No More Learning

[Sidenote: The event, therefore, of a thing foreseen must befall. ]

so folwe? it ? an ? at ? e bytydynge of ? e 4512
? inge Iwist by-forn ne may nat ben eschewed.

[Sidenote: Lastly, if a person judge a thing to be different to
what it is--this is not knowledge, but a false opinion of it, and
far from the true knowledge. ]

? And
at ? e last[e] yif ? at any wy? t wene a ? ing to ben o? er
weyes ? an it is. it nys nat oonly vnscience. but it is deceiuable
oppiniou{n} ful diuerse {and} fer fro ? e so? e of 4516
science.

[Linenotes:
4437 _harde_--hard
4445 _ha? _--MS. ha? {e}
4446 _whiche_--which
4450 _wille_--wil
_whiche_--which ? {a}t
4451 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
4453 _stedfast_--stydefast
4454-55 _? inge_--thing
4455 _on_--of
4456 _? ilk_--thilke
4458 _whiche_--which
4459 _knot_--knotte
4461 _come_--comyn
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
4464 _hyd_--MS. hydde, C. hidde
4466 [_nat_]--from C.
4467-8 [_but----yporueyid_]--from C.
4471 _? inges_--thing
4477 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
4480-82 _so? e_--soth
4486 _so? e_--sooth
4487 _so? e_--soth
4488 _so? e_--sooth
4489 _so? e come? _--sooth comth
[_? e_]--from C.
4490 _comune_--MS. comme, C. comune
4493 _come_--comyn
4494 _to_--omitted
4494-95 _purueid_--MS. p{ur}ueide, C. p{ur}ueyid
4498 [_. s. _]--from C.
4499 _fredome_--freedom
4500 _wille_--wil
4501 [_certes_]--from C.
4504 _puruei? _--MS. p{ur}uei? e
[_the_]--from C.
4506 _bitiden_--bytydden
_som tyme_--whilom
4509 _o_--a
_self_--selue
4510 _? inge_--thing
4511 _? ilk[e]_--thilke
4513 _? inge_--thing
4514 _last[e]_--laste
4515 _nys_--is]

[Headnote:
FREEDOM OF THE HUMAN WILL. ]

[Sidenote: If, therefore, a thing be so to happen that the event
of it is neither necessary nor certain, how can any one foresee
what is to happen? ]

? wher-fore yif any ? ing be so to comen so ? at
? e bytydynge of it ne be nat certeyne ne necessarie.
? who may weten [byforn] ? {a}t ? ilke ? ing is to come.

[Sidenote: For as pure knowledge has no element in it of
falsehood, so what is comprehended by true knowledge cannot be
otherwise than as comprehended. ]

? For ry? t as science ne may nat be medelyd wi? falsnesse. 4520
as who sei? ? at yif I woot a ? ing. it ne may nat
be fals ? at I ne woot it. ? Ry? t so ? ilk ? ing ? at
is conceyued by science ne may [nat] ben noon
o? {er} weyes ? an [as] it is conceiued.

[Sidenote: Hence it is that true knowledge cannot err, because
everything must precisely be what true knowledge perceives it to
be. ]

For ? at is ? e cause 4524
whi ? at science wa{n}ti? lesynge. as who sei? . whi ? at
witynge ne receyue? nat lesynge of ? at it woot. ? For
it byhoue? by necessite ? at euery ? i{n}ge [be] ry? t as science
co{m}p{re}hendi? it to be.

[Sidenote: What follows, then? How does God foreknow these
uncertain contingencies? ]

what shal I ? an sein. ? In 4528
whiche man{er}e knowe? god byforn ? e ? inges to comen.
? yif ? ei ne be nat certeyne. [[pg 157]]

[Sidenote: For if he thinks that a thing will inevitably happen,
which possibly may not, he is deceived--but this is sheer
blasphemy. ]

? For yif ? at he deme
? at ? ei ben to comen vneschewably.

[Sidenote: [* fol. 35 _b_. ]]

{and} so may be ? at
it is possible ? at ? ei ne shulle{n} *nat comen. god is 4532
desseiued. but nat only to trowen ? at god is desseiued.
but for to speke it wi? mou? e it is a felonous sy{n}ne.

[Sidenote: But if God discerns that just as things are to come
they shall come; if he knows that they may or may not come, what
sort of prescience is this, which comprehends nothing certain,
nothing invariable? ]

? But yif ? at god woot ? at ry? t so as ? inges ben to
comen. so shulle ? ei comen. so ? at he wit[e] egaly. as 4536
who sei? indifferently ? at ? inges mowen ben don or
ellys nat don. what is ? ilke p{re}science ? at ne comp{re}hendi?
no certeyne ? inge ne stable.

[Sidenote: Or how does divine prescience differ from human
opinion, if He hath an uncertain judgment of things, whereof the
events are uncertain and unfixed? ]

or ellys what difference
is ? er bytwixe ? e p{re}science. {and} ? ilke iape-wor? i 4540
dyuynynge of Tiresie ? e diuino{ur} ? at seide. ? Al ? at
I seie q{uo}d he ey? er it shal be. or ellys it ne shal nat
be. Or ellis how moche is wor? e ? e diuyne p{re}science
more ? an ? e oppiniou{n} of mankynde yif so be ? at it 4544
deme? ? e ? inges vncerteyne as me{n} don. of ? e whiche
domes of men ? e bytydynge nis nat certeyne.

[Sidenote: But if there can be no uncertainty in his knowledge,
who is the source of all certainty; the event of all things which
he foreknows must be fixed and inevitable. ]

? But
yif so be ? {a}t noon vncerteyne ? inge may ben in hym
? at is ry? t certeyne welle of alle ? inges. ? a{n} is ?
e 4548
bytydynge certeyne of ? ilke ? inges whiche he ha? wist
byforn fermely to come{n}.

