1 The first article or point was, that he should séeke to mainteine holie church.
2 The second, that he should cause rightfull lawes to be executed.
3 The third, that he should condemne no man without lawfull processe.
4 The fourth, that he should restore the lands, goods and heritages to those rightfull owners from whome he had taken them by any wrong or vnlawfull meanes.
5 The fift, that he should cause euerie man to haue right, without bribing and giuing of méed.
6 The sixt, that he should paie his debts as well due to any of his subiects, for any stuffe taken vp of them to his vse, as to his seruants and souldiers, who bicause they could not haue their wages truelie paid them, fell to robbing and spoiling of true labouring men.
7 The seauenth and last article was, that he should cause the Jewes to be auoided out of the land, by whom the people were sore impouerished with such vnmercifull vsurie as they exercised.
The king (notwithstanding these and other like warnings) tooke no regard to the amendment of his sinfull life, wherevpon (as is thought) the troubles which ensued did light vpon him by Gods iust appointment.
¶ Howsoeuer this may séeme a fable, but no written veritie, & therefore esteemed as the chaffe of summer flowers; yet as in the tales of Aesop many good morals are comprised, so the scope whereto this apparition tendeth being necessarie, maketh the argument it selfe of the more authoritie. The end therefore being (as you sée) to reuoke the king from woorse to better, from the swines-stie of vice to the statelie throne of vertue, from the kennell of sinne to the riuers of sanctitie, prooueth that euen verie fictions of poets (though of light credit) haue their drift manie times to honest purpose, and therefore bring with them a competent weight of profit to the readers. So the scope of this tale being the same that Dauid pointeth at in the second psalme, when he saith,
Ex G. Buch. paraph. in psal. 2. (At vos in populos quibus est permissa potestas,
Et ius ab alta sede plebi dicitis,
Errorum tenebras depellite, discite verum, &c.)