very confusion of the commune welfare. Wherefore thei chase out of the
chief cities (as Heliopole, Memphis, and Thebes) the worthiest men, to be
as Lordes chief Iustice, or Presidentes of Iudgementes, so that their
Iustice benche did sieme to giue place, neither to the Areopagites of the
Athenienses, ne yet to the Senate of the Lacedemonians that many a daie
after theim ware instituted. Aftre what tyme these chief Iustices ware
assembled (thirtie in nombre) thei chase out one that was Chauncellour of
the whole: and when he failed, the citie appoincted another in his place.
All these had their liuynges of the kyng: but the Chauncellour more
honorably then the rest. He bare alwaie about his necke a tablette, hangyng
on a chaine of golde, and sette full of sundrie precious stones, whiche
thei called Veritie and Truthe. The courte beyng set and begunne, and the
tablet of Truthe by the Chauncellour laied furthe, and theight bookes of
their lawes (for so many had thei) brought furth into the middes emong
them: it was the maner for the plaintife to putte into writyng the whole
circumstance of his case, and the maner of the wrong doone vnto him, or how
muche he estemed himself to be endamaged thereby. And a time was giuen to
the defendant to write answere again to euery poinct, and either to deny
that he did it, or elles to alledge that he rightfully did it, or elles to
abate the estimate of the damage or wrong. Then had thei another daie
appointed, to saie finally for them selues. At the whiche daie when the
parties on bothe sides ware herd, and the iudges had conferred their
opinions, the Chauncellour of the Iudges gaue sentence by pointyng with the
tablet of Veritie, toward the parte that semed to be true. This was the
maner of their iudgementes.

And forasmuche as we are fallen into mencion of their iudgementes, it shall
not be vnfyttyng with myne enterprise, to write also the aunciente Lawes of
the Egiptians, that it maie be knowen how muche they passe, bothe in ordre
of thynges, and profite.