Summus imperator christus disponit hic primo de regibus quales consiliarios debeant habere et dat eis decem consilia vtilissima et moralia.
The Authority of the Divine King
Christ establishes His supreme authority and eternal justice as the foundation for all earthly rule.
I am the true King, and no one is worthy to be called king except me, because all honor and power come from me. I am the one who judged the first angel, who fell because of pride, greed, and envy. I am the one who judged Adam, Cain, and the entire world by sending the flood because of humanity's sins. I am the same One who allowed the people of Israel to go into captivity, and who then, through miraculous signs, brought them out of that captivity in a miraculous way. All justice is in me; it had no beginning and will have no end. Justice is never diminished in me, but remains always true and unchanging.
Ten Counsels for a Just Ruler
The Lord provides ten specific moral and practical instructions for the King of Sweden to govern with justice, piety, and humility.
And because this king of Sweden is humbly asking you how he might live justly and prudently in his rule, I will show him. There are, therefore, ten things he must do. The first is that he must remove from himself any advisors whose hearts are ambitious and greedy, whose tongues are double-dealing and deceitful, and whose eyes are dim to spiritual things.1 Instead, let him choose those who don't sell justice for money, who are ashamed of lies and flattery, who love God more than worldly things, and who feel compassion for the miseries of their neighbors. The second thing is that I want the king himself to help support the building of your monastery, the rule of which I personally dictated. The third is that he should send his vassals and people to those lands of the infidels where the Catholic faith and charity can be increased. His vassals were killed in the city of Hamnis because he himself coveted a portion of another Christian kingdom. The fourth point is that the king himself should pray the Hours of the Blessed Virgin, my Mother, every day. And when he has judicial duties or other urgent matters in hand, he may set aside the daily Hours. He should, however, hear two private Masses or one sung Mass every day. He should also remember my five wounds five times every day, which I endured for him on the cross. The fifth point is that he should fast on the vigils of the saints and of my Mother, as established by the holy Church. He should fast on Fridays with fish, and on Saturdays, if he chooses, with dairy products. He should observe Lent according to the customs of his country. But he should be careful that his fasting is moderate and balanced, so that he doesn't become lukewarm in his counsel or slack in his judgment because of unsuitable fasting or because of excessive vigils and long private prayers. But when a greater burden falls upon him, then he should obey the counsel, authority, and direction of the prelates of my Church. The sixth piece of advice is that you should give every tenth denarius owed to the royal treasury to the poor as alms. But if, for a specific reason, you want to go beyond this out of love for me, your reward will be even greater. The seventh is that every Friday he should gather thirteen poor people, wash their feet, and with his own hands give them food and money, unless he happens to be traveling, which would make such things impossible to carry out. On Fridays, whenever he has a quiet residence, he should devote himself entirely to this, and on that day, he should listen to the complaints of the subjects of the kingdom's community. Then, he should also inquire into the loyalty and conduct of the kingdom's officials, judges, and vassals, as well as those who exact or collect taxes and royal revenues. The eighth point is that the king himself should be discerning in his gifts, so that he can give to one person without being stingy toward others. If you want to give more to someone because of their virtuous life and hard work than you give to others, do it with maturity and caution, so you aren't seen as showing favoritism or giving people a reason to complain. Nothing is more reprehensible in powerful leaders than wastefulness or excessive stinginess, and nothing so becomes and adorns a king as ruling with modesty and rewarding those who labor in his service with charity. A king may give gifts to outsiders who keep the peace in his kingdom, as well as to those in need. Yet he should do this in a way that his own vassals and household members aren't neglected or forgotten. The ninth point is that he must not break God's law or introduce new customs that go against praiseworthy statutes. A king shouldn't make decisions or pass judgment based on personal power or whatever happens to cross his mind; instead, he should handle everything justly, according to the law of God and the realm, because it's not fitting for a king to command much while doing nothing, or to abandon justice and rule with cruelty. The tenth point is that a king should act in a way that proves he's worthy of the royal name, by shunning greed and truly loving humility. The greater a king is compared to others, the more humble he should be before God, from whom all power comes; for in judgment, God will demand a strict account from a king just as he will from the common people.
Read the original Latin
Ego sum verus rex et nullus est dignus vocari rex nisi ego, quia a me est omnis honor et potestas. Ego sum qui iudicaui primum angelum, qui cecidit propter superbiam, cupiditatem et inuidiam.
Ego sum qui iudicaui Adam et Cayn et totum mundum, immittendo propter hominum peccata diluuium.
