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

Cap. 1. [Of aforspekynge of louynge of Aristotel.]

[folio 3a] God almyȝty kepe oure kynge to ioye of his ligeys, and make fast his kyngdome to defende þe lawe of god, and make hym dwellynge to enhye þe worschipe & louynge of gode men. I ȝoure seruant to þe comandement þat ȝe enioynyd me haues put myn entent to enserche þe book of maners of gouernance of lordschipes, þat is sayd preuyteȝ of preuyteȝ or consaiƚƚ of consailles, þe whilke þe Prynce of Philosophers Aristotel, þe sone of Nichomake of Macidoyne, made and wrate to his disciple þe greete Emperour Alexander, þe sone of Phelippe kynge of grece, þe whilke Alexander two hornes ys sayde to haue had. Þys book mad Aristotel yn his elde, & in his wayknesse of bodely vertueȝ þat he mygℏt nougℏt goo, no to vse & gefe entent to þe kynges nedes; ffor Alexander had mad him cheefe gouernour of his londes, and set him byfore oþer als hym þat he had chosen & mekyl louyd, ffor he was a man of greet conseyle & letterure, & of persand vndirstandynge, and yn trew stody wakand, and yn gracious maners & spiritualy conynges, and yn charitables contemplacions descreet and meke; wharfore many of þe philosophers hold hym als of þe nombre of prophetes, And men fyndes wretyn yn old writynge of Gregeis þat souerayn god sent his Angel to hym sayand, "I saƚƚ name þe bettir Angel þan man." Many ar þe takenyngys of hym and greet meruailles & straunge wirkynges þat longe wer to me by ordre to telle. Bot of his dede er diuers oppynyons, for oon sect þat er namyd ypatetiks affermes þat he steigℏ to þe emperien heuene yn þe semynge of fir. Als longe als he leuyd was Alexander valiant by kepynge of his hale counseil, folowand his biddyngys; and for þat he conquerd Citeeȝ, and hadde victory of aƚƚ kyngdomes, and of aƚƚ þe world he oon hadde chefe gouernaunce, Whare fore þe name of his renoun̛ spredde hym þourgℏ alle londys of þe ffoure partyes of þe world, so þat alle naciouns putte hem vndir his empir and

comandementȝ, Arabies & Perseis, so þat no man ne dorste in sawe no yn dede aȝeyn-stond his lordschipe. He made many morales epistels to Aristotel [folio 3b] of greet delyt to haue his secree fynal, of þe whilke þys ys oon part. Alexander sente to his techere Aristotel whanne he hadde ouer-comen þe Perseis in þys ffourme.

Cap. 2. [Of a Epistyl fro Alexander to Aristotel.]

"O Noble doctour, gouernour of rigℏt, y do to vnderstonde to ȝoure conynge þat y haue foundyn yn þe lond of Perse a ffolk þat is abundand of resoun and of persand vnderstondynge, & þay stody to haue lordschipe of oþer, whar-fore we purpos to slaa þam alle; þat þat semys to ȝow yn þys matere ȝe sende vs by ȝoure letters."

Cap. 3. [The answer of the same.]

And Aristotel answerd yn þis manere. "If þou may chaunge þe eir and þe watir of þat lond, and also þe ordinanceȝ of Citeeȝ, do þy purpos, and elleys gouerne hem wytℏ goodnesse, And vnderstonde hem wytℏ debonertee, and yf þou so doo, be þou seker with þe helpe of god þay aƚƚ shaƚƚ be subgitȝ to þy likynges & biddynges, and be loue þou shaƚƚ reigne vp-on hem pesabely witℏ victorye." Þis Epistel ressayued, Alexander did after his consaiƚƚ & þey of Perse were most obeisaunt to hym of alle Naciouns.

Cap. 4. [Of aforspekynge of þe translatour of þis booke.]

Howe this Book was ffirst ffounden.

Iohan þat translatyd þis book Patrik sone ful wys, & leel enterpretour of langages sayd, "I haue nogℏt left vnsogℏt no stede no temple whare Philosophers vsyd to wryte & þaire pryue wirkynges to make, no no wys man þat y trowd þat vnderstood þe wrytynge of Philosophie, þat y ne sogℏt hym, to þe tyme þat y cam to þe Oracle of þe sone þat Esculapides mad for hym, where y fand oon solitarye man abstinente ful wys of Philosophie, and of greet conynge, to whom y mekyd me, and yn als mekel as y coude I seruyd and ful deuoutly y requerd hym þat he wolde shewe me þe secreteȝ wretyn yn þat oracle; and he will-and did hyt, And omonge oþer doynges þe werke desird I ffand þere, and greet trauaylle and longe tyme [folio 4a] I trauayled and

hadde hit; & witℏ ioye y wente hoome ȝeldand to oure creatour gret þankynges in many maneres; And at þe requeste of oon worthy kyng y trauaillyd, studyd, and translatyd hit out of þe langage of grew yn to Calden & out Calden to þe langage of arabye; And yn þe bigyunyge y fand þis book of wys Aristotyl, and translatyd hit; In the whilke book he answers to þe request of Alexander yn þys fourme.

