Ther is no man may saye in other wyse 15 That god him-self ne hath the right declared; Wherof the land is boun to thy servyse, Which for defaute of helpe hath longe cared. But now ther is no mannes herte spared To love and serve, and worche thy plesaunce; 20 And al this is through goddes purveyaunce. In alle thing which is of god begonne Ther foloweth grace, if it be wel governed; Thus tellen they whiche olde bokes conne, Wherof, my lord, I wot wel thou art lerned. 25 Aske of thy god; so shalt thou nat be werned Of no request [the] whiche is resonable; For god unto the goode is favorable. King Salomon, which hadde at his askinge Of god, what thing him was levest to crave, 30 He chees wysdom unto the governinge Of goddes folk, the whiche he wolde save; And as he chees, it fil him for to have; For through his wit, whyl that his regne laste, He gat him pees and reste, unto the laste. 35 But Alisaundre, as telleth his historie, Unto the god besoughte in other weye, Of al the worlde to winne the victorie, So that under his swerde it might[e] obeye; In werre he hadde al that he wolde preye. 40 The mighty god behight[e] him that behest; The world he wan, and hadde it of conquest. But though it fil at thilke tyme so, That Alisaundre his asking hath acheved, This sinful world was al[le] payën tho; 45 Was noon whiche hath the highe god beleved; No wonder was, though thilke world was greved. Though a tyraunt his purpos mighte winne, Al was vengeaunce, and infortune of sinne. But now the faith of Crist is come a-place 50 Among the princes in this erthe here, It sit hem wel to do pitè and grace, But yet it mot be tempred in manere. For as they fynden cause in the matere Upon the poynt, what afterward betyde, 55 The lawe of right shal nat be layd a-syde. So may a king of werre the viage Ordayne and take, as he therto is holde, To clayme and aske his rightful heritage In alle places wher it is with-holde. 60 But other-wyse, if god him-selve wolde Afferme love and pees bitween the kinges, Pees is the beste, above alle erthly thinges. Good is t'eschewe werre, and nathelees A king may make werre upon his right; 65 For of bataile the fynal ende is pees; Thus stant the lawe, that a worthy knight Upon his trouthe may go to the fight. But-if so were that he mighte chese, Betre is the pees of which may no man lese. 70 To stere pees oughte every man on-lyve, First, for to sette his liege lord in reste, And eek these othre men, that they ne stryve; For so this land may standen atte beste. What king that wolde be the worthieste, 75 The more he mighte our deedly werre cese, The more he shulde his worthinesse encrese.