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.

¶ Howe the good prynce sholde kepe hymselfe fro angre. Capitulo. xxx.

FOr bycause Ire is a naturall thynge / & draweth hate amonge grete & puyssaūt men▪ ••nd at some tyme cau∣seth grete cruelte / it lyketh me to showe some good ensample y^• the good prynce sholde eschewe y^• same vyce as a thynge y^• syt∣teth hym full nyghe / and not accordynge to his estate▪ As Ua lere saythe of the same vyce / lyke as thoughe he spake to pryn ces in this wyse / often tymes the men / & specyally those y^• ben grete and myghty doth grete cruelte in theyr feruent angre▪ And for to gyue you a clere vnderstondynge of y^• qualytes of

these two passyons / he putteth a dyfference bytwene them and sayth / y^• ••••e & hate resemble in as moche as they be bothe vyo lent & full of trouble in courage of hym y^t is angry & hatefull / and causeth hym to desyre vengeaunce / yet he sayth there ben many dyfferences bytwene theym ••nd so saythe ••rystocle in his seconde boke of rethoryke. But it suffyseth at this tyme for to speke of. ii. of them. ••he fyrst is after y^• tyme y^• y^• angry mā is auenged vpon his angre / he is satysfyed / and wel appeased & wyll purchase no more euyll ayenst hym y^• he is venged on. But the ••nuyous man wyll y^• vttermoost dystruccyon ayenst hym that he hateth / for he can neuer be satysfyed / but euer en∣creaseth more & more in his hate. The seconde is y^• angry man wyll shewe hymselfe wrothe to hym that he is at debate with as who sayth I wyll be auenged / nor he wolde not y^• the other man had no•• harme because that he myght doo it hymselfe. Therfore the angry man sheweth his angre openly & not pry u••ly. But the hatefull man loueth better for to noye another se cretely than openly / wherfore hate is wors than Ire onely. And me thynketh also that Ire may be without hate / but hate may not be without Ire. And for bycause that suche inconuenyen∣tes styreth a mā to cruelte / there is nothynge more to be repro∣ued in a prynce than ••••e & hate / yet more for to withdrawe this vyce from the good prynce / it pleaseth me for the same purpose▪ to recyte after Ualere the daungers & myscheues of y^• same. ¶ Thoughe soo be that suche thynges haue ben accustomed / & yet is in dyuers royalmes / thanked be our lorde and the laude and glorye be gyuen to hym / our prynces of Fraunce that ben of the royall bloode ben ryght clene in suche matters. And as me semeth more clene than other that ben of lower estate of the same royalme / or of ony other nacyons / whiche is gretely to be commended in that noble bloode. ¶ For Ualere sayth certayn ly that the habyte of cruelte is horryble / all thynges that lon∣geth

therto ben full of manaces / and cruell commaundemen∣tes. And yf a man wolde styre hym to sease of his cruelte / or to holde his peas / then shall he be the more chaffed / for cruelte dre deth no payne / nor he wyll not be refrayned. Also the cruell mā wyll be doubted & dradde / & other men hateth hym naturally For he sayth that cruelte is a dysposycyon that is lykened too the conuersacyon of hatrede / vnto the whiche vyce euery man is enclyned naturally. ••s Arystotle sayth in the fyrst kooke of Politykes / that al thynge y^• is ayenst natural inclynacyon is by nature hatefull. Then I wolde that all these thynges shol de be myrroures to a prynce that he sholde eschewe the daun∣geres of theym. And semblably to all other persones. For lette vs suppose that a man be naturally enclyned to these vyces / yet and he can not be lorde and mayster ouer his courage and ouercome it / it is a sygne that he is not vertuous. And a man without vertue is not worthy for to haue worshyp.