Thei wiste thanne wel and knewe[1317] That of himself he scholde be A worthi king in his degre: [Sidenote: =P. iii. 226=] And thus the conseil he accuseth In partie, and the king excuseth. The fol, which herde of al the cas[1318] That time, as goddes wille was,[1319] 3990 Sih that thei seiden noght ynowh, And hem to skorne bothe lowh, And to the king he seide tho: ‘Sire king, if that it were so, Of wisdom in thin oghne mod That thou thiselven were good, Thi conseil scholde noght be badde.’ The king therof merveille hadde, Whan that a fol so wisly spak, And of himself fond out the lack 4000 Withinne his oghne conscience: And thus the foles evidence, (4200*) Which was of goddes grace enspired, Makth that good conseil was desired.[1320] He putte awey the vicious And tok to him the vertuous; The wrongful lawes ben amended, The londes good is wel despended, The poeple was nomore oppressed, And thus stod every thing redressed. 4010 For where a king is propre wys, And hath suche as himselven is Of his conseil, it mai noght faile That every thing ne schal availe: The vices thanne gon aweie, And every vertu holt his weie; [Sidenote: =P. iii. 227=] Wherof the hihe god is plesed, And al the londes folk is esed. For if the comun poeple crie, And thanne a king list noght to plie[1321] 4020 To hiere what the clamour wolde, And otherwise thanne he scholde Desdeigneth forto don hem grace, It hath be sen in many place, Ther hath befalle gret contraire; And that I finde of ensamplaire.