Chapter 40

So sit it wel a king therfore To loven hem that trouthe mene; For ate laste it wol be sene That flaterie is nothing worth. Bot nou to mi matiere forth, 2690 As forto speken overmore After the Philosophres lore, The thridde point of Policie I thenke forto specifie.

What is a lond wher men ben none? What ben the men whiche are al one Withoute a kinges governance? What is a king in his ligance, Wher that ther is no lawe in londe? What is to take lawe on honde, 2700 Bot if the jugges weren trewe? These olde worldes with the newe Who that wol take in evidence, Ther mai he se thexperience, What thing it is to kepe lawe, Thurgh which the wronges ben withdrawe And rihtwisnesse stant commended, Wherof the regnes ben amended. For wher the lawe mai comune The lordes forth with the commune, 2710 Ech hath his propre duete; And ek the kinges realte Of bothe his worschipe underfongeth, To his astat as it belongeth, Which of his hihe worthinesse Hath to governe rihtwisnesse, As he which schal the lawe guide. And natheles upon som side His pouer stant above the lawe, To yive bothe and to withdrawe 2720 The forfet of a mannes lif; But thinges whiche are excessif Ayein the lawe, he schal noght do For love ne for hate also.

The myhtes of a king ben grete, Bot yit a worthi king schal lete Of wrong to don, al that he myhte; For he which schal the poeple ryhte, It sit wel to his regalie That he himself ferst justefie 2730 Towardes god in his degre: For his astat is elles fre Toward alle othre in his persone, Save only to the god al one, Which wol himself a king chastise, Wher that non other mai suffise. So were it good to taken hiede That ferst a king his oghne dede Betwen the vertu and the vice Redresce, and thanne of his justice 2740 So sette in evene the balance Towardes othre in governance, That to the povere and to the riche Hise lawes myhten stonde liche, He schal excepte no persone. Bot for he mai noght al him one In sondri places do justice, He schal of his real office With wys consideracion Ordeigne his deputacion 2750 Of suche jugges as ben lerned, So that his poeple be governed Be hem that trewe ben and wise. For if the lawe of covoitise Be set upon a jugges hond, Wo is the poeple of thilke lond, For wrong mai noght himselven hyde: Bot elles on that other side, If lawe stonde with the riht, The poeple is glad and stant upriht. 2760 Wher as the lawe is resonable, The comun poeple stant menable, And if the lawe torne amis, The poeple also mistorned is.

And in ensample of this matiere Of Maximin a man mai hiere, Of Rome which was Emperour, That whanne he made a governour Be weie of substitucion Of Province or of region, 2770 He wolde ferst enquere his name, And let it openly proclame What man he were, or evel or good. And upon that his name stod Enclin to vertu or to vice, So wolde he sette him in office, Or elles putte him al aweie. Thus hield the lawe his rihte weie, Which fond no let of covoitise: The world stod than upon the wise, 2780 As be ensample thou myht rede; And hold it in thi mynde, I rede.

In a Cronique I finde thus, Hou that Gayus Fabricius, Which whilom was Consul of Rome, Be whom the lawes yede and come, Whan the Sampnites to him broghte A somme of gold, and him besoghte To don hem favour in the lawe, Toward the gold he gan him drawe, 2790 Wherof in alle mennes lok A part up in his hond he tok, Which to his mouth in alle haste He putte, it forto smelle and taste, And to his yhe and to his Ere, Bot he ne fond no confort there: And thanne he gan it to despise, And tolde unto hem in this wise: “I not what is with gold to thryve, Whan non of all my wittes fyve 2800 Fynt savour ne delit therinne. So is it bot a nyce Sinne Of gold to ben to covoitous; Bot he is riche and glorious, Which hath in his subjeccion Tho men whiche in possession Ben riche of gold, and be this skile; For he mai aldai whan he wile, Or be hem lieve or be hem lothe, Justice don upon hem bothe.” 2810 Lo, thus he seide, and with that word He threw tofore hem on the bord The gold out of his hond anon, And seide hem that he wolde non: So that he kepte his liberte To do justice and equite, Withoute lucre of such richesse.

Ther be nou fewe of suche, I gesse; For it was thilke times used, That every jugge was refused 2820 Which was noght frend to comun riht; Bot thei that wolden stonde upriht For trouthe only to do justice Preferred were in thilke office To deme and jugge commun lawe: Which nou, men sein, is al withdrawe. To sette a lawe and kepe it noght Ther is no comun profit soght; Bot above alle natheles The lawe, which is mad for pes, 2830 Is good to kepe for the beste, For that set alle men in reste.

