vengeaunce laft.
But than it cefed ate last.
For god was paid of that he dede,
For where he found upon a stede
A couple, which misferde so,
Throughout he fmote hem bothe two
And let hem ligge in mennes eye,
Wherof all other, which hem figh,
Enfampled hem upon the dede
And praiden unto the godhede
Her olde finnes to amende.
And he, which wold his mercy fende,
Restored hem to newe grace.
Thus may it fhewe in fondry place,
Of chaftete how the clenneffe
Accordeth to the worthineffe
Of men of armes over all.
But most of all in speciall
This vertue to a king belongeth,
For upon his fortune it hongeth,
Of that his lond shall spede or spill.
Forthy but if a king his will
Fro luftes of his flesh reftreigne,
Ayein him self he maketh a treigne,
Into the whiche if that he slide,
Him were better go befide.
For every man may understonde,
How for a time that it stonde
It is a fory luft to like,
Whose ende maketh a man to fike
Hic loquitur, qua
liter principum ir
Miftorneth all the lafte whele.
That every worthy prince is holde
regulata voluptas Within him felf him felf beholde eos a femita recta To fe the state of his perfone
compellit, et nar- And thenke, how there be joies none
Salomone, qui ex Upon this erthe made to last,
pifcencia victus And how the flesshe shall at last mulierum blandi
mentis in fui fcan- The luftes of his life forfake,
colere prefumebat. Him ought a great enfample take
Of Salomon, whofe appetite
Was holy fet upon delite
To take of women the plefaunce,
So that upon his ignoraunce
The wide world merveileth yit,
That he, which alle mennes wit
In thilke time hath overpassed,
With fleshly luftes was fo taffed,
That he which ladde under the lawe
The people of god, him self withdrawe
He hath fro god in fuche a wise,
That he worship and facrifice
For fondry love in fondry stede
Unto the false goddes dede.
This was the wife Ecclefiaste,
The fame of whom shall ever laste,
That he the mighty god forfoke,
Ayein the lawe whan he toke
His wives and his concubines,
Of hem that were Sarazines,
For which he did ydolatrie.
For this I rede of his foty,
She of Sidoine fo him ladde,
That he knelend his armes fpradde
To Aftrathen with great humbleffe,
Which of her lond was the goddesse.
And fhe that was of Moabite
So ferforth made him to delite
Through luft, which al his wit devoureth,
That he Chamos her god honoureth.
With love him hath affoted fo,
Her god Moloch that with encenfe
He facreth and doth reverence
In fuch a wife as fhe him bad.
Thus was the wifeft overlad
With blinde luftes, which he fought.
But he it afterward abought.
For Achias Selonites,
Which was prophet, er his deces,
While he was in his luftes alle,
Betokeneth what shall after falle.
For on a day, whan that he mette
Jeroboam the knight be grette
And bad him, that he fhulde abide
To here what him shall betide.
Nota hic, qualiter Achias propheta in fignum, quod regnum poft mortem Salomonis ob eius peccatum a fuo herede diminueretur, pallium fuum in duodecim partes fcidit, unde decem partes Jeroboe filio Nabal, qui regnaturus poftea fucceffit, precepto dei tribuit.
And forth withall Achias caft
His mantel of and also fast
He kut it into pieces twelve,
Wherof two parts toward him selve
He kept, and all the remenaunt,
As god hath fet his covenaunt,
He toke unto Jeroboas,
Of Nabal which the fone was,
And of the kinges court a knight.
And said him, such is goddes might,
As thou haft fene departed here
My mantel, right in fuch manere
After the deth of Salomon
God hath ordeined therupon,
This regne than he shall devide,
Which time thou fhalt eke abide,
And upon that divifion
The regne as in proporcion,
As thou haft of my mantel take,
Thou shalt receive I undertake.
And thus the fone shall abie
The luftes and the lechery
Of him, which now his fader is.
So for to taken hede of this
It fit a king well to be chaste,
For elles he may lightly wafte
Him self and eke his regne bothe,
And that ought every king to lothe.
O, which a finne violent,
Wherof fo wife a king was fhent,
That he vengeaunce of his perfone
Was nought inough to take alone,
But afterward, whan he was paffed,
It hath his heritage laffed,
As I more openly to-fore
The tale tolde, and thus therfore
The philofophre upon this thing
Write and counseiled to a king,
That he the forfete of luxure
Shall tempre and reule of fuch mesure,
Which be to kinde fuffifaunt
And eke to refon accordaunt,
So that the luftes ignoraunce
Be cause of no mifgovernance,
Through which that he be overthrowe,
As he, that woll no refon knowe.
For but a mannes wit be fwerved,
Whan kinde is dueliche ferved,
It ought of refon to suffise.
For if it fall him otherwise,
He may the luftes fore drede.
For of Antonie thus I rede,
Which of Severus was the fone,
That he his life of comun wone
Yaf holy unto thilke vice,
And ofte time he was fo nice,
Wherof nature her hath compleigned
Unto the god, which hath defdeigned
The werkes, which Antonie wrought
Of luft, which he full fore abought.
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