Chapter 41

I rede in olde bokes thus: Ther was a Duk, which Spertachus Men clepe, and was a werreiour, A cruel man, a conquerour 3420 With strong pouer the which he ladde. For this condicion he hadde, That where him hapneth the victoire, His lust and al his moste gloire Was forto sle and noght to save: Of rancoun wolde he no good have For savinge of a mannes lif, Bot al goth to the swerd and knyf, So lief him was the mannes blod. And natheles yit thus it stod, 3430 So as fortune aboute wente, He fell riht heir as be descente To Perse, and was coroned king. And whan the worschipe of this thing Was falle, and he was king of Perse, If that thei weren ferst diverse, The tirannies whiche he wroghte, A thousendfold welmore he soghte Thanne afterward to do malice. The god vengance ayein the vice 3440 Hath schape: for upon a tyde, Whan he was heihest in his Pride, In his rancour and in his hete Ayein the queene of Marsagete, Which Thameris that time hihte, He made werre al that he myhte: And sche, which wolde hir lond defende, Hir oghne Sone ayein him sende, Which the defence hath undertake. Bot he desconfit was and take; 3450 And whan this king him hadde in honde, He wol no mercy understonde, Bot dede him slen in his presence.

The tidinge of this violence Whan it cam to the moder Ere, Sche sende anon ay wydewhere To suche frendes as sche hadde, A gret pouer til that sche ladde. In sondri wise and tho sche caste Hou sche this king mai overcaste; 3460 And ate laste acorded was, That in the danger of a pass, Thurgh which this tirant scholde passe, Sche schop his pouer to compasse With strengthe of men be such a weie That he schal noght eschape aweie. And whan sche hadde thus ordeigned, Sche hath hir oghne bodi feigned, For feere as thogh sche wolde flee Out of hir lond: and whan that he 3470 Hath herd hou that this ladi fledde, So faste after the chace he spedde, That he was founde out of array. For it betidde upon a day, Into the pas whanne he was falle, Thembuisschementz tobrieken alle And him beclipte on every side, That fle ne myhte he noght aside: So that ther weren dede and take Tuo hundred thousend for his sake, 3480 That weren with him of his host. And thus was leid the grete bost Of him and of his tirannie: It halp no mercy forto crie To him which whilom dede non; For he unto the queene anon Was broght, and whan that sche him sih, This word sche spak and seide on hih: “O man, which out of mannes kinde Reson of man hast left behinde 3490 And lived worse than a beste, Whom Pite myhte noght areste, The mannes blod to schede and spille Thou haddest nevere yit thi fille. Bot nou the laste time is come, That thi malice is overcome: As thou til othre men hast do, Nou schal be do to thee riht so.” Tho bad this ladi that men scholde A vessel bringe, in which sche wolde 3500 Se the vengance of his juise, Which sche began anon devise; And tok the Princes whiche he ladde, Be whom his chief conseil he hadde, And whil hem lasteth eny breth, Sche made hem blede to the deth Into the vessel wher it stod: And whan it was fulfild of blod, Sche caste this tirant therinne, And seide him, “Lo, thus myht thou wynne 3510 The lustes of thin appetit. In blod was whilom thi delit, Nou schalt thou drinken al thi fille.”

And thus onliche of goddes wille, He which that wolde himselve strange To Pite, fond mercy so strange, That he withoute grace is lore. So may it schewe wel therfore That crualte hath no good ende; Bot Pite, hou so that it wende, 3520 Makth that the god is merciable, If ther be cause resonable Why that a king schal be pitous. Bot elles, if he be doubtous To slen in cause of rihtwisnesse, It mai be said no Pitousnesse, Bot it is Pusillamite, Which every Prince scholde flee. For if Pite mesure excede, Kinghode may noght wel procede 3530 To do justice upon the riht: For it belongeth to a knyht Als gladly forto fihte as reste, To sette his liege poeple in reste, Whan that the werre upon hem falleth; For thanne he mote, as it befalleth, Of his knyhthode as a Leon Be to the poeple a champioun Withouten eny Pite feigned. For if manhode be restreigned, 3540 Or be it pes or be it werre, Justice goth al out of herre, So that knyhthode is set behinde. Of Aristotles lore I finde, A king schal make good visage, That noman knowe of his corage Bot al honour and worthinesse: For if a king schal upon gesse Withoute verrai cause drede, He mai be lich to that I rede; 3550 And thogh that it be lich a fable, Thensample is good and resonable.

