst God and ryght / wherfore [...]rchasus the Phylosophre lyke­ned the lawes vnto [...]oppe webbes / that the [...]pydre maketh / and sayd. [...]hat the [...]oppe webbes toke not the greate Flyes / nor the greate Hornettes / But it taketh the lytell Flyes / and feble Butter flyes and letteth goo the grete / that often tymes breketh theym and flyeth thrughe / Soo in lyke wyse it is of the Lawes / For the grate and the myghty breketh theym of­ten tymes and passeth thrughe theym without ony feere.

[Page]But the poore he taken and trapped: And this cometh comon ly by the false couetyse of them that sholde mynystre Iustyce And therfore the wyse man Perycle sayd / whiche was of gre te auctoryte in the cyte of Athenes & ryght vertuous. As [...]ul lus wytnesseth in his boke of offyces / that it behoueth to hym he sayth that medeleth of Iustyce / not onely to haue his hon­des and his tongue close / but also well his eyen▪ This is to [...] vnderstonde that a man sholde kepe from receyuynge of gyf­tes that corrupteth the Iugementes of man▪ Also that he ke­pe hymselfe from ouer moche language / and frome the incon uenyence of the flesshe. For the comon people taketh hede anone to the lyfe of Iuges / and of grete people / for by them they tak [...] [...]nsample of theyr lyuynge.

¶ Howe the good prynce ought to take hede vpon the rewle of his offycers. Capitulo. xxii.

FOr bycause we be entred in the purpose howe the good prynce ought to be dylygent for to ta ke hede vpon the rewle of his offycers for by­cause that in offycers may be grete pr [...]iudyce to the welfare of the royalme [...]or of a lordshyp and by them is often tymes gyuen grete blame to prynces for theyr mysgouernaunce / and y^• prynces not knowynge of theyr rewle / we wyll somewhat holde this matter more at longe in showynge good ensamples whiche ben expedyent to our pur pose. ¶ For bycause nowe a dayes men make no grete elec [...]y­on in regarde of vertues & of wysdome for as moche as they sette men in royall offyces and gyue them power of Iustyce / and to gouerne the people whiche be not able / but that they be put in by fauoure and helpe of lordes / and frendes / it were mo­re necessary that this custome were amended / and y^• we sholde [Page] vse the custome of Remaynes / In suche case as here after fo­loweth / ¶ It is to knowe as Ualery resyteth in the. vii. b [...]ke / whiche is called Repulses by the. v. chapytre / that the Romay nes whiche gouerned soueraynly the comon welthe of theyr Cyte [...] And for to accomplysshe all theyr thynges in ordre and reason / they had a maner that from yere to yere they chaūged the moost parte of theyr offycers▪ And they dyde so for bycause that they sholde take heede of theym that they dyde not amysse whyle they were therin / lest they sholde haue ben punysshed af terwarde▪ And also to that entente that they sholde not ware proude in theyr offyces / wherfore all the lordes of Rome assem bled togyder ones in the yere▪ [...]hat is to knowe suche as had power to gyue the offyces / in a place that was called / the felde of [...]ars. And as it was accustomed th [...]re came grete & [...]mal for to aske offyces / suche as long [...]d to his faculte▪ And euery man had a propre habyte of whyte / and euery man put in the re his requestes of y^• offyce that he desyred. And for bycause y^• y^• lordes wolde [...]e dysc [...]yued to gyue offyces to suche men as were not worthy to haue them / they had ordeyned a certayne men that were wyse and dyscrete for to enquyre of the deme [...] nynge and the good lyuynge of theym that asked the offyces. And they sholde brynge in by wrytynge howe they hadde ben gouerned befor [...]tyme in theyr offyces / yf so were that they had ony before that tyme▪ And by this meanes they receyued su­che men as were able▪ And they that were not able / they refu­sed them boldly. And wolde god y^• men wolde do so now a day [...]s in al countrees / for by suche meanes euery man wolde pay ne hymselfe for to do well / and for to gete hym a good name / so at that tyme after y^• excercyse of theyr vertuous workes▪ men were put in to theyr offyces / and not after the fauoure of lorde­shyp and frendes▪ And soo by this it is shewed that for the go­uernaunce of y^• comon welthe / certayne men ought to be chosen [Page] and ord [...]y [...]ed in euery estate after the offyce y^• he sholde medle in / as it is shewed heretofore. That is to knowe for the f [...]ate of knyghthode / the men of armes and suche as longeth to that faculte. And as for the clargy studyantes in scyence specula­tyues & in artes lyberall as well as in other / as [...]llyus say­the. And in this the prynce ought gretely to put hymselfe in de uoyre for to worshyp and the glory of the royalme / encreaseth gretely by the haboundannce of of clarkes and of wyse men / For by theym lyke as I haue sayd byfore the prynce maye be well counsayled▪ wherfore Platon sayd lyke as [...]oece telleth in his fyrste boke of consolacyon that the goodes of the comon welthe were gracyous when they were vnder the gouernaun ce of wyse men / or elles that the gouernoures of prynces wolde study in wysdome / for by theyr meanes all the comonte sholde be brought in / to obaye the lawes and y^• rewles of reason. And lyke as I haue often tymes sayd. I [...] were a couenable thynge to put awaye the presumptuous men / whiche wolde be honou­red / and be not worthy therto / for that entente that the good & worshypfull men myght be honoured and receyued in to offy ces / whiche sholde cause theym that ben presumptuous for too amende themselfe / and by suche extymacyons the good were deserued frome the badde / lyke as it was ordeyned by the stu­dyes of cunnynge.

¶ The goodnes that falleth to a prynce for to byleue the coun sayle of wyse men. [...]apitulo. xxiii.

VEt sewynge to the same matter by good proues that the good prynce ought to loue them / we wyll speke of the greate goodnesse that cometh therof. and maye come to wyse men suche as ben solem­pne Phylosophres in speculaty [...]e / I [...] ys wryt [...]n [Page] that Athymonydes the Phylosophre kepte the [...]yte of Sy­racuse / that yt sholde not be taken by the Romaynes. ¶ And by wysdome and subtylyte he made suche instrumentes that the strokes of [...]ngynes myght not noye ne hurte the [...]yte / [...] yet at the laste the [...]yte was wonne. And whanne the Pryn­ce of the hoost was within the towne she commaunded that no man sholdeslee that Phylosophre / but as the men of a [...]mes wente aboute to pylle the towne. [...] knyght happened for to co me vnto the house of this Athymonydes. And there he foun­de hym wrytynge fygures vpon the erthe / [...]yke as these Geo metryens and Astronomyens doone. [...]hen thys knyght as­ked hym what he was / and he gaue hym no worde to answe­re of his demaunde / for bycause that he was soo sore sette vp on that thynge that he made / [...]aue onely that he sayd. I praye the hartely that thou trouble me not / of this thynge that I ma ke / but he forthe withall [...]lewe hym. ¶ And for to speke of this Athymonydes he was a greate Mathematyey [...]n / [...]o moche that some saythe that it was he / that founde fyrste the square or the sercle / of whiche Arystotle speketh of in his boke of pre­dycacyons. Thoughe soo be he saythe / that it is a thynge that maye be knowne and lerned / yet not withstondynge y [...] was well lerned in hys tyme / Also some sayth that thys Phyloso­phre sawe by hys Astrologye howe he sholde dye / and tolde it before or he dyed. ¶ But when men asked hym why he wolde not departe frome that place where he sholde dye in▪ He sayde that the mouynge of the heuen helde hym [...]o faste that he my­ght not styre nor departe frome that place where he was in.

¶ wherfore yt showed that he was in the same opynyon that the Influence of Heuen dryueth a man to that / that shall fall of hym. ¶ For the whiche cause a manne maye see / that there is noone soo good / nor soo greate a clerke in the worlde / but in some thynges he maye [...]re and be dysceyued. ¶ For thys [Page] may not be true as to the operacyon of the soule whiche maye werke at his owne lyberte and myght / for not withstondynge ony maner of inclynacyon of heuenly influence / she may chose what parte that she wyll▪ As Arystotle proueth in his boke of Ethyques▪ And in that ye maye perceyue and vnderstande y^• parfyte reason and knowlege of Arystotle▪ For Theologye de­termyneth playnely vpon the feete of our faythe / that the wyl whiche is free / maye not be constrayned by no maner accyon▪ For and it were so synne and vyce myght be somewhat excu­sable / for as moche as the inclynacyons of man myght be con strayned by force: But as to the body it maye be true that in some thynges man is subiecte by his byrthe in dyuers accyōs of the heuens aboue / as in the foure fyrste qualytees▪ That is to knowe / in heete / in colde / in drynes & in moysture▪ For it is not in power of man▪ but in the somer he must haue heete / and in lyke wyse of all other▪ But in that that the body is subiecte vnto the soule / That is to knowe of the lyberalyte of free wyll I saye y^• heuenly influence hath no domynacyon nor lord shyp thought so be that it may be true y^• the heuenly accyons gyue to man many inclynacyons▪ As a man may se▪ [...]olyte / Acche [...]y [...]or other naturall styrynges / yet notwithstandynge that a man maye caste vpon his heede a brydell of areste / in luche wy se that he shall withstonde the dedes of all suche inclynacyons And to proue that this maye be true saythe Tholome whiche was a grete astrologyen▪ the wyse man he sayth hathe domy­nacyon ouer the power of the sterres ¶ And to proue that this sentence is true▪ it appereth by that y^• is wryten of Arystotle▪ that by his nature sholde haue ben an euyl condycyoned man but by his grete vertue he became a passynge wyse man and a temperat [...] and well manered▪ And in this wyse he surmoū [...]d nature.

¶ [...]owe the olde wysemen were gouerned by Phylosophres Capitulo. xxiiii

SO to our purpose / it is to knowe that y^• good pryn ce shall be gouerned by wysemen. And also that [...] sholde not repugne ayenst the seyence of Astro logye in notable persones / but that they be called to the strayte counsayles of prynces / lykess it is proued here tofore by Athymonydes the Phylosophre whiche by longe tyme saued the Cyte of Cyracuse / frome the hondes of his enemyes. And semblably as it is shewed i many other storyes. But the good prynce ought well to be ware that he sta blysshe not hys partyculer matters by them that semeth wy­se / and be not / For he maye be abused by suche men / as vnder y^• shadowe of cunnynge maketh themselfe wyse / and be not so in dede. And suche men often tymes be gyleth the prynces and the leye people also / by theyr cautelous dyscyplyne. But when it is so that this scyence resteth in a good man it maye gretely profyte in the kepynge of Cytees and of royalmes / and to the augmentacyon of theym▪ ¶ Notwithstondynge that dyuers men repugne agaynst suche men / and saythe that they sholde not be of the counsayle of prynces▪ For as Arystotle sayth thys worlde that is here benethe / is gouerned by the accyon of he­uenly bodyes. And Tholome sayth that the vysages and the fygures of this worlde here benethe ben subiectes to the vysa ges / and the fyguracyons of the heuens aboue: ¶ Then and it be true that all these wrytynges speketh of / as touchynge the meruaylous thynges / that the olde phylosophres dyde in theyr tyme / without ony fayle who that myght haue many su che men aboute hym / it wolde seme that he sholde be well con̄ ­ [...]ayled. For it is not to thynke that soo many of our auctoures [Page] that were of olde tyme wolde wryte lesynges. Neuerthelesse it is to vnderstonde that no prynce sholde take no suche phylo­sophre that vseth the arte that is defended by the chyrche. For in that lyeth to greate peryll. And also he sholde not suffre thē ne susteyne theym in his lond [...] ▪ for there maye fall ouer many in conuenyentes therof / For I speke of none but of suche as be parfyte [...]stronomyers / whiche scyence of Astronomye thou­ghe so be that it is ryght hyghe and passe all other in subtylte yet it is pure naturall. And without euyll arte / but for the dyf fyculte therof / that is to knowe / for the greate subtylte that is therin there ben but fewe that is substancyally founded in the sayd scyence And for that cause many men blame it / For they can not vnderstonde / nor comprehende it in theyr mynde▪ lyke as it is sayd comonly / They that ben ygnoraunte in thynges soonest wyll blame it. ¶ But for to knowe that there haue ben men parfytely experte in that scyence. Arystotle telleth in the fyrste booke of Polytykes of a Phylosophre that was named Tales / whiche on a tyme his frēdes mocked hym for bycause that he occupyed hym soo gretely in studye and was soo poore that he hadde no good. And when they hadde argued ynoughe [...]yenst hym. Then the sayd Phylosophre thought that he wol de shewe theym the vertue of his Cunnynge. For he dyde soo moche with a lytell money that he hadde / that by the meanes of his scyence he gate grete good on the nexte yere folowynge. For he vnderstode by his Cunnynge that the same nexte yere [...]lyues sholde take greate worthe / where vpon he employed his lytell money / for at that season they were grete chepe / and soo for a small some he bought grete quantyte of [...]lyues wh [...] che he solde the nexte yere folowynge as dere as he wolde.—¶ And soo by that meane he gate greate good / wherfore Ary­stotle sayth [...] shewed his cunnynge to his frendes / to that entente that they sholde vnderstonde that it was but a lyghte [Page] thynge to a Ppylosophre to be ryche and he wolde / But he en­ded not to suche matters / But onely to haue the good vnder­stondynge of the blessyd gouernaunce of aboue.

¶ And yet to this purpose. There was another Astronomyer that was called Spyroynya / whiche by his scyence shewed be fore at Rome of the dethe of Iulyus Cezar a good whyle be­fore or it felle / where vpon it happened that when it drewe ny­ghe the terme and tyme whiche the sayd Spyroynya hadde sette that Iulyus Cezar sholde not passe. / The sayd Iulyus sente for Spyroynya and sayd vnto hym / wotest thou not wel quod he that the I [...]es of Marche ben almoost paste▪ He an­swered hym agayne and sayd / wotest not thou well ynoughe that it is not fully paste yet. So it happened that the laste day of the thyrty dayes / Iulyus Cezar was slayne in the Capy­tole at Rome by the meanes of Brutus and [...]ssyus / and by dyuers other Senatoures that gaue hym more than two and twenty deedly woundes. As [...]rose wytnesseth in the. v. booke of storyes / whiche dethe was meruaylous and pyteous of so [...] hyghe and so noble & prynce as he was to be so heuely murdred and slayne.

¶ Howe it longeth to a prynce for to be wyse and prudente in eloquence. Capitulo. xxv.

LIke as we haue sayd that it is necessary for a pryn­ce for to be a good Iust yeere / And that in lyke wy­se also he sholde drawe vnto hym for to be aboute his persone the wyse Phylosophres. Ryght soo it is ex­pedyent that he hymselfe be wyse and somewhat in­structe in Scyences / So that he haue an vnderstondynge & knowlege in theym. [...]the whiche purpose afore sayd [...]lere [Page] recyteth and sayth / that lyke as the fryence of Astronomye is ryght profytable for the comon welthe / and specyally in batay le for the grete study of Suplycyus G [...]us and the grete vn­derstandynge that he had in all maner of letters / he saued his people from so [...]ayne fere. For as he ledde a grete hooste ayenst the kynge of Perce / it happened vpon a fayre nyght / the mone lost her lyght sodaynly / That is to wete / she fell in a clypse / by the whiche syght / the grete hoost that he ledde felle in a grete fere and in dyspayre that they sholde wynne the batayle.

¶ But this Suplycyus ryght wysely shewed them the cau­se and mouynge of heuen / and assured them sertaynly seynge that it was nothynge elles but the naturall course of kynde.

In lyke wyse it is wryten in the story of Alysaundre that for suche a case his hooste was gretely abasshed and made a ma­ner of stryuynge with hym / saynge that it was a punysshyon for the euyll dedes that he hadde doone▪ But the wyse knyght that was called Arystanus / whiche was a grete Astronomy­ [...]r satysfyed them by his wysdome / and sette theym in reste.

¶ And vnto this purpose there maye be wel aledged Charles the wyse kynge of Fraunce the. v. of the name whiche was so­ueraynly gouerned by cunnynge and loued syngulerly phy­losophres / hat occupyed the scyence of Astronomye. ¶ And he hymselfe for the grete loue that he hadde vnto that scyence / he laboured so moche that he was ryght well vnderstonden hym selfe therin. ¶ And that it sholde be couenable to a prynce that he ought to be wyse / it appereth by the sentence of Platon. And Ualere recorded the same▪ ¶ For he sayd that the worlde was gracyous at that tyme▪ that the wyse men beganne for to reyg ne / or elles when kynges begynne to were wyse.

¶ And lyke wyse as knowlege is one of the membres of scy­ence / in lyke wyse it is syttynge to a prynce that he be experte in fayre language set by grete wysdome & ordynary reasons [Page] [...]r it is noo doubte that the wyse and fayre worde dyscretely sayd comynge out of the mouthe of a Prynce / is more praysed and gladlyer herde / than the wordes that he shewed of other men / And also it maye profyte hym gretely in dyuers causes. For there is not gladly so grete hardnesse of courage / but that fayre language shall make it softe and temperate / Lyke as it is wryten of Phylostratus / for he was so eloquent a mā / that notwithstondynge that the men of Athenes whiche were go­uerned by wyse phylosophres / and were customed to lyue in ly berte / and without souerayne / that same by his fayre and swe te language dyde so mo [...] / notwithstondynge that the wyse man [...]alon / helde gretely with lyberte / and ayenst the opyny on of this Phylostratus / [...]et by this fayre language was he made prynce and souerayne of Athenes. [...]o by dyuers ensam ples to the purpose / there maye well be shewed howe that often tymes fayre eloquence helpeth gretely / ¶ But with fayre elo­quence whiche by theyr ordre is called rethoryke▪ Ualere ioyne th therto y^• maner of mouynge of y^• body in vtteraunce of his language / & sayth / when eloquence ys condyted with a good ordre with the ordynate mouynge of the body / it pleaseth the herers / by thre maners▪ For it comforteth the courages of so­me men / and the Eres of other men▪ And also it tendereth and maketh swete to the syght of dyuers people▪ And fyrste he say th it pleaseth the courages when by couenable mocyon of the body he that speketh representeth the thynges / and bryngeth agayne to mynde the peryllous fortunes / or the infortunes / the vertues / the vyces / the ensamples of stronge and myghty men / or elles the effecte of counsayles / by the whiche thynges / the courages be brought in / by the consentynge of the speker / Secondely the Eres of the herers ben reioysed for bycause of the grete pleasure & dylectacyon by his couenable promocyon goodly modred▪ The thyrde / it pleaseth the eyen of theym that [Page] ben the herers in as moche as they consydre and se the goodly countenaunce and honest be hauynge of hym that speketh / soo by this meanes eloquence is honoured and worshypped. And in lyke wyse in the contrary where [...]loquence is my [...]e con­dyted / it is of lytell vertue / and full vnsauoury to the herers and for ensample of suche thynges. Ualere speketh of one that was named Quy [...]tus [...]rcentyus / whiche sette his study as moche in goodly mouynge of his body whē he spake as he dy­de in his fayre vtteraunce of language▪ wherfore men wyste not whether it was mor [...] [...]oye to them for to here hym speke / or elles to se his goodly demeanynge in his countenaunce.

Therfore Ualere sayth / the syght shall be to the wordes to the herer / or of the speker. And the wordes serueth to the syght of the herers.

¶ Howe it is a couenable thynge to a Prynce to behaue hym­selfe goodly. Capitulo. xxvi.