The rihtful Emperour Conrade To kepe pes such lawe made, That non withinne the cite In destorbance of unite Dorste ones moeven a matiere. For in his time, as thou myht hiere, What point that was for lawe set It scholde for no gold be let, 2840 To what persone that it were. And this broghte in the comun fere, Why every man the lawe dradde, For ther was non which favour hadde.

So as these olde bokes sein, I finde write hou a Romein, Which Consul was of the Pretoire, Whos name was Carmidotoire, He sette a lawe for the pes, That non, bot he be wepneles, 2850 Schal come into the conseil hous, And elles as malicious He schal ben of the lawe ded. To that statut and to that red Acorden alle it schal be so, For certein cause which was tho: Nou lest what fell therafter sone. This Consul hadde forto done, And was into the feldes ride; And thei him hadden longe abide, 2860 That lordes of the conseil were, And for him sende, and he cam there With swerd begert, and hath foryete, Til he was in the conseil sete. Was non of hem that made speche, Til he himself it wolde seche, And fond out the defalte himselve; And thanne he seide unto the tuelve, Whiche of the Senat weren wise, “I have deserved the juise, 2870 In haste that it were do.” And thei him seiden alle no; For wel thei wiste it was no vice, Whan he ne thoghte no malice, Bot onliche of a litel slouthe: And thus thei leften as for routhe To do justice upon his gilt, For that he scholde noght be spilt. And whanne he sih the maner hou Thei wolde him save, he made avou 2880 With manfull herte, and thus he seide, That Rome scholde nevere abreide His heires, whan he were of dawe, That here Ancestre brak the lawe. Forthi, er that thei weren war, Forth with the same swerd he bar The statut of his lawe he kepte, So that al Rome his deth bewepte.

In other place also I rede, Wher that a jugge his oghne dede 2890 Ne wol noght venge of lawe broke, The king it hath himselven wroke. The grete king which Cambises Was hote, a jugge laweles He fond, and into remembrance He dede upon him such vengance: Out of his skyn he was beflain Al quyk, and in that wise slain, So that his skyn was schape al meete, And nayled on the same seete 2900 Wher that his Sone scholde sitte. Avise him, if he wolde flitte The lawe for the coveitise, Ther sih he redi his juise.

Thus in defalte of other jugge The king mot otherwhile jugge, To holden up the rihte lawe. And forto speke of tholde dawe, To take ensample of that was tho, I finde a tale write also, 2910 Hou that a worthi prince is holde The lawes of his lond to holde, Ferst for the hihe goddes sake, And ek for that him is betake The poeple forto guide and lede, Which is the charge of his kinghede.

In a Cronique I rede thus Of the rihtful Ligurgius, Which of Athenis Prince was, Hou he the lawe in every cas, 2920 Wherof he scholde his poeple reule, Hath set upon so good a reule, In al this world that cite non Of lawe was so wel begon Forth with the trouthe of governance. Ther was among hem no distance, Bot every man hath his encress; Ther was withoute werre pes, Withoute envie love stod; Richesse upon the comun good 2930 And noght upon the singuler Ordeigned was, and the pouer Of hem that weren in astat Was sauf: wherof upon debat Ther stod nothing, so that in reste Mihte every man his herte reste.

And whan this noble rihtful king Sih hou it ferde of al this thing, Wherof the poeple stod in ese, He, which for evere wolde plese 2940 The hihe god, whos thonk he soghte, A wonder thing thanne him bethoghte, And schop if that it myhte be, Hou that his lawe in the cite Mihte afterward for evere laste. And therupon his wit he caste What thing him were best to feigne, That he his pourpos myhte atteigne.

A Parlement and thus he sette, His wisdom wher that he besette 2950 In audience of grete and smale, And in this wise he tolde his tale: “God wot, and so ye witen alle, Hierafterward hou so it falle, Yit into now my will hath be To do justice and equite In forthringe of comun profit; Such hath ben evere my delit. Bot of o thing I am beknowe, The which mi will is that ye knowe: 2960 The lawe which I tok on honde, Was altogedre of goddes sonde And nothing of myn oghne wit; So mot it nede endure yit, And schal do lengere, if ye wile. For I wol telle you the skile; The god Mercurius and no man He hath me tawht al that I can Of suche lawes as I made, Wherof that ye ben alle glade; 2970 It was the god and nothing I, Which dede al this, and nou forthi He hath comanded of his grace That I schal come into a place Which is forein out in an yle, Wher I mot tarie for a while, With him to speke, as he hath bede. For as he seith, in thilke stede He schal me suche thinges telle, That evere, whyl the world schal duelle, 2980 Athenis schal the betre fare. Bot ferst, er that I thider fare, For that I wolde that mi lawe Amonges you ne be withdrawe Ther whyles that I schal ben oute, Forthi to setten out of doute Bothe you and me, this wol I preie, That ye me wolde assure and seie With such an oth as I wol take, That ech of you schal undertake 2990 Mi lawes forto kepe and holde.” Thei seiden alle that thei wolde, And therupon thei swore here oth, That fro the time that he goth, Til he to hem be come ayein, Thei scholde hise lawes wel and plein In every point kepe and fulfille.

