The garden of wysdom wherin ye maye gather moste pleasaunt flowres, that is to say, proper wytty and quycke sayenges of princes, philosophers, and dyuers other sortes of men. Drawen forth of good authours, as well Grekes as Latyns, by Richard Tauerner.

¶ Philip kynge of Macedonie.

PHilip kynge of Macedonie, fa∣ther to Alexander the greate, a manne of no small wytte, and a greate conquerour, When on a tyme he had purposed to take a stronge ca∣stle and holde, and his espyes hadde shewed hym that it was very hard for hym to brynge to passe, yea and impos syble: He asked them whether it were so harde, that an asse laden with golde myght not come vnto it. Meanynge that there is nothynge so stronge, but with golde it maye be wonne.

There were some of his foreyn sub giettes whom he hadde founde not ve ry trustie, which complayned and toke the matier heuely, that his seruaūtes called them traytours. To whom Phi lip made this answere. Truly my coū trye men the Macedonians be very homly men and rudely brought vppe, whiche can call a mattok nothyng els but a mattoke, and a spade a spade.

Meanyng that in very dede they were traytours. Uplandyshe and homely persons can not qualifie, but call eue∣ry thyng by the proper name.

He counsayled his son Alexander, that such as were of any authoryte in the common weale, as well the good as the euyll, he shuld make them his fren des, and that he shulde vse the good, and abuse the euyll. Certes, the chiefe feate of kynges is to reiecte none, but to applye all mens seruyces to the co∣mon profyte.

Sinicythus accused Nicanor to y^e kynge, that without ende he contynu∣ed raylynge vpon hym, when the kyn∣ges frendes moued hym to sende for the felowe, and to punyshe hym in ex∣ample of other, Philyp thus aunswe∣red: Nicanor is not the worste of the Macedonians. It is good therfore to se, whether we haue done our dutye in all thynges or not. So when he had

serched out, that Nicanor was great∣ly impouerished, and yet not rewarded for the seruyce he had done hym in ty∣mes past, he cōmaūded a certayn gyft to be borne hym home. This done, when agayne Smicythus enformed the kynge, that Nicanor now without ceasynge praysed hym aboue all mea∣sure, ye se therfore, {quod} the kynge, that it lyeth in vs to be well spoken of, or euyll spoken of.

He oftentymes exhorted his sonne Alexandre to gyue good eare to Ari∣stotle his scholemayster, & to employe hym selfe to lernynge and wysdome, lest, {quod} he, thou myghtest chaunce to do many thynges, which that I haue done, nowe repenteth me. The noble prynce perceyued, that no man with∣oute lernynge is mete to gouerne a realme, and he was not ashamed to confesse, that through errour he dyd many thynges a mysse, bycause from

his chyldhode he was not ryghtly in∣structed with lernynge.

Syttynge in iugement he had the hearyng of one Machetas mater, but beyng somwhat heuie of slepe, he was not very attentyfe to the equitie of the lawe, and so gaue sentence agaynste Macheta. But when Macheta cryed out and sayde, I appele from this iu∣gemēt. The kynge angerly (for it was straunge to appeale frome a kynge) sayde, to whom doest thou appeale? Truly {quod} Macheta, euen vnto thy self o kyng, yf thou wolt awake and heare the matter more attentifly. Then the kynge arose, and after he had wayed better with hym selfe the matter, and vnderstode that Macheta had wrong, the iugemente whiche was gyuen he wolde not reuerse, but the money that Macheta was condempned in, he hym selfe payed.

When on a tyme he was at debate

with his wyfe and with his son, a cer∣tayne Corynthiane came vnto hym, whom he asked how the Grekes agre∣ed togyther. In dede, {quod} the Corynthi∣an, thou carest moche how the Grekes agree togyther, when those persones that be most nere vnto the, heare such myndes towardes the. Here the kynge beynge nothynge offended with the Corynthians free tonge, framed hym selfe to his sharpe checke, and layeng downe his angre, felle in agayne with his wyfe and son.