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IT pleaseth euery good man that men pr••yse hym in his goodnes / and thoughe he be praysed i•••• maketh no matter to them y• be wyse men / what soeuer on y man saye / lyke as I haue sayd before / for it causeth•• man to delyte hymselfe y• moore in goodnes / for ly••t
as the wyse men whiche ben euryous of theyr heele wyll haue the counsayle of physycyans thoughe so be y• they fele no grefe of no malady / but yet to y• entente y• they may lyue in welfare & helthe / lyke them to haue a regemen for preseruynge of y• sa∣me••••hen by this ensample we wyll comforte y• true people of Fraunce for to parseuer in y• good & faythfull loue y• they haue customably at all tymes to theyr ryght noble & worthy & abo∣ue all other moost redoubted prynces / & to y• entente y• they shol de vnderstonde & knowe y• in so doynge to theyr prynces, they do as vertuous & good people / shall be shewed here a declaracy on of holy scypture & other ensamples in lyke wyse accordynge to y• same. ¶ For it is to know y• holy scrypture in dyuers pla∣ces sheweth y• the subiectes sholde meke themselfe & be redy to obey theyr prynces and soueraynes / & saynt Poule speketh of y• same in a pystle y• he sente to ye Romaynes in y•. xiii. chapytre where he sayth y• euery creature lyuynge ought to be subiecte to y• myghty soueraynes / for y• puyssaūce y• prynces haue / they haue it by y• ordynaūce of god••wherfore who y• resysteth ayenst theyr power he stombleth or mysguydeth hymselfe ayenst y• o•• dynaūce of god. ••nd yet saynt Poule in y• pystle ad titum in y• thyrde chapytre amonyssheth & connsayleth y• comon people to be subiecte to theyr prynces & to the grete & myghty men / And to this same sentence accordeth saynt Peter in his fyrst pystle•• in y• seconde chapytre whiche sayth / be ye subiectes to your lor∣des in all ferefull drede▪ ••ut to y• entente y• no man sholde excu se hymselfe in sayenge y• this sholde not be doone but to suche prynces as ben good▪ Saynt Peter declareth playnly saynge in this wyse / let vs suppose saythe he y• the prynces ben euyll vnto you & cruell / yet yelde you subiectes to hym for y• loue of god / & specyally to the kynge as y• moost excellent / & to the du∣kes as people sente by god / for y• vengeaunce of euyl doers / & to y• laude of them y• be good & do gode dedes / & for bycause y• s••me
people myght murmure of the trewages & tayles whiche they ought pay to prynces / it is to vnderstode y• it is a thynge ordey ned & accepted of god / & of this saynt Peter gyueth ensample •• holy scrypture & sheweth how y• subiectes ought not refuse to pay y• is ordeyned by y• prynces / & of this same speketh saynt Mathewe in y• euangyle in y•. xxi••. chapytre / how y• pharysees made aske of our lorde wheder they ought to pay theyr imposy cyon to ••ezar y• emperoure or nay. Our lorde answered them agayne & sayd / yelde to ••ezar y• is his / & to god y• longeth to hȳ ••o this is to vnderstonde y• good is dewe to prynces. The sa∣me saynt Mathewe sayth in his euangyle / in y•. xvii. chapytre to the same purpose how our lorde sent saynt Peter to the set / & sayd vnto hym y• in y• mouthe of y• fyrst fysshe y• he toke he shol∣de loke within & he sholde fynde a pece of money / & that he shol ••e take y• same pece to them y• gadred the trewage of y• Empe∣roure in payment for thē bothe / & thus our lorde hymselfe ga∣ue ensample to all maner of subiectes bothe in dede & in worde to do reuerence & obeysaunce to theyr lordes & prynces. ¶ And yet to y• purpose of y• true people of Fraunce to theyr prynce / for whiche goodnes & meryte I trust y• our lorde hath saued them from many perylles / & in lyke wyse euery subiecte ought to do y• same wyse to theyr prynces / & who y• dothe y• contrary hurte & trouble shall fall vnto hym. And yet we wyl brynge to myn∣de Ualere & other auctours to our purpose. For this valere say th in the. vi. boke / in y•. vi••i. chapytre of y• loyalte & faythe y• one the whiche was called Papynyon / had to his lorde / he vndersto de y• his lorde was espyed of certayne folkes y• hated hym to y• dethe / & that he myght not escape in no wyse & he were take / & for bycause y• he wolde saue his lorde frō y• daunger he toke his lordes gow••e & gaue hym his / & toke hym his rynge & he toke his / & secretly y• lorde wente out of the palays / & his man abode styll for hym / & wh••n his enemyes came vpon hym he suffred
hymselfe to be slayne for his lordes sake / & sauynge of his lyfe wherfore ••alere sayth thoughe so be that this narracyon be but lytell & shorte yet at longe goynge it is no lytell matter / & for to touche of the euylles that cometh to the people namely of ••••bellynge ayenst theyr prynce to y• entente y• a man maye fyn∣de matter to kepe hymselfe therfro. ••rogus Ponpeyns telleth in his. xviii. boke how y• people of a cyte in Grece rebelled ayenst theyr lorde in so moche y• they wolde haue slayne hym / & for the withall they slue his wyfe & his chyldren / & al that were of his lygnage / yet as it appereth alway y• amonge y• people there be some of les••e euyll than other. ••here was one o•• y• Cytezyns y• was named Traton / whiche whan he founde his lorde chased a way & dryuen in to hydeles for the fere that he had / yet wolde not he slee hym / but had grete pyte on hym & thought y• he wol∣de saue hym from y• dethe & hyde hym in a place where he my∣ght he saued / & the people wente y• he had be fled. So whē they had made an ende of this myschyefe they thoughte too chose a ••ynge amōge themselfe. But for bycause y• they were in dyuy ••yon amonge thē whiche sholde be theyr kynge / they ordeyned y• one on y• morowe before y• sone rysynge al y• people sholde ass•• ble in a felde & whiche of them coude se y• sone shyne fyrst shol∣de b•• theyr kynge. This Traton whiche had saued the kynge from deth came to hym in y• nyght & asked hym counsayle by what meane he myght se y• sone fyrst in y• mornynge / to that en tente y• he myght be kynge / his lorde whiche thought to quyee hym the goodnesse that he hadde doone vnto hym for sauynge of his lyfe / counsayled hym / that when all other men looked in •••••• the ••est / that he sholde looke towarde the weste / and vpon the ••y••••. Soo it happened when all the people were assembled on the morowe / and loked ententyfely towarde the rysynge of •••••• sonne / This Traton whiche loked euen contrary sawe the sonne beemes / the whiche smote agaynst the toppe of an hyghe
towre ••••forth withal he shewed it to y• other pleople whiche cou de not se y• sone that way as they loked. ••hen euery man was abasshed & asked hym who had gyuen hym y• counsayle / & he tolde thē all togyder / & howe he had saued his lorde. ••o it hap pened longe after in the tyme y• grete ••lysaundre regned / y• he herde men speke of the grete treason y• these people had done to theyr lordes / ••he thought to auenge y• vnthryfty dede / & wente to assayle y• cyte & toke it by force▪ •• dyde vpon them a grete p•••• nycyon / & for bycause yt the kynge y• reygned ouer them before was deed / he cōfermed this 〈…〉〈…〉aton to be kynge in y• same roy alme / & ordeyned y• his chyldren sholde reygne after hym for y• goodnes y• he had done to his lorde.