Three prose versions of the Secreta Secretorum / edited with an introduction and notes by Robert Steele and a glossary by T. Henderson

Of the Pite and mercy that a Prynce sholde haue. Capitulum xxxijm.

hItte is to witte that thegh mekenys is necessary to al men, hnamely hit is in Prynces. Therof hit is to witte that god̛ [folio 51] ordeynet the fryste Prynce of His Pepill, Moysen the whyche was Hardy, a ful meke man abow al men that in Erthe wonned. In Matheu is gospel written, Ecce rex tuus venit tibi mansuetus, et lex eius vocabitur lex clemencie, that Is to Say, "See thy kynge comyth to the meke, and his law is callid the lawe of mekenesse." The lattyst boke of prouerbis Sayth, that in tokyn̄ of mekenes, crystyne kynges and prelatis of holy churche byth ennoyntid. Seneca sayth, Nullum ex omnibus clemencia magis quam regem aut Pryncipem decet, that is to say, "No man of the Pepill mekenesse makyth faire othyr Semely, more than a kynge or a Prynce." For mekenesse is the Seuerance and

the difference betwene a kynge and tyraunt. And hit is to witte that the vertue of mekenesse kepyth the mene betwene Sparynge and vengeaunce, ffor Seneca Sayth, Tam omnibus ignoscere crudelitas est, quam nulli, Medium tenere debemus, that is to Say, "Hit Is cruwelte als welle to foryewen al men, as no man, therfor we sholde holde the mene wey." He that is a gouernoure in tymes he shall Spare, and in tymes vengeaunse take. The vertue of Temporaunce, namely in a Prynce appartenyth to mekenesse, in vengeaunce-takynge of the wrongis that byth y-do to hym-Selfe. For lyke as hit be-fallyth not to a manful man to be liberall of anothyr manes goode, but forto be lyberall of his owyn̄, So Is the Prynce y-callid [folio 40L] meke, noght in his Pepill lost-is for-yewynge, but in his owyn noght goynge owte of the vertue of Temporaunce. And therfor grete honoure, glorie, and Perpetuel virchippe, is to the Prynce, namely in redressynge by force of Pouer and lawe, the wronges that ben done to the comyn Pepill and his subiectes, by enemys, thewis, And othyr extorcioners. That a prynce sholde be Paciente and meke, Seneca Puttyth oon̄e ensampill and tellyth, that the bee is a Passynge wrathfull beste and full of fyght, and for vengeaunce they lewyth thar Styngill in the wonde, but the kynge of bees Is wythout a styngill. this is a kyndely nobelesse of the vnreysonabill creature, yewynge essampill to al prynces and gouernores of the Pepill. Anothyr ensampill I fynde writte of the lyon, that thegh a man haue hym Sore hurte, and than he that hym hurte falle doun to the Erthe, as he wolde cry hym mercy, he wil hym not dyssayse in nothynge. Therfor Iulyus Cesar for-yawe lyghtely nothynge Saue the wronges that men did hym̄ and yf any man hym myssayde, he hym answerid neuer, nethyr Vengeanse therof toke. We redyth of thys Emperoure that a man by ewill will hym callid, "Tyraunt"; and he answerid, "yf y were a tyraunte, thow sholdyst Say no more so;" and Sothe hit was, for he myght haue hym Slayn̄e. The emperoure Teodosie makyd a statute and Sayde, "If any man myssay oure names, we wil not that therfor he be Punysshid; ffor yf that come of lyghtnesse, hit is to dyspise; and yf hit come of wodnesse, a man sholde therof Pite haue; And yf hit cvme of malice, hit is to be foryeue." Seneca the good clerke tellyth, that the Citeseynes [folio 51b] of athene Sende messagers to Philippe Kynge of Macedone. Whan thay hadd

