THE KING'S MIRROR ^ 



can; then you cannot be called a deceiver.^Also put a / 

 good price on your wares, though not too high, and yet I 

 very near what you see can be obtained; then you can- 

 not be called a foister. ~] 



Finally, remember this, that whenever you have an p . 

 hour to spare you should [give thought to your studies,? 

 especially to the law books ;]f or it is clear that those who?* 

 gain knowledge from books have keeiier__wii& than ) & 

 others, since those who are the most learned have the 

 best proofs for their knowledge. Make a study of all the 

 laws, but while you remain a merchant there is no law 

 that you will need to know more thoroughly than the 

 /JBjarkey code.?J]lf you are acquainted with the law, you 

 will not be annoyed by quibbles when you have suits to 

 bring against men of your own class, but will be able to 

 plead according to law in every case. 



But although I have most to say about laws, I regard 

 no man perfect in knowledge unless he has thoroughly 

 .learned and mastered the customs of the place where he , A, 



is sojourning. [And if you wish to become perfect in 

 knowledge, you must learn all the languages, first of all 

 Latin and French, for these idioms are most widely usedJJ 

 and yet, do not neglect your native tongue or speech.^, 



IV 



THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED 



Son. May God reward you, sire, for the love of kin- 

 ship that you show in pointing out so many things that 

 I may find needful, if I have the good fortune to learn 



* The " Birch-isle " code was originally a set of rules governing commercial 

 intercourse. After a time it became a more elaborate law governing the munici- 



