Lo, thus this worthi yonge king Was fulli tauht of every thing, 1700 Which mihte yive entendement Of good reule and good regiment To such a worthi Prince as he. Bot of verray necessite The Philosophre him hath betake Fyf pointz, whiche he hath undertake To kepe and holde in observance, As for the worthi governance Which longeth to his Regalie, After the reule of Policie. 1710 [Sidenote: [THE FIRST POINT OF POLICY. TRUTH.]] vii. _Moribus ornatus regit hic qui regna moderna,_ _Cercius expectat ceptra futura poli._ _Et quia veridica virtus supereminet omnes,_ _Regis ab ore boni fabula nulla sonat._ To every man behoveth lore,[1070] Bot to noman belongeth more [Sidenote: =P. iii. 143=] Than to a king, which hath to lede [Sidenote: Hic secundum Policiam tractare intendit precipue super quinque regularum Articulis, que ad Principis Regimen obseruande specialius existunt,[1071] quarum prima veritas nuncupatur. Per quam veridicus fit sermo Regis ad omnes.] The poeple; for of his kinghede He mai hem bothe save and spille. And for it stant upon his wille, It sit him wel to ben avised, And the vertus whiche are assissed[1072] Unto a kinges Regiment, To take in his entendement: 1720 Wherof to tellen, as thei stonde, Hierafterward nou woll I fonde. Among the vertus on is chief, And that is trouthe, which is lief To god and ek to man also. And for it hath ben evere so, Tawhte Aristotle, as he wel couthe, To Alisandre, hou in his youthe He scholde of trouthe thilke grace With al his hole herte embrace, 1730 So that his word be trewe and plein, Toward the world and so certein That in him be no double speche: For if men scholde trouthe seche And founde it noght withinne a king, It were an unsittende thing. The word is tokne of that withinne, Ther schal a worthi king beginne To kepe his tunge and to be trewe, So schal his pris ben evere newe. 1740 Avise him every man tofore, And be wel war, er he be swore, [Sidenote: =P. iii. 144=] For afterward it is to late, If that he wole his word debate.[1073] For as a king in special Above all othre is principal Of his pouer, so scholde he be Most vertuous in his degre; And that mai wel be signefied[1074] Be his corone and specified. 1750 [Sidenote: Nota super hiis que in corona Regis designantur.[1075]] The gold betokneth excellence, That men schull don him reverence As to here liege soverein. The Stones, as the bokes sein, Commended ben in treble wise: Ferst thei ben harde, and thilke assisse Betokneth in a king Constance,