[§ 2. ON A KING'S KEEPING HIS CORONATION OATHS; AND ON TRUTH AND CAUTIOUS SPEECH.]
(314)
¶ Tho othës that at your creacïoun
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Shul thurgh your tongë [Shuly . . tong H, Shall . . tonge R.] passe, hem wel obserue;
Lat no colóurëd excusacïoun
Yow makë fro hem slippe aside or swerue;
Holde vp hir lyf, [hede R.] lat hem nat in yow sterue;
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It is nat knyghtly [knygly H, knyghtly R.] from an oth to varie;
A kyng of trouth, oweth bene exemplarie.
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(315)
¶ Lo! thus this Aristotle in his book seith
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To Alisandre, and to be war hym bit,
That he ne breke his bondës ne his feith,
ffor vn-to folke vntrewë longith it;
He seith þat gracë nat in hym abit,
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But wikked ende and cursid áuenture
Hym folowith, that forswere [to forswere R.] hym hath no cure.
(316)
¶ By [By the H R.] feith, is maad the congregacïoun
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Of peple, and of citès enhabitynge;
By feith, han kyngës dominacïoun;
ffeith causith eek of men þe comunynge;
Castelx, by feith, dreden non ássailynge,
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By feith, þe Citees standen vnwerréyed,
And kyngës of hir sogetȝ ben obeyed.
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(317)
¶ Who leeseth feith, gretter thyng may non leese.
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Or a man speke, or bynde hym by his sel,
And hath his ful libérte, and may cheese
What he do schal, hym oghte auyse hym wel
Or he promette; and [and R, om. H.] heetë naght a deel [folio 39a]
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By word ne bond, but if he wole it laste;
ffor who so dooth, schal smerten at þe laste.
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