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

Here folwyth Ensamplis of olde stories to Prow the forsayde lasson Sothe.

Capitulum. iijm.

IN olde tyme in kyngis ther was wondyrful reddure of ryght to kepe wel the lawys, wherof tellyth the wyse clerke Valery, that kynge ȝalente stabelid many good lawis in his Cite of locre. Of the whych this was oone, "That who so euer were atteyntid of Spowse-brige, he sholde lesse both his eighyn." Aftyr hit be-felle his owyn Sone to be founde in the Same Syne, and al the Cite atte the [folio 31] Honour and reuerence of the fadyr, to the Sone relessid the Payne of the eighyn, [eughyn, MS.] But the kynge ne wolde nat Suffyr by his will. They of the Cite so Entierly praid and bosoght the kynge, that he grauntid oone of his Sones eghyne to be Sawid, But for-why he wolde not his law breke, Fryst he makyd his owyn eigh to be out-rasit, and Sethyn oone of his Sonnes, And So he mayntenyd his lawe, and relessit the duresse of the laue. So that wondyrfull euenys hym departid betwen the Pite of the fadyr, And the ryghfulnesse of the good Iuge. By this apperid wel, that by law he Iugid al otheres ryghtfully, that wold not spare his Sone. Of force of Powere hit apperid also, and hit is to witte, Force of Power is noght aftyr the nombre of pepill, but aftyr the myght of tham that in armes ben prouyd, and aftyr the good gouernance of the witti and wyse Prynce, wyth-out wyche nombre of pepil lytill is worth or noght. Of this We fyndyth i-write, that Xerses, kynge of Inde, that wolde batailli with the Pepil of grece, strongly gederid huge hostis of whych [folio 5bL] no man couth tell

the nombyr. Wherfor some of his men sayde that the Grecans wolde not abyde to hyr tythynges of the battalle, but fle at the fryste hyrynge of hit. Otheris sayde that the grecanys (or grekis, whych you semyth beste Englyshe) ne shold not be scomfite, forthy so few Pepill wolde not meld in battail, but a-noone thay wolde be al fallynge dovne, and take of the gastnys Of So grete an hoste. Otheris Sayde that hit was to drede that thay sholde fynde the Cite of grece woyde, that the kynge sholde not fynde werre that he myght werre, othyr his Pouere Show. Otheris sayd that vnneth wolde Suffice to ar kynges hoste the largenesse of al Grece in lond, See ne hyre, for he had So hugy a meney that the grece See was to streyte to hame, And that the Plente of his bachelerie was so grete that al the campany of the londe wolde not Suffice har tentes and Paueillons to Piche, And lasse to fyght, or any assaut to make, And that the eyre myght not receue the Plente of har arowes an dartis. So hugely on Such maner thay losyngid the kynge of Wayneglory of the force of his hoste, that this losyngeris makyd hym ouer-sette the wysse consaille of Damazate, the Prowid wyse clerke, That to hym sayde, "The flostrynge of the losengers that the Plesyn, thow sholdyst gretly drede, for soth hit is, that nothynge that is to mych may be aryght gouernyd, and that thynge that a man may not gouerne hit may noght endure. Nothynge Erthely is noght so grete, that hit ne may Peryshe and faill." And aftyr hit befell that al that this good Clerke Damazates sayde betyde the kynge. For that grete hoste, for defaute of ryght Purveyaunce and wyse gouernaunce, was ouercome and scomfite of few Pepil, ordaynly gouernyd. [folio 31b] But victori in battail Pryncipal is in god̛. [folio 6L] That Shewyth wel the deddis of the nobylle victorius Erle, Syr Iamys, yowre gravnde-Syre, whych in al his tyme lechury hatid: And ther-for god in al his tyme granted̛ hym mervellous victori vp his enemys wyth fewe Pepill, Namly vp the morthes, of whyche he slew huge Pepill in the red more of athy, a litil afore the Sone goynge downe, stondynge the Sone mervelosly still till the slaght was done; And no Pitte in that more lettynge hors ne man in al the slaght tyme. And sethyn, atte astoffy, As syr Edwarde Perrers the good knygh[t] can tell, how youre Same graunde Syre wyth few Pepill Arthure Macmurgℏo wyth myche pepill to scomfite sette, and many hundretis of his men slew. That fredome

helpyth gouernaille, hit apperid in this ensampill. hit befell kynge Alexandre in a tyme that oone of his knyghtis for his Service askyd of hym a reward. And he that full was of fredome, and nedy men gladly wold hyre, and more gladly wolde auaunce, yaue hym a Cite ryche and grete. Than sayd the knyght, "lorde, So grete a yefte longyth not to my pouere estate." To whom answerid Alexander, "I behote not what longyth to the to rescewe, but what semyth me to yeue:" For the whych fredome and many othyres, al men gladly kynge Alexander servid̛.