THE KING'S MIRROR 355 



LXVIII 



A DISCUSSION OF PROMISES: WHEN THEY MUST BE KEPT 

 AND WHEN THEY SHOULD BE WITHDRAWN 



Son. Now I wish to ask you to tell me somewhat more 

 clearly how far one should keep what he has pledged 

 and how far he may refuse to carry out what he has 

 promised. 



Father. When a lord is asked to grant a favor and 

 the meaning of the request is made clear to him, he 

 wight toj>ojicler carefully ^wEat itJstnatEe is asked to 

 dp and whether it will brin^ him injury or honor. If he 

 sees that he can grant it without damage to himself, he 

 ought next to consider the person to whom he is to give 

 what has been asked, and how much may be given in 

 each case, lest he should have an experience like that of 

 Herod, which has already been related. For Herod did 

 not consider fully the merits of the one who made the 

 request, or the occasion, or how much he ought to give. 

 There was this difficulty, too, in Herod's case, that he 

 was drunk when he made the promise; he had made a 

 great banquet for all his lords, and he failed to consider 

 the occasion; for it was not proper for him to make gifts 

 while drunk, since one who is drunk will rarely be mod- 

 erate in making gifts .^fre also failed to observe modera- 

 tionjn this, that he gave such an unusual gift to his 

 step-daughter, a woman who was not of his kin, for he 

 spoke in these terms: " Whatsoever you ask I will give 

 you, though you ask hah* of my kingdom.'^ You will 

 observe from this that he was half -mad from drink when 

 he spoke, for his step-daughter had honored him merely 