done har message the kynge to ham Sayde bemurely, "Telle me ye whate thynge is, that y may done Plesynge the lordys that yow to me sende"? They to hym̄ sayde, and speciali oone of them that was callid Tymokares, "If ye wolde make your-Selfe an-honged bene, hit wolde gretly ham plese." whan [folio 40bL] the kynges knyghtes hardyn that, anoone thay wolde hym haue hewyn̄ in Smale Peces, ne hadd the kynge hym defendid. "lete of," he sayde, "no man be So hardy to do hym̄ any harme." Than Sayde he to the messagere, "go thow to thy lordes that hedyr the Sende, and Sai tham in my be-halfe, that thay bene more Prowte, and lasse ben to Prayse, tho that Suche message Sende, than thay that the message herde and no vengeaunce toke." The Vise Poete Caton Sayth, Vtilius regno, meritis adquirere amicos, that is to say, "More profitable thynge is than a kyngedome, by good deservynge frendis to gette." But So did not Dermot Mcmurgℏ, Prynce of leynystere, whych is the ve parte of Irlande, For a gret Clerke, Richard Cambrensis that makyd the Story of the conqueste by kynge Henry the Seconde in Irland, tellyth that this Dermot in the begynnyge of his regnacioune, he was an oppressoure and an extorcionere of vertues men, and a crowel Tyraunt ontollerabill, vpon the grete lordis of his londe. Anothyr myschefe hym befell, O'rooryckes wyfe, kynge of Mythe, by hyr owyn̄ assente, in abscence of hyr lorde, he rauysshed. And for-why that, for the more Partie al myschefe, witnessynge olde stories many, and newe also, the wiche by women began. This kynge O'rorike, mor for shame than for the hurte heyly grewid, wox al venomowsly wrothe. And therfor he gaderid many strangeris, that is to say, Rourike of Connaght, that tyme kynge of Irlande, whyth his Pepill and his owyn, A-vengid to ben̄e. Than the grete lordis of laynyster, Seynge har Prynce i-Putte to myschefe, and in euery Partie vmbesegid wyth enemys, olde wronges that he hadd done ham thay rehersid; thay rose al atte onys wyth his enemys, And So fortvne and his Pepill hym lefte atte ones. Than this Prynce Dermot, Seynge hym-Selfe on euery Side besieget, wythout helpe and fououre, and hugely ouersette with enemys, aftyr many Sore battaillis, to the laste remedy, he flow ouer the See into Normandy in the parties of Fraunce, to kynge henry the Seconde aforsayde, and hym besely besoght of Socoure. He was [folio 41L] wirchiphully rescewid of the kynge, and hym his gouernaunce

tolde. Whan the kynge hadd herde the cause of his comynge, he rescewid of hym the bonde of Subieccioun, and fewtee, and hym toke his letteris of bienvoillaunce wher-by he broght Pouer of Englyssℏ-men, Normanes, and Walschemen into laynystere, the whyche wyth that othyr fowre Parties of the londe by the Same kynge henry was for the more Partie I-conquerid. Thus did this Prynce Dermot hym̄-Selfe and al othyr Prynces of his Nacion̄ in lond for euer encombre by oppressyon̄. [folio 52] And therfor Hit Is more Sure to euery Prynce to comaunde His Pepill well willynge to hym, than ewill willynge. this felit Nero and Damaciane, Emperoures of Rome; And so filit kynge Richard the Seconde and many mo afor and Sethyn̄. This Clerke Cambrens tellyth in the Same story, Expedit subiectis Principi cuilibet pocius amari quam timeri, that Is to Say, "Hit Is Spedful to euery Prynce radyr to be ylowid, than to be dreddid," of his subiectes, And hit is Spedphull to be y-dreddyd, So that of loue radyr than of correccion̄ that drede confortyth. For whate-euer man is y-lowid, hit semyth that he is dreddid. But euery Extorcioner Is hatid of the commyn Pepill, and he that hatid Is of the commyn Pepill, he shal be vnsocowrid whan he moste nede hath, lyke as Dermot the Prince was. I fynde In a Sermonde writte, that an extorcionere is wors than the deuyll. For the deuyll takyth in prei and turmentyth but corsyd men, And the extorcioner rubbyth and Preyeth good men and trew; And therfor the Deuil may Iustifye hym in rewarde of extorcioner, For the Deuyl may Say to god, "I haue turmentid oonly tho men that the haue hatid, but this extorcionere hath turmentid tho men that the lowid." And So we may vndyrstonde that an extorcioner Is the deuyll-is angill, for thay ben sende Into this worlde to do ther that thynge the wyche the deuyll doth in helle, that Is to Say, to do turmentrie.

But for-alsmoche, gracious lorde, as I haue now her towchid of the conquest of Irland, I shall now declare yow in Partie as y fynde in croncles written, many titles of oure [folio 41bL] lege lorde the kynge of Englandes ryght to this land of Irland, agaynes t[h]e errourse and haynouse Irysℏmenes oppynyones, saynge that thay haue bettyr ryght.