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.

¶ ••owe a good prynce not witstondynge y^• he be debonayre & meke ought to be dredde and doubted. ••apitulo. xx.

OF Iustyce and wherof ••••••••••ueth / it is tyght wel knowen that yt longeth to a good prynce to pu∣nysshe or cause to punysshe y^• euyll d••ers / wher fore I wyll leue spekynge of it at this tyme / for bycause that I haue touched it here before▪ And I wyll procede vpon that that longeth to the sayd good pryn∣ce after the trouthe of Iustyce / and that he sholde yelde to eue∣ry man that belongeth vnto hym after his power▪ And yf he kepe this meanes of Iustyce / he may not fayle for to do ryght in euery thynge / for yf he do thus he shall yelde to hymselfe y^• is dewe. For it is reason that he vse y^• same ryght that he wyl do to euery man. That is to knowe that he wolde be obeyed & doubted of ryght and reason as is accordynge to the mageste of a prynce. For in what lōde or place that a prynce is not doub∣ted / there maye be no good Iustyce▪ ••nd howe that it longeth to a prynce for to be doubted it appereth by the worthy man y^• was named Cleartus that was duke of Lacedemone / whiche is a grete parte of Grece where were sometyme passynge mā ly people▪ This duke whiche was a knyghtly man and a gre∣te warryoure to that entente that his people sholde drede more for to flee than to deye / sayd to theym in this wyse / that men of warre ought rather to drede theyr prynce than y^• deth of theyr enemyes. For the whiche wordes / and for the greate Iustyce that he dyde vpon them that were euyll and cowardes. They abondoned themselfe without sparynge or fere y^• they acheued many meruayllous empryses / wherfore it is no doubte but y^• y^• prynce ought to be doubted though he be neuer so mekene so gētyl / for y^• mekenes ought to be takē but as a thȳge of grace / whiche euery mā ought syngulerly to take hede of / & not to y^• ētente y^• they sholde dysprayse theyr prynce for his grete gētyl nes. And for this cause y^• olde aūeyentes paynted y^e goddes of lordshyp whiche was fygured lyke a lady & set vp ••an hyghe

royall trone / & in the one hande she helde a braunche of Olyfe and in y^e other honde she helde a naked sworde / whiche sygny∣fyed that in lordshyp ought to be benygnyte and mercy / & also Iustyce / and myght. Then the good prynce as it is sayd befo re sholde be gouerned by the olde wyse men / and yelde to euery man that is his dewe. And also he sholde wyll that these good and worshypfull men sholde be reuerenced for theyr merytes and theyr good vertues after the sentence of y^e wyse man whi∣che sayth. Aryse ayenst the balled man. For in olde tyme men were wonte to do grete reuerence to the auncyent wyse men▪ and namely they of Lacedemone whiche made many worshyp full pleyes. And this came in by the introduce you & the lawes of Lygnegus theyr honourable & wyse kynge whiche he had taught them. For he made many dyuers of them / whiche they maynteyned longe tyme after. So it happened on a tyme that an olde auncyent man wente to the Theatre of Athenes for to se the pleyes. This Theatre was a place in whiche all the yon ge men assembled in / for to proue theyr myght one ayenst ano∣ther / as in armes / or Iustes / or wrastelynges / and all suche other thynges. But none of all the other cytesyns of Athenes wolde gyue no place vnto the auncyent man for to sytte in•• So he wente so longe aboute that of auenture he came where the Embassadours of Lacedemone were set to se these pleyes whi che were come in message to Athenes goodly yonge men & lu∣sty / & when they sawe this olde man come / they rose vp a yenst hym after theyr olde custome and dyde hym reuerence and set hym in an honest place amonge theym. And whan the people sawe this they cōmended moche y^• good custome of the straun∣gers / and sayd amonge themselfe / we wote wel ynoughe that they dyde ryght / But we abode for too vnderstonde what the straungers wolde do.