XXIII.[1] Socrates (Diogenes) and the King.
Forsoth proverbialy thei seyn that Socrates eschewid the tumult
and the multitude of worldly people and a fieldly lif coveited, chase
hym to the woode and to a place of sikernes to dwelle in half a
Tonne; of whiche the bottum he sette agenst the wynde and the
shadewe, and that was open gladly agenst the Sonne. Whom the
kynges hunters, whan they had founden scornede hym sleyng his
life, bigan to turne awey the myrry beames of the sonne. To whom
he with a glad chiere [saide]: 'That ye may nat yeve me presume
nat to take awey.' To that thei wrathed and hym to delaie that hym
nedid wolden have compelled and out of the wey han led, lest that
the eyen of men passyng by and of their lord so vile a persone
shuld have offended. That nat the threatis or manaces of worthy
men [saide]: 'Avoide and go, lest of thy long studie and busynes any
evil vnto the happene, forwhi our kyng with his seruaunt and
meyne is to passe this wey.'[2] Thei forsoth in hym berkyng and
threateyng the philosopher biholdyng saide:[3] 'Yowre lord is nat
my lord but my seruaunt.' That heryng and with a newly chiere
hym biholdyng, sum decre thei purposiden of lasse Reproef and
threate til thei herden the sentence of the kyng thei decreeden.[4]
Forsoth while thei thus decreeden the kyng cam with his meyne,
and what was the cause of (f. 134) the strif askyng, what deedis
wern don or saide, the kynges seruauntis rehercyng he knewe it.[5]
The kyng therfor willyng to knowe what of tho foule thynges to
hym reherced wern aught feyned, to the philosopher than he went
and inquiryng what the philosopher saide of hym. So as bifore
vnto his meyne, so hym assured to be seruaunt of his seruauntis.
The sentence of whiche wordis the kyng benyngly and with a dili-
gent trust asked hym to tel and shewe. To whom the philosopher
bihielde the face and chiere of his dignite lightly saide: 'Suche wil is
seruaunt vnto me and to me servith and I nat to hym. And thow
in the contrarie art subiect vnto wil and to hym thow servist, and
- ↑ No. XXVIII in the original, I, 40, l. 8.
- ↑ The corresponding Latin for this sentence is (I, 40, l. 14) Quod non valentes minati sunt ei dicentes: Vade ne quid mali ex protenrvitatis studio tibi contingat, quia rex noster et dominus cum familiaribus suis at primitibus est hac parte transiturus.
- ↑ Lat. Illos autem in se latrantes philosophus intuens.
- ↑ The words of this sentence are quite distinct; in the Ms., but the meaning is obscure. The Latin (I, 40, l, 18) runs, {{latin|Quod audientes et novercali vultu eum respicientes quidam eum detruncare proposuerunt, minus vero improbi donec sententiam regis audirent, parcere ei decreverunt.
- ↑ In this sentence again we have a specimen of the crudest translation of the Latin, in which the literal meanings of the words are occasionally set down without any apparent connection with what precedes or follows, Dum vero in hunc modum decertarent, rex adveniens et quae causa litigii foret perquirens, quae gesta fuerant vel dicta famulis referentibus cognovit.