WIth the fayre speche and honest mouynge of the bo­dy it accordeth well for a prynce to haue a fayre facon de / worshypful porte / and goodly countenaunce. And also there is a thynge that pleaseth moche y^• people when they [...] a prynce kepe his estate / so that it be not done with grete pry de but in goodly wyse / for to maynteyne his estate. For it may profyte hym gretely that can condyte it naturally. [...]hat is to saye by good moderacyon. [...]yke as it is sayd of a wyse man / that was named [...]erycles / whiche I haue spoken of here be­fore▪ that he was of a noble faconde and goodly demeanynge. And by his wyse language he brought vnto good rewle the [...]thenyenses. Notwithstodynge they were ryght troublous & of full euyll dysposycyon euen after his owne desyre. ¶ And [Page] sethen that it falleth to the purpose for to speke of the fayre fa­conde that longeth to a prynce / forth with the fayre porte & sad countenaunce / and goodly demeanynge of his persone / in spe­kynge of pleasaunt and ordynate language / Lyke as we fyn­de by ensample of auncyent straungers. Then me semeth it is ryght / that we forgete not to remembre our noble prynces of Fraunce / and namely suche as we haue sene / and seeth dayly with our eyen / ryght worshypfull and ryght excellent in y^e same maner of fayre faconde [...]e as was the moost yllustre wyse and dyscrete kynge of Fraunce Charles the fyrst of that name that hath ben spoken of heretofore / whiche without fay­le by his grete vnderstondynge it was a grete pleasaunce to se howe goodly he coude maynteyne his estate. And also to here his goodly and eloquence language / And whether it were in counsayle or in ony other matter / he wolde declare so notably his reasons that he wolde lacke no poynte to sette his premys­ses in fayre and dewe ordre. And wolde departe his mattere in dyuers poyntes after as the case requyred. And afterwar­de conclude to hys entente ryght nobly / lyke as he full honou­rably declared before the Emperoure his vncle when he was at Parys / [...]here he shewed all alonge before the counsayle of the one and the other / the wronges done vnto hym by the kyn­ge of Englonde / or he wolde begynne the warre / lyke as I haue sette all alonge / in the booke of hys actes / and of hys good maners / whiche I compyled / And it ys declared in the thyrde partye of the same booke towarde the latter ende /

¶ And of thys ryght noble eloquence of language withoute ony fayle / his ryghte excellente sonne [...]wes Duke of Orlyaunce. [...]yke as euery man knoweth / It ys a meruayllous thynge to here hym speke in counsayle / or in ony other congre­gacyon too vnderstonde howe he wyll brynge aboute that he wyll saye by so goodly ordre / that the solempne Clerkes of the [Page] vnyuersyte of Parys / whiche ben grete Rethorycyens when they were before hym meruaylled gretely therof. For and he purposed fyrst ony questyon / or ony thynge that he wyll speke of / he wyll fayle no maner poynte of noo waye that longeth to his termes. And [...]f he gyue ony answere to ony other persone thoughe the matter were neuer so straungely purposed before hym / for dyuers conclusyons / he wolde not fayle to drawe vn to his mynde all the pryncypall poyntes & clauses of the mat­ter: And soo to answere vpon euery artycle soo properly to the poynte / that euery man that herde hym wolde blysse hymsel­fe for the grete meruayle that they sawe in his retentyfe wyt and also of his fayre rethoryke forth with his fayre faconde & mouynge of his persone soo well accordynge to his fayre lan­guage. wherfore he myght be well comprysed to the olde notable auncyentes before rehersed. ¶ Also the ryght excellent du­ke of Burgoyne Phelyp whiche was brother to kynge Charles aboue sayd / and vncle of the sayd [...]ewes / Forth with the grete wysdome and vnderstondynge that he had was a prynce that had fayre and dyscrete language and faconde whiche was grete pleasure to here, wherfore I cōclude after myne aduyse that suche fayre faconde and goodly language thoughe so be that it fall to some men by nature more thā to other whi­ch [...] ben wyse men / yet it is sygne of a good vnderstandynge & a ferme thought. And a stedfaste courage whiche longeth too euery grete prynce / and worshypfull man.

¶ Howe euery good prynce ought to be dylygent to occupye hymselfe in the necessytees of his loude or Royalme. Capitulo. xxvii.

REtournynge a good to our matter as touchynge the .iiii. poynte afore rehersed. where vpon the good prynce [Page] that sholde kepe Iustyce sholde founde hymselfe vpon in pur­suynge of the same / we must se what thynges ben moost pro­pre to hym for to styre hym to good lyuynge seynge all maner of vertues ben dewe vnto hym / whiche were to longe a rhynge to declare in euery poynte / [...]herfore we wyll speke more gene rally in suche wyse that the good prynce ought to be occupyed hourely in vertuous werkes / Notwithstond ynge that suche folkes as haue but lytell knowlege semeth that a prynce shol­de haue all reste and no laboure / but lyue in case / in delytes / & worshyppes / seynge that he hath mynystres ynowe to occupy all maner of off yces▪ But certaynly it is not so / For truely the re is no man that the charge lyeth so fore vpon as it dothe vp­on the prynce. For where our lorde hath establysshed hym in y^e offyce of lordshyp / he is charged in euery poynte / yf he be wyse That is to saye he ought to haue good knowlege of the gouer­naunce of his mynystres▪ For and there be ony faute in them / the faute shal rebounde to the prynce and to his neclygence as wel to the soule as to the body▪ [...]hen for as moche as there ben many pertyculer thynges in his londe / or in his royaline / whi che [...]en out of noumbre I can not se in no wyse how he may be ydell. ¶ [...] howe noble a thynge is it in a prynce for to be well occupyed and flee Slewthe▪ And in lyke wyse to all maner of people ¶ And this wytnesseth the sayenge of a worshyppefull man of Rome whiche sayd that the warres of Rome profyted [...]nore to the Cyte than dyde ydelnesse▪ For many worshypfull royalmes came to grete vertue by good excersyse / And by gre te rest brought in ydelnesse and myschyete▪And to the purpose that the occupacyon and the dylygence in warres ben necessa­ry and profytable for the gouernaunce of the yonge people of the londe▪ [...]alere sayth certaynly sayth he / to be in the laboure of the warres whiche is an horryble name / it acustometh and susteyneth and kepeth in estate the walles of our cyte of [...]ome [Page] And reste / whiche is a swete and a softe name hathe fulfylled our Cyte of many dyuers vyces. ¶ And to this purpose Iu­styne sayth in his fyrste booke that when [...]yrus the kynge of [...]erce had at the last conquered them of the royalme of [...]yde. whiche alwayes rebelled agaynst hym / he consydered that by no maner of meanes he coude not fynde so good a meane for to brynge them vnder / as to set them in pleasure & delytes. And by that meanes he thought to brynge them in ydelnesse & ease of theyr body / where vpon he cōmaunded them that they shol­de vse noone armes / And commaunded also that they sholde vse al maner of playes and dysportes / whiche was couenable to playe for money. And also that they sholde vse theymselfe to marchaundyse / and all maner of suche thynges as longed not to the warre / but that they sholde sewe all maner of eases. And so these people whiche before tyme were manly and wor­shypfull marmes wexed softe and delycate as women. And soo by del ycassy and ydelnesse they were conquered / where as before they coude not be conquered by no meanes of the warre. ¶ And to this purpose a worshypfull Romayne knyght whi­che was named [...]uyntus [...] ▪ tellus shewed a good reason / as Ualere sayth. For when the Cyte of Cartage was destroy ed by the Romaynes / whiche cyte and londe of Auffryke that some tyme was so cheualrous and noble had trauaylled and warred the Romaynes by longe tyme / this sayd knyght sayd before the Senatoures that wyst neuer whether the conquest of Cartage were more profytable for the welthe of Rome / than and it had not ben conquered / For that conquest toke awaye Hanyball whiche was a worthy knyght / by whose comynge in to ytaly the Romaynes put them selfe to laboure gretely in armes / & to the excersyse therof whiche before tyme were ydell and full of Slouthe / And nowe it is to doubte for as moche as they be delyuered of so egre an enemye / lest they wyl lese theyr [Page] vertue agayne / and slepe and be ydell as they were tofore. [...] ¶ Also Uegece sayth in the thyrde boke of the good duke / that is to knowe a good cheuetayne sholde rather desyre the tyme of warre / than the tyme of peas. For the rest causeth the kny­ghtes & men of armes to were colde in theyr dedes / and to be ful of Slouthe. And the excercyse and trauayle in armes maketh them harde and abyle / and full of courage.

¶ Howe the good prynce ought to loue and worshyp his knyghtes and his gentylles. Capitulo. xxviii.

FOr bycause that we maye not shewe all oure matters togyder at ones / we must delay thē and telle one after another / wherfore the noble knyghtes and gentylles maye greately mer­uayle that haue redde this booke hyderto.—Howe the good prynce sholde gouerne and rewel / lyke as I ha ue deuyded this booke in thre poyntes as is before rehersed. And that I haue not remembred the estate of knyghthode ly­ke as thoughe I sholde do it for ygnoraūce / or elles that I had forgoten the honoure / the goodnesse / and the good loue that the good prynce ought syngulerly haue to them. But for myne ex cuse hereof sauynge theyr reuerence I saye certaynely that it was not done nother by ygnoraunce / nor by the forget ynge to showe the knowlege nor the dygnyte of theyr reputacyon / but it was onely for to kepe the conuey of my booke to that entente y^• I myght speke more worshypfully of theyr auctoryte. And for bycause also that our matter and our purpose hath condy­ [...] vs vnto the feate of batayle / we wyll shewe howe the good prynce yf he wyll vse ryght and Iustyce / that is to knowe▪ he must yelde vnto euery man after his power / that is dewe vn­to theym / worshyppe them / and gyue them goodly rewardes. / [Page] [...] howe [...]oble a thynge [...]howe worshyp [...]ull and howe profyta ble it is in a royalme Empyre / or londe / for to haue worthy kny ghtes / that is to say / good men of armes▪ [...]e not they the gar [...]e of the prynces of the londe / and of the people▪ [...]nd also they be the champyons that spende theyr blode / theyr body and theyr lyfe / for the honoure of the prynce / and for the comon welthe. who maye then suffycyentely rewarde a manly knyght or a good man of armes well manered & of good condycyons / tre­we in dede / and in courage wyse in gouernynge & dilygent in pursuynge knyghthode▪ [...]las suche people be not rewarded in Fraunce after theyr deseruynge / For and they were honoured after theyr dewtye [...] [...]nd that there were one good knyght soo rewarded▪ it sholde cause an hōdred to be good / lyke as the wor thy Romaynes dyde sometyme / For without ony fayle the fay re and wyse customes that they of [...]ome stablysshed in theyr rules caused them to be conqueroures thrughout the worlde▪ for it is no doubte forth with the e [...]cersyse of armes / and theyr wysdome togyder helped them gretely in theyr conquestes / & for this encheson men maye well thynke that the Romaynes were better men & more worthy then others▪ And all was for none other cause but that they coude knowe y^• good and wor­shypfull men / and rewarde them more rychely for theyr good dedes than dyde ony other people▪ And all the parfyte study y^• they had was for to fynde the meanes to cause them for to doo well▪ And for to vnderstonde the meanes howe they worshyp­ped the noble men. I wyll shewe you lyke as [...]alere recyteth [...]yrst to theyr prynces & soueraynes / & after y^• to other knygh tes & nobles. ¶ In the gloryous tyme of the [...]omaynes they vsed a custome at [...]ome when theyr prynces that is to vnder stonde theyr soueraynes & chyefe condytou [...]es of theyr grete hoostes had wonne the vyctory and conquest of a [...] ▪ or of a countre [...] y^• was straunge to be gotten / [...]yke as St [...]you [Page] Lau [...]ryquant / which [...] put in subiec [...]yon all Affryke and the royall cyte of Cartage / whiche was noble & worshypfull. And also the grete Pompye / whiche conquered many dyuers royal mes / Iulyus Cezar also / and many other that were notable conquerours / what tyme that they retourned agayne to Ro­me after theyr grete vyctoryes▪ The Romaynes had stablyssh ed a certayne honoure whiche was called Tryhomph [...] ▪ for the worshyp of theym that were prynces / and vnder that fourme they entred in to the cyte after theyr grete vyctoryes / And I so dore sayth / that it was a very dewtye for suche prynces▪ Then it is asked a questyon what maner a thynge is a Tryumphe And Ualere saythe that it was called a Tryumphe of. Try. whiche is to say thre▪ And of Ruphon. that is to say his power / For who that sholde haue the name of Tryumphe▪ he must ha ue it by meane of t [...]e Iugementes / And the fyrst that sholde be Iuges in the same / sholde be the noble men of armes / whi­che were presente at the same vyctory. For they vnderstode the dedes / wherfore they myght beste Iuge in that matter [...] The seconde was / there was brought in by wrytynge to the Se [...] toures / that is to knowe to the prynces of Rome / whiche were of the grete counsayle that gaue the Iugemente wheder they had deserned the Tryumphe or nay▪ The thyrde was the con­sentynge of the comon people▪ And when all these Iugementes were gyuen / then there was ordeyned a passynge ryche chayre of golde nobly arayed▪ And then all the people of the Cyte shol­de go out ayenst hym / that sholde haue y^• tryumphe euery mā rychely arayed after his faculte▪ The chayre [...]tokeneth wor­shyp and glory. And whan they mette with hym / the prynces salued hym with grete reuerence / and all other people general ly dyde y^• same▪ And it had ben so y^• he had foughten hymselfe / they crowned hym then w^t a crowne of Palme / yf so were y^• he had wo [...]e the felde / for the palme hathe pryckes in hymselfe. [Page] And he that had wo [...]ne the felde with wysdome and strength also without gretelosynge of his people▪he sholde be crowned with a crowne of [...]awryer / whiche smelleth swetely & is euer in vertue / and this was the moost propre [...]yumphe and the moost Ioyfull vyctory / For after the opynyon of [...]odore. that vyctory is not [...]oyfull where y^• prynce lo [...]eth moch [...] of his peo ple. And therfore Salust sayth / and commendeth moche these prynces that wynneth the vyctoryes without shedynge moche bloode of theyr people / so to our purpose before y^• chayre of hym that shall haue the tryumphe all the prysoneres that they had taken sholde goo before it. Amonge whiche often tymes were greate kynges / and myghty prynces / And also the greate so­mers charged with golde and rychesse / whiche they broughte to be sayd▪ in the treasoury at [...]ome. And nexte vnto the chay re wente these men that hadde borne theym moost worthely in the batayle / and hadde moost tokens of vyctorye. The tokens o [...] vyctory were propre Iewelles of dyuers guyses / whiche we re gyuen to them after the dedes that they hadde doone▪ For he that hadde foughten in batayle and ouercomen his enemye. there was gyuen hym a propre Iewell / whiche was ordeyned for the noones. Also yf ony man by his manhode entred fyrste in to a castell by the meanes of a [...]awte / [...]y whiche the place was wonne / [...]e sholde haue another maner of Iewell. ¶ Also yf a man hadde foughten in a myne honde for honde / or doone [...]ny other good feate of armes / there were Iewelles or deyned for theym. And soo forthe for all other dedes of armes. ¶ And yf soo were that one hadde wonne a [...]yte / there sholde be gy­uen vnto [...]ym a crowne of golde. And for other dedes of armes Som [...] sholde haue [...]ollers / Some [...]appes / Some [...]yrdel­l [...] Some [...]arters / [...]ome [...]a [...]lettes of golde. And soo for euery feate of armes were pr [...]pre Iewelles ordeyned for the no [...]s. And yf they ware theym not vpon theym / they sholde be [Page] gretely chalenged therfore. ¶ And thus the Romaynes dyde for bycause that other sholde take ensample. And also that mē sholde knowe that they that ware theym dyde it not for noone auaunte ne for no pryde in as moche as they ware them by cō ­maundement of the soueraynes. And also the berynge of them was a greate worshyp / for euery persone by that myght se the worshyp and y^e manhode of euery man. And he that dyde best was moost worshypped ouer all where so euer he wente. But there durste no maner of man were no suche Ie well / nor no de­uyselyke vnto the same / [...]ut onely they that had wonne theym by theyr manhode. wherfore & it were plesynge to our blessyd lorde Ihesu I wolde that [...]nglonde whiche is one of the no­blest royalmes of the worlde wolde vse this custome. And the I wolde thynke that there wolde be many moo worshypfull men than there be▪ ¶ And soo those men that were moost wor thy in armes wente nexte the [...]hayre. And the prynces of Ro me wente [...]en syde by theym. And the people of Rome wente all before. And the offycers nexte them after theyr estate. And after the [...]hayre wente all the men of armes whiche had ben at the vyctorye. And these men were gretely worshypped and feested with the [...]ytezynes of Rome. And vnder this fourm [...] they wente all in to the [...]yte.

¶ Howe the good prynce ought to flee Lechery. Ca. xxix.

THan lyke as it is sayd the good prynce and the very Iustycere sholde not be yd [...]ll nor ouer moche in dely tes. And in lyke wyse he sholde [...]le [...]echery. For the auctoures sayth. Idelnesse is the nourysshe of flessh ly lustes. whiche is gretely to be reproued / and spe­cyally in prynces. [...]nd it maye be cause of theyr puttynge dow ne frome theyr prospery. [...]. ¶ And also yt shall sounde to theyr [Page] grete dy [...]ame / and too many other inconuenyentes / whereof we haue ensample of Sardanapallus whiche was kynge of Assyrye and lost his royalme shamfully / for suche causes▪ Al­so a kynge of Fraunce was dryuen out of his royalme for the same. And thus men may tell of many other: ¶ Also Ualere sayth to the same purpose / y^• there was a cyte in Campaygne that was named Capne▪ whiche haboūded gretely in delytes and specyally in lustes of the flesshe / by the whiche Hanyball & all his hoost were corrupte and [...]nuenymed▪ For Tytus Ly­uyus recyteth in the thyrde booke of the thyrde decade / after y^• tyme that Hanyball had [...]heued dyuers and many grete ba tayles in Italy / he wente to kepe his wynter at Capne▪ And in suche wyse there he was wrapped in delytes and aquayn­taunce with women and cases of his body. what with wynes and meates / and solaces / whiche was not so accustomed befo­re tyme / nor his hooste nother / wherfore after that tyme they were neuer so egre for to suffre the grete trauayles / nor hard­nesse as they dyde before tyme / wherfore Ualere sayth / y^• this arroure that he dyde t [...]ke awaye clerely the strength and the courage of his knyghtes whiche was wonte to conquere and ouercome his [...]em yes / to his grete laude and worshyp▪ For af ter the tyme that he kepte not y^• olde dyscyplyne of armes whi che he was accustomed to kepe before tyme▪ he wente all backe warde▪ So Ualere sayth that he yssued out of that Cyte / ano­ther maner man than he was at the entrynge of the Cyte / yet Ualere sayd more that the gre [...] yersnesse and cruelte of Affry ke and Cartage whiche myght not be ouercome ne conquered by armes / was dresed and put downe by y^• meanes of delytes / by y^• whiche Hanyball and his hoost were put vnder / For whi­che Ualere sayth▪ O what thynge may do more harme saythe he than the wyll & the delytes of y^• flessh [...]y y^• whiche vertue is put out / & vyctoryes brought to nought / & as touchynge the [Page] vycroryes of Hanyball▪ [...]ec thaketh mencyon in a pystle y^• he sente to his frende that was called Lucyll / sayenge in this wyse▪ The nourysshynge of champaygne hath made softe the dedes of Hanyball. For he conquered by armes / But he was ouercome by [...]echery [...]nd to this purpose y^• wordes that Ua­lere sayth of the worthy prynce [...]ppamynydes may be wel vn derstonde to y^• same entente [...]r after the dethe of y^• sayd pryn▪ ce the Athenyences began to fayle of theyr vertue and of theyr strengthe / For Wh [...] they had lost hym y^t of ten tymes brought them for the to y^• warres / and to many grete batayles▪ A none after they became ydell and slouthful / and spended not theyr good vpon men of warre nother by see nor by sonde / as they we re wonte to do▪ But they bestowed theyr goodes vpon feestes and playes / and tourned y^• worthy deedes of theyr auncytres vnto songes / and that suffysed them ynoughe to recorde & tal ke of the warres / but they wolde not occupye them themselfe / [...]or whiche cause the grete renowne of [...]rece fayled and was extyncte vnto the tyme of [...]helyp fader to Alyxsaundre whi­the brought them vp agayne.

¶ Howe the good prynce sholde kepe hymselfe fro angre. Capitulo. xxx.

FOr bycause Ire is a naturall thynge / & draweth hate amonge grete & puyssaūt men▪ [...]nd at some tyme cau­seth grete cruelte / it lyketh me to showe some good ensample y^• the good prynce sholde eschewe y^• same vyce as a thynge y^• syt­teth hym full nyghe / and not accordynge to his estate▪ As Ua lere saythe of the same vyce / lyke as thoughe he spake to pryn ces in this wyse / often tymes the men / & specyally those y^• ben grete and myghty doth grete cruelte in theyr feruent angre▪ And for to gyue you a clere vnderstondynge of y^• qualytes of [Page] these two passyons / he putteth a dyfference bytwene them and sayth / y^• [...]e & hate resemble in as moche as they be bothe vyo lent & full of trouble in courage of hym y^t is angry & hatefull / and causeth hym to desyre vengeaunce / yet he sayth there ben many dyfferences bytwene theym [...]nd so saythe [...]rystocle in his seconde boke of rethoryke. But it suffyseth at this tyme for to speke of. ii. of them. [...]he fyrst is after y^• tyme y^• y^• angry mā is auenged vpon his angre / he is satysfyed / and wel appeased & wyll purchase no more euyll ayenst hym y^• he is venged on. But the [...]nuyous man wyll y^• vttermoost dystruccyon ayenst hym that he hateth / for he can neuer be satysfyed / but euer en­creaseth more & more in his hate. The seconde is y^• angry man wyll shewe hymselfe wrothe to hym that he is at debate with as who sayth I wyll be auenged / nor he wolde not y^• the other man had no [...] harme because that he myght doo it hymselfe. Therfore the angry man sheweth his angre openly & not pry u [...]ly. But the hatefull man loueth better for to noye another se cretely than openly / wherfore hate is wors than Ire onely. And me thynketh also that Ire may be without hate / but hate may not be without Ire. And for bycause that suche inconuenyen­tes styreth a mā to cruelte / there is nothynge more to be repro­ued in a prynce than [...]e & hate / yet more for to withdrawe this vyce from the good prynce / it pleaseth me for the same purpose▪ to recyte after Ualere the daungers & myscheues of y^• same. ¶ Thoughe soo be that suche thynges haue ben accustomed / & yet is in dyuers royalmes / thanked be our lorde and the laude and glorye be gyuen to hym / our prynces of Fraunce that ben of the royall bloode ben ryght clene in suche matters. And as me semeth more clene than other that ben of lower estate of the same royalme / or of ony other nacyons / whiche is gretely to be commended in that noble bloode. ¶ For Ualere sayth certayn ly that the habyte of cruelte is horryble / all thynges that lon­geth [Page] therto ben full of manaces / and cruell commaundemen­tes. And yf a man wolde styre hym to sease of his cruelte / or to holde his peas / then shall he be the more chaffed / for cruelte dre deth no payne / nor he wyll not be refrayned. Also the cruell mā wyll be doubted & dradde / & other men hateth hym naturally For he sayth that cruelte is a dysposycyon that is lykened too the conuersacyon of hatrede / vnto the whiche vyce euery man is enclyned naturally. [...]s Arystotle sayth in the fyrst kooke of Politykes / that al thynge y^• is ayenst natural inclynacyon is by nature hatefull. Then I wolde that all these thynges shol de be myrroures to a prynce that he sholde eschewe the daun­geres of theym. And semblably to all other persones. For lette vs suppose that a man be naturally enclyned to these vyces / yet and he can not be lorde and mayster ouer his courage and ouercome it / it is a sygne that he is not vertuous. And a man without vertue is not worthy for to haue worshyp.

