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

The prologe of him that translatid this book into latyne. Cam. iijm.

Philip, interpretour and vndirstondere of alle langagis. y haue knowe no stede, ne place, ne temple where philesofres haue customyd to make or vnmake alle werkis and secretis, that y ne haue sought hem. Ne y haue herd told of no wise mane þat had knowleche in scriptures of philesofris, that y ne haue visitid him vnto þe tyme y come to the knowleche of the [temple of the] sone that made Esculapideos: there y fond a man solitarie, fulle of gret abstinence and right wijs in philosofie, to whom y lowid me diligently, And bisought him that he wold shewe me the scriptures of the knowleche of the sone, the which he yaf me with good wille. And wite ye welle y fond alle that, that y desirid, and alle that y went fore to the forseid place, and alle that that y so moche desirid. I retornyd home with gret ioye,

and yeldid many gracis and worshipis to my makere. And sithen at the request of the nobille kyng Alexandre, in gret studie and moche laboure, y translatid this book, out of Greke into the langage of Caldee, and aftir into the tonge of Arabike, the which book made the right wijs Aristotille, that answerid euyr to alle the questiones of kyng Alexandre, as ye shalle se more pleynlier sewyng bi ordre.

[folio 3b] rIght glorious sone and emperoure rightwis, god comfort the in the wey of trouthe and of vertues, and refrayne the from flesshely and bestly desires, and conferme thi Rewme to his seruice and his worshipe. Wite welle, dere sone, that y haue rescevyd thyn epistille reuerently and honourably as it to me bilongith, and y haue fully vndirstond the gret desire that thou hast that y were personally with the; and thou merveylist þat y may holde me so long fro the, and also thou vndirtakist me gretly, and seist that me rekkith but litille of alle thi gret nede, and therfore y haue hastid me and ordeynyd me to make a book for the, the which shalle conteyne alle thi nedes, and it shalle fulfille myn absence and my defaut, and it shalle be rewle and doctrine ayens alle adversitees. But, dere sone, thou owist not repreue me ne put me in blame, for thou wost welle that ther is no thing that myght lette me to come to thee, but only as thou knowist welle that y may not bistere my silf, y am so gretly in age and febille of persone, not able to go ne to ride. And wite thou wel thou hast axid me, and so moch desirid to knowe of suche secretis, of whiche mannys thoughtis may not comprehende ne susteyne, how myght that eny hert of dedly man vndirstond that, þat longith not to be knowe. But euermore bi right y am holde to answere to that that thou axist of me. And so be thou holde bi wisdom neuyr to axe me thing othir þan is contenyd therin. ffor without dout thou shalt fynde þerin alle thing worldly that is nedfulle or spedfulle to thyn estate. ffor god hath yevene suche grace to thee of vndirstondyng and subtilite of witt, and bi the doctryne that y haue oft tymes yove thee, that bi thy silf thou maist conceyve, [folio 4a] vndirstonde, and wite alle thingis that thou desirist or axist. ffor the desire of the wille that thou hast shalle opene the the wey to fynde thi purpos, with the myght of god. And wite thou welle that the cause wherfore y shewe my secretes figuratifly & derkly, and bi derke ensamplis: It is for y dowte me, that if this book come vnto the

hondis of vntrewe men, and prowd, whiche were not worthi nor able forto knowe the secretis of god almyghti, for they are not worthi therto. And wite thou welle þat y putt me in gret dowte and indignacioun of god, forto shewe thee his secretis, as he of his excellent goodnes hath shewid hem to me. And therfore and thou discouere hem vnto eny at eny tyme, wite welle that sone aftir thou shalt haue y-nowe of yville fortunes, and þou shalt not eschewe the grete disesis that are hastily to come, fro the whiche god kepe the euermore, amen. And loke in alle thing that thou haue in mynde this profitabille techyng that y haue ordeynyd to the, and am in purpos forto expowne, and bi the leue of god thi nobille hert enforme, and þat shalle be to the gret solace and myrroure of helthe. It bihovith, dere sone, þat eche kyng haue two thingis to susteyne him and his Rewme, but he may not haue hem but he be stedfast in gouernaunce, so that alle tho that ben vndir his regne ben of oon obeyshaunce, and in on subieccioun of trewe ligeaunce vnto her liege kyng, for disobeyshaunce of subiectis is most enfleccioun and enfeblisshyng of euery lord. ffor if the subiectis regne, the lordis myght is litill or ellis nought, and y shalle shewe yow cause whi. The subiectis ben mevid in corage forto obeye her lord, and þat is for two causis; the on cause is within, the othir cause without. The cause without [folio 4b] is whene the lord wisely dispendith his goodis and his ricchessis among his subiectis, And that he yeue yeftis largely to euery man aftir that he is worthi: and this is a gret poynt of wisdome, forto enforce him silf to haue the hertis of his subiectis thorugh good werkis. and this is the first degre and principalle foundacioun of his prosperite. And that he mayntene rightwisnes and even iustice, as welle to poore as to riche, and that his rightwisnes be medlid with pite and mercy. The cause within is, that his philesofris and grete wisemen of clergie be had in worshipe and high recomendacioun: ffor god hath recomendid to hem a part of his high science. And y recomende to the this science and secrete of wisdome, forthwith the othir that thou shalt fynde in dyuerse partis of this book, in the whiche thou shalt fynde high doctryne, for thou shalt fynde the cause fynalle of thi principalle purpos. ffor whan thou hast vndirstond the sothe of the significacions of the wordis, and þe derknes of the examples, than shalt thou haue fully and perfitly alle that thou desirist. Thus pray y god,

rightwis and glorious kyng, that he enlumyne thi resoun and thyn vndirstondyng, so that thou may come and parceyve the secretis of this science, that thou may be therin myn heyr and myn only successoure, and that graunt the god, that his ricchesse enlargisshith and habundauntly yefith vnto lijf of wys men; And yefith grace to do [to those] þat stodien forto knowe that is straunge and hard in kynde, for without specialle grace of god no thing may be doone vnto any good purpos.