do brynge to
fore hym a man that was prisonner And as he knelid to fore hym he toke
hym vp fro the ground & made hym to sytte beside hym for to gyue hym
good esperance and hoope And sayd to the other stondynge by/ in this
wyse. yf hit be grete noblesse that we shewe our self contrarye to our
enemyes/ than this fete ought to be alowed that we shew our self
debonair to our caytyfs & prisonners Cesar whan he herde the deth of
cathon whiche was his aduersarye sayde that he had grete enuye of his
glorye. And no thinge of his patrimonye/ and therfore he lefte to his
children frely all his patrimonye Thus taught vyrgyle and enseygned the
gloryus prynces to rewle and gouerne the peple of rome. And saynt
Augustin de ciuitate dei saith thus Thou emperour gouerne the peple
pietously And make peas ouerall/ deporte and forbere thy subgets/
repreue & correcte the prowde/ for so enseyne And teche the the lawes/
And hit was wreton vnto Alexander/ that euery prynce ought to be pyetous
in punysshynge/ and redy for to rewarde/ Ther is no thynge that causeth
a prynce to be so belouyd of hys peple/ As whan he speketh to hem
swetly/ and co[=u]ersith with hem symply/ And all this cometh of the roote
of pyte/ we rede of the Emperour Traian that his frendes repreuyd hym of
that he was to moche pryue and familier wyth the comyn peple more than
an emperour ought to be/ And he answerd that he wold be suche an
emperour as euery man desired to haue hym/ Also we rede of Alixander
that on a tyme he ladde his oost forth hastely/ and in that haste he
beheld where satte an olde knight that was sore acolde Whom he dide do
arise and sette hym in his owne sete or siege/ what wondre was hit
though y'e knightes desired to serue suche a lord that louyd better
theyr helth than his dignite/ The rookes ought also to be humble & meke
After the holy scripture whiche saith/ the gretter or in the hier astate
that thou arte/ so moche more oughtest thou be meker & more humble
Valerius reherceth in his .vii. book that ther was an emperour named
publius cesar/ That dide do bete doun his hows whiche was in the middis
of y'e market place for as moche as hit was heier than other houses/ for
as moche as he was more glorious in astate than other/ Therfore wold he
haue a lasse hous than other And scipion of affrique that was so poure
of vol[=u]tarie pouerte y't whan he was dede/ he was buried at y'e
dispencis of y'e comyn good/ They shold be so humble y't they shold leue
theyr