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KT IN' TERRA PAX HO.M1N1BUS BONvE VOLUNTATIS

The Cardinal who served the office of “ Et in terra pax hominibus bonx voluntatis ” sent his spies throughout the city of Rome to spy out if any man was in Strife with any other; and the same thing did he throughout divers coun¬ tries ; and daily did he treat concerning peace even so much as he could. It came to pass one day that a spy whom he had sent through the city of Rome told him that in that city were a Christian and a Jew who disputed daily con¬ cerning their laws, and that they had great Strife the one with the other while they disputed, and that each bore the other ill-will because of it. The Cardinal went to that place 331

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wherein they disputed, and reasoned with them, saying these words :

i. “ It is the nature of undemanding that it compre¬ hends more clearly when a man is joyful and glad than when he is angered, for anger disturbs the undemanding, wherefore the undemanding may not comprehend that which it would have comprehended if the man had not been angered. Another property has undemanding in its com¬ prehension, to wit, that a man affirms to be possible anything which the will desires that the undemanding shall comprehend; for if, before the undemanding com¬ prehend it, he affirm that impossibility is therein, the undemanding will not be prepared to comprehend the possibility or impossibility which is to be understood therein. Another property yet has the undemanding when it soars aloft in comprehension of any matter, namely, that the will may love equally that which it affirms or denies, before the undemanding comprehend it; for when the will is inclined to the one side before the undemanding has comprehension thereof, the undemanding is impeded from comprehension. All these manners and many more arc needful to the undemanding that it may comprehend ; and if it may not comprehend through all of them, it behoves a man to have recourse to the Brief Art of finding Truth , which is an art whereby the undemanding may soar aloft in comprehension, even as the voice, through the art of music, soars aloft in song.” After this manner the Cardinal gave inStrudtion to the two wise men who were disputing together, and through the humility which he caused to come to them, they became friends the one of the other, disputing and agreeing with each other in love and conceding to each other the truth. The Cardinal left them, and gave them his benediction, and said to them that they should send each other gifts, that there might be occasion of friendship between them, through the which friendship they would have understanding the more easily the one of the other. 332

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3. At that time it came to pass that two Christian kings, of great nobility and power, had had long Strife and dispute between themselves, and had attacked each other in battle. The Cardinal went to the two kings with letters from the Pope that he might make peace between them, and bare many jewels and much money that he might give jewels to them both, and many gifts to their counsellors. With all his power the Cardinal endeavoured to make peace between these two kings, and since they had continued for long in their lawsuit and there had been no peace between them, therefore was each king so incensed againSt the other that the Cardinal could not make peace, nor even a truce. Wherefore the Cardinal wrote to the Pope in these

4. “ There was war between God and the human race when Adam had sinned and all had SI rayed from the peace and blessing of God. And because this Strife was very grievous, it beseemed God in His own person to come and make peace and concord between God and His creatures ; wherefore came the person of the Son to take flesh within Our Lady Saint Mary, and He suffered death upon the Cross when He was grown to be a man.” These letters were read in the presence of the Pope and of the Cardinals, and Ramin the Fool related this Story: “ A certain lady had great Strife with her husband. But a fair son was born to them, and because of the son whom each one loved, they had peace and concord for all the time of their lives." The JcSter of Valour said that humility, charity and peace were siStcrs of Valour.

j. Long did the Pope consider that which was signified by the words aforesaid, and by virtue of his will to work that which was good he understood the significance of the words. The Pope went with four Cardinals to the two kings, who dwelt far from Rome, and to each of them he gave gifts and jewels, and he held a great Court of prelates and princes and barons, and this Court he held at great

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coil. Before the Pope spake concerning the making of peace between the two kings, he said in the presence of all that he had come to that land to set on foot an expedition againft the enemies of the Cross, and he desired and prayed that both the kings would take part in the expedition, and that one of them would go againft the Saracens that are in the Eaft, and the other againft those that are in the Weft; and, when they had conquered them, that they would unite, and the one would come to the other that both might conquer the Saracens that are in the South. The Pope gave great indulgences and ordered a Crusade, and from the possessions of Holy Church he made great gifts to the two kings and to other barons, and he placed their lands under his own proteflion and command. So pleasing was this ordinance to the two kings, and so great mind had they to do deeds of arms, that both agreed to entruft their claims to the power of the Pope; and they joined the expedition and set aside the matter which had been at dispute between them, that no harm might come to their expedition by

6. The two kings set on foot a very great expedition, and with them went many friars who had learned Arabic, as messengers to the Saracens, that they might convert them ere the two kings slew them and their souls went to everlafting fire. The Pope returned to Rome, and did all that was in his power for the success of the expedition. The Cardinal who had the office of peace-maker remained for

ET IN TERRA PAX

one draper and the other to the other; and of the two shops which he had bought he had two houses made; in each he put a man who dwelt there as a recluse and lived upon alms, and preached peace, and spake good words to the people that dwelt in that square, and to others that passed through the flrects.

7. It came to pass that a spy of the Cardinal passed through the square, and saw that both the recluses were at Strife, and spake evil words, having each one envy of the other. When the Cardinal knew this, he took one recluse from that place, and put him in another place far from that from the which he had taken him, and from the house whence he had taken him he made a place wherein should be men to whom the recluse should speak words concern¬ ing peace and God ; and a like place made he for the other recluse. Great was the good which both the recluses did in that city, and very good was this establishment, since in public places, wherein so much evil is done, there should be men to mortify these evils through the example which they give of good living, and through devout words, and the reading of books of prayer and devotion.