¶ Howe it is lefull that the good prynce after his grete laboure for to take recreacyon of some dysporte. Capitulo. xxxi

TO that entente that the effecte of myne entencyon / maye be more clerely vnderstonde and that I sholde not be founde with none erroure in my present wry tynge / in that is wryten here before / y^• at all tymes y^• good prynce sholde be occupyed / semynge that by my wrytynge y^• prynce sholde be put in to an extreme charge of occupacyon / whiche is not myne entente / I saye that y^• pryn ce and semblably all other that be charged with grete and no table occupacyons / ought at some tyme sease of theyr laboure and reste in ydelnesse. ¶ And for because that Ualere speketh notably vppon thys purpose / whose wordes bene moore of [Page] auctoryte and more worthy then myne. I wyll shewe you his sayenges whiche foloweth after. ¶ He sayth there be two ma ner of ydelnesses / of the whiche the one of theym ought to be es­chewed at all tymes [...] That is it by the whiche all vertue va­nyssheth / and maketh foly lyfe & impotent from all good wer­kes / and maketh a man enclyne to the lustes of the flesshe and sensualyte. And of this ydelnes [...]uyde speketh in his booke y^• whiche is called the remedy of loue / sayenge in this wyse / yf y^• put awaye ydelnes frome the / the artes of the god of loue ben perysshed. The other ydelnesse as I vnderstonde / it is with­out vyce. And it is a vertue in itselfe at some tyme / and it is at some tyme necessary for the recreacyon of noble and excellent persones / for attemperaunce and ease of theyr body / to the en­cen [...]e that they sholde be the more quycke and more stronge in theyr labours afterwarde▪ For by moderate ydelnesse the na­turall vertues ben refresshed and made the more stronge in theyr werkes▪ Wherfore Ualere sayth▪ who that hath no reste at [...]o tyme maye not longe endure▪ ¶ Where vpon Ualere she wesh an ensample of Stypyon / and of one Lelyus whiche we re worthy knyghtes in theyr traueyle▪ And they were soo fa­mylyer togyder / and so grete loue bytwene them / that lyke as they felawshypped togyder in y^• warres and in grete trauay­les▪ in lyke wyse they wolde alway b [...]togyder in theyr reste / & ydelnesse / and in theyr recreacyon▪ For in certayne tymes they wolde playe togyder in honest and goodly playes / whiche was to them grete comforte after theyr laboure.

¶ Howe the good prynce whiche vnderstondeth hymselfe that he dothe his deuoyre in all vertues ought reasonably to desyre laude and glorye. Capitulo. xxxii.

[Page] [...]Owe it is tyme that I make an ende of the fyrst parte of my boke whiche speketh of introduccyon of prynces in vertuous lyuynge. For I myght soner stoppe a grete pytte full of derkenesse then to reherce all the good vertues that lon­geth to a prynce. But to speke generally of all vertues / these y^• I Haue shewed here tofore ben suffyeyent ynoughe for to esche we prolyryte / as me semeth. For what prynce that foloweth y^• vertues before reherced with al [...]perteyneth to thē / there my­ght be songe suche a sōge by hy of laude & glory / lyke as was ones of y^• noble & worthy prynce Them [...]stocles / for as it happe ned on a tyme there were brought before hy syngers & sayers of aūcyent geestes. So one of his knyghtes asked hym in dy [...] porte / what myght he be that coude synge a songe y^• myght be agreable to hym. He answered and sayd / that man that co [...] de synge truely y^• I were vertuous & that I had done at ony tyme noble & good dedes. ¶ So a prynce that is wel condycyo ned / is worthy of laude and glory / but not he that is of euyll cō dycyons & setteth not by vertue. Neuertheles he y^• feleth hym selfe worthy in vertuous & good condycyons it is no meruayle thoughe he wolde be somwhat worshypped therfore / For it is well knowen lyke as auctours recyteth / and a man may well knowe by theyr worthy dedes that the ryght excellent prynces and worthy men in tyme past were ryght couetous for to ha­ue worshyp. And for to gete worshyp by vertue it is l [...]full. For it appereth naturally that euery thynge desyreth his perfec­cyon. And as the phylosophre sayth / glory and honoure engen­dreth reuerence / whiche is a shewynge that man is made for to haue dygnyte. And this desyre is so rooted and Ioyned with nature of man / y^• euery man is desyrous to haue it▪ But euery man wyll not do the payne for to gete it▪ And by what meanes a man ought to laboure for to gete lowes and pryse▪ The phylo sophre sayth it must be goten by vertuous operacyon / For by [Page] none other waye there maye be no ryght glory. And thus wy [...] nesseth Tullyus in the fyrst boke of offyces / for what that euer ony man saye / euery man ought to be worshypped for the cau se of vertue and good lyuynge / for honoure / laude / and glorye. of this worlde is not a suffycyent rewarde for vertuous lyuyn ge and vertuous dedes. For Arystotle sayth / y^e vertuous man may lefully delyre a rewarde for his good dedes. For bycause that by the meane of his vertues / other men maye be called to semblable goodnesses. And it is good ryght Tullyus saythe. For vnnethes there is ony man but after his grete laboures / and paynes that he hath suffred / but he wolde desyre glorye & worshyp / for a parte of his rewarde. And for bycause of the ho­noure and glory / Arystotle sayth in the thyrde booke of [...]thy­kes where is founde and proued that the strengthes / and the grete courages of the vertuous men for theyr worshypfull de­des were gretely worshypped / and the vycyoulnesse of the vn­worthy men haue ben dyspraysed and blamed. ¶ But Socra tes sayd y^• they had chosen the waye to come to worshyp / whi­che w [...]re suche in theyr dedes as euery mā wolde beholde hym selfe. That is to knowe for to be good / wherfore the same So­crates amonyssheth playnely by this predycacyon y^• men shol de kepe ryght and vertue within them / then the sēblaunce or y^• aparence without good dedes / ben lyke as ypocrytes do. Soo the good prynce that wyll gete paradyse and glory / & lowes of this worlde / must loue and drede god aboue all thynges. Also he must loue the comon welthe of his londe more than his ow­ne propre. Also he must kepe Iustyce without brekynge the sa­me▪ and to yelde to euery man his after his power / lyke as Iu styce requyreth. And than he dothe lyke a lyberal and a meke prynce / as it is rehersed here tofore. And in doynge this wyse / he shall not gete onely the glory of this worlde and the lyfe he­re / but he shall get [...] it perpetually / for his good desertes / [...]yke [Page] as Ualere sayth of the ryght excellent prynce Iulyus Cezar / that for the merytes of his good dedes / was reputed after his dethe as a god / for the men of olde tyme whiche had not the ry ght faythe as we haue nowe / when they sawe a persone were [...]t man or woman that passed another in ony soueraynte of gra ce / they had opynyon that suche excellence myght not be had / without vertue dyuyne. [...]nd for bycause that the sayd Iuly­us Cezar had with hym many excellent vertues / and amon­ge all / he had with hym soueraynely Iustyce / and mekenesse. They sayd that suche vertues myght not be perysshed / by the passynge away of mannes lyfe / but that he was deyfyed in he­uen for the same.

And the fyrst chapytre speketh howe the nobles occupye the place of the armes and y^e hondes of the body of Polycye. Capitulo. xxxiii.

SEynge the matter after the conclusyon of our pre­mysses / whiche speketh to prynces for the exorta­cyon too morall lyuynge / whiche we take for the heede of the ymage of the body of Polyce / lyke as Pulcarque wryteth heretofore / it behoueth vs in [Page] seconde party of this present boke to speke of the armes and y^• hondes of the sayd ymage / by the whiche after the sentence of Pulcarque be ordeyned the nobles and knyghtes and theyr estate / whiche we muste nowe folowynge oure style treate of theyr introduccyon in vertue and good maners / specyally in y^e feate of knyghthode / whiche is taken & deputed for the saufe­garde of the comon welthe as auctoures sayth. And thoughe so be that one maner of vertue be propre and necessary as wel as to nobles / knyghtes / and to other people / as well as to pryn ces / yet for as moche as there is dyfference and maner of ly­uynge and cōuersacyon in dyuers werkes / we must som what put a dyfference in the matter / for dyuers thynges longeth to a prynce for to do / whiche longeth not to knyghtes / nor to other noble men. And there be some thynges that knyghtes and no bles may do / that the prynce maye not do! But it is no doubte as touchynge all maner of vertues they longe as well to kny­ghtes and nobles as they do to prynces. For it is to know that it longeth to the knyghtes & nobles as well to loue god & dre­de hym aboue all thynges / and also to take hede of the comon welthe / for the whiche they be ordeyned and establysshed and to kepe and mayntayne Iustyce after theyr degre as well as the prynce. And to be lyberall and pyteous / and to loue the wy se and good men / and gouerne them by good and sad counsay le / and lyke wyse all other vertues / whiche for theyr persones I thynke not to reduce thē here agaynst / for it suffyseth ynou­ghe the reherce of vertues whiche I haue shewed here tofore. ¶ For this that is sayd before may serue to the purpose of eue­ry estate and of euery synguler persone touchynge the soule / and the vertues▪ wherfore I wyll not procede moche more vn­der this fourme. For it suffyseth me without ony more to she­we the maner and the fourme that longeth to euery man [...] [...]he orde as god hathe called hym to / that is to were / the noble [Page] men doo as noble men sholde doo / the comon people also suche thynges as longeth to thē in suche wyse as maye be refe [...]red in one body of Polycye / to lyue I vnderstonde whyle good ver tues foloweth this body / it may neuer fayle. Nowe wyll I fro hens forwarde begynne my matter. And lyke as at the begyn nynge of the fyrst parte of my booke. I spake of y^e mance of in­troduccyon of prynces chyldren. I wyll shewe nowe howe the noble auncyent mē enduced theyr chyldren / lyke as it is wry­ten of theyr dedes.

¶ Howe the noble auncyentes enduced theyr chyldren. Capitulo. xxxiiii.

UA lere telleth in y^e chapytres that speketh of customes howe y^e noble auncyentes enduced theyr chyldren say enge in this wyse / y^• as sone as they were ony thynge growen that they myght suffre ony payne / they toke them awaye ano ne from theyr moders & made put them in excercyse to suffre payne and trauayle accordynge to theyr ages and strengthe. And in the same age acustomed them to bere hatnes of warre after theyr strengthe / and to put theym in excercyse of laboure both theyr armes & hondes that was not to greuous for them ¶ Also they were not nourysshed with noo tryaunte meetes▪ nor they were not nysely arayed as some be nowe a dayes / but they were fedde with groce meetes. And as for theyr gownes they vsed a propre facyon of an habyte that the nobles myght were / and none other men. But trust certaynly that they we­re not furred with martres nor embrowdred nother. Also they acustomed them for to lye harde / & to goo late to bedde / & aryse erely. And made them to suffre al maner of other portable pay nes that belonged to the feate of armes. And by suche meanes y^• noble auncyentes nourysshed theyr chyldren / whiche caused [Page] theym afterwarde come to grete worshyp. Lyke as it appereth by theyr olde dedes. Also the maner and the guyse of the gen­tylles of Almayne / & of other places also ought wel to be alow ed for bycause that they put theyr chyldren for to serue gentyl men worse then themselfe / and make theym theyr pages for to folowe theym for because they sholde suffre dyuers paynes & trauayles / yet I byleue when they come to theyr age▪ they we­re neuer the lesse wrothe. For gentylmen that ben so nouryssh­ed be more enterprenaunt in the feates of the warre then they that ben made mynyouns and fedde vp dylycately. For as Ue gece sayth of knyghthode they be appropred to armes that ben acustomed to laboure. And ayenste the opynyon of them whi­che holdeth that delycate and pleasaunt meetes maketh more stronge the body / than the grete meetes / that is to say / who y^• eteth lykerous meetes and drynke myghty wynes sholde ha­ue better blode / whiche sholde cause a man to be the more stron ge. I saye it is false. For the delycate meetes corrupte more the body then the groce meetes / For Arystotle sayth▪ the delycaty­ues nouryssheth not the membres of man / soo moche as dothe the grete meetes And we fynde it also by experyence. For the Brytouns and the [...]ormaunes / whiche ben nourysshed com monly with grete meetes / and be not delycate in theyr meetes and drynkes ben more harde & stronge then other men. wher fore they be more desyred in warre then other men▪ and sembla­bly the bourgonyouns and other nacyons whiche acustomed not to lyue in dylycacy. And also the Romayns / as Ualere say th enduced theyr chyldren in all good maners / and kepte them in fere and drede / and vnder obeysaunce / whiche gouernaun­ce was ordeyned by grete wysdome and reason. For lyke as it is wryten in the booke of twelue abusyons / the thyrde degree of abusyon is the yonge man that is without obeysaunce; in whome ought to be / Seruyce / Subieccyon / and humylyte. / [Page] For lyke as a man can fynde no fruyte in trees that be not flo rysshed in lyke wyse maye no man attayne to honoure that ha th no laboure in his youthe / in some maner of obeysaunce and dyscyplyne / And of this humylyte that the chyldren of the no­bles were sometyme acustomed in. Ualere sayth / that the yon ge men dyde as moche worshyp to the olde auncyent men / as they had ben theyr owne faders▪ And when the noble auncy [...] tes wente to the counsayle / or to the prynces courte / the yong [...] men wolde wayte vpon them ryght humbly and attende vpon them at the courte or at y^• counsayle stondynge on theyr feete to y^• tyme y^• they retourned home agayne. Thus they were made harde for to suffre payne & trauayle / & these olde men also dyde theyr payne to enduce them and styre them to all good condy­cyons and vertues / and shewed them many good ensamples / by the whiche good amon [...]s & customes they become ver tuous & well manered / and so by them put for the in to the offy ces of knyghthode after theyr customes. And this manere of vsage y^• nobles kepte amonge theyr chyldren. And so for theyr pacyence and vertue and who myght best endure payne were reputed for moost worthy▪ And yet Ualere sayth when a man made ony grete feest / and the yonge men happened to be there when it sholde come that men sholde sytte downe / they wolde enquere dylygently who sholde come / to that entente if ony aū cyent man that were noble and worthy came thyder / that they sholde be redy anone for to serue hym / for they wolde not sytte [...]ste. And at the ende of the mete they [...] table sholde sonest be ta ke awaye / for bycause that they sholde presente themselfe befo re the olde worshypfull. By the whiche it appereth sayth Ua­lere that they were taught / not to be of moche language / wh [...] ­was a souerayne & a fayre custome for yonge men. For as An­ [...]me sayth in the boke of symylytudes / there be thre thynges whiche ought to be cōmended in a yonge man that is to know [Page] Shame in vertue. Abstynence in his body / & Scylence in his mouthe that is to vnderstonde he sholde be lytell of language For after the sayenge of y^e wyse man / yf y^e foole helde his peas he myght be taken for a wyse man.

¶ Ensamples of that / that foloweth after of the doctryne that the auncyentes gaue to they chyldren. Capitulo. xxxv.

[...]Owe haue we shewed how y^• Romaynes in old [...] tyme enduced theyr chyldren in theyr youthe. [...] Now must we shewe what foloweth after of this introduccyon y^• is to wete of the effectes of theyr worthynesses whan they came to age / where vp on Ualere amonge all other ensamples of chyldehode speketh to our purpose and sayth / that often tymes in chyldhode a mā shal vnderstonde by his inclynacyōs to what thynges he shal drawe to / where vpon he telleth of a noble chylde of the Cyte of Rome that was called Emulyus Lepydyus / whiche lerned the introduccyon of armes so hertely and delyted hym soo mo­che therin / that when men wēte to batayle he wolde nedes be ar med / whiche was agaynst nature of chyldren / for y^• grete hor­roure & fere in batayle. Neuertheles he dyde soo moche armes at that batayle that the prynces of the counsayle of Rome put hym in theyr regystres / and noble memoryes of the Cyte for a grete meruayle / [...]lso the yonge men by the styrynge and exor tacyon of the noble auncyentes were more apte to naturall pyte to good condycyon / and to stedfast courage▪ Also Ualere speke th of another noble chyld [...] that his mayster ledde towarde sco­le And as he passed by one of the prynces of Rome whiche was [...] cruell man whose name was called [...]ylla / whiche had ma­de smyte of the heedes of many men of Rome by his grete cru­ [...]ltye▪ [...]he chylde asked of his mayster howe suche a tyraun [...] [Page] myght be suff [...]d & not slayne. [...] mayster answered sayen­ge in this wyse / that there were men ynowe y^• wolde sle hym & they myght. But he was so fortyfyed with mē of armes y^• the re coude no meane be founde therfore. Then sayd the chylde / yf so were that I had a knyfe I wolde ryght soone brynge y^• mat ter to a poynte [...]or euery daye I am in his presence / wherfore I wolde not fayle to sle hym / where vpon the mayster consyde rynge the grete courage of the chylde wolde suffre hym to co­me no more in the presence of Sylla / but he serched hym well before that he had no knyfe vpon hym. Also to y^• purpose of the grete courage of a chylde well manered / Ualere telleth of a no ble man of [...]ome whiche kepte a chylde that he had in grete ry gour & without measure / in so moche y^• the chylde was gretly anoyed with his rudenesse / and durst not well come in his pre sence / It happened that another myghty man of Rome hated moche that chyldes fader / so I wote neuer what cause he foun de to the chyldes fader / but y^• he wolde nedes trouble hym / & dyde so moche therin y^• he caused y^• man to spende grete goodes and abated gretely of his rychesse. Then the good chylde whi­che toke no hede of the rudenesse / nor the iniury that his fader dyde vnto hym / but on [...]ly to the naturall loue y^• he ought hym myght no lenger suffre the tourment that was done to his fa­der / but toke a knyfe pryuely and wente thyder as his faders aduersary was / and sayd vnto hym that he wolde fayne spe­ke with hym in counsayle. The other whiche was a wyse man of counsayle / lyke as we myght say a lerned man / supposed y^• y^• chylde wolde aske hym some aduyse of counsayle ayenst his fader / and was full glad of hym / and ledde hym secretely vn­to a chambre. And when the chylde sawe that he hadde his fa­ders enemy all alone / an one he shytte faste the dore and ranne to the olde man / and caste hym vnder hym / and forth withall to ke hym by the throte / and sware a grete othe that he wolde sle [...] [Page] hym without that he wolde [...]ette his fader he in peas / and that he wolde also make hym amendes of the greate charges that he hadde put hym to. And soo at fewe wordes he made hym so aferde that he made a promyse for to restore his fader all hys costes / and so he dyde.

¶ Howe the olde anncyent knyghtes auaunced the yonge men that they hadde taught and lerned. Capitulo. xxxvi.

LIke as ye haue herde here tofore the chyldren of the Romaynes profyted gretely in olde tyme by y^• good ensamples that was shewed them by the olde aun­cyentes whiche dyde as they sholde doo. And these auncyent men ben gretely to be reproued that gyue cause to yonge men of euyll ensamples / Lyke as some olde foo les done / whiche ben hardened in euyll maners / and fylthy cu stomes whiche wyll not spare to vse them amonge the yonge men / but maketh them theyr messyngers / for to brynge them nyce rydynges / wherfore it is gretely to be reproued when it happeneth that they whiche ought to be techers of good doctry ne / ben ensample of fyl the / and myschyefe. For there is not a more vnsyttynge thynge in this worlde / than to se an olde mā without vertues & wysdome. And as it is sayd of the olde wor thy Romaynes that gouerned them so wysely in all thynges they had so grete delyte in the good deedes of yonge men that they letted not for theyr youthe to set them in hyghe dygnytes of offyces & for thoughe they were yonge in age / they were olde in vertues and wysdome / lyke as they dyde by Stypyo Lau frycan / whiche was but. xxiiii. yere of age / when they made hȳ capytayne of a grete hoost whiche was not acustomed to be do ne vnder y^• age of xxx. yere at y^• lest / neuertheles they were not [Page] de [...]ey [...]d therin / for he bare hym so worshyp fully & soo moche profyted the Romaynes that by his manhode & wysdome / he gate them all Affryke / Cartage / & y^• gretest parte of Spayne where he dyde many meruaylous actes / In lykewyse also it was of Pompe the grete / whiche in the age of chyldehode was so gretely proued in all vertue and worthynes that in age of xxii. yere the Romaynes made hym a Consule▪ that is to saye / a prynce of a ryght grete hooste. And he bare hym so well in his offyce and dygnyte / that he wonne the Tryumphe dyuers ty mes / whiche was a souerayne honoure / lyke as hath ben reher ced before in the fyrst parte of this booke▪ Fyrst he had the try­umphe of Mytrydates y^• kynge of Pontus / whiche subdued xxii. countrees of dyuers languages / whiche by the space of xi yeres had troubled the Romaynes by dyuers bataylles. Also he had the tryumphe for kynge [...]ygram of Armony lyke as it is sayd before / And for other dyuers kynges and Cytees / & londes / whiche he put vnder the obeysaunce of Rome to y^• nom bre of .xxii. royalmes / And shortely all the regyons that ben by twene the mounte [...]ancasus and the reed see / Also he clensed the see of a grete multytude of robboures whiche occupyed the partyes of Europe and [...]yse after the see coost [...] And soo out of these worshypfull scoles came suche dyscyples as ye may here and of the feate of these good scolers and dyscyples for the en­sample of knyghthode I wyll tell you more nexte after folow­ynge.

