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A king that would to do his duty try,
Is steward, truly, and not sovereign
Of those who bow to his authority.

— Francesco Berni

Un re, se vuole il suo debito fare,
Non e re veramente, ma fattore
Del popol che gli e dato a governare.

Original text (Italian)

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Notes from Wikiquote

VIII, 8

More quotes by Francesco Berni

Non vien si tardi il mal che non sia presto.

Never a man unblemished virtue shows,
Save when he is the butt of fortune's blows.

He still fought stoutly on—and he was dead.

Whoe'er he be, none more than human deem,
And each may speak as good to him doth seem.

Nor power nor pleasure e'er can be enjoyed,
What time they with suspicion are alloyed.

All Francesco Berni quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Francesco Berni (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.