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Or stay its course, and thus be able,

Honour attained, to keep him stable? And dost thou aught of logic know

(Which falsity from truth doth show),

Thou’lt see, where great and strong men fall,

For poor and weak, the chance how small!

But if examples thou shouldst scorn

From old authentic writings torn,

Then is it well that thou shouldst learn

That if thou wilt, thou need’st but turn

For good examples which have been

Before the eyes of all men seen,

Writ large for us in later days.

Of turmoils, battles, and affrays.

In Sicily we first may see

Lord Manfred, who by treachery

Long time unchallenged kept the land,

Till Charles of Anjou’s mighty hand

O’ercame him, and there reigns to-day,

Where no man dares dispute his sway.

Him thou mayst better know perchance

As Count of Anjou and Provence,

And who by providence of God

Is lord of Sicily’s fair sod.

This good King Charles from Manfred took

His kingdom not alone, but strook

The life from him; when he, with sword

Fine tempered, on the battle sward

Where first they met assailed him; high

On towering war-horse mounted: ‘Die,’

He cried, ‘shalt thou, for check and mate

I give thee,’ but soon met his fate,