THE KING'S MIRROR 297 



LV 



A FURTHER DISCUSSION OF THE KING'S BUSINESS 

 ESPECIALLY HIS JUDICIAL DUTIES 



Son. I believe you have now cleared up for me what 

 you think ought to be a king's business, at night after 

 the season for sleep is past while he is meditating upon 

 the needs of his realm and subjects, and in the morning 

 when he goes to church or to devotional services; and 

 it seems to me that these occupations are both useful 

 and important, so much so that they are indispensable. 

 Now that you have shown me what he should be em- 

 ployed with in the night and early in the morning, I 

 wish to ask you to continue and to point out what he 

 should be occupied with during the day: whether it is 

 your opinion that he should ponder the needs of his 

 kingdom while awake at night in order that he may be 

 able to spend the day with greater freedom, after the 

 custom which I hear that kings now follow in most 

 places, either in riding out with hawks or in joining the 

 chase with dogs, or in some other form of diversion, as 

 I hear that kings are in the habit of doing in most coun- 

 tries; or whether you think that he should be otherwise 

 employed, if he does as he ought to do, and^that kings 

 seek these diversions more for the sake of recreation 

 than because their rank demand it. 



Father. I surely do believe, with respect to what you 

 have just asked about, that kingship was established 

 and appointed to look after the needs of the whole realm 

 and people rather than for sport and vain amusements. 

 Nevertheless, a king must be allowed to seek diversion 



