THE KING'S MIRROR 313 



taken a gift from a friend; and he was condemned to 

 die for having saved men from death, though many 

 would regard that as a good rather than an evil deed. 



LIX 



WHEN JUDGMENTS SHOULD BE SEVERE AND WHEN 

 THEY SHOULD BE MERCIFUL 



Son. The more examples of this sort I hear, the more 

 difficult seems the position of those who are appointed 

 to judge. I will ask you, therefore, to indicate some test 

 by which I can know when the judgments ought to be 

 severe and when they should be more lenient. 



Father. It is difficult to state that in definite terms: 

 still, all causes that are brought before the men who have 

 authority to judge will be decided in some way. But I 

 believe that a purpose to judge as they think is right 

 will do the most to keep them from falling into guilt 

 before God. For Stephen was acquitted of the charge 

 that he had caused the church of Saint Lawrence to 

 forfeit land by the fact that he did not know that his 

 decision was wrong; and yet he did not wholly escape 

 punishment, though in some respects he was punished 

 less than he would have been, if he had known that his 

 verdict was wrong. Now there are four things which he 

 who goes into the judgment hall must leave outside 

 and never allow to come into the judgment seat with 

 him or even inside the door. The first is avarice-: the 

 second ,.nmity; the third obsjinacy; the fourth, friend- 

 _ship. For you heard that Stephen was ordered to dis- 

 close whether he had accepted a gift from Tarquin and 





