\ 



298 THE KING'S MIRROR 



now and then, either [with hawks, hounds, horses, or 

 b weapons, so that his health and agility at arms or in any 

 } form of warfare may be preserved.] His chief business, 

 however, is to maintain an intelligent government and 

 to seek good solutions for all the difficult problems and 

 demands which come before him. And you shall know 

 of a truth that it is just as much the king's duty to ob- 

 serve daily the rules of the sacred law and to preserve 

 justice in r *holy judgments" as it is the bishop's duty to 

 preserve the order of the sacred mass and all the canon- 

 ical hours. 



Son. I am inquiring so closely into these things for 

 the reason that many believe the royal dignity to have 

 been founded for such pleasure-giving splendor and un- 

 restrained amusement as kings may desire. But now I 

 see clearly from your remarks that a king ought con- 

 stantly to labor in the yoke of God; wherefore it seems 

 to me that he must have a great burden to support 

 every day in the serious interest that he must show when 

 the needs of his subjects are presented to him. Therefore 

 I wish to ask you once more to show me clearly what 

 should be a king's duty after the hours have been ob- 

 served. 



/* ^ Father. It was the custom of old at the time when the 



fa j^ f^ : C royal office was established and (enjoyed its greatest 

 / u /<.^ ) splendor, that, when a king no longer stood in fear of 

 -. / his enemies but sat in complete security among his 

 henchmen,*1ie selected a splendid house where he could 

 set up his high-seat, which was also to serve as his judg- 

 ment seat; and this throne he adorned with every form 

 of royal decoration. Then the king sat down upon it and 