As it be olde daies fell, I rede whilom that an hell Up in the londes of Archade A wonder dredful noise made; For so it fell that ilke day, This hell on his childinge lay, And whan the throwes on him come, His noise lich the day of dome 3560 Was ferfull in a mannes thoght Of thing which that thei sihe noght, Bot wel thei herden al aboute The noise, of which thei were in doute, As thei that wenden to be lore Of thing which thanne was unbore. The nerr this hell was upon chance To taken his deliverance, The more unbuxomliche he cride; And every man was fledd aside, 3570 For drede and lefte his oghne hous: And ate laste it was a Mous, The which was bore and to norrice Betake; and tho thei hield hem nyce, For thei withoute cause dradde.

Thus if a king his herte ladde With every thing that he schal hiere, Fulofte he scholde change his chiere And upon fantasie drede, Whan that ther is no cause of drede. 3580

Orace to his Prince tolde, That him were levere that he wolde Upon knihthode Achillem suie In time of werre, thanne eschuie, So as Tersites dede at Troie. Achilles al his hole joie Sette upon Armes forto fihte; Tersites soghte al that he myhte Unarmed forto stonde in reste: Bot of the tuo it was the beste 3590 That Achilles upon the nede Hath do, wherof his knyhtlihiede Is yit comended overal.

King Salomon in special Seith, as ther is a time of pes, So is a time natheles Of werre, in which a Prince algate Schal for the comun riht debate And for his oghne worschipe eke. Bot it behoveth noght to seke 3600 Only the werre for worschipe, Bot to the riht of his lordschipe, Which he is holde to defende, Mote every worthi Prince entende. Betwen the simplesce of Pite And the folhaste of crualte, Wher stant the verray hardiesce, Ther mote a king his herte adresce, Whanne it is time to forsake, And whan time is also to take 3610 The dedly werres upon honde, That he schal for no drede wonde, If rihtwisnesse be withal. For god is myhty overal To forthren every mannes trowthe, Bot it be thurgh his oghne slowthe; And namely the kinges nede It mai noght faile forto spede, For he stant one for hem alle; So mote it wel the betre falle 3620 And wel the more god favoureth, Whan he the comun riht socoureth. And forto se the sothe in dede, Behold the bible and thou myht rede Of grete ensamples manyon, Wherof that I wol tellen on.

Upon a time as it befell, Ayein Judee and Irahel Whan sondri kinges come were In pourpos to destruie there 3630 The poeple which god kepte tho,— And stod in thilke daies so, That Gedeon, which scholde lede The goddes folk, tok him to rede, And sende in al the lond aboute, Til he assembled hath a route With thritti thousend of defence, To fihte and make resistence Ayein the whiche hem wolde assaille: And natheles that o bataille 3640 Of thre that weren enemys Was double mor than was al his; Wherof that Gedeon him dradde, That he so litel poeple hadde. Bot he which alle thing mai helpe, Wher that ther lacketh mannes helpe, To Gedeon his Angel sente, And bad, er that he forther wente, Al openly that he do crie That every man in his partie 3650 Which wolde after his oghne wille In his delice abide stille At hom in eny maner wise, For pourchas or for covoitise, For lust of love or lacke of herte, He scholde noght aboute sterte, Bot holde him stille at hom in pes: Wherof upon the morwe he les Wel twenty thousend men and mo, The whiche after the cri ben go. 3660 Thus was with him bot only left The thridde part, and yit god eft His Angel sende and seide this To Gedeon: “If it so is That I thin help schal undertake, Thou schalt yit lasse poeple take, Be whom mi will is that thou spede. Forthi tomorwe tak good hiede, Unto the flod whan ye be come, What man that hath the water nome 3670 Up in his hond and lapeth so, To thi part ches out alle tho; And him which wery is to swinke, Upon his wombe and lith to drinke, Forsak and put hem alle aweie. For I am myhti alle weie, Wher as me list myn help to schewe In goode men, thogh thei ben fewe.”

This Gedeon awaiteth wel, Upon the morwe and everydel, 3680 As god him bad, riht so he dede. And thus ther leften in that stede With him thre hundred and nomo, The remenant was al ago: Wherof that Gedeon merveileth, And therupon with god conseileth, Pleignende as ferforth as he dar. And god, which wolde he were war That he schal spede upon his riht, Hath bede him go the same nyht 3690 And take a man with him, to hiere What schal be spoke in his matere Among the hethen enemis; So mai he be the more wys, What afterward him schal befalle.

