[Here begynneth the table of a book entytled the book of good maners.]

¶How prynces ought not to be couetous ne anarycious ¶capytulo iij

THe prynce ought to be the hede the whyche ought to adresse alle the membres. and not to coueyte the goo∣des of hys subgettys. and ther is no thyng, in the worlde to a prynce so couenable as is lyberalyte / By whyche he may gete hym frendes And conquere. Lyke as the wyse man say∣th in hys prouerbes the xix chapytre / And to thys pur∣poos recoūteth. Polycrate yn hys iij boke the xxiiij chapytre

how Tytus was right lyberal / And therfore he was moche byloued. And certaynly he was moche sorowful that day / that he had no thynge gyuen. And sayd that a prynce ought to reffuse noo demauude. when he may resonably do it / for as boece sayth in his fyrst book of consolacion the v chapytre. lar∣gesse maketh the prynces noble. And therfore sayth seneque in his book of oultrageous couetyse. and repreueth the kynge Antygonus by cause he was couetous. and veryly whan one demaunded of hym ony yefte. he wold not graunte it. & excu∣sed hym in sayeng that it was oultragyously demaūded. And whan one demaūded of hym a lytel yefte / he reffused it also in sayeug / that it apperteyned not to a kynge to gyue so lytel a yefte. and by this moyen he gaf no thynge And therfor his fle¦lycyte was not grete. But al coutrarye dyd kyng Alexander of whome recoūteth seneke in his fyrst book of benefyces / how he gaf a cyte to one whyche demaunded of hym almesse / For he sayth that a grete lord in gyuyng ought to consydere. what and to whome. and wherfor he gyueth in especial yf the yefte be grete. For otherwyse it is not lyberalyte / but prodigalite whyche is as moche to say / as folysshe and oultrageous dys∣pence. And therfore sayth Tullius in his fyrst book of offy∣ces the xvij chapytre that largesse ought to be doon ordynatly and resonably and not by auauntrye or vayne glorye / for af∣ter suche largesses. a man bycometh comynly rauynous for to haue power to mayntene hys folyssh largesse accustomed / Trouthe it is that moche peple faylle more by couetyse than they doo by fole largesse. And alleway there is noo thynge so euyl syttyng to a prynce. as is couetyse. For the other vy••••s gryeue not so moche the people and the subgettes. as thaua∣ryce of a prynce / the whiche ought to be as the stomak whyche dystributeth the mete that it receyueth to alle the membres & reteyneth no thynge to it self. but onely the nourysshyng. And whan it dooth otherwyse that is to wete whau it retry¦neth the mete abouē his necessyte. thēne it bycometh sekelew

and maladyous by replection. & bryngeth a man in to a drop¦sye. & thenne the stomak swelleth. & alle the membres wexen feble and of noo power. & alle the euyl cometh by cause that it dystributeth not the mete that it had receyued. Semblably is it of a couetous prynce / the whyche maketh the contreye to p••rysshe / and the membres to come to nought. whan he dystre¦buteth not the goodes. the which he hath receyued to them that ben in suffraunce or necessyte / & to this purpoos we rede how the romayns were gretely lyberal & large. wherfore they becam grete. & moche puyssaūt. of whome recounteth Valere in hys v book the fyrst chapytre. how they of Cartage sente to the Ro¦mayns. grete fynaūce for the rechate of sōme prysōners that they helde. Thēne the romayns delyuerd the prysonners. and reffuseden theyr fynaunces. for it is more fayr & noble to yeue than to receyue. and by cause therof. They of Cartage gauen good renommee and fame to the romayns thurgh out all th•• world. Semblably valere in hys vj book recyteth how Alex∣ander reffused the yeftes of Darius the whiche offred to hym an hondred. M. marc of gold with that he wold take hys doughter in maryage. And thenne one of his seruauntes na∣med promenon said to alexander. that the fynaūce were good to be receyued. To whome Alexander ansuerd. that it is more worth to be gouerned by fraunchyse than by couetyse / but the tyme is now comen that many prynces ben gretely couetous and the couetous prynces resemblen to Castor the which des¦troyed a man vtterly all / whan he toke warre agaynst hym / as Solinus sayth in his iij book the xxxv chapytre. Sem∣blably don they that destroye theyr subgettis by tyrannye / the whiche shal be semblably pugnysshed of god. for as Iob sayth in his xxxv chapytre. Acursed be they the whyche by Auaryce assemblen grete tresours by euyl getyng / For the tyme sha••l come that god shal enhaunce the poure people. And the Ty∣raūtes shal haue ynough to do to curse the tyme that euer the•• gate tresours. & to this purpoos recounteth Peter Damya••

how saynt Andrew & saynt gregory gauen grete afflictiou to •• knyght whiche had taken away from a poure wydowe a partye of hyr good & catayll. For as the wyse man sayth in ecclesiastique in his xxiij chapytre. he that maketh to god sa∣••efyse of the substaunce of the poure folke / resembleth & is lyke v hym that sleeth the sone to fore the fader. And I haue moche neruaylle why one man destroyeth another seen that the bees∣rs of one condycion and of one lykenes eteth not the one that other / lyke as Aristotle sayth in his vj book of beestes. & that more is beestis ben ouer the men pyetous. and to this purpoos we rede in thystoryes of the romayns how ij wulues nourys∣sheden a chylde named Remus. the whyche was gyuen to the beestis for to deuoure / But after he was kynge & foundour of Rome / by the more stronge reason a man onght to be pyetous of his semblable. ¶And the prynce ought not to deserte hys subgettes / but ought to take example of Thiberius. of whom we rede in the cronycles. how his offyciers counceylled hym that he shold ordeyne subsydies & trybutes vpon his peple. the whiche ansuerd a good shepherde ought not to deuoure hys sheep. but to nourysshe and to kepe them.