Thus hath Ligurgius his wille, And tok his leve and forth he wente. Bot lest nou wel to what entente 3000 Of rihtwisnesse he dede so: For after that he was ago, He schop him nevere to be founde; So that Athenis, which was bounde, Nevere after scholde be relessed, Ne thilke goode lawe cessed, Which was for comun profit set. And in this wise he hath it knet; He, which the comun profit soghte, The king, his oghne astat ne roghte; 3010 To do profit to the comune, He tok of exil the fortune, And lefte of Prince thilke office Only for love and for justice, Thurgh which he thoghte, if that he myhte, For evere after his deth to rihte The cite which was him betake. Wherof men oghte ensample take The goode lawes to avance With hem which under governance 3020 The lawes have forto kepe; For who that wolde take kepe Of hem that ferst the lawes founde, Als fer as lasteth eny bounde Of lond, here names yit ben knowe: And if it like thee to knowe Some of here names hou thei stonde, Nou herkne and thou schalt understonde.

Of every bienfet the merite The god himself it wol aquite; 3030 And ek fulofte it falleth so, The world it wole aquite also, Bot that mai noght ben evene liche: The god he yifth the heveneriche, The world yifth only bot a name, Which stant upon the goode fame Of hem that don the goode dede. And in this wise double mede Resceiven thei that don wel hiere; Wherof if that thee list to hiere 3040 After the fame as it is blowe, Ther myht thou wel the sothe knowe, Hou thilke honeste besinesse Of hem that ferst for rihtwisnesse Among the men the lawes made, Mai nevere upon this erthe fade. For evere, whil ther is a tunge, Here name schal be rad and sunge And holde in the Cronique write; So that the men it scholden wite, 3050 To speke good, as thei wel oghten, Of hem that ferst the lawes soghten In forthringe of the worldes pes. Unto thebreus was Moises The ferste, and to thegipciens Mercurius, and to Troiens Ferst was Neuma Pompilius, To Athenes Ligurgius Yaf ferst the lawe, and to Gregois Foroneus hath thilke vois, 3060 And Romulus to the Romeins. For suche men that ben vileins The lawe in such a wise ordeigneth, That what man to the lawe pleigneth, Be so the jugge stonde upriht, He schal be served of his riht. And so ferforth it is befalle That lawe is come among ous alle: God lieve it mote wel ben holde, As every king therto is holde; 3070 For thing which is of kinges set, With kinges oghte it noght be let. What king of lawe takth no kepe, Be lawe he mai no regne kepe. Do lawe awey, what is a king? Wher is the riht of eny thing, If that ther be no lawe in londe? This oghte a king wel understonde, As he which is to lawe swore, That if the lawe be forbore 3080 Withouten execucioun, If makth a lond torne up so doun, Which is unto the king a sclandre. Forthi unto king Alisandre The wise Philosophre bad, That he himselve ferst be lad Of lawe, and forth thanne overal So do justice in general, That al the wyde lond aboute The justice of his lawe doute, 3090 And thanne schal he stonde in reste. For therto lawe is on the beste Above alle other erthly thing, To make a liege drede his king. Bot hou a king schal gete him love Toward the hihe god above, And ek among the men in erthe, This nexte point, which is the ferthe Of Aristotles lore, it techeth: Wherof who that the Scole secheth, 3100 What Policie that it is The bok reherceth after this.

It nedeth noght that I delate The pris which preised is algate, And hath ben evere and evere schal, Wherof to speke in special, It is the vertu of Pite, Thurgh which the hihe mageste Was stered, whan his Sone alyhte, And in pite the world to rihte 3110 Tok of the Maide fleissh and blod. Pite was cause of thilke good, Wherof that we ben alle save: Wel oghte a man Pite to have And the vertu to sette in pris, Whan he himself which is al wys Hath schewed why it schal be preised. Pite may noght be conterpeised Of tirannie with no peis; For Pite makth a king courteis 3120 Bothe in his word and in his dede.

