Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
The Gaelic Maundeville (Author: John Maundeville)

paragraph 204

Before the Emperor are many philosophers and folk of every science, and when one of the philosophers sees that it is time he saith: ‘Do reverence to the Emperor that is God's son and lord over the lords of the earth.’ Then every one bows his head to the ground; and the same man says, ‘Raise up your heads’, and then they all raise them up together. The signification of this is, that they are all obedient for ever to the Emperor. Another philosopher says: ‘Let each one of you put his little finger into his ear.’ They put it forthwith. This is the meaning of that, that none of them would ever hear a single word of slander or rebellious talk against the Emperor. And it is not possible to plan warfare against the Emperor which his philosophers and his astrologers will not declare to him.