[Sidenote: Whence it follows that men have no freedom in their
designs and actions; because the Divine Mind, endowed with an
infallible foresight, constrains and binds them to a certain
event. ]

For whiche it folwe? ? at ? e
fredom of ? e co{n}seils {and} of ? e werkes of mankynde nis
non syn ? at ? e ? ou? t of god see? alle ? inges w{i}t{h} outen 4552
erro{ur} of falsnesse bynde? {and} co{n}streini? hem to a
bitidynge by necessite. and yif [this] ? i{n}g be on-is
grau{n}tid {and} receyued. ? at is to seyn. ? at ? er nis no
fre wille. ? an shewe? it wel how gret distrucc{i}ou{n} {and} 4556
how grete damages ? er folwen of ? inges of mankynde.

[Linenotes:
4518 _it_--hit
4519 [_byforn_]--from C.
4522 _fals_--false
4523 [_nat_]--from C.
_ben_--MS. by, C. ben
4524 _? an [as] it is_--MS. ? an it is be
4527 [_be_]--from C.
4529 _whiche_--which
4534 _mou? e_--Mowth
4536 _shulle_--shullyn
_wit[e]_--wite
4538 _don_--MS. done, C. y-doon
4543 _moche_--mochel
_wor? e_--worth
4549 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
4550 _whiche_--which
4551 _mankynde_--man-kynd
4554 [_this_]--from C.
4555 _grauntid_--ygraunted]

[Headnote:
FATE UNDER THE CONTROL OF PROVIDENCE. ]

? For in ydel ben ? er ? an p{ur}posed and byhy? t medes
of goode folk. {and} peynes to badde folk. syn ? at no
moeuynge of free corage uoluntarie ne ha? nat deserued 4560
hem. ? at is to seyn nei? er mede nor peyne.

[Sidenote: Rewards and punishments now deemed just and equitable,
will be considered most unjust, when, it is allowed, that mankind
are not prompted by any will of their own, to either virtue or
vice, but in all their actions are impelled by a fatal necessity. ]

? And it
sholde seme ? an ? at ? ilke ? inge is al? er worste whiche
? at is nowe demed. for al? {er} moste iuste {and} moste [[pg 158]]
ry? tful. ? at is to seyn ? at shrewes ben punyssed. or 4564
ellys ? {a}t good[e] folk ben ygerdoned. ? e whiche folk
syn ? at ? e p{ro}pre wille [ne] sent hem nat to ? {a}t oon ne
to ? at o? er. ? at is to seyn. ne? er to good[e] ne to
harme. but constreine? hem certeyne necessite of ? inges 4568
to comen.

[Sidenote: Nor would there be such things as virtue or vice, but
such a medley of the one and the other as would be productive of
the greatest confusion. ]

? ? anne ne sholle{n} ? er neuer ben ne neuer
weren vice ne vertue. but it sholde ra? er ben co{n}fusiou{n}
of alle desertes medlid wi? oute discresiou{n}. ? And
? itte ? er folwe? an o? er i{n}co{n}uenient of ? e whiche ? er 4572
ne may ben ? ou? t ne more felonous ne more wikke.

[Sidenote: And from this it will follow--that since all order
comes of Divine Providence, and that there is no freedom of the
human will, that also our vices must be referred to the author of
all good--which is a most impious opinion. ]

{and} ? at is ? is ? at so as ? e ordre of ? inges is yledd {and}
come? of ? e purueaunce of god. ne ? at no ? ing nis
leueful to ? e conseils of mankynde. as who sei? ? at 4576
men han no power to done no ? ing. ne wilne no ? ing.
? an folwe? it ? at oure vices ben refferred to ? e mak[er]e
of alle good. as who sei? ? an folwe? it. ? at god au? t[e]
han ? e blame of oure vices. syn he co{n}streini? by 4580
necessite to don vices.

[Sidenote: Then is it useless to hope for anything from God, or to
pray to him. ]

? an nis ? er no resou{n} to han
hopen in god. ne forto p{re}ien to god.

[Sidenote: For why should men do either, when all they can desire
is irreversibly predestined? ]

? For what
sholde any wy? t hopen to god. or whi sholde he p{re}ien
to god. syn ? at ? e ordenaunce of destine whiche ? at ne 4584
may nat ben enclined. knytte? {and} streini? alle ? inges
? at men may desire{n}.

[Sidenote: Hope and prayer being thus ineffectual, all intercourse
is cut off between God and man. ]

? ? an sholde ? ere be don awey
? ilke oonly alliaunce bytwixen god {and} men. ? at is to
seien to hopen {and} to p{re}ien.

[Sidenote: By reverent and humble supplication we earn divine
grace, a most inestimable favour, and are able to associate with
the Deity, and to unite ourselves to the inaccessible light. ]

but by ? e p{re}is of ry? tfulnesse 4588
{and} of veray mekenesse we deserue ? e gerdou{n}
of ? e deuyne grace whiche ? at is inestimable. ? at is to
sein ? at it is so grete ? at it ne may nat ben ful yp{re}ised.
{and} ? is is oonly ? e manere. ? at is to seyen hope {and} 4592
prayeres. for whiche it seme? ? at [men] mowen speken
wi? god. {and} by resou{n} of supplicac{i}ou{n}
ben conioigned [[pg 159]]
to ? ilk clernesse ? at nis nat app{ro}ched no ra? er or
? at men byseken it {and} emp{re}nten it.

[Sidenote: If men believe that hope and prayer have no power
because of the necessity of future events, by what other way can
we be united, and hold fast to the sovereign Lord of all things? ]

And yif men 4596
ne wene [nat] ? at [hope] ne p{re}iers ne han no streng? es.
by ? e necessite of ?