192 



THE KING'S MIRROR 



N 



/ 



Now such things there are and others like them into 

 which a man, if he wishes to be called well-bred, must 

 get some insight and which he ought to learn at home 

 before he goes very often to have conversation with great 

 lords. And from all this you will see how courtly and 

 cultured they ought to be in their manners and conduct 

 who are constantly to be near a king in all manner of 

 honorable intercourse, since it has appeared to knowing 

 men as if one is scarcely prepared to come into the king's 



^presence to converse with him unless he has mastered 

 all these things that we have now talked about, except 

 he should be a perfect boor, and not to be reckoned or 

 classed among well-bred people but among the very 



Churls. Still, you must know this, too, that there are 

 many who have spent a long time at court, and know 

 but little or nothing about these things. And this is 

 true of those who bear the hirdman's name and should 

 be very close to the king, as well as of those who have 

 lesser titles and rarely see the king. It must have been 

 of such as these last mentioned that you spoke earlier 

 in our conversation when you remarked that those who 

 came from the court seemed no more polished or cul- 

 tured, or even less, than those who had never been at 

 urt. To that I replied, and with truth, that everyone 

 who wishes to be proper in his conduct needs to guard 

 against such ignorance as they are guilty of, who know 

 not the meaning of shame or honor or courtesy, and 

 learn nothing from the conduct of good and courtly men, 

 even though they see it daily before their eyes. 



