THE KING'S MIRROR 315 



and whenever necessity drives a man into crime and 

 law-breaking, the judgment should be tempered. 



However, if the accused are men who have been led 

 into crime by insolence, ambition, avarice, or selfishness, 

 the dooms ought to be severe, though justice and the 

 law of the land must be observed in every instance. And 

 in cases like those to which we have just referred the 

 sentence should be as severe as the law permits; while 

 in the cases mentioned earlier the law should be applied 

 with due allowance for the difficulties that were at hand. 

 If the distress that led to the trouble is considered great, 

 the judgment should be tempered accordingly. But if a 

 jcing or any ruler who is a judge and has power to pun-^ 

 ish, takes life as a punishment, he should always do it -T ' 

 with great reluctance, in bis heart lamenting the jeath^ 

 and ill-fortune of the offender. He must take heed, how- 

 ever, lest he slay out of his own cruelty or in anger and 

 hatred for the one who is to die. Let him slay him in 

 just punishment and out of love for those who live 

 after; because he believes that they will live in greater 

 security and lead better lives after having seen the 

 death and troubles of such a one; and because he in- 

 tends that the fear and terror which the misfortunes of 

 another have brought upon him shall guide those to 

 rectitude and good morals, whom nature is unable to 

 guide because of their excessive ambition or stupidity. 

 A famous man, an upright and excellent emperor, once 

 ordained respecting the decrees of kings, that if a king 

 should become so angry with any one that he planned 

 his death, and if his guilt were not so evident that he 

 could with justice be condemned at once to an imme- 