¶ Howe amonge all other thynges syre good condycyons ben necessary to the nobles and knyghtes. Capitulo. xxxvii.

¶ Of the fyrst good condycyon. Capitulo. xxxviii.

_ [...]t to this purpose Ualere telleth how y^• Romay nes in kepynge of this dyscyplyne spared no man that dyde amysse / thoughe he were neuer so good & not able / and speketh of a worthy knyght y^• was called Fabyus [...]ustylanus. And was mayster & capytayne of a grete hoost of Romaynes. But for as moche as he fought w^t a grete hoost of his enemyes without y^• lycen­ce of y^e dyctatour or consule whiche was y^e souerayne / not with stondynge y^• he dyscomfyted them / yet he was dyspoyled and made naked / & sore beten / & yet it was a grete grace y^• he had no more harme / but for bycause that he was a worth y knyght they saued his lyfe / wherfore Ualere speketh of hym pyteonsly & sayth / that Fabyus [...]ustylanus gaue his vyctoryous body and full of prowesse to be torne with roddes by the hange man in renuynge the bloode of his woundes / whiche he had goten in his gloryous vyctoryes. But the Romaynes kepte this Iu styce to y^• entente y^• they sholde be doubted & dradde / yet Uale re telleth to y^• same purpose of a worshypful cōsule y^• was slay ne in a batayle / yet notw^tstondynge y^• his party had y^• better & wan y^• felde / for bycause y^• Romaynes were enfourmed y^• for lacke of mē of armes whiche had not socoured hȳ / & so by theyr neclygēce toke no hede to theyr duke but lete hȳ be slayne / & by cause y^• they p̄eed not before to saue hȳ fro y^• shot of his enmyes [Page] The senatoures of Rome / as Ualere sayth ordeyned that all y^• yere after these same people had no wages▪ ¶ Also the Carta gyences whiche were ryght noble men of armes put theyr ca­pytaynes to dyspyteous dethe when they made euyll ordynaū ce in theyr batayles / lette vs suppose yet that they had the vyc­tory / but theyr opynyon was that no man ought to haue glory ne lowes of noo thynge that he doth in lasse that it be doone by reason / but ought to be punysshed therfore▪ Thus Ualere con­cludeth when he hath spoken ynoughe of y^e dyscyplyne of kny ghthode whiche sewed the Romaynes for kepynge of the same that is to say in conquerynge of the myghty kyngdomes and lords hyppes of y^e hyghe hylles of Alpes and accheued the met uayllous aduentures of the same wi [...]hout whiche dyscyplyne it coude neuer haue ben brought aboute.

¶ The seconde good condycyon. Capitulo. xxxix.

TO speke of hardynesse whiche is the seconde good cō dycyon that is necessary to a good knyght / or a good man of armes. The auctours say whiche haue trea ted therof / that it is a vertue y^• cometh of grete cou­rage whiche clarkes calleth Magnanymyte w^tout whiche no strength of man may not accheue grete dedes. And by hardynes is enterprysed all the hyghe and grete thynges / and often tymes accheued rather than by strengthe / lyke as a [...] may se often tymes that a lytell man feble and small of [...] may be so hardy of courage that he dare take vpō hym­selfe to do armes ayenst a moche mā and a stronge / and often tymes dyscomfyteth hym▪ And of this we haue ensample of [...]lyrsaundre / whiche was one of the leest persones y^• men kne­we / yet he fought honde for honde with kynge [...]ortus of ynde whiche was a more myghty man than other / yet he dyscomfy [Page] ted hȳ / & thrugh his grete hardynes he was bolde to take vpō hȳ to cōquere al y^e worlde whiche he acheued / & y^t was a grete meruayle / & many other haue acheued by theyr hardynes soo many grete meruayles whiche semed impossyble to be done / wherfore Guyde sayth y^t y^e goddes helpe y^• hardy mē / where as he speketh in his poetry y^t y^e god whiche is called Mars hel pe a knyght in his hardynes whē he fought w^t a mā y^t was my ghtyer thā he / & cast a stone ayenst y^e strōger mā / & hythȳ in y^e vysage whiche caused hȳ to be astonyed / & by y^t meanes y^e feble mā ouercame y^• strōge / so this myght be true / some mā parad­uenture cast a stone y^t smotehi in y^e vysage / & y^• folysshe people at y^t tyme bycause y^• nomā wyst fro whēsy cast came / demed y^• y^• god Mars had cast it i helpyng of y^e feble ꝑsone / & i lykewyse valere sayth y^t y^e god Mars helped a romayne knyzt y^• faught ayenst another whiche sent hī a Rauon y^t w^t his becke & his ta­louns smote his enemy so sore i y^e vysage y^• it was cause of his dyscōfyture / & thꝭ is sayd herefore bycause y^• ofte tymes it hap peth fortune is so redy to thē y^• be hardy & gyueth thē so many good aduētures y^• it semeth verely as it came by myracle / but for to speke ꝓprely of hardynes y^• pure & honourable hardynes whiche ought to be alowed is y^• y^• is foūded vpō reason & suche thynges as ben possyble to be done w^tout presūpcyō & folysshe hardynes / as who sayth one mā alone ayēst many mē / or elles w^t a fewe mē to assayle a grete host of theyr enmyes / or yt a mā do grete outrages & weneth no mādare auēge it / suche hardy­nes may not lōge endure / & though it hap at somtyme y^• it pro­ueth wel w^t hī / at last it destroyeth hī vtterly & al y^• byleue in y^e same / & there abydeth no worshyp i thē / but is holdē tor presūp cyō & foly / for as it is sayd here tofore of dyscyplyne of knyght hode in all thynges where is noo measure is not to be alowed / though so be y^t at some tyme by aduenture may hap to fall so­me good thynge / yet it may not fayle but y^e ende shal be euyl.

¶ Of the thyrde good cōdycyon that knyghtes and cheuetay­nes ought to haue in armes. Capitulo. xl.

IT happeneth ofte tymes and comonly is sene y^• eue­ry persone whiche is lerned in a crafte & customed in the same / trauayleth & putteth hymselfe in payne to instructe and lerne other men suche as ben enclyned to the same / wherfore the wyse men saythe / and thou haunte an folowe the good men / thou shalte be lyke vnto them And yf thou haunte the cyull / thou shalte be as they be / wher­fore he that wyl be mayster of a crafte it is necessary that he fo­lowe and haunte the mayster workeman of that crafte that he wyll medell in / for as it shall be sayd here after in the last parte of this booke / euery man that is experte in his crafte ought to be byleued. Now for to come agayne to our purpose of this mat ter / that is to knowe of the thyrde condycyon that y^• good kny­ght or good man of armes ought dylygently to folowe & haun to the noble and worthy men whiche ben experyente in the sa­me. And for bycause I call it a scyence it sholde seme to soome man that I fayled of my language. But for to speke clerely w^t out sechynge of other subtyll reasons / whiche shall be proued that it maye so be called / as semeth that all thynge in whiche good measure and rules ought to be kepte may well be called a scyence. And me semeth there is noo crafte more necessary to haue good rule in than the feate of armes. For where as there is no ord [...] / [...]e rule in batayle / all gothe to confusyon / lyke as we may se dayly by experyence / wherfore Uegece made a propre bo ke wherin he speketh of the rules that ought to be kepte in ar­mes / whiche boke is called the scyence and arte of knyghthode ¶ [...]nd that it maye be proued true that there is noo arte more necessary to haue good rule kepte in / than the arte of armes / / [Page] Stypyo Lastryean the ryght worshypfull knyght / as Uale­re telleth sayd to this same purpose / that there coude not be a gretter shame in a knyght than to saye / I had wente it sholde not haue ben so / for he sayd yf a man wolde do a thynge & execu te it / he sholde do it by so good aduyse and counsayle / and by so grete reason that he sholde not nede to saye I wyste not that it wolde haue ben soo. For the erroure that is to saye when the re is ony faute in good ordynaunce of a batayle / the vyolence is soo greate thereof / that it maye neuer be amended. And the fore sayd auctoure whiche is called Uegece / speketh of the same in his fyrste booke of knyghthode / And he saythe also / yf men erre in other thynges / the erroure maye be corrected and amen ded. But the dyshordynaunce of bataylles and mysco [...]duyte in armes maye neuer be amended / for the payne payeth incon­tynente the mysdede. For he must nedes perysshe shortely / or [...]l les shamefully flee / or at the leest waye he must fall in seruage that is to saye he must be taken and comberously entreated / / whiche thynges is more grefe to couragyous men then is the dethe. And for bycause that we be entred in the chapytre whe▪ we hoope to treate howe the good men of armes ought to styre one another to be manly and good / and the maners that ought to be kepte in the same / whiche longeth syngulerly / and pryn­cypally to the introduceyon of knyghtes / and capytaynes ▪ of hoostes / and of batayles. ¶ We wyll speke of a worthy prynce called Stypyo / whiche hath ben rehersed here [...]ofore sayenge in this wyse to his knyghtes that no man ought to fyght with his enemyes that is to knowe to go and assayle them without a iuste cause. But and he had a Iuste cause he sholde not [...]ary and abyde tyll they come vpon hym / for a Iuste cause gyueth a grete hardynesse in suche a case for to sette freely vpon / and to fyght surely▪ [...]nd otherwyse a man ought not for too fyght without that necessyte constrayne hym. But and the case be y [Page] a man be assayled / yf he defende hym not / [...] grete cowar­dyse and an euyll trust of good fortune / whiche were a sham­full thynge. ¶ yet to the purpose of good cheuetaynes of an ho ste. Uegece speketh and sayth that aboue al other men they ou ght to be wyse and best aduysed in theyr offyce / For it is a gre te thynge he sayth for to puruaye for soo moche people that is for to wete for to be well aduysed in his thought how he may do ayenst hym that is his enemye. Another is howe he maye go­uerne suche a quantyte of people to the pleasure of euery man and to kepe them in good ordre and rule to his honoure & pro­fyte of his souerayne / wherfore the olde auncyentes sometyme whiche were prynces & gouernoures of batayles fayned them selfe that they were of the lygnage of goddes / to that entente y^• they [...] subiectes and they that were vnder theyr gouernaunce sholde drede them the more▪ and put gretter faythe in theyr or­dynaunce and rule. [...]nd suche maner of cautelles they vsed at that tyme in techynge of theyr people. ¶ Lyke as Ualere telle th of the grete wysedome▪ valyaunce / and hardynesse of the no ble prynce of batayle that was called Sertoryus / whiche for to gyue herte and trust in his people / fayned and sayd that the goddes shewed hym by reuelacyō what he sholde do by a why [...]e hynde whiche he ledde with hym in the hylles of Lucytanye whiche is a partye of Spayne / and in all other places where he wente in his Iournaye▪ And in the same wyse dyde kynge Mynos of Grete whiche was a man of grete wysdome in the kepynge of Iustyce and lykewyse in batayles. For he subdu­ed & put in seruage theym of Athenes / whiche [...]heseus theyr duke made free afterwarde. This sayd kynge Mynos wente customably euery newe yere ones in to a caue whiche by olde tyme was consecrate to theyr god that was called Iupyter say enge that he was his sone / lyke as poetes saye. And in y^• place he sayd that his fader Iupyter gaue hym the lawes / and the [Page] ordynaunces that he stablysshed amonge them. And he fayned thus for bycause that they sholde doubte to breke his ordynaū ces and commaundementes. ¶ But these thynges be not to vnderstonde that y^e good capytayne or the good man of armes sholde vse this / for suche faynynge were euyll done and myght gyue cause of euyll ensample: But if y^e wyse capytayne or guyder of men of armes coude wysely fayne that he had a gretter wytte than he hath / or that he coude more than he dothe. And y^e that he dothe be done by reason / and for a reasonable cause / & vpon that fyndeth ony good Iapes or cautayles / I suppose it were ryght wysely doone / lyke as here after shall be declared when it falleth in the processe.

¶ Ensample of worthy knyghtes. Capitulo. xli.

OF grete vygoure was that worthy knyght whi che was well nourysshed w^t Iulyus Cezar who­se name was called Scenola to whom was gy­uen and to other knyghtes a passage for to kepe and a towre ayenst the hoost of Pomp ye whyle y^• warres endured bytwene them / So it happened that y^• hoost of Pomp ye thought to gyue them a grete assa [...]telin so mythe that this knyght had moche payne to defende hymselfe frome his enemyes / for they charged hym passynge sore / so the batay [...]e was passynge stronge and cruell. For there were many wor thy men on bothe partyes. But this Scenola whiche was as hardy as a lyon dyde so grete dedes of armes that it was mer uayle to tell / and suffred so moche payne in defence of his place▪ that he was passynge sore hurte / and in his fyghtynge he sayd to his knyghtes / nowe for the gentyll knyghtes and felowes [...] breke the dartes of your enemyes w^t your feete & receyue theyr [...]owe hedes in your throtes / & we shall ouercome them▪ For in the meane tyme y^• we dye / he shall come y^• shall rescowe this for [...]esse / and too speke in fewe wordes his language & his dedes [Page] were so mothe that he ought to be put in memory / for he by his good amonycyons & ensamples of his dedes encreased so y^• cou rages of his felawshyp y^• they dred no dethe but fought mer­uaylously. Then he wente vp to the towre & cast the deed men vpon the quycke / and droue them downe fro the walles y^• were entrynge vp / he cutte of the hondes of them that touched y^• wal les aboue / and caste stones and other thynges y^• he myght gete without seasynge. But to speke shortely he [...]lue soo many that the hepe of the deed men was as hyghe as the toppe of the wal as the olde auctours wytnesseth / whiche wrote the noble actes and dedes of y^• Romaynes. And then he lepte out amonge his enemyes / then anone they ranne vpon hym on euery syde and he faught so sore that his sworde was so grecy of the bloode / & so blunted with strokes that it myght cutte no more. And his enemyes caste so faste the dattes at hym that often tymes the dartes mette togyder and toke away y^• stroke. And thus he en dured longe / lyke as [...]ucan wytnesseth of hym and of his mer uaylous dedes / seynge also y^• there was so grete preese aboute hym that he myght vnnethe dure noolenger. And amonge all other strokes he was smyten with an arowe in y^• lyfte eye / but anone he raced out the arowe of his heed▪and the eye withall / & trade vpon it. And whan he sawe that he was soo [...]ore hurte y^• he myght not wel endure no lenger / he fayned hymselfe that he was repentaunte that euer he faught ayenst the Cytezyns of Rome. And he sayd also that they ought to haue py [...]e on hym / for as moche as he was of theyr bloode / and prayed them that one of them myght brynge hym before [...]ompye for to crye hȳ mercy and there he wolde dye. Then there was one in the pla­ce that byleued well his wordes / and came to hym for to haue ledde hym to Pompye & anone as he came nygh [...] this Scena gaue hym so grete a stroke that he slue hym stoone dede. And than anone they fell vpon hym and slue hym / and thus ended [Page] Scena one of the good knyghtes of the worlde.

¶ [...] the foureth good condycyon y^• the worthy mā of armes [...]ught to haue. Capitulo. xlii.

[...]Ike as y^• state of noblesse / that is to knowe y^• the noble men be moost set on hyght in the honoures & worshyp pes of this worlde / In lyke wyse it is good reason that they be adourned with vertues / whiche for to say proprely is the most noblesse / for without vertue nothynge is noble / and this wyt­nesseth Iuenall / whiche sayth / there is nothynge that maketh man noble but vertue / and this sentence appereth well. Boece in his boke of consolacyon whiche saythe▪that the name of no­blesse is but a vayne thynge / but it be lyghtened with vertue & to this accordeth al the auncyent auctours generally. Then after all these sentences it is a necessary thynge to all theym y^• call themselfe noble / to be vertuous / that is to saye well mane­red / & also that they hate all vyce & flee frome all vnsyttynge thynges / whiche ben contrary to noblesse / & that they loue & to lowe all goodnesse / and good condycyons. And for bycause y^• I haue declared here tofore some of these vertues concernynge to the same / I wyll no more speke of them at this tyme. But I wyll passe ouer & speke of the fourth good condycyon y^• I haue shewed here tofore / whiche is necessary to all good knyghtes & nobles / and that is this / he ought to be true / in worde▪in sute / & in his othe [...] [...]nd nowe I had purposed me to speke hereof in this chapytre. [...]ut for as moche as other tymes I haue char­ged myselfe in some of myne other volumes to speke of the bla­mynge of the ryght lewde vyce of lyenge / whiche is contrary to truthe and maye not suffycyentely ynoughe be reproued by me / nor by none other / [...] wyll passe the moore lyghtely ouer. [...] ¶ But in as moche as it toucheth the noble men without fay le I maye some what saye nowe that yt ys a thynge that ys euyll syttynge vnto ony noble man / and full dyshonourable. [Page] That is to wete / of them than ben so tought as some ben y^• no trewe worde cometh out of theyr mouthe / nor in theyr promy­ses / nor in theyr fayth may no man trust no more than the sym plest boye of the worlde / I speke of some suche as call themselfe noble▪ And truely yf suche people consydred well what noblesse were / and howe that they deserue euyll for to haue the dygnyte therof / they ought to be [...]hamed and confounded / and haue ly­tell cause to be proude for the noblesse of theyr kynne / whiche is fayled in theyr owne persones▪ And for to speke of the goodnes of trouthe Iam not worthy to speke suffycyently therof / nor no man elles can saye ynoughe therof. O howe it is gretely alow ed and commended in holy scrypture that god is trouthe / and so he calleth hymselfe / And al the foundacyon of our fayth and byleue is sette vpon that / al the feate of the Phylosophres and theyr study was no thynge elies but for to attayne and serche out the trouthe / And this wytnesseth Arysto. le in his Meta­physyke / whiche he founded vpon trouthe / in whiche booke he speketh notably therof / for he saythe that all morall Phyloso­phy is founded vpon trouthe / and without that [...]ll that euer we maye do in this morall lyfe maye not profyte vs. Alas the­se noble auncyentes whiche had at that tyme noo knowlege in the deuyne lawe / loued rather to dye than be false of theyr fay­the / o [...] to lye le [...]ynges▪ Than what shame sholde it be to them that ben crystened / that for a lytell thynge or nought wyll ye & [...]ors w [...]re themselfe / that is pyte to here: And of this we maye shew dyuers ensamples / as of a duke of Athenes whiche was vp fortune taken in a batayle / notwithstondynge that his per­tye had the better▪ Than his aduersarye whiche had hym in his pryson / wolde haue constrayned hym that he and his Cyte sholde haue graūted a truage payable yerely to y^• men of Athe nes, so vpon y^• condycyō he sholde be delyuered free & quyte / & [...]f he wolde not graut therto / he sholde dye a myscheuous deth [Page] But the worthy duke answered and sayd that he had promy­sed & swore to them of Rome to maynteyne them & kepe them in theyr [...]rysdyccyon & Fraunch yses / [...]o that by hym they sholde not be am y [...]ysshed nor brought in worse case And also it sholde not tourne thē to so grete p [...]iudyce y^• losse of one man as y^• losse of theyr possessyō ▪ [...]r of as good a prynce / or a better thā he was they sholde soner fynde / thā recouerynge of theyr fraū chyse / and it were ones loste▪ And th [...]s he had suche faythe & lo ue to his subiectes for to holde that he promysed them y^• he cha se rather for to dye thā to be ayenst his promyse. [...] There was a greate feate and kepte well his trouthe / the noble Romayne prynce whiche [...]alere speketh of y^• was named Actylyus Re­gulus / whiche after that he had dyscomfyted a batayle and a grete hoost of the [...]artagyences / they of [...]artage for toauen­ye themselfe sent for▪ antyperus kynge of Lacedemone & fau ght a newe batayle / whiche batayle fortuned to be ayenst the consule Actylyus / soo that he was dyscomfyted and hymselfe [...]aken. So when it came to the ende of fyue yere / Orose sayth that the [...]artagyences sente theyr embassadoures to Rome & with them this noble man Actylyus / but they made hym swe­re vpon his goddes that yf case were that they coude not acco [...] [...] that he sholde retourne agayne to pryson / & this was theyr message to the Romaynes that they sholde yelde agayne all y^• prysoners that were taken in the syrst batayle / and they wolde [...]lde them agayne this noble knyght Actylyus / And whan the [...]enatours of Rome had well vnderstonde this message / they besought this noble man [...]ctylyus that he wolde gyue them counsayle in the sayd matter / as ferre as his wysdome wolde gyue hym [...]ut this noble knyght sette not so moche by h [...] persone that he wolde counsayle them nor aduyse theym / y^• for his persone onely they sholde delyuer so grete a quantyte of enemyes for hym▪ [...]r he sayd it was not for the comon profyte [Page] that so many men sholde be gyuen for one man. And thus this noble man wente home agayne to [...]artage where that he [...]n [...] we well he sholde haue grete tourmentes / for he knewe ful wel y^• grete cruelte of the [...]artagyences. But he loued rather to dye thā to lyue and be forsworne of that he had promysed to y^• Romaynes. [...] And syth it cometh to the purpose that we spe­ke of prysoneres for to showe more of the customes of Rome. That is to wete / when the prysoneres of [...]ome were yelded in as moche as ony prynce of Rome had goten the playne vycto­ry of the abuers party whiche helde them in pryson / when the consule / that is to say the prynce was retourned home agayne to Rome / and y^• he sholde entre in to y^• towne / in his tryumphe lyke as it is sayd before / y^• prysoneres sholde go before y^• chay­re with chapelettes of sylke on theyr heedes / whiche were made of [...]elued / and some of B [...]uers / as [...]alere sayth / and [...]tus [...]ynyus saythe that theyr hedes was shauen in token y^• they were out of seruage / & bothe myght happen well to be / for they sayd than that the Chapelettes betokened lordshyp & fredome [...] [...]t to the purpose that a man sholde kepe his trouthe / and y^• it wyll do harme and a man breke it / It happened that Hany­ball the Emperoure of Cartage was dyscomfyted by the Ro­maynes in the seconde batayle / as [...]ytus [...]nyus recyteth in the [...]nde of his .x. booke. The [...]artagyences were constray­ned to requyre the [...]omaynes of peas / for the whiche they sen te theyr embassadoures to Rome. [...]nd whan they hadde purpo sed before the [...]enatoures the effecte of theyr matter and the cause of theyr comynge. [...]hen for bycause that they of [...]arta­ge had quytte them vntruely in theyr promyses before tyme to the Romaynes in theyr couenauntes & othes / whiche they had made before / was sayd vnto them these wordes. [...]y what ma nere of goddes d [...]o ye swere the peas nowe to vs / syth ye haue deceyued and be for sworne by them that ye were sworne vpon [Page] before tyme. [...]hen one of the embassadoures whiche was cal­led [...]sdruball answered and sayd / we swere nowe by theym that we sware before tyme / & them ye ought gretely to than­ke and owe them good wyl / for as moche as they haue venged you well vpon vs for brekynge of our othe.

