men shold sette poure children to laboure in the felde/ to
thende that they shold not enploye theyr yongthe in playes and in folye/
but in labour/ The tenthe that the maydens shold be maryed wythoute
dowayre/ In suche wyfe that no man shold take a wyf for moneye/ The xi.
that men shold rather take a wyf for her good maners and vertues than
for her richesses/ The twelfthe that men shold worshippe the olde and
auncyent men for theyr age and more for theyr wysedom than for her
riches this knyght made none of thyse lawes/ but he first kepte hem.

[Illustration]

_The fyfthe chapitre of the second book of the forme
and maners of the rooks._

The rooks whiche ben vicaires and legats of the kynge ought to be made
lyke a knyght vpon an hors and a mantell and hood furryd with meneuyer
holdynge a staf in his hande/ & for as moche as a kyng may not be in
alle places of his royame/ Therfore the auctorite of hym is gyuen to the
rooks/ whiche represent the kynge/ And for as moche as a royame is grete
and large/ and that rebellion or nouelletes might sourdre and aryse in
oon partye or other/ therfore ther ben two rooks one on the right side
and that other on the lifte side They ought to haue in hem. pyte.
Iuftice. humylite. wilfull pouerte. and liberalite/ Fyrst Iustice for
hit is most fayr of the vertues/ For it happeth oftetyme that the
ministris by theyr pryde and orgueyll subuerte Iuftice and do no ryght/
Wherfore the kynges otherwhyle lose theyr royames with out theyr culpe
or gylte/ For an vntrewe Iuge or officyer maketh hys lord to be named
vnIufte and euyll And contrarye wyse a trewe mynestre of the lawe and
ryghtwys/ causeth the kynge to be reputed Iuste and trewe/ The Romayns
therfore made good lawes/ And wolde that/ that they sholde be Iufte and
trewe/ And they that establisshid them for to gouerne the peple/ wold in
no wyse breke them/ but kepe them for to dye for them/ For the auncyent
and wyse men sayd comynly that it was not good to make and ordeygne that
lawe that is not Iuste Wherof Valerius reherceth that ther was a man
that was named Themistides whiche cam to the counceyllours of athenes
and sayd that he knewe a counceyll whiche was ryght prouffytable for
them/ But he wolde telle hyt but to But to one of them whom that they
wold/ And they asligned to hym a wyse man named Aristides/ And whan he
had vnderstand hym he cam agayn to the other of the counceyll And sayd
that the counceyll of Themystides was