This Gedeon amonges alle Phara, to whom he triste most, Be nyhte tok toward thilke host, Which logged was in a valleie, To hiere what thei wolden seie; 3700 Upon his fot and as he ferde, Tuo Sarazins spekende he herde. Quod on, “Ared mi swevene ariht, Which I mette in mi slep to nyht.

Me thoghte I sih a barli cake, Which fro the Hull his weie hath take, And cam rollende doun at ones; And as it were for the nones, Forth in his cours so as it ran, The kinges tente of Madian, 3710 Of Amalech, of Amoreie, Of Amon and of Jebuseie, And many an other tente mo With gret noise, as me thoghte tho, It threw to grounde and overcaste, And al this host so sore agaste That I awok for pure drede.”

“This swevene can I wel arede,” Quod thother Sarazin anon: “The barli cake is Gedeon, 3720 Which fro the hell doun sodeinly Schal come and sette such ascry Upon the kinges and ous bothe, That it schal to ous alle lothe: For in such drede he schal ous bringe, That if we hadden flyht of wynge, The weie on fote in desespeir We scholden leve and flen in their, For ther schal nothing him withstonde.”

Whan Gedeon hath understonde 3730 This tale, he thonketh god of al, And priveliche ayein he stal, So that no lif him hath perceived. And thanne he hath fulli conceived That he schal spede; and therupon The nyht suiende he schop to gon This multitude to assaile. Nou schalt thou hiere a gret mervaile, With what voisdie that he wroghte. The litel poeple which he broghte, 3740 Was non of hem that he ne hath A pot of erthe, in which he tath A lyht brennende in a kressette, And ech of hem ek a trompette Bar in his other hond beside; And thus upon the nyhtes tyde Duk Gedeon, whan it was derk, Ordeineth him unto his werk, And parteth thanne his folk in thre, And chargeth hem that thei ne fle, 3750 And tawhte hem hou they scholde ascrie Alle in o vois per compaignie, And what word ek thei scholden speke, And hou thei scholde here pottes breke Echon with other, whan thei herde That he himselve ferst so ferde; For whan thei come into the stede, He bad hem do riht as he dede.

And thus stalkende forth a pas This noble Duk, whan time was, 3760 His pot tobrak and loude ascride, And tho thei breke on every side. The trompe was noght forto seke; He blew, and so thei blewen eke With such a noise among hem alle, As thogh the hevene scholde falle. The hull unto here vois ansuerde, This host in the valleie it herde, And sih hou that the hell alyhte; So what of hieringe and of sihte, 3770 Thei cawhten such a sodein feere, That non of hem belefte there: The tentes hole thei forsoke, That thei non other good ne toke, Bot only with here bodi bare Thei fledde, as doth the wylde Hare. And evere upon the hull thei blewe, Til that thei sihe time, and knewe That thei be fled upon the rage; And whan thei wiste here avantage, 3780 Thei felle anon unto the chace.

Thus myht thou sen hou goddes grace Unto the goode men availeth; But elles ofte time it faileth To suche as be noght wel disposed. This tale nedeth noght be glosed, For it is openliche schewed That god to hem that ben wel thewed Hath yove and granted the victoire: So that thensample of this histoire 3790 Is good for every king to holde; Ferst in himself that he beholde If he be good of his livinge, And that the folk which he schal bringe Be good also, for thanne he may Be glad of many a merie day, In what as evere he hath to done. For he which sit above the Mone And alle thing mai spille and spede, In every cause, in every nede 3800 His goode king so wel adresceth, That alle his fomen he represseth, So that ther mai noman him dere; And als so wel he can forbere, And soffre a wickid king to falle In hondes of his fomen alle.

Nou forthermore if I schal sein Of my matiere, and torne ayein To speke of justice and Pite After the reule of realte, 3810 This mai a king wel understonde, Knihthode mot ben take on honde, Whan that it stant upon the nede: He schal no rihtful cause drede, Nomore of werre thanne of pes, If he wol stonde blameles; For such a cause a king mai have That betre him is to sle than save, Wherof thou myht ensample finde. The hihe makere of mankinde 3820 Be Samuel to Saul bad, That he schal nothing ben adrad Ayein king Agag forto fihte; For this the godhede him behihte, That Agag schal ben overcome: And whan it is so ferforth come, That Saul hath him desconfit, The god bad make no respit, That he ne scholde him slen anon. Bot Saul let it overgon 3830 And dede noght the goddes heste: For Agag made gret beheste Of rancoun which he wolde yive, King Saul soffreth him to live And feigneth pite forth withal. Bot he which seth and knoweth al, The hihe god, of that he feigneth To Samuel upon him pleigneth, And sende him word, for that he lefte Of Agag that he ne berefte 3840 The lif, he schal noght only dye Himself, bot fro his regalie He schal be put for everemo, Noght he, bot ek his heir also, That it schal nevere come ayein.

