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.

¶ Of the seconde estate of the people that is to knowe of bour geyses and of marchauntes. Capitulo. lii.

I Haue sayd here before y^t the seconde estate of y^• people be y^• bourgeyses & the marchauntes of cytees. The bour∣geyses ben they y^• be of y^e auncyent kynredes in cytees / & they haue a propre sure name & auncyent armes / •• they be y^• pryncy pall dwellers & inhabytauntes in y^• cytees & townes & of e•• he cytaunce in how synge / in maners & possessyons / where vpon they lyue honestly & worshypfully / & as y^• bokes maketh men∣cyon y^t speketh to thē calleth them cytezyns / & suche maner of people ought to be honourable / wyse / & of fayre porte clothed in honest aray w^tout dysguysynge / or nycete•••• it longeth to them to be good & true / & also of grete fayth & dyscrete language / & y^• state of cytezyns is ryght fayre & honourable for in some pla ces they ben called y^e auncyent lygnages whā they haue kepte of longetyme theyr estate worshypfully / ••herfore in all places

euery man ought to prayse & cōmende the good bourgeyses & Cytezyns of euery towne & cyte / & yet it is a fayre thynge & a worshypfull when there is a notable bourgeys in a cyte & gre¦te worshyp to y^e countre & grete rychesse to y^e prynce. These peo∣ple sholde entremete of the gouernaunce of Cytees & to se what longeth to the marchauntes and to y^e comon people so that eue∣ry thynge myght be well ruled and gouerned to theyr profyte / & for bycause that y^e propre people haue not comonly grete pru∣dence in worde / ne also in dede / that toucheth polycye / whiche they ought not to medle as of suche thynges y^t ben establyssh∣ed by the prynces. The burgeyses therfore ought to take good hede y^t for ony thynge y^t is made / the poore people be not hurte / nor y^t they haue cause to make ony euyll conspyracyon ayenste theyr prynce or his counsayle / & this is y^e cause why / for suche conspyracyons & ymagynacyons of comon / it tourneth all day to the preiudyce of them y^t haue good for to leese. For it was ne∣uer other nor neuer shall be / but y^e ende therof shall be euyll & full of preiudyce / wherfore they ought & ony suche case fall at ony tyme y^t the comons fele thēselfe greued by ony grete char¦ge. The wyse burgeyses sholde assemble themselfe togyder su¦che as be wyse & dyscrete bothe in worde & dede / & go to y^e pryn¦ces or to y^e counsayle & there make theyr supplycacyon with all humylyte & shewe theyr matter debonayrely to y^e entente that the comon people be not hurte / For it is the dystruccyon of Cy∣tees / of townes / & londes & therfore they sholde appeale y^e mur¦muracyons of y^e people as ferfor¦the as they myght for y^e grete hurtes & myscheues y^t maye fall therof by many meanes. For they that ben grete stonde moost in daunger / & thought so be y^t at some tyme they seme y^e ordynaunces of y^e prynce & of his coū¦sayle be not duely made in some thynges / yet the wyse men ou¦ght not to construe it to y^e worste entente / but thynke y^t they do it of good entente y^t they haue done. For the causes be not appa∣rent

to euery man / & also there may be peryll in murmurynge of the people. ¶ Ualere sayth y^t the worde of Socrates y^t wor∣shypfull phylosophre were ryght noble & good when he sayd it was a grete wysdome for a man to holde his peas / For on a ty∣me he was in a place where were many men that spake of the ordynaunce of prynces and spake shreoodely therof / soo one of these euyll spekers came to Socrates and asked hym why he spake noo worde & all other men sayd theyr aduyse: he answe∣red them agayne & sayd. I holde my peas quod he for bycause that I haue spoken suche wordes at some tyme that I haue re¦pented after / but I was neuer shente for holdynge my peas.

Therfore it is ryght a good thynge for a mā to holde his peas & speke no suche wordes as harme may come of and no profyte & by y^t a man may knowe a wyse man / & therfore Caton sayth y^e fyrst vertue is to kepe well his tongue for he is nyghe to god y^t in way of reason can holde his tongue. And Sence sayth in the fyrst boke of y^e last proose / who that wyll be one of the dyscy∣ples of Pyctogoras must kepe his tongue. v. yere. For he sayd vnto them that they must fyrst lerne a thynge or they spake it and whether it were necessary to be spoken or not.