Here begynneth the booke whiche is called the body of polycye And it speketh of vertues and of good maners, and the sayd boke is deuyded in thre partyes. The fyrst party is adressed to prynces. The seconde to knyghtes and nobles: and the thyrde to the vnyuersal people. The fyrst chapytre speketh of the dyscrypcyon of the body of polycye.

¶ what maner counsaylours a prynce sholde take. Ca. xix.

••Owe we must aduyse / amonge what people the prynce sholde chose his counsayloures / for to be well counsayled / shall it not be amonge the yon∣ge men / Nay / for they counsayled somtyme euyl the kynge Ieroboam / and so haue they done ma ny another prynce •• But he shall chose them amonge the olde wyse men / whiche ben good men / and well experte in coūsayle for they ben more redy to gyue good counsayle than the yonge And of necessyte it longeth to a good counsayloure / that he be well aduysed of the matter that he comeneth of•• or he gyue coū sayle therin / and that he gyue not to hasty credence thoughe a matter appere fayre before hym / vnto the tyme that he haue wel proued the trouthe therin / for at y^• fyrst apparens a matter maye shewe otherwyse than it is in effecte ••nd Arystotle spe∣keth of the maners of the olde auncyentes in the booke of Re∣thoryke▪ and saythe that they were not lyght of byleue / for by cause that they had ben often tymes defrauded / wherfore they wyll not lyghtly determyne a thynge in haste that is doubte∣full▪ But they wyll often tymes construe it to the worste / For

they haue sene it often tymes fall so in theyr tyme. And ther∣fore they be not redy for to gyue counsayle hastely. ¶ Also they wyll not gyue no grete truste vpon a lytell foundemente / nor vpon a lytell encheson / for they haue often tymes sene a thynge fall otherwyse than they thought / wherfore they wyll not gy∣ue hasty counsayle vpon grete empryses / without grete ad∣uyse and delyberacyon. ••nd al these thynges be comonly con trary to yonge men. And also all other naturall thynges way eth more in the olde man than in the yonge. But to say that al olde men ben wyse. Iwyll not say so / ••or Arystotle sayth that there b••n two maner of ages / one is that that foloweth after youthe / well ordeyned / and well attempred / and this age Tul∣lyus aloweth gretely in his boke of age. The other age that co meth after youthe / is that / that is vndyscrete & wauerynge & this age is subiecte to many myseryes / & is not worthy to be recōmended. And therfore Ihaue sayd that the prynces sholde chose his counsaylours of the olde wyse men. And yet to speke more of them thought so be that they haue not so grete bodely strength as haue the yonge men / yet they may haue gretter vertue & dyscrecyon in counsayle / as Ihaue sayd before / whi∣che is more nedefull & profytable then the strengthe of the bo∣dy / In as moche as it is more to be alowed & is more noble / the vertue of vnderstondynge & of dyscrecyon & knowlege / then is the strength of the body / for after the wyse werkynge of coū sayles of olde wyse men ben well susteyned & gouerned y^• roy all magestees / the ••ytees / and the polycyes / & the comon wel∣the / whiche often tymes ben cast downe by the yonge men / as Tullyus sayth / as it appereth clerely in dyuers storyes. Thē thoughe so be that age taketh awaye the. bodely strength / yet it haboundeth in wysdome and vnderstandynge whiche thyn ges ben moost to be alowed. And therfore aged men that ben sory that theyr youthe is past / it is a sygne that they be nother

wyse nor vertuous / for that man is not wyse that choseth not the more profytable thynge / and why that men dysprayse age is for nothynge elles / But that it taketh awaye the wyll and the delectacyons of the flesshe. And therfore age ought not to be blamed / but ought to be gretely thanked. For in that it taketh awaye the rote of all euylles / For after the sayenge of Archyca of ••arence that was ryght a grete phylosophre. There is no gretter pestylence gyuen to the nature of mā / then is the wyll of the body / of the whiche groweth treasons / subuersyons of cytees / and of people / and defoulynge of women / and all euyll thynges / nor there is none vnthryfty thynge but it wyll dra∣we it vnto the courage of man at some tyme / it is she that de∣stroyeth the Iugemente of reason / and putteth out the eye of mannes lyfe. And also she hath none affynyte nor communy∣cacyon with vertues / So than it is more lowable for to chose age then the dylectacyons of y^e body / whiche yonge men glad ly wyll not eschewe. Wherfore the olde men ben more noble & set lesse by contrary thynges & reproues ayenst themselfe thē the yonge men doone. As Arystotle saythe in the. viii. booke of ••thyques: And Tullyus speketh too the same purpose and saythe / that age is stronger & more couragyous thā is youthe wherfore Salon the grete wyse man of Athenes answered to the ••yrante ••ytsycratus whiche asked hym howe he durste be so bolde to answere hym soo malepertely / he answered hym and sayd / that it was by y^• force of age / and this is conteyned in the translacyon of Ualere whiche Ihaue gadered out of his bookes / somewhat goynge out of my fyrst processe that speke∣th of Iustyce / for to declare what counsayloures longeth to a good prynce.