[Sidenote: Riches well spent are the best kept.] Best kepit Is the Riches well diſpendit. O ȝhe, the wich that king{is} ben, fore ſham Remembrith yhow, this world hath bot o naam̅ 1820 Of good or ewill, eft{er} ȝhe ar gone! And wyſly tharfor cheſſith yhow the toñ Wich moſt accordith to nobilitee, And knytith larges to yhour hie degre. 1824 For qwhar that fredome In O p{ri}nce Ri{n}gnis, It bryngith In the victory of king{is}, And makith realmys and puple boith to dout, And ſubect{is}[T45] of the cuntre al about. 1828 [Sidenote: Whoso will be a conqueror, let him not reck to give largely.] And qwho that thinkith ben o co{n}querour, Suppos his largeß ſumquhat pas myſour, Ne rak he nat, bot frely iffith ay; And as he wynyth, beis var al-way 1832 To mych nor ȝhit to gredy that he hold, Wich ſal the hart{is} of the puple colde. [Sidenote: Both love and fear spring from liberality.] And low and radour cu{m}myth boith two Of larges; Reid and ȝhe ſal fynd It ſo. 1836 Alex{ander} this lord the warld that wan, Firſt w{i}t{h} the ſuerd of larges he began, [Sidenote: Alexander gave so liberally,] And as he wynith ifith largely, He rakith No thing bot of cheuelry; 1840 Wharfor of hyme ſo paſſith the Renown, [Sidenote: that many cities desired to have such a lord,] That many o cetee, and many o ſtrang towñ Of his worſchip that herith the Recorde, Diſſirith ſo to haveing ſich o lorde; 1844 [Sidenote: and offered themselves peaceably to him, though they were manly men of war.] And offerith them w{i}t{h}-outen ſtrok of ſpere, Suppos that thei war manly men of were, But only for his gentilleß that thei Have hard; and ſo he louit was al-way 1848 For his larges, humilitee, and manhed, W{i}t{h} his awn folk, that neu{er}more, we Reid, For al his weris nor his gret trawell, [Fol. 23b.] In al his tym that thei hyme onys faill; 1852 Bot in his worſchip al thar beſynes Thei ſet, and lewith in to no diſtres; Whar-throw the ſuerd of victory he berith. [Footnote T45: Or “subett{is}.”] [Headnote: BUT UNJUST ONES DESPOIL THEM.]