¶ The fyrste good condycyon that a worthy man shelde haue. Capitulo. xliii.▪

I Haue sayd here before that the fyrst good condycyon that he whiche is a good man of armes sholde desyre to haue is that he sholde loue worshyp aboue all thyn ges. And for bycause that it is an open thynge that he sholde so desyre / it shall suffyse me to proue my rea sons by good ensamples of the worthy auncyentes withoute sechynge of ony other argumentes. ¶ The worthy [...]hemy [...] ­chocles / and noble knyghtes / whiche I haue spoken of before tyme in this booke loued and coueted so moche the worshyp of knyghthode / that it was in his herte / lyke as a sharpe nedyl [...] whiche brente soo sore in desyres of worshyp / that it wolde lette hym haue noo peas. Then it was asked hym of other knygh­tes why he occupyed hymselfe so gretely without reste. Than he answered & sayd / for bycause y^• the fayre & hyghe knyghtho des of myne auncetryes & theyr grete vyctoryes enflambeth my courage to folowe theyr traces / so y^• I myght attayne to ge te parte of theyr excellent renownes / [...]y my trauayle & excercy se in arme. [...]ut for bycause y^• I se myselfe so ferre from theyr grete actes / it maketh me busy & full of thought / whiche wyll not lyghtly leue me. [...]his good knyght was none of theym y^• for one lytell good dede / thought that he had done many excel­lent dedes / & was in y^• tyme of [...]ulcyades y^• duke of Athenes & was in the batayle that was called the batayle of [...]araton [Page] ayenst the percyens / lyke as Iustyne recordet [...] in the seconde boke of his storyes whiche cōmendeth gretely his vertue and his grete knyghthode / whiche batayle was meruaylous gre­te and fyers and by the manhode & worthynes of this knyght they of Athenes gate the vyctory \ And yet he thought that he had done but ryght a lytell thynge. \ So for bycause that some maynteyne and say that there is no honoure but in rychesse / & without rychesse honoure myght not be had. \ I saye sauynge the reuerence / that opynyon is false and vntrue. For let vs sup pose that honoure be not gyuen at this day as the auncyentes dyde of olde tyme to them that were vertuous / but begy [...]en to them that be ryche / [...]et there can no man take away from hym that is vertuous / but that he ought to be cōmended in the sa­me / & gretely alowed in his vertue. And also euery man sayth more good of hym / and more reuerence longeth vnto hym than men showe or doo vnto hym / whiche laude & praysynge as me semeth is more to commende than the other / thoughe so be y^• he [...]e poore and the other ryche / to whome before his vysage men wyll gyue a greate recommendacyon / and behynde his backe wyll curse hym for his vyces. And so to y^• purpose in olde tyme theyr vertues was theyr worshyp / and not rychesse / wherfore men dyde gretter payne in those dayes for to gete vertues / th [...] rychesses or ony other treasures And of this we haue in the sto­ryes of Rome by the wyll of all the Senatours / that is to saye of al the prynces of the counsayle / was ordeyned that this noble knyght Cyronatus for his grete vertues & manhode was cho sen to be made a dyctatoure / whiche was the greatest estate of Rome / lyke as a mā myght say an emperour / whiche story is ryght profytable to be herde / as [...]ytus [...]yuyus sayth / to thē that desyre manhode & worshyp / more thā rychesse▪ for he was a passynge famous mā / & yet he was ryght poore [...] [...]nd for his grete manhode & worthynes / he was the man in the worlde y^• [Page] the Romaynes had moost the trust i [...] ▪ And for bycause that he was so gretely trusted amonge the Romaynes / it happened y^• a grete hoost of theym of Rome whiche were sente ayenst theyr enemyes / were so sore constrayned by theyr enemyes that they were fayne to take a relde and dyche it \ And pale it aboute too saue them from theyr enemyes▪ And when they of Rome her de therof they toke out a nōbre of knyghtes with a grete mul­tytude of people for to sende to the rescowes ot theyr people that were besyeged / than were they dystytute of a good cheuetay­ne▪ where vpon they sente vnto the house of this worthy man whiche dwelled without Rome & there they founde hym in ry ght symple maner consyderynge the grete estate of his perso­ne / neuerthelesse as soone as he herde of the grete daungere of the people that were besyeged / forth withall he toke these kny­ghtes & the people whiche was assygned by the Cyte & wente to the felde▪ And to speke shortely of this matter what by his wysdome & his manhode dyscomfyted them y^• had besyeged y^• Romaynes / and whan they were dyscomfyted he departed the good y^• was goten in the felde amonge his people whiche were causers of the dyscomfyture of the felde / and not to them that were besyeged for he blamed them gretely / & he deposed y^• cōsule y^e led them of his offyce / for bycause he wolde [...]ustre hym selfe to be besyeged in his lodgynge / whiche lodgynge he had enforced with dyches and a grete pale: Than he sayd that mā was not worthy to haue an offyce of so grete a dygnyte & wor­shyp as to be a consule to suffre hymselfe to be closed aboute / he hauynge suche a people with hym / but trusted moore in his pa [...]e & his dyches than in the manhode of his people / & also the armes of y^• Romaynes were not acustomed to be worne in pla ces closed. ¶ [...]et of the same y^• the auncyent men praysed more the vertues than ryches / Ualere telleth in the thyrde chapytre of his fourthe boke of a noble knyght y^• was of a worshypfull [Page] lygnage that after the tyme that he hadde doone many nota­ble dedes of hyghe and myghty hatyles a yenste the Uolques / & in other places also / and taken one of theyr castelles [...] whiche was passynge myghty and stronge that was called [...]onolon for whiche cause afterwarde he was named [...]onolannus in his sure name / whiche was a grete rewarde for his demerytes and a grete worshyp in those dayes & that worshyp he refused not. But as for other grete rewardes of good he sette not by it / for it was offred hym after y^• customes of Rome whiche was ordeyned for worshypful men y^• had deserued an hondred Iour nays of londe / y^• is to knowe as moche londe as a ploughe my­ght ere in an hondred dayes. Also he sholde haue. x. prysoners of the best that he wolde chose of them that were taken at that tyme / and. x. ryche horses wel armed and ordeyned for y^e warre and. x. grete oxen / and as moche syluer as he myght bere / but of all this wolde he none but a prysoner that had ben his hoste that had done hym grete fauoure before tyme / whiche he thou­ght to quyte / for his goodnes / and soo he dyde / for he pardoned hym of his pryson / & gaue hym a good courser for to here hym in to batayle and nede were [...] [...]r whiche vertue Ualere saythe that men wyst neuer of whiche he gate more worshyp / of that y^• he chase / or elles of that y^• he refused / that is to know of takyng so lytell / or refusynge of to grete a gyfte.

[...] Howe Lechery & delytes ben often tymes cause to dystrow ble a man that he maye not gete worshyp and valyaunce Capitulo. xliiii.

[...] Or to gete worshyp he that desyreth to optayne it in ar mes / in whiche matter we be in this party of the boke [...]nd semblably in all maners that worshyp may be founde in lyke as a man ought to pursue all thynges that ben couenable to come to worshyp / in lyke wyse he sholde eschewe al thynges that may lette hym from it / or trouble hym of his entente▪ And for bycause that I fynde in wrytynge y^• amonge all other vy­ces the vyce of delyte & Lechery is that moost draweth a waye the good dedes of them whiche had begon of longe tyme before to profyte in worshyp / notw^tstondynge lyke as I haue treated [Page] here tofore in spekynge to prynces / & nowe is necessary to pro­ced of all other y^• occupy the [...]eate of armes. And that it is ne­cessary also to shewe howe they sholde eschewe these vyces be­fore rehersed / we wyl brynge to mynde dyuers ensamples whi che ben founde in storyes [...]t auncyentes. ¶ The hoost of y^e gre­te Anth y [...]cus kynge of Perce & Dayse / happened by dyuerse tymes [...]o ouercome y^e Romaynes / and often tymes put them in grete affraye▪ And after y^• they had by dyuers tymes ouerco me them in the partyes of Grece▪ they wente to reste them al y^• wynter in [...]alcedy / in whiche londe the vyces aboue rehereto were gretely vsed / that is to say▪ [...] delytes / in lechery / in play es and dysportes as longe as wynter lasted / in soo moche that the people of this hoost afore sayd were made passynge softe in theyr dedes▪ Then it happened as Macrobe saythe / when An­thyocus the prynce wolde haue gone agayne vnto the warre vpon the Romaynes / toke the mustres to [...]e the strengthe and the noblesse of his hoost / and asked of Hanyball whiche was at that tyme with hym whether he had people ynowe with hym for to fyght with the Romaynes / to whome Hanyball answe­red saynge that he had people ynowe / notwithstondynge that he was ryght a couetous mā. But this answere was not suf­fycyent to the entente of Anthyocus / For he wolde haue asked wheder he had puyssaunce ynoughe to ouercome the Romay­nes. And hanybal whiche had by dyuerse tymes proued theyr strenst the and vertue and lawe that the knyghtes of Anthyo­cus were fallen in to grete delytes and pleasaunces / and more full of boostynge than of good dedes of knyghthode answered and sayd / The Romaynes ought to holde them contente with the rychesse that was in the hoost / notwithstondynge that they were ryght couetous people / and it happened euen to be so as he extemed. For notwithstondynge that this prynce whiche in storyes is called the grete Anthyocus was so ryche & of so grete [Page] myght that he sente in a batayle ayenst y^• Romaynes an hon­dred and nyne olyfauntes whiche bare euery of them a towre [...] his backe made of tymbre in whiche was grete multytude o [...] men of armes▪ & his hoost was so grete that it couered most tay [...]les and valayes / yet was he at the last ouercomen with y^e Romaynes. ¶ yet to this purpose that delytes and [...]uer grete ca [...] maketh lesse and febleth the courages of men / some saye that the Cyte of Uolques was ryght ryche and well enuyron ned with walles / and as in goodes it was the rychest [...]te of all the londe of [...] crussye / but by the grete mordynate rychesse it was enclyned all to delytes and Lechery / for the whiche as soone as these vyces had domynacyon it felte in de [...]yne / by the whiche it wexed feble in defence of it selfe / for whiche cause it was subdued by bonde men / wherfore it is to be noted that by the inconuenyentes of this vyce foloweth many grete mysche ues / for the whiche euery man that is worshypfull ought to ta ke hede to eschewe that euyll vyce / whiche maye be cause of ta­kynge awaye of grete honoure of pryuces / and in lyke wyse of all other persones.

¶ Howe the olde auncyentes guerdoned y^e good dedes of wor­thy men after theyr desertes / and not after tauoure. And also [...] the honoures that they dyde vnto hym. Capitulo. xlv.

NOwe to come agayne to our fyrste purpose that y^e good men of armes ought rather to loue worshyp than ony other thynges / we haue proued ryght ynough / and haue shewed by dyuers ensamples howe the olde worshypfull men were courtyse for to gete worshyp / and also howe they were rewarded for theyr good dedes: And yet we wyll shewe one ensample howe these rewardes were gyuen without fauoure. Ualere sayth y^• whā [Page] a noble mā of Rome y^• was called [...]alpurynus [...]yse / was ma de consule & prynce of a grete hoost / & by his manhode & prow esse had delyuered [...]cyle by dyuers grete batayles / & sholde come to gyue y^• rewardes to his people after y^• Romayne custo mes euery mā after his deseruynge. This sayd [...]alpurynus had a sone whiche was ryght a worthy knyght / & for the good dedes y^• he had done in the batayle / they y^• were reportours of y^• worshypfull actes y^• men dyde / Iuged hym a crowne of gol­de & sayd that he had ryght well deserued it. But the fader dy de longe debate ayenst it / and sayd that the other had deserued▪ it better than he / notwithstondynge at the last thoughe the fa­der were neuer so sore ayenst it / yet of very ryght was Iuged, hym to be rewarded with the crowne by the comon voyce / and▪ trust truely he had leuer haue worne that crowne as they vsed to were them in those dayes than to haue ben rewarded with a grete some of golde. ¶ yet more of the honoure that men dyde in that tyme to suche as were worshypfull warryoures / whi­che worshyp was more desyred than ony other thynge in the worlde at that tyme. Ualere telleth whan y^• ony man had done ony dede in armes passynge ony other men in valyaunce and worthynesse. The Romaynes caused to make his ymage ry­ght nobly and set it in a certayne place of worshyp whiche was ordeyned for the nones / and vnder them made wryte theyr na mes and theyr sure names and the grete pryncypall dedes y^• they had done / & thus they dyde for bycause they sholde alway be had in mynde / & y^• other men sholde take ensample of theyr worthynesse / to that entente that they sholde payne themselfe for to gete worshyppes & honoures / & in lyke wyse they dyde by y^e clerkes. For & there were ony solempne phylosophre or ony man or woman that passed other soueraynely in shotynge or in ony scyence lyke as y^• sage sybyle / or elles a werke man y^• cou [...]e [...]arue ymages y^t neuer was sene none suche before they had▪ [Page] certayne thynges ordeyned for the nones / whiche was gret [...] worshyp to them & caused them to set theyr attendaunce more ententyfely vpō theyr occupacyon. ¶ And thus as ye here they were set in those dayes all in couetyse of worshyp / whiche coue tyse Ualere preueth by ensample that the vertuous man wyl certaynly that honour [...] lawde / and reuerence be gyuen to hym lyke as we may say by Sypyon Affrycan y^• ryght vertuous man whiche made sette the ymage and the fygure of Enn [...]us the poete amonge the ymages of the noble men of his lygnage for bycause that he had commended in his dytees the noble ac tes of this Sypyon Affrycan. ¶ And for bycause that some men myght say ayenst this opynyon arguynge that honoure and glory ought not to be desyred in this worlde / but be holdē as for nought. Ualere sheweth howe they whiche in theyr boo­kes techeth / that glory and honoure [...]de be sette at nought / desyre it themselfe and wolde haue it as other haue / and say­th in this wyse that glory is not dyspysed of them that enforce themselfe to teche the dyspysynge o [...] the same / for they set the names of them dylygently in theyr volumes and bookes whi che they haue drawne out and wryten and cōmendeth the dys­pysynge of glorye, in lowynge them that sette not therby / yet notwithstondynge they wolde haue glory / for bycause y^t they wolde drawe to mynde theyr names by wrytynge in theyr bo­kes▪ And so to conclude this chapytre we saye that the good & worshypfull men ought and may desyre glory / and in dede they wyll haue it & they may / notwithstōdynge y^• [...]oece in y^• thyrde boke of cōsolacyon / in y^•. [...] prose holdeth ayenst & dyscōmende th thē y^• to inordynately secheth worldely glory / & not w^tout cau se as to y^• spyrytuall lyfe. But for to lyue morally after y^• actyfe lyuynge it is no vyce who that desyreth it for a Iuste cause.

¶ Here it speketh of the syxte good condycyon that the worthy man of armes ought to haue. Capitulo. xlvi.

[Page] THe syxte good condycyon y^• the good man of▪ armes ought to haue as I haue sayd here tofore is that h [...] sholde be wyse / well aduysed / & cautelous in dedes▪ that maye fall in armes / and in all maner feates of knyghthode / And for bycause that we wyll brynge to mynde by ensample the cautelous dedes of knyghthode / & worthy men that dyde y^• grete conquestes and grete thynges in theyr tyme / whiche maye be causers to brynge suche thyn­ges agayne to mynde / to that entente that they in tyme y^• nowe is maye vse suche feates & not to be deceyued in them / we wyll shewe you here after folowynge lyke as auctoures recyteth / & also Ualere that nameth suche subtyltees to ouercome & noye his enemy Stratagones. But the fyrst ensample we wyll spe ke of [...]hylostratus that was duke of Athenes / whiche as sto ryes sayth was ryght subtell & well aduysed in all thynges / & specyally in the feate of warre▪ [...]or true it was that they of a Cyte of Grece that was called [...]egara / bare it forthe vnder dys [...]y [...]ulacyo [...] ▪ But in the tyme of this [...]hylostratus they of Megera thought by a certayne wyle to fynde a meane to be a­uenged vpon them of Athenes / for they had not forgoten y^• gre te hurtes and greues that they had done them before tyme / so they remembred them that the people of Athenes were yerely acustomed to go in to the yle of [...]uletre / where the lady of Athenes wente on pylgrymage at a certayne day in the yere / whe re vpon they of Megera lete ordayne theyr nauye of shyppes & / thought they wolde auenge them on theyr enemyes semyn­ge to thē that y^• Athenyences wolde take no hede of suche thyn ges▪ But this Phylostrates duke of Athenes whiche hadde a knowlege of this thynge ordeyned that y^• ladyes sholde holde theyr purpose lyke as they had acustomed before tyme / & that they sholde make gretter araye & gretter feest thā they vsed be fore tyme to y^• purpose that they of Megera sholde not thynke [Page] they were escaped. So this [...]hylostratus toke to hym a good felawshyp of men of armes and wente before in to the [...] ▪ & put hym in a busshement / and anone as the men of Megera were come to londe he brake his busshement and felle vpon his enemyes and slue them euerychone. And whan this was done [...]hylostratus entred in to theyr shyppes / and toke with hym many of the ladyes that were best besene and rychest arayed and toke his course towarde Megera / to that entente y^t they of Megera sholde vnderstonde that it was theyr owne people for bycause they sawe soo many ladyes come with theym / and supposed also that they had gotten grete goodes withall. For they knewe well theyr owne nauye & theyr tokens / & for y^• gre te Ioye that they had of this dede euery man drewe to the porte and they wente hastely to londe and kylled and slue the moost partye of the people. And anone after toke the cyte. ¶ [...]aryus that was chosen kynge of Perce and Mede for the n [...]y [...]nge of his horse / assembled syxe hondred thousande men / as Iustyne sayth in his seconde boke for to destroye the Athenyences and theyr londe. They of Athenes herde therof sente for socours to Lacedemone and to other londes but they taryed passynge lon ge. Then [...]yl [...]yades that was at that tyme duke of Athenes whiche made to nomble his people and founde that he had but x. thousande of his owne men / and a thousande of straungers yet this worshypfull man hadde more trust to renne vpon his enemyes then to tary for the helpe of them that were comynge notwithstondynge many of his men helde a yenst it incuerthe­lesse he wente so hastely vpon them that or they coude beware or make themselfe redy they were amonge them & toke them out of ara ye in suche wyse that they were dyscomfyted / soo by this good wyle and manhode. xi. thousande dyscomfyted syxe hondred thousande of the Percyens. ¶ Ualere sayth that Ha nyball the Emperoure of Cartage hated gretely the ryght no [Page] ble Romayne prynce that was named Fabyus [...]aximus for bycause that he hadde done hym many greuous hurtes in ba tayle / and at all tymes made grete resystence ayenst his grete hoost. And [...]ytus [...]ynyus sayth also that he was the prynce in Rome that Hanyball moost hated. This sayd Fabyus was a dyctatour whiche was the soueraynest offyce of Rome & led with hym a grete hoost where so euer he wente. Then this ha nyball bethought hym on a wyle and laboured sore for to noye Fabyus / so that he toke his hoost & wente in to ytaly / and de­stroyed all the lowe countre what with sworde & fyre excepte y^• londes & maners of y^• dyctatour Fabyus Marymus / to that entente that they of Rome sholde haue a suspeccyon that there were made some alyaunce amonge them / and yet he dyde mo re for he founde a waye to sende to Rome a letter closed whiche came to the hondes of the counsaylours of Rome and was dy­rected to Fabyus from Hanyball whiche was not at that ty in the [...]yte / and it semed by the contynewe of the letters that there had ben bytwene them grete famylyaryte & promyses / by the whiche it semed that Hanyball was come to his entent But and the Romaynes had not knowne the grete trouthe of Fabyus / & the grete malyce of Hanyball it myght haue bene cause of the destruccyon of this noble prynce.