It sit wel every liege drede His king and to his heste obeie, And riht so be the same weie It sit a king to be pitous Toward his poeple and gracious Upon the reule of governance, So that he worche no vengance, Which mai be cleped crualte. Justice which doth equite 3130 Is dredfull, for he noman spareth; Bot in the lond wher Pite fareth The king mai nevere faile of love, For Pite thurgh the grace above, So as the Philosphre affermeth, His regne in good astat confermeth.

Thus seide whilom Constantin: “What Emperour that is enclin To Pite forto be servant, Of al the worldes remenant 3140 He is worthi to ben a lord.”

In olde bokes of record This finde I write of essamplaire: Troian the worthi debonaire, Be whom that Rome stod governed, Upon a time as he was lerned Of that he was to familier, He seide unto that conseiller, That forto ben an Emperour His will was noght for vein honour, 3150 Ne yit for reddour of justice; Bot if he myhte in his office Hise lordes and his poeple plese, Him thoghte it were a grettere ese With love here hertes to him drawe, Than with the drede of eny lawe. For whan a thing is do for doute, Fulofte it comth the worse aboute; Bot wher a king is Pietous, He is the more gracious, 3160 That mochel thrift him schal betyde, Which elles scholde torne aside.

Of Pite forto speke plein, Which is with mercy wel besein, Fulofte he wole himselve peine To kepe an other fro the peine: For Charite the moder is Of Pite, which nothing amis Can soffre, if he it mai amende. It sit to every man livende 3170 To be Pitous, bot non so wel As to a king, which on the whiel Fortune hath set aboven alle: For in a king, if so befalle That his Pite be ferme and stable, To al the lond it is vailable Only thurgh grace of his persone; For the Pite of him al one Mai al the large realme save. So sit it wel a king to have 3180 Pite; for this Valeire tolde, And seide hou that be daies olde Codrus, which was in his degre King of Athenis the cite, A werre he hadde ayein Dorrence: And forto take his evidence What schal befalle of the bataille, He thoghte he wolde him ferst consaille With Appollo, in whom he triste; Thurgh whos ansuere this he wiste, 3190 Of tuo pointz that he myhte chese, Or that he wolde his body lese And in bataille himselve deie, Or elles the seconde weie, To sen his poeple desconfit. Bot he, which Pite hath parfit Upon the point of his believe, The poeple thoghte to relieve, And ches himselve to be ded. Wher is nou such an other hed, 3200 Which wolde for the lemes dye? And natheles in som partie It oghte a kinges herte stere, That he hise liege men forbere. And ek toward hise enemis Fulofte he may deserve pris, To take of Pite remembrance, Wher that he myhte do vengance: For whanne a king hath the victoire, And thanne he drawe into memoire 3210 To do Pite in stede of wreche, He mai noght faile of thilke speche Wherof arist the worldes fame, To yive a Prince a worthi name.

I rede hou whilom that Pompeie, To whom that Rome moste obeie, A werre hadde in jeupartie Ayein the king of Ermenie, Which of long time him hadde grieved. Bot ate laste it was achieved 3220 That he this king desconfit hadde, And forth with him to Rome ladde As Prisoner, wher many a day In sori plit and povere he lay, The corone of his heved deposed, Withinne walles faste enclosed; And with ful gret humilite He soffreth his adversite. Pompeie sih his pacience And tok pite with conscience, 3230 So that upon his hihe deis Tofore al Rome in his Paleis, As he that wolde upon him rewe, Let yive him his corone newe And his astat al full and plein Restoreth of his regne ayein, And seide it was more goodly thing To make than undon a king, To him which pouer hadde of bothe. Thus thei, that weren longe wrothe, 3240 Acorden hem to final pes; And yit justice natheles Was kept and in nothing offended; Wherof Pompeie was comended. Ther mai no king himself excuse, Bot if justice he kepe and use, Which for teschuie crualte He mot attempre with Pite.

Of crualte the felonie Engendred is of tirannie, 3250 Ayein the whos condicion God is himself the champion, Whos strengthe mai noman withstonde. For evere yit it hath so stonde, That god a tirant overladde; Bot wher Pite the regne ladde, Ther mihte no fortune laste Which was grevous, bot ate laste The god himself it hath redresced. Pite is thilke vertu blessed 3260 Which nevere let his Maister falle; Bot crualte, thogh it so falle That it mai regne for a throwe, God wole it schal ben overthrowe: Wherof ensamples ben ynowhe Of hem that thilke merel drowhe.

