Till atté last upon a nede,

That Benedab kinge of Suríe,
Of Israel a great partie,
Which Ramoth Galaäd was hote,
Hath seséd. And of that rióte
He toke counseíle in sondry wise,
But nought of hem that weren wise.
And nethéles upon this cas
To strengthen him, for Josephas
Which thanné was kinge of Judee
He sendé for to come, as he
Which through frendshíp and alli-
aúnce

Was next to him of áqueintaúnce.
For Joram sone of Josaphath
Achabbés doughter wedded hath,
Which highté fairé Godelie.
And thus cam into Samarý
King Josaphat, and he found there
The king Acháb. And when they

were

To-gider spekend of this thing,
This Josaphat saith to the king,
How that he woldé gladly here
Some true prophét in this matere,
That he his counseil mighté yive
To what point it shall be adrive.
And in that timé so befell
There was such one in Israel,
Which set him all to flaterý,
And he was clepéd Sedechý,
And after him Acháb hath sent.
And he at his commaundément
To-fore him cam, and by a sleight
He hath upon his heved on height
Two largé hornés set of bras,
As he whiche all a flatrour was,
And goth rampénd as a león
And cast his hornés up and down
And bad men ben of good espeire,
For as the hornés percen thaire
He saith, withouten resisténce,
So wist he well of his science
That Benedab is discomfíte.

Hath told this tale unto his lorde,
Anone they were of his accorde
Prophétés falsé many mo

To bere up oile1 and allé tho
Affermen that which he hath tolde;
Wherof the king Acháb was bolde
And yaf hem yiftés all aboute.
But Josaphat was in great doubte
And held fantósme all that he herde,
Praiénd Acháb how so it ferde,
If there were any other man,
The which of prophecíë can,
To here him speke er that they gone.
Quod Achab thanné: 'There is one,
A brothel, which Micheas hight.
But he ne comth nought in my sight
For he hath long in prison laien,
Him liked never yet to saien
A goodly word to my plesaúnce.
And nethéles at thine instaúnce
He shall come out, and than he may
Say as he saidé many a day;
For yet he saidé never wele.'
Tho Josaphat began some dele
To gladen him in hope of trouthe,
And bad withouten any slouthe
That men him shuldé fette 2 anone.
And they that weren for him gone
Whan that they comen where he was
They tolden unto Micheás
The manere how that Sedechý
Declared hath his prophecy.
And therupon they pray him faire
That he woll saié no contraire
Wherof the king may be desplesed,
For so shall every man be esed,
And he may helpe him self also.
Micheas upon trouthé tho
His herté set and to hem saith-
All that belongé to his feith

1 To bere up oile, to sustain the affirmation (of Zedekiah). Oil or oile is an old form of oui, yes. Oil, par ma foi, sire, oil mult volontiers," says each of the false prophets to Ahab. See note, p. 366.

Fette, fetch.

And of none other feignéd thing That woll he tell unto the king, Als fer as God hath yive him grace. Thus came this prophete into place, Where he the kingés willé herde. And he therto anone answérde And saide unto him in this wise:

'My legé lord, for my service, Which trewe hath stonden ever yit, Thou hast me with prisón aquite. But for all that I shall nought glose Of trouthe als far as I suppose; And as touchénd of thy bataile Thou shalt nought of the sothé faile. For if it like the to here,

As I am taught in that matere, Thou might it understondé sone. But what is afterward to done Avisé the, for this I sigh,

I was to-fore the throne on high, Where all the world me thoughté stode,

And there I herde and understode
The vois of God with wordés clere
Axénd and saide in this manere:
'In what thing may I best beguile
The king Achab?' And for a while
Upon this point they speken fast.
Tho said a spirit atté last :
'I undertake this emprise.'
And God him axeth in what wise.
'I shall,' quod he, deceive and lie
With flateréndé prophecie
In suché mouthés as he leveth.'
And he which allé thing acheveth,
Bad him go forth and do right so.
And over this I sigh also
The noble people of Israël
Dispers as shepe upon an hill
Without a keper unarraied.
And as they wente about astraied,
I herde a vois unto hem sain:
'Goth home into your hous ayein,
Till I for you have better ordeigned.'
Quod Sedechié: "Thou hast feigned

This tale in angring of the king.'
And in a wrathe upon this thing
He smote Micheen upon the cheke;
The king him hath rebukéd eke;
And every man upon him cride.
Thus was he shent on every side
Ayein and into prison ladde,
For so the kinge him selvé badde.
The trouthé mighté nought ben
herde;

But afterward as it hath ferde,
The dedé proveth his entent.
Acháb to the batailé went,
Where Benedab for all his shelde
Him slough, so that upon the felde
His people goth about astray.
But God, which allé thingés may,
So doth that they no mischefe have.
Her king was dede and they ben

save,

And home ayein in Goddes pees
They wente, and all was founde les 1
That Sedechý hath said to-fore.
So sit it wel a king therfore
To loven hem that trouthé mene.
For atté last it will be sene,
That flaterý is nothing worth.