¶ Of the wyse connsayle in armes that knyghtes sholde vse. Capitulo. xlvii.

[...]Owe that al good prynces and knyghtly men ought to be well aduysed & well vnderstonde of the condycyons of the wysdome / & the malyce of his aduersary / & enquyre yf he acustomed to vse in his werkynges cautelous & couerte way es / it appereth that he ought to do it by suche ensamples as to loweth / whiche ought for to gyue a man cause for to kepe hym selfe from suche malycyous persones / lyke as y^e wyse man coū sayleth and sayth / kepe the frome that persone that gouerneth [Page] hymselfe by malyce / For when he speketh fayrest to the / take best hede to thyselfe / For the malycyous man fareth as a catte that lyeth longe in a wayte for y^e mo [...]se / and as soone as he is ware of the mo [...]se and cast for to take her / he wyll wagge his tayle as it were for loue / In lyke wyse y^e frawdelent man wat cheth his poynte & his tyme by longe space / but whan he sethe his season and his houre than wyll he laughe vpon hym that he casteth to deceyue / & sodaynly he wyl renne vpon hym / lyke as it is wryten of a kynge y^• was lorde of a grete party of Gre­ce y^• was meruaylously full of frawde & passynge cautelous▪ This kynge hated moche the Romaynes & had passynge gre­te enuye to them. But for bycause y^• he durst not playnly defye them for theyr grete power whiche he doubted gretely▪ vsed a wyle and fayned hymselfe gretely to be theyr frende for y^• grete reputacyon that he herde of them▪ For he knewe well that the­re was nothynge that so moche ouercometh the herte of a mā as doth fayre gyftes fro whens that euer they come / wherfore he sente them often tymes grete presentes and fayre language withall to the pryncypall counsaylours of Rome. And by this meane he vnderstode moche of theyr werkynge / and after this he founde many dyuers meanes for to anoye and hurte the Ro maynes▪ But whan y^• Romaynes wolde haue gone vpon hym for to haue chastysed hym his good frendes y^• he had goten be fore at Rome were alway redy for to answere for hym & made his peas▪ And vnder this four me he was ofte tymes saued y^• the Romaynes made no warre vpon hym▪ [...]et this cautelous kynge dyde more / for he fayned hymselfe that he had grete de­syre to go to Rome to se the grete magnyfycence of the [...]y [...]e / & offred hymselfe to the prynces to do them what seruyce that he coude / where vpon he was well receyued and gretely worshyp [...]ed / & as longe as he was there he shewed so grete frendeshyp to the prynces that no man myght shewe more▪ But whā th [...] [Page] come to hym for to make hym ony disporte / anone he wolde ma ke dyscorde amonge them / and fayned to euery man / y^• he sayd it for theyr grete profyte / and prayed them to kepe it secretely / tyll they sawe theyr tyme / in so moche that he made hate amon ge them / and whā he [...]awe that▪ he had set hate ynoughe amon ge▪ them & that he had well aduysed and vnderstonde the ordy daunce and the rule of the Cyte he toke his leue and departed out of the towne▪ And as he wente out of the gates of Rome he spake so lowde that many men herde hym / sayenge that y^• cyte of Rome was passynge stronge / but it was lyght for to wyn who that had money ynoughe for to gyue: ¶ This ensample is to be noted and vnderstonde that of hym that is knowen an enemye and fraudelent withall. And also that he wyll be redy to gyue euyll counsayle / man beware of hym. For [...]yde say th / that the goddes onely wyll be apeased onely by force of gyf tes. ¶ [...]et to the same purpose. Tarquynyus the kynge of Ro me had holden a syege longe tyme before the cyte of Galbyne / & myght in no wyse gete it. This Tarquyne had a sone whi­che was ryght subtyll and thought to fynde a subtylte for too gete this cyte / and toke a knyfe and hurte hymselfe / and whan he had so done he sente pryuely in to the cyte / and shewed them howe y^• his fader the kynge had beten hym / & farde foule with hym / where vpon he wolde be auenged yf he myght / and yf it lyked theym he wolde be theyr frende with all his power / and prayde them y^• they wolde receyue hym in to theyr cyte / Then they of the cyte supposed y^• he had sayd trouthe receyued hym with grete Ioy [...] / Then he made a greuous complaynte vpon his fader▪ and he flatered them so well that within a lytell spa­ce they made hym as a mayster of the Cyte / and a souerayne. and whan he vnderstode that he was mayster of all he sente a messyngere pryuely to his fader sayenge / that cautele ouerco­meth all thynge▪ The kynge answered nothynge agayne but [Page] semed that he was al pen syfe / and toke this messyngere with hym in to a garden where that he foūde many popyes / then he toke a lytell rodde and as he came by them he with the rodde smote or theyr hedes / and he wente so longe aboute that at the last he smote of all the grete popy heedes and lefte neuer one. Then the messyngere asked of y^e kynge wheder he wolde ony thynge elles to his sone / he sayd y^• he wolde sende noone other thynge. Then the messyngere came agayne to his sone & sayd that his fader sente hym noo answere agayne / but it semed by his countenaunce that he was wrothe / for as he came by many popyes in a gardyne he wolde alwayes smyte of all the grete hedes that he founde of the popyes. [...]he sonne vnderstode wel all his wordes & anone he founde a meane to make a surmyse vpon the grettest men of the Cyte sayenge that they had co [...] ­ [...]red ayenst hym / and wolde delyuer the Cyte and hym also to the kynge his fader / & anone he made smyte of theyr hedes. And when there were no cheuetaynes lefte that durst say nay ayenst hym / he fayre delyuered the Cyte vnto his fader. And of this story dyuers auctours maketh mencyon / and namely [...]y tus Lynyus. ¶ Also in the tyme that the Cyte of Rome was taken by the Gaules / whiche nowe ben called Frensshe men / & had besyeged the Capytoll whiche was imprenable saue onely by [...]am yne / and supposed for to do so in dede. But the Romay­nes that were wyly people for to put theym that were without in dyspayre they toke suche goodes as they had and made gre te rely [...]te / of golde / of brede / and flesshe / and of al maner of grey ues / and caste it out ouer the walles in a fayre place where the Frensshe men myght fynde it. [...]d when the frensshemen saw this / they were gretely abasshed / and demed that they had gre te plente of vytayles within them / whiche in dede they had not [...]hen drewe they anone to treate of peas ¶ Also Ualere sayth y^• Hanyball before or he fought with y^e Romaynes in y^e grete [...] [Page] fyers batayle whiche was called y^• batayle of y^e [...]ance whiche was a dolorous & a heuy day for y^• Romaynes / he vsed thre ma ner of wyles. For y^• fyrst he aduysed y^• he wolde haue y^• sone on his backe / & y^• duste also whiche was passynge grete for y^• gre te wynde y^• blewe. Another wyle he ordeyned y^• as soone as y^e batayle began to Ioyne a parte of his people sholde make a sē ­blaunce for to fle / & soo it was / for he had layde a busshement y^• & ony man folowed them they sholde renne vpon them y^• lay in the busshement / & so it happneed to fall / for certayne of the Ro­maynes folowed y^• chace & came there as the busshement lay / & there they fell on the Romaynes & slue them euerychone. Also he ordeyned y^• a party of his people sholde yelde them anone in goodly wyse to y^e Romaynes / & so they dyde. [...]hen as the ma­ner was at y^• tyme they were vnarmed & set behynde y^• batay le / & these mē had couertely nexte theyr skynne shorte swordes & wel cuttynge / & whan y^e Romayns were on hōde in y^• batayle they fayre drewe out theyr swordes & fell behynde them & cutte theyr legges & slue moche people / & by this meane sayth Uale re was y^• strength of Rome ouercome by y^e malyce of Affryke.

The fyrst chapytre speketh how y^• all maner of states ought to be gadred as one. [...]. xlviii.

AFter the matter that we haue spoken of here tofore whiche touched y^• introduceyon of pryn ces lyke as it is conteyned in the fyrste partye of this boke. The whiche sayd prynce or pryn­ces we haue taken for the heede of the body of Polycye / as it hathe ben shewed here tofore. / ¶ [...]nd folowynge after that / in the seconde partye is shewed to the ensygnement of the nobles / and knyghtes / whiche we take for the hondes▪ and the armes / we wyll nowe sewe after [Page] this / with the grace of god to shewe in the thyrde parte of this boke suche matters as we can fynde in the auctorytes of the ol de auncyentes / for the welfare and profyte of suche thynges as longeth to y^• remenaunt of y^• body of Polycye. That is to kno­we of the vnyuersall people that we take for the Bely / [...]or y^• leg ges / and for the fete / to that entente that all maye be refered / & Ioyned in one quycke body parfyte and hole. For lyke as y^• bo dy of a mā is dyffectyfe and dyffourmed when he lacketh ony of his membres. ¶ In lyke wyse the body of Polycye maye not be parfyte ne entyre if these estates that we haue spoken of here tofore be not well Ioyned and assembled all in one / so that euery of them may helpe other / and echone of them to excercyse that offyce that they be called to / whiche dyuers offyces ben or deyned for the conseruacyon of all y^e hole body / lyke as y^e mem­bres of a mannes body helpeth to gouerne and nourysshe all y^e body / and as soone as ony of them fayleth / of euery necessyte al the body shall fele it / & shal be dyseased therby▪ Now we must shewe the manere howe the last partyes of the sayd body may be maynteyned in helthe & prosperyte▪ For as me semeth they be the susteynours & bere the charge of all y^• surplus of y^e sayd body / wherfore they haue nede of strengthe and myght for too bere the weyght of the other partyes▪ For the whiche cause as we haue sayd here tofore for the loue and the charge y^• the good prynce ought to haue to his subiectes and his people / and also of the offyce of the nobles whiche ben stablysshed for the gar [...]e and defence of the sayd people / we must nowe speke of the loue of the reuerence / and obeysannce y^• the good people ought haue to theyr prynce / wherfore we wyll speke vnyuersally of all / in as moche as this matter toucheth to all estates in one loue / in one reuerence / and one obeysaunce. ¶ But afterwarde in spe­kynge somethynge touchynge y^• augmentacyon of vertu▪ in theyr lyuynge / & the maner of theyr conuersacyon may happen [Page] I wyll touche thre maner of states dyfferenced / that ben in spe­cyall as none in the sayd vnyuersall people. [...]nd for bycause y^• at some tyme there fall murmuracyons amonge the thre esta­tes afore sayd / That is to knowe the Prynce / the knyghthode / & the people. For bycause that it semeth to the one that y^e other do not well theyr parte in theyr offyces / for whiche cause deba­te myght fall amonge theym whiche is a thynge ryght preiu­dycyable whā it so falleth. There is a moralyte fourmed [...]ma­ner of a [...]able to the same purpose. ¶ On a tyme there arose a grete murmuracyon bytwene y^e body of man & his membres. [...]he bely playned sore of the membres and sayd y^• they thou­ght harme vnto hym & that they kepte hym not in ease as they sholde do. The membres on the other syde playned on the bely and sayd that they were very wery for laboure. [...]nd yet all y^• euer they myght laboure / in goynge / in comynge / and trauay­lynge was to lytell for to [...]ynoe the bely / for he wolde haue all / and yet they myght not fyl it / wherfore they sayd y^t they wolde no more suffre suche payne ne [...]uche laboure as they had done before / [...]or all that euer they myght do coude not fyll the bely▪ wherfore they wolde seale of theyr werke & let the bely gouerne hymselfe as he wolde. Then y^e membres seased of theyr labou re / and the bely was no lenger nourysshed. And anone the bely began to were sene / and y^e membres fayled & wexed feble. And thus for despyte that the one had to the other all perysshed togy de. In lykewyse it must fall when a prynce asketh more of his people than they may bere / whiche shal cause y^e people to mur­mure ayenst theyr prynce / and rebell by dysobeysauce. So for suche maner of dyscorde all peryssheth togyder / wherfore I con clude y^• vnyo [...] of accorde is y^• cōseruacyō of al y^• hole body of Po lycy / & thus wytnesseth▪ Salust whiche sayth y^• by cōcordelyte / thynges encreas & by dyscorde grete thynges perysshe & fal to nought.

¶ Of the dyfference of dyuerse people▪ Ca. xlix.

[Page] [...]r bycause y^• the babytacyon where we be resydent in as in the partyes of Fraunce / notwithstondynge that wrytynge of bookes & specyally suche bookes as toucheth ma ners & doctrynes whiche ought to be generall to y^e dwellers in al coūtrees / for as moche as bokes be profytable & borne in to dyuers countrees & regyons / it shall suffyse vs to adresse our worde & doctryne to▪ y^e people of Fraūce / whiche worde & doctry ne may semblably serue to al other regyons generally yt they wyll vnderstonde it after y^e entente of y^e makynge for y^• shew­ynge of good ensample / for y^e londes y^• be gouerned by mē thru ghout all y^• worlde ben subiecte to dyuers establysshynges af­ter y^e olde customes of coūtrees. Some be gouerned by [...]yō of Emperours / Other be gouerned by successyon of kynges▪ & some by one meane & some by other. Also there be [...]ytees & lon des y^• haue possessyon in lord [...]hyp & be gouerned by prynces su che as they wyl chose amonge thēselfe / & some lōdes there be y^e gouerne thēselfe more by wyl thā by reason / wherfore it happe th oftē ▪ tymes y^• lyke as they chose thēselfe by wyl / lykewyse by wyll they wyll depose them agayne / & this gouernaūce is not good ne profytable for y^e welth of y^e countre y^• it is vsed in / lyke as i yealy▪ & many other places. Other there be also y^• be go [...] ned by certayne lygnages of y^e [...]yte y^• is called nobles / & they wyl suffre none other amōge thē but of y^e lygnage of these no­bles for to entre into theyr coūsayles / nor to haue y^• rule of theyr ordynaūces / lyke as [...] do at Uenyse whiche cyte frō y^• fyrst foūdacyō hyder to was neuer gouerned otherwyse / other there be y^• be gouerned by theyr olde aūcyentes whiche be called [...] ▪ chcuy [...]s / & in some places the small people gouerne & ▪ ben esta blysshed euery yere a certayne of euery crafte / & I byleue y^• su­che gouernaūce is not al y^• [...]st profytable / & also it is not sene y^• it [...] lōge where it is begon [...]e y^e lōde where suche rule is [...] [...]ay [...] [...]e gretly encrese & y^• reasō is good [Page] [...]ut nowe I wyl leue the spekynge hereof for bycause of short­nes of tyme / and in this wyse was gouerned Boloyne de gra ce / neuerthelesse I sholde haue to moche to do for to speke party culerly of euery people. ¶ But for to chose the moost couenable establyshynge of the goueruaunce of Polycye / is onely y^• vny­te of the people / as Arystotle sayth in the thyrde boke of polycy kes [...] For he sayth y^• y^• polycye of one is good / y^• is to say y^• gouer naunce & lordshyp of one / & yet he sayth it is but lytel good but of many it is full harde to be good / for bycause of dyuers opy­nyons and wylles that they haue \ Than to our purpose I hol­de the people of Fraunce ryght well blessyd / for syth the tyme y^• it began fyrst whiche cometh of the ys [...]ewe of Troya [...]s / it was neuer gouerned by straunge prynces / but of them y^• they came fyrst of from heyre to heyre / for they haue alwaye regned ouer them & gouerned them / lyke as it appereth in y^• olde storyes & as cronycles maketh m [...]ncyon of the same / whiche lordshyp of these noble prynces of [...]raunce ben to y^• people as a thynge ve­ry naturall [...]nd for that cause with the grace of god it is so y^• amonge all the royalmes or londes of the worlde the people of Fraunce ben moost naturall and best loue theyr prynce & most of obeysaunce / whiche is ryght a synguler and specyal vertue and grete laude vnto them / and in that they deserue grete m [...] ­ryte and grace.

¶ The obeysaunce that people on [...] [...]aue to theyr prynce. Capitulo. l.

IT pleaseth euery good man that men pr [...]yse hym in his goodnes / and thoughe he be praysed i [...] maketh no matter to them y^• be wyse men / what soeuer on y man saye / lyke as I haue sayd before / for it causeth [...] man to delyte hymselfe y^• moore in goodnes / for ly [...]t [Page] as the wyse men whiche ben euryous of theyr heele wyll haue the counsayle of physycyans thoughe so be y^• they fele no grefe of no malady / but yet to y^• entente y^• they may lyue in welfare & helthe / lyke them to haue a regemen for preseruynge of y^• sa­me [...]hen by this ensample we wyll comforte y^• true people of Fraunce for to parseuer in y^• good & faythfull loue y^• they haue customably at all tymes to theyr ryght noble & worthy & abo­ue all other moost redoubted prynces / & to y^• entente y^• they shol de vnderstonde & knowe y^• in so doynge to theyr prynces, they do as vertuous & good people / shall be shewed here a declaracy on of holy scypture & other ensamples in lyke wyse accordynge to y^• same. ¶ For it is to know y^• holy scrypture in dyuers pla­ces sheweth y^• the subiectes sholde meke themselfe & be redy to obey theyr prynces and soueraynes / & saynt Poule speketh of y^• same in a pystle y^• he sente to y^e Romaynes in y^•. xiii. chapytre where he sayth y^• euery creature lyuynge ought to be subiecte to y^• myghty soueraynes / for y^• puyssaūce y^• prynces haue / they haue it by y^• ordynaūce of god [...]wherfore who y^• resysteth ayenst theyr power he stombleth or mysguydeth hymselfe ayenst y^• o [...] dynaūce of god. [...]nd yet saynt Poule in y^• pystle ad titum in y^• thyrde chapytre amonyssheth & connsayleth y^• comon people to be subiecte to theyr prynces & to the grete & myghty men / And to this same sentence accordeth saynt Peter in his fyrst pystle [...] in y^• seconde chapytre whiche sayth / be ye subiectes to your lor­des in all ferefull drede▪ [...]ut to y^• entente y^• no man sholde excu se hymselfe in sayenge y^• this sholde not be doone but to suche prynces as ben good▪ Saynt Peter declareth playnly saynge in this wyse / let vs suppose saythe he y^• the prynces ben euyll vnto you & cruell / yet yelde you subiectes to hym for y^• loue of god / & specyally to the kynge as y^• moost excellent / & to the du­kes as people sente by god / for y^• vengeaunce of euyl doers / & to y^• laude of them y^• be good & do gode dedes / & for bycause y^• s [...]me [Page] people myght murmure of the trewages & tayles whiche they ought pay to prynces / it is to vnderstode y^• it is a thynge ordey ned & accepted of god / & of this saynt Peter gyueth ensample [...] holy scrypture & sheweth how y^• subiectes ought not refuse to pay y^• is ordeyned by y^• prynces / & of this same speketh saynt Mathewe in y^• euangyle in y^•. xxi [...]. chapytre / how y^• pharysees made aske of our lorde wheder they ought to pay theyr imposy cyon to [...]ezar y^• emperoure or nay. Our lorde answered them agayne & sayd / yelde to [...]ezar y^• is his / & to god y^• longeth to hȳ [...]o this is to vnderstonde y^• good is dewe to prynces. The sa­me saynt Mathewe sayth in his euangyle / in y^•. xvii. chapytre to the same purpose how our lorde sent saynt Peter to the set / & sayd vnto hym y^• in y^• mouthe of y^• fyrst fysshe y^• he toke he shol­de loke within & he sholde fynde a pece of money / & that he shol [...]e take y^• same pece to them y^• gadred the trewage of y^• Empe­roure in payment for thē bothe / & thus our lorde hymselfe ga­ue ensample to all maner of subiectes bothe in dede & in worde to do reuerence & obeysaunce to theyr lordes & prynces. ¶ And yet to y^• purpose of y^• true people of Fraunce to theyr prynce / for whiche goodnes & meryte I trust y^• our lorde hath saued them from many perylles / & in lyke wyse euery subiecte ought to do y^• same wyse to theyr prynces / & who y^• dothe y^• contrary hurte & trouble shall fall vnto hym. And yet we wyl brynge to myn­de Ualere & other auctours to our purpose. For this valere say th in the. vi. boke / in y^•. vi [...]i. chapytre of y^• loyalte & faythe y^• one the whiche was called Papynyon / had to his lorde / he vndersto de y^• his lorde was espyed of certayne folkes y^• hated hym to y^• dethe / & that he myght not escape in no wyse & he were take / & for bycause y^• he wolde saue his lorde frō y^• daunger he toke his lordes gow [...]e & gaue hym his / & toke hym his rynge & he toke his / & secretly y^• lorde wente out of the palays / & his man abode styll for hym / & wh [...]n his enemyes came vpon hym he suffred [Page] hymselfe to be slayne for his lordes sake / & sauynge of his lyfe wherfore [...]alere sayth thoughe so be that this narracyon be but lytell & shorte yet at longe goynge it is no lytell matter / & for to touche of the euylles that cometh to the people namely of [...]bellynge ayenst theyr prynce to y^• entente y^• a man maye fyn­de matter to kepe hymselfe therfro. [...]rogus Ponpeyns telleth in his. xviii. boke how y^• people of a cyte in Grece rebelled ayenst theyr lorde in so moche y^• they wolde haue slayne hym / & for the withall they slue his wyfe & his chyldren / & al that were of his lygnage / yet as it appereth alway y^• amonge y^• people there be some of les [...]e euyll than other. [...]here was one o [...] y^• Cytezyns y^• was named Traton / whiche whan he founde his lorde chased a way & dryuen in to hydeles for the fere that he had / yet wolde not he slee hym / but had grete pyte on hym & thought y^• he wol­de saue hym from y^• dethe & hyde hym in a place where he my­ght he saued / & the people wente y^• he had be fled. So whē they had made an ende of this myschyefe they thoughte too chose a [...]ynge amōge themselfe. But for bycause y^• they were in dyuy [...]yon amonge thē whiche sholde be theyr kynge / they ordeyned y^• one on y^• morowe before y^• sone rysynge al y^• people sholde ass [...] ble in a felde & whiche of them coude se y^• sone shyne fyrst shol­de b [...] theyr kynge. This Traton whiche had saued the kynge from deth came to hym in y^• nyght & asked hym counsayle by what meane he myght se y^• sone fyrst in y^• mornynge / to that en tente y^• he myght be kynge / his lorde whiche thought to quyee hym the goodnesse that he hadde doone vnto hym for sauynge of his lyfe / counsayled hym / that when all other men looked in [...] the [...]est / that he sholde looke towarde the weste / and vpon the [...]y [...]. Soo it happened when all the people were assembled on the morowe / and loked ententyfely towarde the rysynge of [...] sonne / This Traton whiche loked euen contrary sawe the sonne beemes / the whiche smote agaynst the toppe of an hyghe [Page] towre [...]forth withal he shewed it to y^• other pleople whiche cou de not se y^• sone that way as they loked. [...]hen euery man was abasshed & asked hym who had gyuen hym y^• counsayle / & he tolde thē all togyder / & howe he had saued his lorde. [...]o it hap pened longe after in the tyme y^• grete [...]lysaundre regned / y^• he herde men speke of the grete treason y^• these people had done to theyr lordes / [...]he thought to auenge y^• vnthryfty dede / & wente to assayle y^• cyte & toke it by force▪ [...] dyde vpon them a grete p [...] nycyon / & for bycause y^t the kynge y^• reygned ouer them before was deed / he cōfermed this [...]aton to be kynge in y^• same roy alme / & ordeyned y^• his chyldren sholde reygne after hym for y^• goodnes y^• he had done to his lorde.