8. The Cardinal went into another city which was situate between the territory of an archbishop and a king, and they disputed concerning the boundaries of the city, for the which cause there was great Strife between them. The Cardinal could not make them to agree, for he could not caSt out the avarice which was deep rooted in the soul of either. So the Cardinal went to Rome and prayed the Pope that he would make peace between the archbishop and the king. Immediately the Pope went to that city wherein was the Strife. He called the king and the archbishop and made them a great feaSt and banquet. On the same day the Pope preached concerning peace, saying how Jesus ChriSl preached peace daily. Before they went to dine, the Pope desired that the king would expound to him the cause of his Strife with the archbishop. The king showed the Pope

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the boundaries which, as he said, marked out his dominion, and the Pope said to the king that he had understood that the dominion of the king extended farther, and he desired that the king would take some of that which pertained to the Church ; for greater was the worth of the peace which would follow therefrom than was the income of the land of the archbishop. When the king saw that the Pope desired to give him more of the city than he asked of him, he said to the Pope : " Lord ! Come thou and take thy part of my dominion whereof for a long time I have deprived the Church." And the king desired to assign to the Church more than the archbishop asked. Great Strife and dispute was there before the Pope and the king could be made to agree; for each desired to give up to the other his right; wherefore the queffion was put into the power of two men who knew the truth concerning the boundaries, and their will was followed; so peace and friendship were made between the king and the archbishop.

9. In a city wherein sojourned the Cardinal who went seeking peace, was an old man who had a young wife. So deeply did he love her that he had great jealousy because of her, the which jealousy vexed him greatly ; his wife like¬ wise and all his household were greatly vexed because of it. It came to pass one day that this man was in the square, and the Cardinal passed by, and all the people said: “ Be¬ hold the Cardinal who goes in search of peace." This good man wondered within himself if the Cardinal could give him peace likewise, and bring him out of the trouble wherein jealousy had set him. When the Cardinal went to his lodging, the jealous man recounted to him secretly his cflate, and begged him to give him counsel as to how he could have peace. The Cardinal spake many good words to this man, and asked him to come daily to speak with him for a space ; and the Cardinal spake in secret with the wife of the man, counselling her not to embroider her garments nor to set colours in her face nor to give in her 336

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person any signs of lu£f, and to do all honour to her husband and to have patience when he spake fternly. When the Cardinal had instructed the lady without the knowledge of her husband, he preached daily concerning God and holiness of life, speaking evil of luff and praising chaftity; and wheresoever he preached he took with him always this good man who was jealous; and when he was in his house the Cardinal invited him to come and read with him from Holy Scripture. For a long time the Cardinal remained in that city that he might bring peace to that man. So the jealousy which he had aforetime remained no longer in him, for the words which the Cardinal had spoken concerning God, and the good life of his lady, weaned him from the cuftom of thinking upon such things as make a man to be jealous.

io. The Cardinal went to another city to find out if there were any trouble therein. It came to pass one day that, according to his cu&om, the Cardinal sent to four notable men of the city, that they might watch and see if in that city there were need to set any man at peace with any other. Among these four notables was a man of honoured lineage who had been very wealthy, and he was in great trial night and day, casing in his mind for means whereby he might maintain the e&ate of honour which he had begun to maintain and had for a long time kept ; where¬ fore that good man besought counsel of the Cardinal, relating to him the trouble which his thoughts had given him. That man had no wife and he had five sons. The Cardinal counselled him that he should enter a religious order that he might have no more fear of coming to poverty and shame; and he commended one of his sons to the Prince of that land, and another to the Bishop that he might become a clerk; another of them he took himself, that he might bring him up and give him a benefice, and the two that remained were well provided for by the possessions of their father; and the father entered a religious order, and

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had peace all the days of his life, fleeing from the world and from the vainglory wherein he had lived aforetime.

II. While the Cardinal was in that city there came a message from Rome by means of a spy whom he kept there, that he should go to Rome to make peace between the two advocates of two princes who were sorely at if rife with each other. The Cardinal went to Rome, and secretly sent a message to one of them, making him swear to keep secret that which he should tell him. After the Cardinal had made him swear this, he said that in his name he would send gifts and jewels to the other man with whom he was at flrife; and since this man was avaricious and would think that he had sent him the jewels, his wrath would be retrained. And he counselled him that, if his adversary gave him thanks for aught that he had given him, he should make it to appear that it was indeed he that had sent it to him. In like manner spake the Cardinal with the other man ; and sent jewels often to either, in such wise that each thought that the one was sending them to the other. By reason of the jewels which the Cardinal sent, each greeted the other and did kindnesses to the other; and though the Cardinal said no more, they both became friends and pleasing the one to the other. After this manner and in many another wise did the Cardinal set men at peace, that they might have good will and that peace might be made on earth, and this peace be to them occasion of the life of salvation. Great was the good that the Cardinal did, and whensoever there was any Strife in the land, men had recourse to the Cardinal that he might make peace among them.

12. In the courts wherein lawsuits were tried and dis¬ putes settled, the Cardinal had advocates to make peace among those that came to law, and he himself came often¬ times to the court to make peace between them. The Cardinal secretly employed likewise devout and good women to whom he gave rule and doffrine as to how they might make peace between women that were at strife. 338

LAUDAMUS TE

The great good which the Cardinal did in setting men at peace with each other was so pleasing to God and to all men that, through the merit of the Cardinal, God gave peace and blessing to the lands whither the Cardinal went and wherein he lived.