THE KING'S MIRROR 



169 





his other thegns, and, in addition, one mark gold asf 

 housecarle fine,* which he exacts whenever a housecarle 1 

 is slain 7j 



You shall also know that/many come to court fronT^ 

 the country who were considered of little consequence / 

 there; and yet, it often happens that the king gives high C* 

 honors to such men in return for their servicefjif they J 

 perform it well, though they are but slightly honored in 

 their own homes. Those, on the other hand, whom the 

 cotters in the country seemed to value highly for their 

 wealth, kindred, and fellowship, are often no more re- 

 garded at the royal court than in their home commu- 

 nities and sometimes even less. Indeed, those who come 

 to the king with riches are often honored less than those 

 who come in poverty. [Frequently, men who come to 

 court with little wealth or none at all and have no choice 

 but to accept what the king graciously offers are set so 

 high in riches and power that they tower above their 

 kinsmen, though before they came to the king they were 

 not regarded as their equalsjThey win this either by 

 bravery in warfare and good deportment at court, or by 

 being faithful to the king in all things and striving to be 

 discreet and loving toward himlJFor the king helps and 

 promotes those whom he finds to be anxious to remain 

 truly affectionate toward him and to serve him in loyal 

 friendship. For these reasons asking by an act of grace."? 

 will very often exalt those who are lacking in riches ;JT 

 and therefore many such are encouraged to seek service 

 at court, where they all expect to win rewards, high 

 honors, and marked advancement in position. 



* The housecarle fine was higher than that exacted for the death of a common ~1 fc*. ^ 

 subject because the housecarle stood in a personal relation to the king. J 



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