¶ Here we begyn to speke of the thre estates of the people / an [...] fyrst of the clerkes & studyentes in scyences. Capitulo. li.

ANd to the cōmonte of the people be comprysed thre esta­tes / y^• is to knowe in y^• [...]yte of Parysel [...] also in other cytees▪ Fyrst the clargy / y^• [...]ourgeyses / & the marchauntes / & then y^• comynyon of y^• people / lyke as we may say men of crafte & labourers▪ Nowe we must aduyse what thynges we maye say y^• ben profytable i gyuynge ensample to euerychone of the­se estates to lyue well & truely after his ordre / [...]for bycause y^• y^• state of y^• clargy is amonge all other / hyghenoble & worthy in honoure. I cast to adresse my matter / & speke fyrst of them y^• is to say of y^• studyentes as in the vnyuersyte of Paryse / or in other partyes. ¶ People well counsayled / or people y^• [...]e [...]ron [...] I saye to you y^• dyscyples of studye & of wysdome / whiche by y^• grace of god & of good fortune / or of good nature / ben applyed to serche out the hyghnes of the clere re [...]oysynge sterre / y^• is to knowe y^• sterre of scyence takynge dylygently y^• good treaso [...] of y^• clere & helthfull fountayne / fulfyll yourselfe of y^• plesaunt [Page] [...]f [...]yon y^• may so m [...]he auayle you & brynge you to worst y [...] for what thynge is more worthy to mā tha scyence & the hygh­nesse of cōnynge. Certaynly thou y^• desyrest it & employest thy selfe therto hath chosen a gloryous lyfe▪ For by y^• thou mayst cō prehende y^• ele [...]cyon of vertue / & y^• e [...]chewynge of vyce / lyke as it styreth the to y^• ene / & defendeth y^• fro the other / for th [...]re is no thynge more parfyte than y^• trouthe & cl [...]renes▪for to vnderstā de & knowe y^• par [...]ytenes o [...] thynges whiche can not be vnder­stande without connynge & scyence▪ For a wyse man wolde ta ke payne to gete y^• leest sauoure of y^• re [...]ykes of wysdome / & cer­taynly I dare well say what so euer ony man sayth / y^• there is [...]oy ne treasoure semblable / to y^• treasoure of vnderstondynge wherfore ye champyons of sapyence yf ye wyl do ony labour or payne I counsayle you y^• ye laboure to gete scyence / for & ye ha ue it & vse it wel / ye be noble▪ye [...]e ryche / ye be al parfyte / & this is playnely shewed in y^• doctryne o [...] phylosophres whiche shew eth & techeth y^• way to come by wysdome to y^• treasoure of pure & parfyte suffycyan̄ce▪ [...]pruoent phylosophre y^• was called [...]leātes had suche a desyre to taste of y^• grete goodnes of sapy­ [...]nce & loued it so wel / notwithstondynge y^• he was so poore y^• he coude not fynde y^• meanes to come therto but by grete laboure y^• he had in y^• nyght / & y^• was this / he drewe water al y^• nyght whiche was necessary to y^• vle of y^• skolers / & so by y^• mean [...] he gate his lyuynge / and in y^• day he entended to [...]is [...]udy & to y [...]essons of [...]rysypus / whiche was a sol [...]mpne phylosophre to y^• enten [...]e y^• he myght be fulfylled of y^• connynge of this wyse mā & by y^• techynge & longe contynuaunce became [...]yght a soue­rayne man / wherfore me semeth truely y^• this man was wor­thy to haue grete laude as well for y^• constaunce of his labour as for y^• grete scyence y^• he gate / wherfore [...]ence sayth in a py stle y^• [...]ātes by his grete labour helpe hymselfe to come to y perfe [...]cyon of scyence▪ ¶ [...]et to y^• purpose to loue scyence & to he [Page] dylygent to lerne it for y^• grete goodnes y^• may fal to hym y^• lyst to laboure therfore / we wyl speke a lytell of other phylosophres for to sharpen y^• appetyte of them y^• study for to lerne. The phy­losophre Platon loued so moche scyence y^• thrughe y^• dylygence y^• he made for to gete it▪he fylled hymselfe with wysdome & doc tryne. This Platon was mayster to Arystotle & was in y^• ty­me of Socrates y^• phylosophre / & he profyted so gretely in doc­tryne y^• for the noblesse of his wytte was counted y^• wysest mā lyuynge / & that he loued scyence he shewed it well / for he wente al aboute to serche out all y^• doctryne of bokes namely in ytaly wherfore valere speketh of his grete dylygēce & desyre y^• he had to knowe & vnderstonde▪y^• the grete thought y^• he toke for to ge [...] bokes togyder was for nothynge elles but y^• scyence & cōnyn ge myght be cast a brode by hym thrughe all y^• worlde. This so [...]empne phylosophre dyed in y^• age of. lxxx. &. v [...]ii. yeres / & it hap­pened well at his dethe y^• grete loue y^• he had to all maner of [...] kes / for they fon̄de lyenge by hym y^• bokes of a woman y^• was a poete whiche was named [...]pho / & wrote of loue in pleasaū re & goodly verses▪as [...]rose saythe / & paraduenture he loked vpon them for takynge of his pleasure in his plesaunt sayen­ges. [...] And yet there is conteyned in y^• boke of [...]alere of y^• phy losophre Democratus whiche was a famous mā in naturall phylosophy / & as Arystotle telleth in y^• fyrst boke of generacyō [...] of corrupcyon & chargeth of al thynges / y^• is to saye he wolde gyue cōmendacyō to y^• saynge of Democratus / & therfore Ary stotle cōmendeth hym gretly in dyuers places for his natural phylosophy & alowed gretly his opynyons. Also valere cōmen deth moche the sayd phylosophre for bycause he dyspraysed ry ches gretely whiche often tymes hath done many men moche hurte & lettynge in getyng of phylosophy / & sayth y^• this demo cratus myght haue gretly haboūded in ryches if he had wolde for his fader was so passyngly ryche y^• he f [...]d al y^• hoste of kyn [Page] ge zerces / yet notw^tstōdynge al y^• ryches he drwe hym to study & whē y^• goodes fell to hym he dystrybued thē to his frendes & to y^• poore people & vnethes lefte hȳselfe ony thynge to lyue vpō Secondly valere cōmendeth hym in as moche as he neuer de­syred worldely honours whiche empessheth gretely to cōquere sapyence / & as he dwelled longe in Athenes he employed all his tyme in excersyse of doctryne & lyued there longe tyme vnkno wen in y^• sayd cyte lyke as hymselfe wytnesseth in one of his vo lumes ▪for he chase to lyue soletarily for to be out of noyse & stry [...]e whiche letteth gretly speculacyō / then it appered y^• he had gre te desyre of cōnynge for he eschewed to his power al maner th [...] ges y^• myght let hym fro y^• getynge of scyence. ¶ yet to y^• same purpose y^• men sholde loue scyence & study▪ valere speketh of y^• phylosophre [...]arneades saynge y^• he was y^• very knyght y^• la boured scyēce / for. lxxx. yeres he lyued in phylosophy / & he was meruaylously cōioyned to y^• werkes of doctryne y^• it semed of▪ ten tymes as he sat at mete y^• he toke his refeccyō in studyen ge of doctryne / so y^• Meleysa his seruaūt was fayne often ty­mes to take hȳ by y^• hōde & put it to his mete s [...]ynge y^• grete stu dy y^• he was i / this sayd phylosophre set by no thyng in y^• worl de but onely by vertue. Of many other phylosopres & shewe [...]s of wysdome a mā myght speke of / but for shortyng of this mat ter I wyl passe ouer / & these maters here tofore I haue brought to mynde to y^• entente y^• I may reduce & brynge to knowlege o [...] y^• good studyētes suche as desyre to lerne scyēce & vertue / for it is no doubte but y^• scyences make a mā to be gracyous & well gouerned but yf it be suche one as is vndyscrete & weneth hȳ selfe y^• he knoweth al scyences / but in thēselfe they shewe it not but teche it to other / & suche maner of mē as techeth sapyence & [...]o nothynge thēselfe of y^• same / [...]en lykened to suche as dye for hōger & theyr good lyenge by thē / & oth [...]r men helpe thēselfe w^t y^• good / & suche mē be more blame worthy whē they do amysse than other.

¶ Of the seconde estate of the people that is to knowe of bour geyses and of marchauntes. Capitulo. lii.

I Haue sayd here before y^t the seconde estate of y^• people be y^• bourgeyses & the marchauntes of cytees. The bour­geyses ben they y^• be of y^e auncyent kynredes in cytees / & they haue a propre sure name & auncyent armes / [...] they be y^• pryncy pall dwellers & inhabytauntes in y^• cytees & townes & of e [...] he cytaunce in how synge / in maners & possessyons / where vpon they lyue honestly & worshypfully / & as y^• bokes maketh men­cyon y^t speketh to thē calleth them cytezyns / & suche maner of people ought to be honourable / wyse / & of fayre porte clothed in honest aray w^tout dysguysynge / or nycete [...] it longeth to them to be good & true / & also of grete fayth & dyscrete language / & y^• state of cytezyns is ryght fayre & honourable for in some pla ces they ben called y^e auncyent lygnages whā they haue kepte of longetyme theyr estate worshypfully / [...]herfore in all places [Page] euery man ought to prayse & cōmende the good bourgeyses & Cytezyns of euery towne & cyte / & yet it is a fayre thynge & a worshypfull when there is a notable bourgeys in a cyte & grete worshyp to y^e countre & grete rychesse to y^e prynce. These peo­ple sholde entremete of the gouernaunce of Cytees & to se what longeth to the marchauntes and to y^e comon people so that eue­ry thynge myght be well ruled and gouerned to theyr profyte / & for bycause that y^e propre people haue not comonly grete pru­dence in worde / ne also in dede / that toucheth polycye / whiche they ought not to medle as of suche thynges y^t ben establyssh­ed by the prynces. The burgeyses therfore ought to take good hede y^t for ony thynge y^t is made / the poore people be not hurte / nor y^t they haue cause to make ony euyll conspyracyon ayenste theyr prynce or his counsayle / & this is y^e cause why / for suche conspyracyons & ymagynacyons of comon / it tourneth all day to the preiudyce of them y^t haue good for to leese. For it was ne­uer other nor neuer shall be / but y^e ende therof shall be euyll & full of preiudyce / wherfore they ought & ony suche case fall at ony tyme y^t the comons fele thēselfe greued by ony grete charge. The wyse burgeyses sholde assemble themselfe togyder suche as be wyse & dyscrete bothe in worde & dede / & go to y^e prynces or to y^e counsayle & there make theyr supplycacyon with all humylyte & shewe theyr matter debonayrely to y^e entente that the comon people be not hurte / For it is the dystruccyon of Cy­tees / of townes / & londes & therfore they sholde appeale y^e murmuracyons of y^e people as ferforthe as they myght for y^e grete hurtes & myscheues y^t maye fall therof by many meanes. For they that ben grete stonde moost in daunger / & thought so be y^t at some tyme they seme y^e ordynaunces of y^e prynce & of his coū sayle be not duely made in some thynges / yet the wyse men ought not to construe it to y^e worste entente / but thynke y^t they do it of good entente y^t they haue done. For the causes be not appa­rent [Page] to euery man / & also there may be peryll in murmurynge of the people. ¶ Ualere sayth y^t the worde of Socrates y^t wor­shypfull phylosophre were ryght noble & good when he sayd it was a grete wysdome for a man to holde his peas / For on a ty­me he was in a place where were many men that spake of the ordynaunce of prynces and spake shreoodely therof / soo one of these euyll spekers came to Socrates and asked hym why he spake noo worde & all other men sayd theyr aduyse: he answe­red them agayne & sayd. I holde my peas quod he for bycause that I haue spoken suche wordes at some tyme that I haue repented after / but I was neuer shente for holdynge my peas.

Therfore it is ryght a good thynge for a mā to holde his peas & speke no suche wordes as harme may come of and no profyte & by y^t a man may knowe a wyse man / & therfore Caton sayth y^e fyrst vertue is to kepe well his tongue for he is nyghe to god y^t in way of reason can holde his tongue. And Sence sayth in the fyrst boke of y^e last proose / who that wyll be one of the dyscy­ples of Pyctogoras must kepe his tongue. v. yere. For he sayd vnto them that they must fyrst lerne a thynge or they spake it and whether it were necessary to be spoken or not.

¶ Howe the wyse burgeyses sholde counsayle the symple people in that they sholde do. Capitulo. liii.

ANd as it is sayd before y^e wyse men sholde teche y^e symple & ygnorannt people to holde theyr peas & speke not of suche thynges y^t longeth not to thē to speke of / for there may gret peryl fal therof & no ꝓfyte / & this is wytnessed ī y^e boke of [...]odi in y^e .xii. chapitre saynge y^t y^e lawe defendeth suche murmuracyō & byddeth y^t no mā sholde murmure ayenst y^e grete lordes / & they sholde not curse y^e prynces of y^e people / & Salomō confermeth the same in the booke called Ecclesiastes in the .x. [Page] chapytre and sayth betray not the kynge in thy trouthe / y^t is to say y^e subiecte sholde make no cōspyracyon ayenst his lorde ¶ And also that is grete peryll to murmure or to withstonde the ordynaunce of prynces / Iust yne saythe in the. xii. booke of Alysaundre for the grete vyctoryes y^• he had whan he had won the lordeshyp of Perce he thought than that he wolde be wor­shypped after y^• maner of the countre whiche was a maner of worshyppynge / as we myght say a mā to kncle downe on his knees when he spake to his souerayne whiche was not custo­med i Macedone ne mother regyōs at y^• tyme / but for bycause y^• men murmured & also that castylenes y^• phylosophre whiche Arystotle had cōmytted to Alysaundre for as moche as he my­ght no lenger endure the laboure that he had for to folowe hym aboute repreued Alysaudre ryght egrely for the same / for whi­che thynge Alysaundre made hym to be slayne / It is to knowe Ualere sayth when Arystotle lefte Alysaundre he set to way to vpon hym in his stede this noble Phylosophre Castylenes whche was his dyscyple and was ryght a wyse man / neuer­thelesse Arystotle taught this sayd Castylenes that he sholde neuer speke of vyces of prynces behynde theyr backe / for he tol­de hym it sholde not be doone for two thynges / One is that it longeth not to a subiecte to saye shame of his lorde / The other is that as soone as the wordes ben passed out of his mouthe y^• flatterers ben redy anone to reporte them vnto the souerayne▪ And yet he warned hym that he sholde speke but lytell to Aly saundre and yet before or he spake / he sholde vnderstonde that he were some what mery / too that entente that his language sholde not tourne hym to noo peryll / nor also he sholde not flat­ter hym / but the wordes that he sayd myght be acceptable. / But this dyscyple helde not well the doctryne of his mayster / wherfore he repented it afterwarde. ¶ yet to the same purpose that a man sholde not stryue ayenst the ordynaunce of y^• prynce [Page] And to the purpose also of the phylosophre that Alysaundre lete slee for bycause that he agayne sayd his ordynaunce. Ualere sayth and telleth of the Phylosophre of Mades / what he sayd to them of Athenes. For when Alysaundre wolde be worshyp­ped as it is sayd here tofore / he sente vnto them of Athenes and sayd that he wolde in ony wyse be soo worshypped / Than the Athenyences whiche were accustomed more than other people to kepe sermounes & ryght wyse ordynaunces assembled theyr counsayle to knowe what they myght best do therin▪ So the comon oppynyon of them was that they [...]olde not do hym that worshyp whiche longed not but onely to goddes / Then thys wyfe phylosophre of Mades / the whiche knewe well ynoughe what myght falle for the dyshobe ysaunce of prynces / sayd vn to them / nowe syrs quod he kepe you well that ye medle not so [...] ferre with the heuynes that ye shall loose the erthe▪ ¶ These thynges sayd here tofore maye tourne too ensamples in some londes / but thanked be god we haue no cruell prynces in Fraū ce / nor hatefull ayenst theyr people▪ For of all y^• nacyons in the worlde I dare well saye without ony flatterynge▪ and trewe it is / that there be none so naturall ne so benygne as they ben in Fraunce / wherfore they ought more lowely to be obeyed / and thoughe at some tyme peraduenture the people seme that they be sorer charged than other Royalmes and Londes / and that other londes ben lesse greued than Fraunce. And lette vs sup­pose that it maye be so by reason in some thynges as by mea­nes of theyr fraunchyse / yet by other customes and seruages / whiche be more preiudycyable as grete crueltees that ben do­ne vnto theym / or elles that they slee and murdre eche other for lacke of Iustyce and many other straunge meanes whiche we re to longe for to tell / and what so euer ony man saye / sauynge the grace of theym that wolde withsaye this / for ony thynge that men complayne on in Fraunce / I holde oppynyon that of [Page] all the londes in crystendome it is it where best is to dwell in / as well for the begynnynge of prynces without cruelte / as for the courteysy / ano the louyngnesse of the people of the same na cyon. ¶ And yet I saye not thus for bycause that I was bor­ne therin. But as god helpe me at the daye of dome I says as I thynke / For I haue enquered moche of the gouernaunce of other londes. And also I wote well this erthe is not Paradyse For I wyll that euery man knowe / that in all royalmes ben trybulacyons ynowe. ¶ And of these cruell prynces in tymes paste I wyll speke of. And namely of the newest / for I maye [...]ynde ynowe. But for bycause that I maye not tourne too noo good ensample I wyll the more lyghtly passe ouer / But for as moche as we haue treated of the grete charges of people doone by lordes. There was a meruaylous and a false and vntrewe cautell founde by Denys the tyraunte / for to haue good of his people. ¶ For as this Denys tyraunte was dyscomfyted in a batayle wente and aduysed hym by grete malyce and sleyght howe he myght recouer agayne that he had loste and spended he made cryea noyse ouer all amonge his people / and made thē to byleue that y^e cause of his dyscomfyture was for his synne / where as he hadde made avowe to Uenus for to haue sought her and was not fulfylled. And this was his avowe yf so we­re that [...]he wolde helpe hym in a batayle for to haue the vycto­ry of his enemyes that the daye of lempnyte of her feest all the ladyes and vyrgynes of the londe to honoure and worshyp of y^• same goddes sholde that daye do al y^• pleasure that ony man wolde requyre theym▪ And for bycause that he had not accom­plysshed his avowe after the vyctory of the batayle that he had wonne▪ Therfore the goddesse Uenus for the frawde and vn­truthe that he hadde done vnto her in brekynge of his avowe was ayenst hym at the laste batayle / whiche caused hym to be dyscomfyted and ouercome. And to accomplysshe and satysfy [Page] He goddes of his avowe. He made ordeyne that all the ladyes and maydens at the day of solempnyte of her feest sholde aray themselfe in the moost rychest garmentes that they myght ge te with all the Iewelles that they hadde. And who that hadde noo Iewelles of theyr owne they sholde borowe. And whanne they were thus arayed they sholde goostreyght to the temple. And frome thens they sholde be brought vnto a common pla­ce. But euery man sholde be made swere before / that they shol de not touche none of all the women in the waye of vylanye. ¶ And for bycause of this othe the folysshe mysbyleuynge peo ple without lawe of the londe byleued certaynely that all was trewe that the kynge had shewed theym / wherfore euery man consented that theyr wyues & theyr doughters sholde be brou­ght to that place / for they wente that the goddesse Uenus wol­de haue ben peased and this thynge hadde ben thus done with out empeyrynge the chastyte of theyr wyues and theyr dough ters / where vpon this was ordeyned / lyke as is reherced here tofore. And soo all the ladyes wente in the best arayment that they myght gete to the temple. But Denys theyr kynge thou ghte another manere thynge / whiche dyssembled and tayned this thynge to be done / for as moche as he durst sette no subs [...] ­dy vpon theym / he thought for to gete good by another meane▪ wherfore he lete ordayne a certayne people for to go to the tem ple and lete dyspoyle all y^e ladyes and other women of all theyr rychesse▪ And they that were olde matrones and ryche compel­le them by betynge and other duresse for to tell where theyr ry­chesses were and the treasours of theyr husbondes. ¶ Of this Denys that was kynge of [...]esyle men may wel say y^• he was an euyll prynce. But for bycause y^• no man sholde haue enuye to folowe theyr dedes / it is to be knowen lyke as it falleth com monly y^• the euyll lyfe draweth a man to euyll ende. For y^• ende of hym was ryght nought / for after y^• he had done this cursed [Page] dede with other moo / he was slayne vylaynously of his owne people / his sonne whiche succeded after hym / whose name also was called Denyse / was in his laste ende ryght vnhappy / for he was deposed of his lordeshyppe / and after that he wente too [...]orynthe / and there he was fayne to teche chyldren for his ly­uynge. Thus the chylde suffred payne for the trespasse of hys fader / and other whyle it happeneth soo▪ for holy scrypture say th / the faders eteth the bytter grape / and the chyldren haue y^e forenesse in the tethe / And in lyke wyse it is wryten in other pla ces / our faders synned and we sholde suffre theyr inyquytees ¶ yet to the purpose of euyll prynces / whiche I praye god saue vs fro. There was a kynge in Egypte that was called Tho­lomeus Pheton. And amonge all other vyces he was Leche­rous and full of delycasye. ¶ And Ualere sayth he was called Pheton / for as moche as an exposytoure saythe that Pheton is as moche to saye / as encreasynge and augmentacyon of vy­ce. For by his Lechery he put vpon men dyuerse crymes / and made them haue an euyll ende / for whiche cause he dyed a vy­laynous dethe▪ and after his dethe in grete defame of his good name.

