[Sidenote: Have you not read how Anaxarchus bit off his tongue and spat it in the face of Nicocreon?]
¶ But þis free man boot 1400 of hys owen tunge. { and} cast it in þe visage of þilke woode tyrau{ n}te. ¶ So þat þe to{ ur}ment[gh] þat þis tyrau{ n}t wende to han maked mater{ e} of cruelte. þis wyse man maked[e it] matere of vertues.
[Sidenote: What is it that one man can do to another that does not admit of retaliation?]
¶ But what 1404 þing is it þat a man may don to an oþer man. þat he ne may receyue þe same þing of oþer folke i{ n} hym self. or þus. ¶ What may a man don to folk. þat folk ne may don hym þe same.
[Sidenote: Busiris used to kill his guests, but at last himself was killed by Hercules, his guest.]
¶ I haue herd told of 1408 busirides þat was wo{ n}t to sleen hys gestes þat herburghden in hys hous. and he was slayn hym self of ercules þat was hys gest
[Sidenote: Regulus put his Carthaginian prisoners in chains, but was afterwards obliged to submit to the fetters of his enemies.]
¶ Regulus had[de] taken in bataile many men of affrike. and cast hem in to fetteres. 1412 but sone after he most[e] [gh]iue hys handes to ben bounden w{ i}t{ h} þe cheynes of hem þat he had[de] somtyme ou{ er}comen.
[Sidenote: Is he mighty that dares not inflict what he would upon another for fear of a requital?]
¶ Wenest þou þan þat he be my[gh]ty. þat may nat don a þing. þat oþer ne may don 1416 hym. þat he doþ to oþer.
[Sidenote: If powers and honours were intrinsically good, they would never be attained by the wicked.]
{ and} [gh]it more ou{ er} yif it so were þat þise dignites or poweres hadden any p{ ro}pre or naturel goodnesse in hem self neuer nolden þei comen to shrewes.
[Sidenote: An union of things opposite is repugnant to nature.]
¶ For contrarious þinges ne ben 1420 not wont to ben yfelawshiped togidres. ¶ Nature refuseþ þat contra[r]ious þinges ben yioigned.
[Sidenote: But as wicked men do obtain the highest honours, it is clear that honours are not in themselves good, otherwise they would not fall to the share of the unworthy.]
¶ And so as I am in certeyne þat ry[gh]t wikked folk han dignitees ofte tymes. þan sheweþ it wel þat dignitees { and} powers 1424 ne ben not goode of hir owen kynde. syn þat þei suffren hem self to cleue{ n} or ioynen hem to shrewes.