"But now to my materé forth
As for to speken overmore
After the philosóphres lore,
The thriddé point of policy
I thenké for to specify.

"What is a lond, where men
be none?

What ben the men which are allone Without a kingés governaunce? What is a king in his legeaunce Where that there is no lawe in londe? What is to také lawe on honde, But if the jugés weren trewe? These oldé worldés with the newe Who that woll take in evidence There may he se thexperience What thing it is to kepé lawe

1 Les, leasings, untruth.

Through which the wrongés be

withdrawe

And rightwisnessé stant commended,

Wherof the regnés ben amended.
For where the lawé may comúne,
The lordés forth with the comúne
Eche hath his propré duëté.
And eke the kingés reälté
Of bothe his worship underfongeth,
To his estate as it belongeth,
Whiche of his highé worthinesse
Hath to govérné rightwisnesse,
As he which shall the lawé guide.
And nethéles upon some side
His power stant above the lawe
To yivé both and to withdrawe
The forfet of a mannés life.
But thingés which are excessife
Ayein the lawe he shal nought do
For lové ne for hate also.

"The mightés of a king be gret.
But yet a worthy king shall let
Of wrong to done all that he might,
For he which shall the people right,
It sit wel to his regalý
That he him self first justify
Towardés God in his degré.
For his estate is ellés fre
Toward all other in his persóne,
Sauf only to the God alone
Which woll him self a king chastise
Where that none other may suffise.

"So were it good to taken hede That first a king his owné dede Betwene the Vertue and the Vice Redresse, and than of his justíce So set in even the balaúnce Towardés other in governaúnce, That to the pouer and to the riche His lawés mighten stonden liche, He shall excepté no persone. But for he may nought all him one In sondry places do justíce, He shall of his real office

With wise consideratión
Ordeigne his deputatión

Of suché jugés as ben lerned,
So that his people be governed
By hem that trué ben and wise.
For if the lawe of covetise
Be set upon a jugés honde,
Wo is the people of thilké londe,
For wrong may nought him selven
hide.

But ellés, on that other side,
If lawé stondé with the right
The people is glad and stant upright,
Where as the lawe is resonable,
The comun people stant meváble,
And if the lawé torne amis,
The people also mistornéd is.

"And in ensample of this matere
Of Maximin a man may here,
Of Romé which was emperoúr,
That whan he made a governoúr
By wey of substitución
Of province or of región,
He woldé first enquire his name
And lete it openly proclame
What man he were, or evil or good.
And upon that his namé stood
Enclined to vertue or to vice,
So wolde he set him in office,
Or ellés put him all awey.
Thus held the lawe his righté wey,
Which found no let of covetise.
The world stood than upon the wise,
As by ensample thou might rede
And holde it in thy minde I rede.

In a cronique I findé thus, How that Gaiús Fabriciús, Which whilom was consúl of Rome By whom the lawés yede and come, Whan the Sampnités to him brought A somme of gold and him besought To don hem favour in the lawe, Toward the gold he gan him drawe Wherof in allé mennés loke A part up in his honde he toke,

Which to his mouth in allé haste

He put it for to smelle and taste
And to his eye and to his ere,
But he ne found no comfort there.
And than he gan it to despise
And tolde unto hem in this wise:
'I not what is with gold to
thrive,

Whan none of all my wittés five
Find favour ne delite therinne.

So is it but a nice sinne
Of gold to ben to covetous.
But he is riche and glorious
Which hath in his subjectión
Tho men which in possessión
Ben riche of gold, and by this skill,
For he may all day whan he will
Or be hem lefe or be hem lothe
Justícé done upon hem bothe.'