Cap. 5. Þe Epistle of Aristotel to Alexander.

sOune most glorious, most rigℏtful Emperour, god make þe fast in way of knowynge and felynge of þreutℏ & vertues, & restreyn yn þe bestials apetites, & þi wyte ligℏten to his seruice and his worschipe, I haue ressayuid to worschipe þat fallys þerto, And fully y haue vnderstonde how greet desir & ȝe haue of my persone þat y were with ȝow; ȝe meruaille how y may absteyne me fro ȝow, And chalangys me þat y haue no þougℏt of ȝoure besynes, wharefore y haue besyed me & hastyd me for þat cause to make a wrytynge to ȝowre heigℏnes, & it shal be a balaunce to aƚƚ ȝoure werkys dressand rigℏt myn absence fulfilland, And it shal be a certeyn reule to ȝow to what ȝe wille as y sholde shewe ȝow if y were present with ȝow; ȝe sholde nogℏt haue chalangid me sithen ȝe woot and sholde wete, þat I leue nogℏt to to come to ȝoure most cleer worschippynge for dispyt, But þat heuynesse of age and feblenesse of body hauys so vmbylappyd me, þat þey make me heuy and nogℏt able to goo; And ouer þat þat ȝe equere and coueytis to wete, it is swilk a secre þat vnnethis mannys brest may it vnderstonde, how may it þanne be wrete in dedly skyns? To þat þat fallis to ȝow to enquere, and ys leful to me to trete me byhoues and of dette ys holden to answere, Als ȝe of dette of discrecioun is [folio 4b] ys holdyn to enquere no more of me of þis secret þan y deliuere ȝow yn þis book, ffor yf ȝe besely study it, rede hit, and fully vnderstond vt þat is content þer ynne, I trowe with outen doute þat non obstacle shal be by twen ȝow and þat þat ȝe desire, ffor god hauys geuyn to þe so mekyl grace of vnderstondynge and rigℏtful wyt in letterure of sciences be my techinge byfore tagℏt þat by oure seluyn ȝe mowe comprend & by fygurs vnderstonde aƚƚ þat ȝe aske to be tagℏt of, ffor þe desir of ȝoure brynnand wyl shal opyn a way to gete ȝoure purpos, & shaƚƚ lede ȝow to þe ende desiryd by þe graunt of oure lord.

Þe cause ys þat y wiƚƚ shewe to ȝow þis secree by liknes spekand to ȝow by ensamples, signifiances, and tokenynges; ffor y doute mekyl þat þis book come nougℏt to þe hondes of vntrew men and ynto power of proude men, And so shulde þis laste good and secree of lordschipes to swilk come þat souereyn god iugys vnworthi & enemys, And so y shulde be a trespasour to goddys grace, and breker of heuenly secree & of þe pryue shewynge. And þarefore vndir coniurisoun of goddis Iugement y haue discouerd to ȝow þis sacrament after þe manere þat it ys shewyd to me, And wete wel þat he þat secreetȝ discouers & shewys preuyteȝ, myshappe shal sone sewe him, wherfore ȝif ȝe do it þe same comynges ȝe [folio 5a] shal lightly ryn in. But god fro aƚƚ euelys, and swilke wirkes, & fro aƚƚ vnhoneste by his mercy kepe ȝow, And after aƚƚ swylke oþer þinges brynge to ȝoure mynde þat sauand techinge þat y ofte sithes was wont to shewe to ȝow, and ȝoure noble saule to enfourme, and þat shal be ȝoure solas and mirrour of hele.

[This is not a separate chapter in the Latin] Sustentement of kynges.

It most nede be of force þat ilk a kyng haue two helpes to susteyn his kyngdome, þe oon ys strengℏt of men to defende him and make his kyngdome stalworth, and þat may he nogℏt but whenne he is gouernour in rigℏt and lord yn his subgitȝ, and þat his subgitȝ of oon accord obeisse hem to his lordschipe. As for inobedience of subgitȝ is þe mygℏt of lord put vndir and mad feble, & subgetȝ regnys, I haue shewyd cause þat subgitȝ sholde be steryd to þaire lord to be obeisaunt, þe cause ys double, on ynward a-noþer outward; þe outward y haue declared before, þat ys to say þat þou despend þy good and Rychesse wysly, & make þy largesse after þe desert of ilk oon. And it byhoues þat kynges haue a-noþer queyntise, but þerof y shal make mencioun after yn þe chapitre of riches & helpes; þe seconde þinge is to drawe þe wil of his subgitȝ to wirkynge, and þat awe to go before yn þe firste degree, And þe seconde helpe awe to haue two causes, oon ynward and a-noþer, outward, and þat ynward ys þat kynges awe helde and do rigℏt of poscessiouns, riches & purches þat rigℏt heir be maad þerof, and trewe successours. [This paragraph follows in the MS. after 'lord,' on p. 49.] A cause ys foreyn þat ys to say sparand þe riches of subgitȝ.

And þe inward cause ys þe secree of olde Philosopheres and of rigℏtful men þat glorious god before chose and his knowynge gaf hem, And if y gif ȝow þis secree with oþer þinges þat ȝe shaƚƚ fynde yn dyuers titles of þis book yn þe whilk ȝe shal fynde greet Philosophie and conynge, ffor with Inne ys foundyn þe fynal cause of ȝoure entent and ȝoure purpos, principal & fynal, when ȝe haue fully þe vnderstondynges of þe sentences, and of þe ensamples, þanne shal ȝe pursewe fully & perfitely ȝoure purpos desiryd. God þat ys most wys & glorious, he ligℏt ȝoure resoun, and make cleer ȝoure vnderstondynge to persayue þe sacrament of þis science þat ȝe mowe se þer in. Þe toþer ys þat he make his riches to abounde largely in the soules of wyse men, & gif graces to vnderstondantȝ & studiauntȝ, to whom no þinge ys inpossible, and with oute whom no possessioun is possible.