Thus myht thou se the sothe plein, That of tomoche and of tolyte Upon the Princes stant the wyte. Bot evere it was a kinges riht To do the dedes of a knyht; 3850 For in the handes of a king The deth and lif is al o thing After the lawes of justice. To slen it is a dedly vice, Bot if a man the deth deserve; And if a king the lif preserve Of him which oghte forto dye, He suieth noght thensamplerie Which in the bible is evident: Hou David in his testament, 3860 Whan he no lengere myhte live, Unto his Sone in charge hath yive That he Joab schal slen algate; And whan David was gon his gate, The yonge wise Salomon His fader heste dede anon, And slouh Joab in such a wise, That thei that herden the juise Evere after dradden him the more, And god was ek wel paid therfore, 3870 That he so wolde his herte plye The lawes forto justefie. And yit he kepte forth withal Pite, so as a Prince schal, That he no tirannie wroghte; He fond the wisdom which he soghte, And was so rihtful natheles, That al his lif he stod in pes, That he no dedly werres hadde, For every man his wisdom dradde. 3880 And as he was himselve wys, Riht so the worthi men of pris He hath of his conseil withholde; For that is every Prince holde, To make of suche his retenue Whiche wise ben, and to remue The foles: for ther is nothing Which mai be betre aboute a king, Than conseil, which is the substance Of all a kinges governance. 3890

In Salomon a man mai see What thing of most necessite Unto a worthi king belongeth. Whan he his kingdom underfongeth, God bad him chese what he wolde, And seide him that he have scholde What he wolde axe, as of o thing. And he, which was a newe king, Forth therupon his bone preide To god, and in this wise he seide: 3900 “O king, be whom that I schal regne, Yif me wisdom, that I my regne, Forth with thi poeple which I have, To thin honour mai kepe and save.” Whan Salomon his bone hath taxed, The god of that which he hath axed Was riht wel paid, and granteth sone Noght al only that he his bone Schal have of that, bot of richesse, Of hele, of pes, of hih noblesse, 3910 Forth with wisdom at his axinges, Which stant above alle othre thinges.

Bot what king wole his regne save, Ferst him behoveth forto have After the god and his believe Such conseil which is to believe, Fulfild of trouthe and rihtwisnesse: Bot above alle in his noblesse Betwen the reddour and pite A king schal do such equite 3920 And sette the balance in evene, So that the hihe god in hevene And al the poeple of his nobleie Loange unto his name seie. For most above all erthli good, Wher that a king himself is good It helpeth, for in other weie If so be that a king forsueie, Fulofte er this it hath be sein, The comun poeple is overlein 3930 And hath the kinges Senne aboght, Al thogh the poeple agulte noght. Of that the king his god misserveth, The poeple takth that he descerveth Hier in this world, bot elleswhere I not hou it schal stonde there. Forthi good is a king to triste Ferst to himself, as he ne wiste Non other help bot god alone; So schal the reule of his persone 3940 Withinne himself thurgh providence Ben of the betre conscience. And forto finde ensample of this, A tale I rede, and soth it is.

In a Cronique it telleth thus: The king of Rome Lucius Withinne his chambre upon a nyht The Steward of his hous, a knyht, Forth with his Chamberlein also, To conseil hadde bothe tuo, 3950 And stoden be the Chiminee Togedre spekende alle thre. And happeth that the kinges fol Sat be the fyr upon a stol, As he that with his babil pleide, Bot yit he herde al that thei seide, And therof token thei non hiede. The king hem axeth what to rede Of such matiere as cam to mouthe, And thei him tolden as thei couthe. 3960 Whan al was spoke of that thei mente, The king with al his hole entente Thanne ate laste hem axeth this, What king men tellen that he is: Among the folk touchende his name, Or be it pris, or be it blame, Riht after that thei herden sein, He bad hem forto telle it plein, That thei no point of soth forbere, Be thilke feith that thei him bere. 3970

The Steward ferst upon this thing Yaf his ansuere unto the king And thoghte glose in this matiere, And seide, als fer as he can hiere, His name is good and honourable: Thus was the Stieward favorable, That he the trouthe plein ne tolde. The king thanne axeth, as he scholde, The Chamberlein of his avis.

And he, that was soubtil and wys, 3980 And somdiel thoghte upon his feith, Him tolde hou al the poeple seith That if his conseil were trewe, Thei wiste thanne wel and knewe That of himself he scholde be A worthi king in his degre: And thus the conseil he accuseth In partie, and the king excuseth.