¶ Here it speketh of marchauntes. Capitulo. liiii.

OF suche people as we haue spoken of here tofore / that ben named marchauntes / whiche state of people is ryght necessary / and without that sa­me / the state of kynges and prynces / and name­ly the polycye of cytees / and of countrees my­ght not be without [...] / for by the meanes of theyr wysdome and laboure all maner of people ben puruayed of suche thynges / as is to them necessary / whiche is brought in by the marchaū tes out of ferre coūtrees yf they haue money▪ wherfore it was [Page] a well founde thynge for to fynde amonge worldely thynges, suche an inuencyon that people myght be laboured and put to dyuerse offyces / For and this were not / euery man sholde ha­ue ynoughe to do for to gete his lyuynge without takynge he de of ony other scyence / wherfore god and reason hathe wel pur uayed▪ And for the good that they doo to euery man / that ma ner state of people / that is to knowe [...] true marchauntes in by enge and sellynge for money / or other maner of trewe meanes as by entrechaungynge one thynge for another / ought grete­ly for to be commended as for a thynge that is ryght necessary and in many countrees they be moche set by▪ And there is not soo grete a Cytezyne in some Cyte but they medle them with marchaundyse / yet ben they neuer the lesse sette by / nor called the more vnworshypfull. Lyke as at Uenyse / Ieene / and othed places where moche rychesses is / and myghty marchauntes whiche gothe thrughe euery lo [...]de too seche thynges of euery sorte whiche they dysperpule all aboute the worlde / and thus is the worlde serued of al maner of dyuers thynges. And with out ony fayle they that practyse trewely in doynge these wer­kes / I suppose that they doo ryght a merytoryous offyce and is accepte of god and of the lawes premysse and approued / The se manere of people ought too be well aduysed in theyr dedes trewe in theyr laboure / and faythfull in theyr mouthe / too that entente that they maye by theyr marchaundyse at suche payce that they loose not in sellynge agayne of the same / And that they vnderstonde wel also that there ben plente of suche stuffe as they wyll bye in the countree where he gothe to. And on the other syde that there be no plente in that countree that he wyll vttre his marchaundyse in▪ And without this y^• feate of theyr practyse shall be as nought / and fayle of theyr purpose / Also they ought too be trewe in theyr laboure / that is too saye / they ought not vnder the payne of dampnacyon / and shamefull [...] [Page] nyssyon of theyr body make fayrer theyr marchaūdyse by ony maner of sleyght for to make them shewe better than they be / in deceyuynge of the people to that entente that they myght be y^• rather solde / for euery crafte is gretely reproued where frau de is in / and they that vse suche falshede ought not to be called marchauntes / but very false and begylers of the people for the marchauntes ought to be trewe of theyr worde / and souerayn ly of theyr promyses / wherfore in some countrees and places / they be so acustome to holde and kepe trouthe that a symple pro myse or a worde of a marchaunt shall be trusted as moche and taken for as grete a Suretye / as in other places mennes obly­gacyon / and these people rather than they sholde be founde vn trewe of theyr promyses / had leuer suffre grete hurte than fay [...]ony thynge of theyr couenauntes the whiche thynge is fayre and good and a worshypfull custome. And yf it pleased god I wolde that our marchauntes of Fraunce and in all other lon­des wolde do in lyke wyse / and thoughe so be that there be so­me whiche do not all well / yet I tryst to god there be many that be good and trewe / ryche / honourable / and faythefull in theyr [...]yse / and suche I praye almyghty god saue and mayntey ne in theyr goodnes For it is a grete goodnes to a countre and grete rychesse to a prynce / & namely to the comon welthe whan [...] towne is substancyally grounded in marchaundyse and ma ny marchauntes dwellynge therin. [...]herfore these Cytees y^t ben set vpon the grete ryuers be comonly ryche and full of peo ple / for bycause of the grete marchaundyses y^• be brought thy­der out of ferre countrees by the see. Also these sayd marchaū tes ought to be of honest & clene lyfe without ony pompe or p [...]y de & serue god incourage & drede / & to gyue fayre almes of the goodes y^• god hathe sente them / lyke as men may fynde of ma ny dyuers that haue gyuen the. x. parte of theyr wynnynge / & some y^• haue founded many chapelles / and dyuerse places of [Page] prayer / & hospytalles for poore people. And yet there be suche y^• by the grace of god for theyr good merytes deserue to be rewar ded in heuen / and worshypped in this worlde.

¶ Of the thyrde estate of the people. Capitulo. lv.

HEre foloweth the thyrde estate of y^• people whi­che ben the men of crafte and the labourers of the erthe that we take for the laste partye of the body of polycye whiche is lykened to y^• legges / & the feete / [...]nd of the feete Pulcarque speketh yet and that they sholde be soo soueraynely taken hede too and, kepe them so well that they be not hurte in no maner of wyse. [...] For the hurte of theym maye hurte the body ryght peryllously wherfore the body hathe the more nede too take hede therto for hurtynge of hymselfe / for they sease not to labour by the erthe that is to vnderstonde for the dyuerse laboures y^• men of [...]a [...] ­te vseth and doo whiche ben necessary to the body of man / and may in no wyse be without them / lyke as mannes body maye not passe but that he sholde go lewdely and he had lost his fete but treynynge on his hondes with [...]e payne & on his body also. In lyke wyse he sayth it is of the comon thynges / for put away the labourers and them that vse the craftes and it may not be susteyned but all shall fall. For the offyce of men of craf­te whiche clarkes calleth artyfycers that some men settel ytell by / yet it is a fayre thynge and a good / and ryght necessarye / as it is sayd before. And amonge all other thynges that ben i [...] ought moost to be alowed for bycause that amonge al worlde ly thynges it is the thynge that appocheth nexte y^• scyences / for they put in vre y^• the scyences haue shewed before as Arystotle saythe in his Methaphysyke / for he telleth y^• theyr werkes ben the effecte of scyences / lyke as geometry whiche is the scyence [Page] of measures & of proporcyons without whiche no crafte maye passe / and so of other: And thus wytnesseth an exposytoure whi che saythe that they of Athenes wolde haue made a meruayl­lous auctoure too the goddesse of [...]apyence / that was called [...]ynerue. [...]nd for bycause they wolde make it notably and of curyous entayle they toke counsayle of the moost excellente maysters / soo they wente to Platon as for the moost soueray ne Phylosophre at that tyme in all scyences. [...]ut he sente them agayne to one that was called [...]clydes as for the moost soue [...]ayne mayster in the crafte of measures. For he composed geo metry / the whiche is redde euery daye in the generall studyes and by this a man maye knowe that the craftes foloweth scy­ences [...]r masouns [...]arpenters / and all other of what crafte that euer they be of worketh after the techynge of scyence and to the worshyppe of arte / It is to knowe Ualere saythe that ar te wyll folowe nature as whan a werkeman countre fayteth proprely a thynge that nature hathe made Lyke as a paynter that shall be soo connynge a man in his crafte that he wyll ma ke a fygure soo lyke a man that euery man maye knowe the man by y^• same fygure. [...]so they wyl make a byrde or another beest y^• euery mā maye well knowe it is lyke vnto another. In lyke wyse a Caruer of ymages wyll doo the same / and thus of all other craftes. And therfore some saye that arte is lykened to an Ape in nature. For lyke as an Ape counterfayteth many dyuers maners of man / soo arte foloweth grete plentye of the werkes of nature. [...]euerthelesse he saythe after warde that ar te may not folowe nature in all thynges. [...]lso we sholde prayse euery subtyll man in his crafte and byleue hym for bycause of the grete experyence that he hathe in y^• same. For it is no doub te that there is noo man so properly maye speke of a thynge as he that knoweth it. And amonge these men of crafte / there ben many subtyltees lerned and more comonly amonge them than [Page] amonge other people / whiche is ryght notable and fayre▪ But for to speke nowe of theyr maneres and condycyons I wolde & it pleased god that theyr maner of lyuynge myght be suche as god wolde be pleased wyth. For our lorde wolde that theyr ly [...]e sholde be comonly sobre / and not more delycate than longeth [...]n to them whiche maye cause them to leue theyr laboure▪ For the lechery of taruernes and the pleasaunces that ben v [...]d at Pa­rys maye brynge them to many inconuenyentes and my [...]che­ues. ¶ And of the voluptuous lyfe of suche people and other ly ke to them Arystotle speketh and sayth that moche people sen [...]e to be as beestes for bycause they chose lechery before al other o [...] lytes / and of this false opynyon speketh holy scrypture in the [...]e conde chapytre of the boke of Sapyence / and sayth that the ry me of our lyfe is shorte and full of grete [...]nuye and in the ende we haue no rest / wherfore these foule glottons in Lechery saye we wyll vse our yonge lyfe in folowynge of our lustes / and we wyll tyll our belyes with wyues and metes / and we wyll she­we ouer all the traces of our gladnesse / and without fayle suche folysshe and vayne wordes men may often tymes here not one ly of the symple people / but as well of other people that for by­cause of theyr estate be holden for wyse men: Therfore the co­mon people for bycause that they be not for the moost party ler­ned in holy scrypture / they sholde folowe the predycacyons and the wordes of god shewed by worthy doctours and noble [...]lat­kes / whiche ben profytable to all crysten people. ¶ Al [...]o Iusty ne recyteth in the. xx. boke de [...]rogue Pompee / that in the Cy te of [...]raton wherin were paynymes and myscreauntes Pye togoras the Phylosophye whiche was a paynyme withdrewe them from theyr euyll lyuynge by his exhortacyons. For wh [...] as the people were vycyously dysposed to [...]lotony / to vyces / & to Lechery / by y^• introduceyon of Pyetogoras they were brou­ght agayne to contynence and to clene lyuynge / This phyloso [Page] phre blamed gretely the vyce of Lechery / and shewed howe by [...]hat vyce dyuers Cytees were fellen in to ruyne [...]he taught y^• [...]adyes and other men tolyue chastely / and that they sholde be sobre in theyr metes & drynkes. And the sayd Pyctogoras dyde so moche by his wyse amonycyons that the ladyes lefte theyr [...]yce arayes. And the men to leue theyr glotonyes / for as lon­ge as he was amonge them and that was the space of twenty yere they contynewed in good lyuynge by the good meanes of his techynge / and this good dede Iu [...]tyne saythe of hym. For in the towne of Methapontus / whiche is in Puyle / where as Pyctogoras was borne the people hadde hym in so grete reue­rence that of the house where he dyed in▪ they made a temple & Worshypped the sayd Pyctogoras as a god / soo it were greate nede to haue suche a man nowe a dayes in many places with that there were people that wolde worke after his counsayle.

¶ Of symple labourers. Capitulo. lvi.

Of the state of symple labourers of the Erthe / and what shall I saye of them / for bycause that ma­ny men dysprayse and greueth theym soore / and yet [...]e they of the states before rehersed moost ne cessary and namely suche as be tyllers of the er­the wherby euery creature lyuynge is nourysshed vppe / and f [...]d [...]d [...] / and without the same this deedly worlde sholde fayle in ryght shorte tyme / and certaynly they that do them so moche harme take noo hede wherof they serue / For who taketh hede therto euery reasonable creature is bounde [...] them / and therfo re it is pyte that ony man sholde be vnkynde to them seyuge y^• notable seruyce that they do to euery creature / & certaynly the­se may will be called the fe [...] that susteyne the body of Polycy for by theyr labour they susteyne y^• body of euery persone / wher [Page] fore suche maner of people ought not too be dyspraysed / & that this offyce is acceptable to god [...]yrst it appereth for bycause y^• two of the fyrst heedes of y^• worlde of whome al maner of lygna ges ben ben dyscended they were labourers of the erthe / & the fyrst heede was Adam the tyrst fader of whome is wryten in these conde chapytre of [...]nesis / howe our lorde toke y^• fyrste man & put hym in paradyse of delytes for to worke & tyll & kepe / and out of this scrypture a man maye drawe two maner of argu­mentes for to preue the honeste of laboure. The fyrst is for [...]y­cause our lorde ordeyned it hymselfe and it was the fyrste of all craftes. And the seconde is this / for bycause it was made in y^• state of innocencye. The seconde heede of the worlde was [...]e of whome after the deluge is dyscended all the worlde / and of hym is wryten in [...]enesis in the. ix. chapytre / that [...]e whiche was a labourynge mā after y^• grete flodde toke hym to labou re the erthe and planted a vyne / and in lyke wyse of our other faders as auncyente Patryarkes whiche were erthe tyllers▪ and kepers of beestes / wherof at this tyme [...]eue the storyes▪ for bycause of shortenes of tyme / notwithstondynge in old [...] ty­me it was no foule offyce but an offyce gretely praysed / & [...]lo­ [...]us telleth in the story of the Romaynes how Dyocl [...]sya [...] the [...]mperoure of [...]ome after that he had goten many vyctoryes and bataylles of his owne propre wyll▪ He wente and [...] his lyfe in a vyllage that was named Salon, and his occupa cyon was onely in labourynge of the [...]rthe. ¶ And longe ry­me after as the lordeshyppe of [...]ome felle in grete defaute for lacke of good gouernaunce of soo worthy a man as he was. [...] They sente vnto hym Lentulyus and [...]leryus / besechynge hym that he wolde retourne agayne vnto [...]ome and too take vpon hym the gouernaunce of the Empyre. [...]o whome he an­swered & sayd. [...]a quod he yf ye had sene the fayre wortes that I haue planted with my honde ye wolde not requyre me to re­tourne [Page] agayne to the Empyre And this is as moche to say as that he was more appeased in his conscyence in that poore offy ce and better toke hyt a worthe / than for too haue the charge of soo grete and so peryllous a thynge as the gouernaunce of the Empyre. ¶ And to this purpose Ualere saythe in his four th boke / in the thyrde chapytre of Actylyus the ryght worshyp full and noble Romayne that was taken frome the labourage to be made Emperoure / and as he wente at the ploughe in the [...]elde / the knyghtes founde hym and made hym chefe conduy­soure and rewler of all the Romayne hoost. And he whiche had his hondes all harde for holdynge of the ploughe after that he lefte the gouernaunce of the hoostes of [...]ome establysshed by his noble courage and with his hondes the comon welthe whi­ [...]he was fallen in grete myschyefe before his comynge / wher­fore Ualere saythe / the hondes that gouerned the coupled oren at the ploughe▪toke vpō them for to gouerne the ploughe of ba tayles. And after y^• he had gotē many grete vyctoryes he was no [...] ashamed to leue the dygnyte of the Emperoure and retour ne agayne to the same laboure whiche he came from before.—¶ By this sayenge maye a man vnderstonde that the state of symple labourers or other of symple estate ought not to be dys­praysed as some wyll saye / when soo worshypfull men as they were wolde chose for theyr last rest soo poore a lyfe and so sym­ple estate [...]y for the moost sure bothe for the body & soule / for they haue sure rychesse that ben wylfull poore / For they be not afer de of no treasons / empryson ynges▪ nor robbynges / ne to be gre tely enuyed / and theyr rychesse is suffycyente▪ For there is no [...] man ryche without suffycyent / and also there is none other ry chesse. ¶ And for the affyrmacyon of this thynge I maye call to purpose that Ualere saythe of a ryche man in suffycyaunce as is declared in a story: There was a kynge he sayth in [...]yde that was named [...]yges / he helde hymselfes o myghty and so [...] [Page] grete that he wente to the god Appolo / to aske hym wheder the re was ony man more vrouse than he was / the god Appolo an­swered hym and sayd that Aganyus Sophydyus was mo­re brouse than he▪ This Aganyus was the poorest man of all Arthadye and was ryght an aged man / and yet he passed ne­uer his lytell [...]eclde / but he was contente with lytell fruytes / wherby he lyued. Thus maye a manse howe Appolo toke po­uerte for suffycyaunce / and not rychesse / for as moche also as in rychesse maye be no suffycyent reste / ne surete / but grete her­tes full of feere and trouble / And thus the kynge Gyges whi­che wente that the god sholde haue affermed y^• there was none so vrouse as he was / happened to be deceyued of his vayne opy nyon and lerned by Appolo where was ferme rychesse and bles sydnesse ¶ This felycyte that is as moche to saye as suffyoy aunce. An asagoras / and also Tholomee proueth in the prolo­gue of the almageste where he saythe / he is vrouse that car [...]th neuer in whose hondes the worlde be / And too proue that this sentence is trewe▪lyke as all the wyse men / the poetes / and na­mely they that haue chosen the clene and pure lyfe of perfecty o [...] take pouerte for theyr grete surete▪ For thoughe so be that in all states a man may [...]e saued / yet it is an harde thynge too passe thrughe the flambes of fyre without brennynge▪ For it is noo doubte that in the state of pouerte whiche euery man dys­prayseth ben many good and solempne parsones in clenness [...] of lyfe.

¶ Here Xp̄ine cocludeth her booke. Capitulo. lvii.

NOwe Iam come blessyd be our lorde to the ende that I entended / that is to saye it hath lyked our lorde to gyue me power to make an ende of thys presente booke whiche I beganne at the heede of the body after the wrytynge of Pultarque that [Page] is to knowe of the polycye whiche is vnderstonde by the pryn­ces to whome I moost humbly requyre / and fyrste to the chefe of all / the moost noble kynge of fraunce / And afterwarde th [...] prynces and all other of his royall bloode / that the dylygent laboure of wrytynges of theyr humble creature [...]p̄ine / as wel in this presente dede as in her other dedes suche as they be or may be / that it myght be to them agreable. And yf so happen that by ygnoraunce as a woman of lytell knowlege make fau te in ony of these thynges before reherced / that of theyr grace she myght be pardoned. And that the entente of her good wyll whiche ente [...]eth not but to all goodnesse and to y^e ende of her werke may be pardoned. And yet I may for a rewarde of them that ben lyuynge and theyr noble success [...]res the kynge / and other prynces of Fraunce that for remembraunce of my sayen ges in tyme to come whan the soule is out of my body to haue me in mynde in theyr deuoute prayers / and deuoute orylo [...]s / offred vp by them. That they wyll requyre of god for me to ha­ue [...]dulgence and remyss [...]on of my defautes. And in lyke wy se I requyre knyghtes and noble men and all other generally of what parte that euer they be of▪that hereth or seeth these ly­tell wrytynges that they wyll haue me in theyr memory. And for my rewarde that it wolde lyke them to say a / [...]ater nostc [...] And in the same wyse I desyre of all y^• vnyuersall people / whi che thre es [...]ates and all in one / our lorde for his holy mercy wyl maynteyne and encreace from better to better in al perfecyon of soule and body.