THE KING'S MIRROR 185 



fitting in a king's house, because many things look stu- 

 pid to the multitude which are considered proper in the 

 presence of kings and other great men. Now you shall 

 know of a truth, not only that it is fitting to come with- 

 out a mantle when one appears for the first time before 

 a king, but also that in many places it is as proper to 

 wear one's mantle in the royal presence as to leave it 

 off. But since you have asked the reason why it should 

 seem more decorous to appear before princes without 

 one's mantle than to wear it, it might be a more than 

 sufficient answer to say that it is the custom wherever 

 well bred men appear in the presence of mighty lords 

 to come without a mantle, and that jyhoever is ignorant 

 of that custom is there called a/churljl 



But these facts may serve asrwr'additional answer: 

 if a man appears before magnatesL wrapped in his cloak, "1 

 he shows in that way that he regards himself as an/ 

 equal to them in whose presence he is; for he comes 1 

 clad in all his finery like a lord, and acts as if he need f 

 not serve any one. But if he lays aside his cloak, he 

 shows that he is ready for service, if the one who is en- 

 titled to receive rather than to do service is willing to 

 accept itTJLikewise there are instances of this other fact, ' 

 which often necessitates caution, that many are envious 

 of a king; and if his enemy is rash and bold, he can in- 

 deed come before the king with hidden perils and mur- 

 derous weapons, if he is allowed to wear his mantle; but 

 he cannot easily accomplish this if he comes without his 

 cloak. It is therefore evident that he was a wise man 

 who first ordained the formality that a man should ap- 

 pear without a mantle before great lords and especially 



FTV^ 



