First, we begin with the contents of a book found within the world of Ultima Online, simply called Virtue by Lord British (also found in our Books Section:

    Within this world live people with many different ideals, and this is good. Yet what is it within the people of our land that sorts out the good from the evil, the cherished form the disdained? Virtue, I say it is, and virtue is the logical outcome of a people who wish to live together in a bonded society.

    For without Virtues as a code of conduct which people maintai(n) in their relations with each other, the fabric of that society will become weakene(d.) For a society to grow and prosper for all, each must grant the others a common base of consideration.

    I call this base the Virtues. For though one person might gain personal advantage by breaching such a code, the society as a whole would suffer.

    There are three Principle Virtues tha(t) should guide people to enlightenment. These are: Truth, Love, and Courage. From all the infinite reasons one may have to found an action, such as greed or charity, envy or pity, the three Principle Virtues stand out.

    In fact all other virtues and vices can be show(n) to be built from these principle(s) and their opposite corruption's of Falsehood, Hatred an(d) Cowardice. These three Principles can be combined in eight ways, which I will call the eight virtues. The eight virtues which we should build our society upon follow.

    Truth alone becomes Honesty, for without honesty between our people, how can we build the trust which is needed to maximize our successes.

    Love alone becomes compassion, for at some time or another all of us will need the compassion of others, and most likely compassion will be shown to those who have shown it.

    Courage alone becomes Valor, without valor our people will never reach into the unknown or to the risky and will never achieve.

    Truth tempered by Love gives us Justice, for only in loving search for the truth can one dispense fair Justice, rather than create a cold and callous people.

    Love and Courage gives us Sacrifice, for a people who love each other will be willing to make personal sacrifices to help others in need, which one day, may be needed in return.

    Courage and Truth give us Honor, great knights know this well, that chivalric honor can be found by adhering to this code of conduct.

    Combining Truth, Love and Courage suggest the virtue of Spirituality the virtu(e) that causes one to be introspective, to wonder about ones place in this world and whether one's deeds will be recorded as a gift to the world or a plague.

    The final Virtue is more complicated. For the eighth combination is that devoid of Truth, Love or Courage which can only exist in a state of great Pride, whic(h) of course is not a virtue at all. Perhaps this trick of fate is a test to see if one can realize that the true virtue is that of Humility. I feel that the people of Magincia fail to see this to such a degree that I would not be surprised if some ill fate awaited their future.

    Thus from the infinite possibilities which spawned the Three Principles of Truth, Love and Courage, come the Eight Virtues of Honesty, Compassion, Valor, Justice, Sacrifice, Honor, Spirituality, and Humility.