Of crualte I rede thus: Whan the tirant Leoncius Was to thempire of Rome arrived, Fro which he hath with strengthe prived 3270 The pietous Justinian, As he which was a cruel man, His nase of and his lippes bothe He kutte, for he wolde him lothe Unto the poeple and make unable. Bot he which is al merciable, The hihe god, ordeigneth so, That he withinne a time also, Whan he was strengest in his ire, Was schoven out of his empire. 3280 Tiberius the pouer hadde, And Rome after his will he ladde, And for Leonce in such a wise Ordeigneth, that he tok juise Of nase and lippes bothe tuo, For that he dede an other so, Which more worthi was than he.

Lo, which a fall hath crualte, And Pite was set up ayein: For after that the bokes sein, 3290 Therbellis king of Bulgarie With helpe of his chivalerie Justinian hath unprisoned And to thempire ayein coroned.

In a Cronique I finde also Of Siculus, which was ek so A cruel king lich the tempeste, The whom no Pite myhte areste,— He was the ferste, as bokes seie, Upon the See which fond Galeie 3300 And let hem make for the werre,— As he which al was out of herre Fro Pite and misericorde; For therto couthe he noght acorde, Bot whom he myhte slen, he slouh, And therof was he glad ynouh. He hadde of conseil manyon, Among the whiche ther was on, Be name which Berillus hihte; And he bethoghte him hou he myhte 3310 Unto the tirant do likinge, And of his oghne ymaginynge Let forge and make a Bole of bras, And on the side cast ther was A Dore, wher a man mai inne, Whan he his peine schal beginne Thurgh fyr, which that men putten under. And al this dede he for a wonder, That whanne a man for peine cride, The Bole of bras, which gapeth wyde, 3320 It scholde seme as thogh it were A belwinge in a mannes Ere, And noght the criinge of a man. Bot he which alle sleihtes can, The devel, that lith in helle fast, Him that this caste hath overcast, That for a trespas which he dede He was putt in the same stede, And was himself the ferste of alle Which was into that peine falle 3330 That he for othre men ordeigneth; Ther was noman which him compleigneth.

Of tirannie and crualte Be this ensample a king mai se, Himself and ek his conseil bothe, Hou thei ben to mankinde lothe And to the god abhominable. Ensamples that ben concordable I finde of othre Princes mo, As thou schalt hiere, of time go. 3340 The grete tirant Dionys, Which mannes lif sette of no pris, Unto his hors fulofte he yaf The men in stede of corn and chaf, So that the hors of thilke stod Devoureden the mennes blod; Til fortune ate laste cam, That Hercules him overcam, And he riht in the same wise Of this tirant tok the juise: 3350 As he til othre men hath do, The same deth he deide also, That no Pite him hath socoured, Til he was of hise hors devoured.

Of Lichaon also I finde Hou he ayein the lawe of kinde Hise hostes slouh, and into mete He made her bodies to ben ete With othre men withinne his hous. Bot Jupiter the glorious, 3360 Which was commoeved of this thing, Vengance upon this cruel king So tok, that he fro mannes forme Into a wolf him let transforme: And thus the crualte was kidd, Which of long time he hadde hidd; A wolf he was thanne openly, The whos nature prively He hadde in his condicion.

And unto this conclusioun, 3370 That tirannie is to despise, I finde ensample in sondri wise, And nameliche of hem fulofte, The whom fortune hath set alofte Upon the werres forto winne. Bot hou so that the wrong beginne Of tirannie, it mai noght laste, Bot such as thei don ate laste To othre men, such on hem falleth; For ayein suche Pite calleth 3380 Vengance to the god above. For who that hath no tender love In savinge of a mannes lif, He schal be founde so gultif, That whanne he wolde mercy crave In time of nede, he schal non have.

Of the natures this I finde, The fierce Leon in his kinde, Which goth rampende after his preie, If he a man finde in his weie, 3390 He wole him slen, if he withstonde. Bot if the man coude understonde To falle anon before his face In signe of mercy and of grace, The Leon schal of his nature Restreigne his ire in such mesure, As thogh it were a beste tamed, And torne awey halfvinge aschamed, That he the man schal nothing grieve. Hou scholde than a Prince achieve 3400 The worldes grace, if that he wolde Destruie a man whanne he is yolde And stant upon his mercy al? Bot forto speke in special, Ther have be suche and yit ther be Tirantz, whos hertes no pite Mai to no point of mercy plie, That thei upon her tirannie Ne gladen hem the men to sle; And as the rages of the See 3410 Ben unpitous in the tempeste, Riht so mai no Pite areste Of crualte the gret oultrage, Which the tirant in his corage Engendred hath: wherof I finde A tale, which comth nou to mynde.