Aboute a king, good counsayl is to preyse Above al othre thinges most vailable; But yet a king within him-self shal peyse And seen the thinges that be resonable. And ther-upon he shal his wittes stable 145 Among the men to sette pees in evene, For love of him whiche is the king of hevene. A! wel is him that shedde never blood But-if it were in cause of rightwysnesse! For if a king the peril understood 150 What is to slee the people, thanne, I gesse, The deedly werres and the hevinesse Wher-of the pees distourbed is ful ofte, Shulde at som tyme cesse and wexe softe. O king! fulfilled of grace and of knighthode, 155 Remembre upon this poynt, for Cristes sake; If pees be profred unto thy manhode, Thyn honour sauf, let it nat be forsake! Though thou the werres darst wel undertake, After resoun yet temper thy corage; 160 For lyk to pees ther is non avauntage. My worthy lord, thenk wel, how-so befalle Of thilke lore, as holy bokes sayn; Crist is the heed, and we be membres alle, As wel the subject as the soverayn. 165 So sit it wel, that charitè be playn, Whiche unto god him-selve most accordeth, So as the lore of Cristes word recordeth. In th'olde lawe, or Crist him-self was bore, Among the ten comaundëments, I rede, 170 How that manslaughter shulde be forbore; Such was the wil, that tyme, of the godhede. But afterward, whan Crist took his manhede, Pees was the firste thing he leet do crye Ayenst the worldes rancour and envye. 175 And, or Crist wente out of this erthe here, And stigh to heven, he made his testament, Wher he bequath to his disciples there And yaf his pees, which is the foundement Of charitè, withouten whos assent 180 The worldes pees may never wel be tryed, Ne lovë kept, ne lawë justifyed. The Jewes with the payens hadden werre, But they among hem-self stode ever in pees; Why shulde than our pees stonde out of herre, 185 Which Crist hath chose unto his owne encrees? For Crist is more than was Moÿses; And Crist hath set the parfit of the lawe, The whiche shulde in no wyse be withdrawe. To yeve us pees was causë why Crist dyde, 190 Withoute pees may nothing stonde avayled; But now a man may see on every syde How Cristes fayth is every day assayled, With the payens distroyed, and so batayled That, for defaute of helpe and of defence, 195 Unneth hath Crist his dewe reverence. The righte fayth to kepe of holy chirche The firste poynt is named of knighthode; And every man is holde for to wirche Upon the poynt that stant to his manhode. 200 But now, alas! the fame is spred so brode That every man this thing [alday] complayneth; And yet is ther no man that help ordayneth.