Ego idem sum qui populum israheliticum permisi in captiuitatem venire et eum in signis mirabilibus de captiuitate mirabiliter eduxi.
In me est omnis iusticia et erat sine principio et sine fine erit. Nec aliquando iusticia minuitur apud me sed semper vera in me permanet et immutabilis.
Et quia rex iste swecie querit a te humiliter, quomodo in regimine viuat iuste et prudenter, ideo ego indicabo ei.
Decem igitur sunt ei facienda. Primum est quod remoueat a se illos consiliarios, quorum corda sunt ambiciosa et cupida, quorum lingua duplex et dolosa, quorum oculi sunt ad spiritualia lippientes.
Eligat vero illos, qui non vendunt iusticiam pro pecunia, qui erubescunt mendacium et assentaciones, qui diligunt deum plus quam carnalia et qui proximorum miseriis compaciuntur.
Secundum est quod volo quod ipse rex adiuuet suo subsidio ad edificacionem monasterii tui, cuius regulam ego ipse dictaui.
Tercium est quod ipse mittat vasallos suos et gentes ad illa loca infidelium, vbi fides catholica et caritas augeri potest.
Nam ideo vasalli sui interfecti fuerunt in ciuitate hamnis, quia ipse ambiuit partem regni alieni christianorum. Quartum est quod ipse rex legat quotidie horas beate virginis matris mee.
Et cum iudicia et aliqua ardua inter manus habuerit, dimittere potest horas diei. Audiat eciam duas missas priuatas vel vnam cantatam omni die.
Recordetur quoque omni die quinque vicibus de quinque vulneribus meis, que pro eo sustinui in cruce. Quintum est quod ieiunet vigilias sanctorum et matris mee, que ab ecclesia sancta constituta sunt.
Sextam vero feriam ieiunet in piscibus et sabbatum, si voluerit, in lacticiniis. Quadragesimam vero obseruet iuxta morem patrie.
Sed hoc attendat in ieiunio suo, quod sit moderatus et temperatus, ne propter inconueniencia ieiunia aut propter indiscretas vigilias et prolixas oraciones priuatas tepidus sit in consiliis aut remissus in iudiciis faciendis,
sed quando labor maior ei accreuerit, tunc obediat consilio et potestati et dispensacioni prelatorum ecclesie mee.
Sextum consilium est quod quemlibet decimum denarium, qui fisco regio debetur, tribuat in elemosinam pauperibus. Si vero aliqua alia pie supererogare ob amorem meum voluerit certa de causa, maior tunc erit ei merces.
Septimum est quod omni feria sexta colligat tredecim pauperes et lauet pedes eorum et tribuat eis victum et pecuniam manu sua, nisi forte fuerit in via propter quam talia sunt omittenda.
Ipsa quoque sexta feria exoccupet se totum, quando habet residenciam quietam, et audiat illa die querimonias subditorum communitatis regni.
Et tunc eciam inquirat de fidelitate et regimine prepositorum et iudicum regni et vasallorum et de exactoribus seu collectoribus tributorum et reddituum regalium.
Octauum est quod ipse rex sit discretus in donis suis, vt sic vni tribuat quod aliis non sit auarus.
Et si alicui pro vite merito et ampliori labore plus quam aliis donare voluerit, hoc eciam faciat cum maturitate et cautela, ne notetur in rege inequalitas vel occasio murmuracionis.
Quia nichil sic reprehensibile in potentibus dominis est sicut prodigalitas aut nimia tenacitas, et nichil ita decet et ornat regem sicut imperare cum modestia et laborantes in seruicio suo remunerare cum caritate.
Poterit eciam rex dare dona sua eciam extraneis conseruantibus pacem regno suo et hiis, qui necessitatem paciuntur. Sic tamen hoc faciat, quod vasalli et familiares proprii non negligantur aut obliuiscantur.
Nonum est quod legem dei non transgrediatur nec nouas inducat consuetudines contra statuta laudabilia.
Nec potestatiue disponat et iudicet que occurrunt menti eius sed iuste secundum legem dei et regni agat omnia, quia non decet regem multa precipere et nichil agere iusticiamque relinquere et crudeliter imperare.
Decimum est, quod rex se talem operibus exhibeat, quatenus dignus sit nomine regio, fugiendo cupiditatem et diligendo veraciter humilitatem.
Quia quanto rex maior est ceteris, tanto humilior sit coram deo, a quo omnis potestas est, qui ita in iudicio racionem strictam exiget a rege sicut a populo et plebe.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'lippientes' describes eyes that are bleary or watery, often used metaphorically for a lack of clear vision or discernment.
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