Bot seie unto the poeple plat, That whil thou livest in thi lond, The leste finger of thin hond It schal be strengere overal Than was thi fadres bodi al. And this also schal be thi tale, If he hem smot with roddes smale, 4090 With Scorpions thou schalt hem smyte;[1326] And wher thi fader tok a lyte,[1327] Thou thenkst to take mochel more.[1328] Thus schalt thou make hem drede sore The grete herte of thi corage, So forto holde hem in servage.’ This yonge king him hath conformed To don as he was last enformed, Which was to him his undoinge: For whan it cam to the spekinge, 4100 He hath the yonge conseil holde, That he the same wordes tolde (4300*) Of al the poeple in audience; And whan thei herden the sentence Of his malice and the manace, Anon tofore his oghne face [Sidenote: =P. iii. 230=] Thei have him oultreli refused And with ful gret reproef accused. So thei begunne forto rave, That he was fain himself to save; 4110 For as the wilde wode rage Of wyndes makth the See salvage, And that was calm bringth into wawe, So for defalte of grace and lawe This poeple is stered al at ones[1329] And forth thei gon out of hise wones; So that of the lignages tuelve Tuo tribes only be hemselve With him abiden and nomo: So were thei for everemo 4120 Of no retorn withoute espeir Departed fro the rihtfull heir. Al Irahel with comun vois[1330] A king upon here oghne chois Among hemself anon thei make, And have here yonge lord forsake; A povere knyht Jeroboas Thei toke, and lefte Roboas, Which rihtfull heir was be descente. Lo, thus the yonge cause wente: 4130 For that the conseil was noght good, The regne fro the rihtfull blod Evere afterward divided was. So mai it proven be this cas That yong conseil, which is to warm, Er men be war doth ofte harm. [Sidenote: =P. iii. 231=] Old age for the conseil serveth, And lusti youthe his thonk deserveth Upon the travail which he doth; And bothe, forto seie a soth, 4140 Be sondri cause forto have, If that he wole his regne save, A king behoveth every day. That on can and that other mai, Be so the king hem bothe reule, For elles al goth out of reule.