304 THE KING'S MIRROR 



that Wisdom has given of herself or wise men like those 

 just mentioned have written, and each day to ponder 

 some part of those speeches, if the duties of his office 

 leave him any time for that. 



LVII 



DIFFICULT DUTIES OF THE KING'S JUDICIAL 

 OFFICE WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 



Son. Since it clearly is the official duty of a king to be 

 well informed in all science, it is quite evident that to 

 acquire the knowledge which you have just now dis- 

 cussed must be of the highest importance; for it seems 

 likely that he will be able to gather much insight from 

 it, whether he wishes to meditate on the greatness of 

 divine power or on the needs of men. Now since you do 

 not care to discuss these matters further, I will ask you 

 to continue your remarks with a few words about what 

 a king ought to consider before passing judgments, 

 when he comes into the judgment seat to determine 

 the causes of men. 



Father. It is indeed his duty, as you have remarked, to 

 look carefully into all those speeches that we have now 

 spoken and to study them thoroughly, for this reason, 

 that if he unravels them with care in his thoughts, he 

 will surely find in them, if he has understanding, nearly 

 all those things which pertain to divine power and which 



show how God has distributed his gifts among men and 

 other created beings. For every king and every other 

 discreet man can learn in this way what he actually is, 

 and what he ought to be, if he wishes to achieve what 

 God has intended for him. You also ask how a king 



