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The prologue of a Doctor in recommendacion of Arystotle the prynce of phylosophers

God almyghty save our kynge, & the glory of all his frendes, and conferme his realme in the faythe of god. And cause hym to reygne in the exaltacyon, prayse and honour of his people. I whiche am servaunt to the kynge have put in execution the werke of his commaundement, in getynge a boke of good maners to his governaunce. The whiche boke is called the Secrete of Secretes, made by the prince of phylosophers Arystotle the sone of Mahonnet of Macedony, to his dysciple the emperour Alexander sone of Phylyp kynge of Macedony the which Alexandre had two crownes. This sayd boke Arystotle compyled in the oldenesse of his body bycause that he might no more travayle nor ryde to do suche besynesses as Alexander had put in to his charge. For Alexandre had made hym governour and mayster above all other bycause he was a man of veray good councell, of grete clerge, and subtyll understanding. And incessantly studyed good & gracyous maners, & scyences spyrytuall, contemplatives, and charytables. He was a wyse man, & meke, lovynge reason and Justyce, & ever reported ryghtwysnesse & trouthe. And therfore many phylosophres repute hym of the nombre of prophetes. And say that they had founde dyvers bokes of the grekes which god had sent hym by his moost excellent aungell, saynge to hym, `I shall make the to be called in the worlde more an aungell than a man.' And wyte ye that Arystotle dyde in his lyfe many sygnes whiche were straunge in werkes & mervayles whiche were to longe to be accompted. Before his dethe he dyde many straunge werkes. Wherfore a relygyon & company peryadyc sayd & helde opynion that he had ben in heven in lykeness of a douve of fyre. And as longe as he lyved Alexander overcame all the worlde through his councell. And all landes by the fame of hym were put under the imperyall commaundement, & in lykewyse they of Perce, & Araby. And there was none that durst gaynsay Alexander, in worde nor dede. And the sayd Arystotle made many goodly epystles for the love that he had to Alexander, & for to cause hym to knowe all the secretes, he made an epystle here under wryten, the which he sent to Alexander. And whan Alexander had overcome the realme of Perce & set the moost of them in his prysons, he sent an epystle to Arystotle whiche foloweth.


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Next: An epystle that Alexander Up: Prolegomena Previous: Prolegomena   Contents
tashid 2001-09-09