e.

It contradicts also the experiences of our kings of old. They saw and
heard of the sins punished, and they feared sin. They regarded humility
and mercifulness as the greatest virtues. On the day of the "Slava,"
which means a special Serbian festival of the saint patron of the family
(every Serbian family has its patron among the saints or angels which it
celebrates solemnly every year, instead of celebrating their own
birthdays), on this day our kings themselves served their guests at the
table. It was a visible sign of their humility before the divine powers
that rule human life. Besides, on every festive occasion in the royal
court was placed a bountiful table with meat and drink for beggars and
the most abject poor. The king was obliged by his Christian conscience
and even by national tradition to be merciful. How the people regarded
the kings is clear from popular sayings like these:

Every king is from God. If a king is generous he is from God, as a king
should be from God. If a king is narrow and selfish he is from God, as
a monkey is from God.

A wise king speaks three times to God and only once to the people. A
foolish king speaks three times to the people and only once to God.

Speaking to God a wise king thinks always of his people, and speaking to
the people he always thinks of God. A foolish king thinks of himself
always, whether he speaks to God or to the people.

Every king has a crown, but every kingly crown stands not on a kingly
head.

A gipsy asked a king: Of how much value are your riches? The king
replied: Not more than your freedom.

The smile of the king is medicine for a poor man, the laugh of the king
is an offence for the mourning one.

A king who fears God has pity for the people, but a king who fears the
people has pity for himself.

The face of a good king lends splendour to his crown, and the crown of a
bad king lends splendour to his face.

The sins of the people can only sooner bring the king before God, but
the sins of the king can push the people to Satan's house.

The belief of our kings was the same belief which Saint Sava preached,
their hopes were his hopes. God is the eternal and powerful king of the
world; Christ is the way of salvation from sin; good must be in the end
victorious over evil. That was the belief and hope of our kings. Was it
not likewise the belief and hope of King Ethelbert, of Saint Oswald and
Edward the Confessor? Did not Richard the Lion-hearted