He louyd the so meche thou ought hym loue,
And for his nede arme thy body aboue.
Kyng Maymon was cosyn to Hector and of the Troyens lyne, |f. 33.| and when Hector [was] in fers bayteyles, where he was oftyn grettely oppressed with his enemyes, Maymon, the which was a full worchipfull knyght, folowed hym euer nere and socoured Hector and brake the grete presses of pepyll. And that shewed wele; ffor when Achilles hade sleyn hym by treson, Maymons wonded Achilles sore and [wolde haue] sleyne[[297]] hym, hade not socoure acome to hym in hast. Therefor it is seide to the goode knygh þat he shulde loue hym and socoure hym at his nede; and this is to vnderstonde that euery prince and goode knygh which hath kyne, be thei neuer so lytell or poore, so he be goode and trwe,[[298]] he shulde loue hym and support hym in his dedes and en specyall whene he felyth hym trewe to hym. And it happenyth some tyme that a grete prince is better louede and more trwly of his poore kyne than off a full myghtye man. And to this purpose seith Rabyon[[299]] the phelesophre, “Encres ffrendes, for they shall be socourable to the.”
Be Maymon, þe trwe cosyn, we may vnderstonde God of Heven, þe which hath bene a full trwe cosyn for to take owre manhode, þe which benefette we may not guerdon. Thus here may we take the Secunde Commawndement, that seith, “Thow shalte not take the name of God in veyne,” that is to sey, as Seynt Austyn seith,[[300]] “Thou shalt not swere dyshonestly, ne withowte a cawse, ne for colour of falsenes, for there may no gretter abusyon ben than to brynge to a flasse[[301]] wittenes the chefe and the ryghte stefast trowthe.” And in this Commawndement all lesynges be defendede, all periure and all blaspheme. The lawe seith to this purpose, [“Non habebit Dominus insontem eum qui assumpserit nomen Domini Dei sui frustra”].[[302]]
XXXVII.
Avyse the, or ony worde be shewede,
Off grete manisynges,[[303]] nyse or lewde,
Comyng forthe of thi mowth be to grete ire,
And looke well in Leomedom the fire.[[304]]
Leomedon was kyng of Troye and fader to Priant and, when Jason, Hercules and theire felawes went to Colcos for to gete the flese of gold and were arived and discendid at the porte of Troye ffor to refreysche theyme withowte ony hurte of the cuntre, Leomedon, not wele avised, sent bostus mesangers[[305]] to voyde theyme of the lond and to manyce theym gretly, if thei voyded not in hast. Than the barons of Grece were so wrooth for that wrongfull conveyng þat after that folowede the destruccion of the fryst Troye. Þerfor it is seide to þe good knyght that, stondyng the worde of manace is foule and velyens, it shulde be sadely passede[[306]] or that it were spokyne, for many grete hurtes oftyn |f. 34.| tymes folowyth theroff. To this purpose the poyete Omer seith, “He is wyse that can refreyne his mowth.”