n rioting and wantonness, without fear, and
alway supposing that his reign would only terminate with his life, they
would rise up against him, strip him bare of his royal robes, lead him
in triumph up and down the city, and thence dispatch him beyond their
borders into a distant great island; there, for lack of food and
raiment, in hunger and nakedness he would waste miserably away, the
luxury and pleasure so unexpectedly showered upon him changed as
unexpectedly into woe. In accordance therefore with the unbroken
custom of these citizens, a certain man was ordained to the kingship.
But his mind was fertile of understanding, and he was not carried away
by this sudden access of prosperity, nor did he emulate the
heedlessness of the kings that had gone before him, and had been
miserably expelled, but his soul was plunged in care and trouble how he
might order his affairs well. After long and careful search, he
learned from a wise counsellor the custom of the citizens, and the
place of perpetual banishment, and was taught of him without guile how
to ensure himself against this fate. So with this knowledge that
within a very little while he must reach that island and leave to
strangers this chance kingdom among strangers, he opened the treasures
whereof he had awhile absolute and unforbidden use, and took a great
store of money and huge masses of gold and silver and precious stones
and delivered the same to trusty servants and sent them before him to
the island whither he was bound. When the appointed year came to an
end, the citizens rose against him, and sent him naked into banishment
like those that went before him. But while the rest of these foolish
kings, kings only for a season, were sore anhungred, he, that had
timely deposited his wealth, passed his time in continual plenty mid
dainties free of expense, and, rid of all fear of those mutinous and
evil citizens, could count himself happy on his wise forethought.

"Understand thou, therefore, that the city is this vain and deceitful
world; that the citizens are the principalities and powers of the
devils, the rulers of the darkness of this world, who entice us by the
soft bait of pleasure, and counsel us to consider corruptible and
perishable things as incorruptible, as though the enjoyment that cometh
from them were co-existent with us, and immortal as we. Thus then are
we deceived; we have taken no thought concerning the things which are
abiding and eternal, a