"Lo, thus he said. And with

that worde

He threw to-fore hem on the borde
The gold out of his honde anone,
And said hem, that he woldé none.
So that he kept his liberté
To do justíce and equité,
Withouté lucre of such richesse.
There ben now fewe of suche I gesse.
For it was thilké timés used,
That every jugé was refused
Which was nought frend to comun
right,

But they that wolden stonde upright
For trouthe only to do justíce
Preferred were in thilke office
To deme and jugé comun lawe,
Which now men sain is all with-
drawe.

"To sette a lawe and kepe it
nought

There is no comune profit sought. But above allé nethéles

The lawé which is made for pees

Is good to kepé for the best,
For that set allé men in rest.

The rightful emperoúr Conráde To kepé pees such lawé made That none withinné the cité In destorbaúnce of unité Durst onés meven a matere. For in his time as thou might here, What point that was for lawé set It shuldé for no good be let1 To what personé that it were. And this brought in the comun fere Why every man the lawé dradde, For there was none which favour hadde.

So as these oldé bokés sain,
I findé write, how a Romain,
Which consul was of the pretoire,
Whose name was Carmidotoire,
He set a lawé for the pees
That none, but he be wepenles,
Shall come into the counseil hous,
And ellés as malicious

He shal ben of the lawé dede.
To that statute, and to that rede
Accorden alle, it shall be so,
For certein causé which was tho.
Now list, what fell therafter sonc.
This consul haddé for to done
And was into the feldés ride.
And they him haddé longe abide,
That lordés of the counseil were,
And for him sende, and he cam there
With swerd begert, and hath foryete
Till he was in the counseil sete.
Was none of hem that made speche
Till he him self it wolde seche,
And founde out the default him selve.
And than he saide unto the twelve
Which of the Senate weren wise:
'I have deserved the juíse
In hasté that it were do.'
And they him saiden allé no,
For well they wist it was no vice,
Whan he ne thoughté no malice

1 For no good be let, be stayed or no money consideration.

But onlich of a litel slouth.
And thus they leften as for routh
To do justíce upon his gilte,

For that he shuldé nought be spilte.
And whan he sigh the maner how
They wolde him save, he made a vow
With manful herte, and thus he
saide,

That Romé shuldé never abraide
His heires whan he were of dawe1
That her auncéstre brake the lawe.
Forthý er that they weren ware,
Forthwith the samé swerde he bare
The statute of his lawé kepte,
So that all Rome his dethe bewepte.

"In other place also I rede, Where that a juge his owné dede He wol nought venge of lawé broke, The king it hath him selven wroke. The greté king, which Cámbisés Was hote, a jugé lawéles

He found, and into rémembraúnce
He did upon him such vengeaúnce:
Out of his skin he was beflain
All quick, and in that wisé slain,
So that his skin was shape all mete
And nailed on the samé sete,
Where that his soné shuldé sitte:
Avise him if he woldé flitte
The lawé for the covetise,
There sigh he redy his juíse.
"Thus in defalte of other juge
The king mote otherwhilé juge
To holden up the righté lawe.
And for to speke of tholdé dawe
To take ensample of that was tho,
I finde a talé write also,

How that a worthy prince is holde
The lawés of his londe to holde,
First for the highé Goddes sake
And eke for that him is betake
The people for to guide and lede,
Which is the charge of his kinghede.

1 Whan he were of dawe, when his days were ended.

"In a cronique I redé thus Of the rightfull Ligurgiús, Which of Athénés princé was, How he the lawe in every cas Wherof he shulde his people reule, Hath set upon so good a reule In all this world that cité none Of lawé was so well begone; Forth with the trouthe of gover

naunce

There was among hem no distaunce,
But every man hath his encrees;
There was withouté werré pees,
Without envíe lové stood;
Richesse upon the comune good
And nought upon the singuler
Ordeinéd was; and the power
Of hem that weren in estate,
Was sauf; wherof upon debate
There stood no thing, so that in

reste

Might every man his herté reste.
"And whan this noble rightfull
king,

Sigh how it ferde of all this thing
Wherof the people stood in ese,
He which for ever woldé plese
The highé God whose thank he
sought,

A wonder thing than he bethought
And shope, if that it mighté be,
How that his lawe in the cité
Might afterward for ever laste.
And therupon his wit he caste,
What thing him weré best to feigne,
That he his purpose might atteigne.
A parlément and thus he set
His wisdom where that he beset
In audience of great and smale,
And in this wise he tolde his tale:

'God wote, and so ye woten aile,
Here afterward how so it falle,
Yet into now my will hath be
To do justíce and equité
In forthring of común profíte,