The Game of Chess Moralized

said many villainous words to him and, like a madman and a
felon, spat in his face; but the prince, restraining
within himself his sweetness, his courage, and his reaction: his
gaze did not suggest that he had heard or perceived the insult that this man
had done to him, no more than if he had spoken
praises and honor. And the sons of the Duke himself, who
were very sorrowful at the injury to their father and at the shame,
and were strongly desirous to avenge it, did not avenge
it. And afterward, the youth, also considering within himself the
misdeed and the injury he had done to the prince,
grieved with an aching heart. And when the Duke knew of it, he went to him
and comforted him with beautiful words, and affirmed to him by faith
and by oath that he would be his friend just as before.
And thus, by the manner of the King’s conversion The text here shifts to a new anecdote, likely referring to the King of Tarentum, whose behavior "converts" or changes the atmosphere of his court., it appeared that
he heard at his dinner that those of Tarentum original: "quarentaigne," likely a scribal error or variant for Tarentum, as identified in the later mention of "tarente." spoke
many defamatory words about him; whereupon the King
summoned all those who had been at the dinner and
asked and inquired of them if they had spoken such
words. And one of them said to him: "Sire, you should
know that if the wine The speaker implies that the supply of alcohol ran out. had not failed us, all the
words that are reported to you would have been but
praises compared to those we still had
to say about you." Wherefore it was a marvel that the
drunkenness of such great gluttony and their simple confession
appeased the ire of the King, who began to laugh.
And by this gentleness debonnairete: a quality of nobility, kindness, and clemency and this temperance attemprance: the virtue of self-restraint and moderation, it became
accustomed in the land of Tarentum that when the
people were fasting original: "jeunes," here meaning "à jeun" or sober/fasting. and sober, they gave thanks to their
lord; when they were drunk, everything was...