The fol, which herde of al the cas That time, as goddes wille was, 3990 Sih that thei seiden noght ynowh, And hem to skorne bothe lowh, And to the king he seide tho: “Sire king, if that it were so, Of wisdom in thin oghne mod That thou thiselven were good, Thi conseil scholde noght be badde.” The king therof merveille hadde, Whan that a fol so wisly spak, And of himself fond out the lack 4000 Withinne his oghne conscience: And thus the foles evidence, Which was of goddes grace enspired, Makth that good conseil was desired. He putte awey the vicious And tok to him the vertuous; The wrongful lawes ben amended, The londes good is wel despended, The poeple was nomore oppressed, And thus stod every thing redressed. 4010 For where a king is propre wys, And hath suche as himselven is Of his conseil, it mai noght faile That every thing ne schal availe: The vices thanne gon aweie, And every vertu holt his weie; Wherof the hihe god is plesed, And al the londes folk is esed. For if the comun poeple crie, And thanne a king list noght to plie 4020 To hiere what the clamour wolde, And otherwise thanne he scholde Desdeigneth forto don hem grace, It hath be sen in many place, Ther hath befalle gret contraire; And that I finde of ensamplaire.

After the deth of Salomon, Whan thilke wise king was gon, And Roboas in his persone Receive scholde the corone, 4030 The poeple upon a Parlement Avised were of on assent, And alle unto the king thei preiden, With comun vois and thus thei seiden:

“Oure liege lord, we thee beseche That thou receive oure humble speche And grante ous that which reson wile, Or of thi grace or of thi skile. Thi fader, whil he was alyve And myhte bothe grante and pryve, 4040 Upon the werkes whiche he hadde The comun poeple streite ladde: Whan he the temple made newe, Thing which men nevere afore knewe He broghte up thanne of his taillage, And al was under the visage Of werkes whiche he made tho. Bot nou it is befalle so, That al is mad, riht as he seide, And he was riche whan he deide; 4050 So that it is no maner nede, If thou therof wolt taken hiede, To pilen of the poeple more, Which long time hath be grieved sore. And in this wise as we thee seie, With tendre herte we thee preie That thou relesse thilke dette, Which upon ous thi fader sette. And if thee like to don so, We ben thi men for everemo, 4060 To gon and comen at thin heste.”

The king, which herde this requeste, Seith that he wole ben avised, And hath therof a time assised; And in the while as he him thoghte Upon this thing, conseil he soghte. And ferst the wise knyhtes olde, To whom that he his tale tolde, Conseilen him in this manere; That he with love and with glad chiere 4070 Foryive and grante al that is axed Of that his fader hadde taxed; For so he mai his regne achieve With thing which schal him litel grieve.

The king hem herde and overpasseth, And with these othre his wit compasseth, That yonge were and nothing wise. And thei these olde men despise, And seiden: “Sire, it schal be schame For evere unto thi worthi name, 4080 If thou ne kepe noght the riht, Whil thou art in thi yonge myht, Which that thin olde fader gat. Bot seie unto the poeple plat, That whil thou livest in thi lond, The leste finger of thin hond It schal be strengere overal Than was thi fadres bodi al. And this also schal be thi tale, If he hem smot with roddes smale, 4090 With Scorpions thou schalt hem smyte; And wher thi fader tok a lyte, Thou thenkst to take mochel more. Thus schalt thou make hem drede sore The grete herte of thi corage, So forto holde hem in servage.

This yonge king him hath conformed To don as he was last enformed, Which was to him his undoinge: For whan it cam to the spekinge, 4100 He hath the yonge conseil holde, That he the same wordes tolde Of al the poeple in audience; And whan thei herden the sentence Of his malice and the manace, Anon tofore his oghne face Thei have him oultreli refused And with ful gret reproef accused. So thei begunne forto rave, That he was fain himself to save; 4110 For as the wilde wode rage Of wyndes makth the See salvage, And that was calm bringth into wawe, So for defalte of grace and lawe This poeple is stered al at ones And forth thei gon out of hise wones; So that of the lignages tuelve Tuo tribes only be hemselve With him abiden and nomo: So were thei for everemo 4120 Of no retorn withoute espeir Departed fro the rihtfull heir. Al Irahel with comun vois A king upon here oghne chois Among hemself anon thei make, And have here yonge lord forsake; A povere knyht Jeroboas Thei toke, and lefte Roboas, Which rihtfull heir was be descente.