No More Learning

nat a
ma{n} my? ty ouer hym self. whiche ? at vicious lustis 1440
holden destreined wi? cheins ? at ne mowen nat ben
vnbounden.

[Sidenote: Dignities conferred upon base men do not make them
worthy, but rather expose their want of merit. ]

{and} dignitees ? at ben ? euen to shrewed[e]
folk nat oonly ne maki? hem nat digne. but it shewe?
ra? er al openly ? at ? ei ben vnwor? i {and} vndigne. 1444

[Sidenote: Why is it so? 'Tis because you give false names to
things. You dignify riches, power, and honours, with names they
have no title to. ]

? And whi is it ? {us}. ? Certis for ? e han ioye to
clepen ? inges wi? fals[e] names. ? at beren hem al in
? e co{n}t{ra}rie. ? e whiche names ben ful ofte reproued
by ? e effect of ? e same ? inges.

[Sidenote: [* fol. 14. ]]

so ? at *? ise ilke rycchesse 1448
ne au? ten nat by ry? t to ben cleped rycchesse.
ne whiche power ne au? t[e] not ben cleped power. ne
whiche dignitee ne au? t[e] nat ben cleped dignitee.

[Sidenote: In fine, the same may be said of all the gifts of
Fortune, in which nothing is desirable, nothing of natural good in
them, since they are not always allotted to good men, nor make
them good to whom they are attached. ]

? And at ? e laste I may conclude ? e same ? inge of 1452
al ? e ? iftes of fortune in whiche ? er nis no ? ing to
ben desired. ne ? at ha? in hym self naturel bounte.
? as it is ful wel sene. for ney? er ? ei ne ioygne{n}
hem nat alwey to goode men. ne maken hem alwey 1456
goode to who{m} ? ei be{n} y-ioigned.

[Linenotes:
1437 _oute_--owt
1441 _ben_--be
1442 _shrewed[e]_--shrewede
1446 _fals[e]_--false
_al_--alle
1447 _whiche_--which
1449 _au? ten_--owhten
_rycchesse_--rychesses
1450 _whiche_--swich
_au? t[e]_--owhte
1451 _whiche_--swich
_au? t[e]_--owht
1453 _al_--alle
1454 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
1455 _sene_--I-seene]


[[pg 55]]
[Headnote:
NERO'S CRUELTY. ]

NOUIMUS QUANTOS DEDERAT.

[Sidenote: [The sixte Met{ur}. ]]

[Sidenote: We know what ruin Nero did. ]

++WE han wel knowen how many g{r}eet[e] harmes {and}
destrucc{i}ou{n}s weren don by ? e Emp{er}oure Nero.

[Sidenote: He burnt Rome, he slew the conscript fathers, murdered
his brother, and spilt his mother's blood. ]

? He letee brenne ? e citee of Rome {and} made slen ? e 1460
senato{ur}s. and he cruel somtyme slou? hys bro? er. {and}
he was maked moyst wi? ? e blood of hys modir. ? at is
to seyn he let sleen {and} slitte{n} ? e body of his modir to
seen where he was conceiued.

[Sidenote: He looked unmoved upon his mother's corpse, and passed
judgment upon her beauty. ]

{and} he loked[e] on euery 1464
half vpon hir colde dede body. ne no tere ne wette
his face. but he was so hard herted ? at he my? t[e] ben
domesman or Iuge of hire dede beaute.

[Sidenote: Yet this parricide ruled over all lands, illumined by
the sun in his diurnal course, and controlled the frozen regions
of the pole. ]

? And ? itte
neuer? eles gouerned[e] ? is Nero by Ceptre al ? e peoples 1468
? at phebus ? e sonne may seen comyng from his outerest
arysyng til he hidde his bemes vndir ? e wawes. ? ? at
is to seyne. he gouerned[e] alle ? e peoples by Ceptre imp{er}ial
? at ? e so{n}ne go? aboute from est to west ? And 1472
eke ? is Nero goueyrende by Ceptre. alle ? e peoples ? at
ben vndir ? e colde sterres ? at hy? ten ? e seuene triones.
? is is to seyn he gouerned[e] alle ? e poeples ? at ben vndir
? e p{ar}ties of ? e nor? e.

[Sidenote: He governed, too, the people in the torrid zone. ]

? And eke Nero gouerned[e] 1476
alle ? e poeples ? at ? e violent wynde Nothus scorchi?
{and} baki? ? e brennynge sandes by his drie hete. ? at
is to seyne. alle ? e poeples in ? e sou? e.

[Sidenote: But yet Nero's power could not tame his ferocious
mind. ]

[but yit ne
myhte nat al his heye power torne the woodnesse of 1480
this wykkyd nero /

[Sidenote: It is a grievous thing when power strengthens the arm
of him whose will prompts him to deeds of cruelty. ]

Allas it is greuous fortune it is]. as
ofte as wicked swerde is ioygned to cruel venym. ? at is
to sein. venimous cruelte to lordshipe.

[Linenotes:
1458 _greet[e]_--grete
1460 _letee_--let
1461 _somtyme slou? _--whilom slow
1463 _let_--lette
1464 _where_--wher
1465 _half_--halue
1466 _my? t[e]_--myhte
1467 _hire_--hyr
1468 _neuer? eles_--natheles
_gouerned[e]_--gou{er}nede
_al_--alle
1469 _from_--fram
_outerest_--owtereste
1470 _hidde_--hide
1471 _seyne_--seyn
1472 _go? _--MS. go? e, C. goth
1473 _goueyrende_--gou{er}nyd
1474 _triones_--tyryones
1475 _gouerned[e]_--gou{er}nede
1476 _parties_--p{ar}ty
_nor? e_--north
_gouerned[e]_--gou{er}nede
1477 _wynde_--wynd
_scorchi? _--scorklith
1479 _seyne_--seyn
_sou? e_--sowth
1479-81 [_but----it is_]--MS. _has_: but ne how greuous fortune is
1482 _swerde_--swerd]


[[pg 56]]
[Headnote:
THE LOVE OF GLORY. ]

TU{M} EGO SCIS INQ{UA}M.

[Sidenote: [The seuende p{ro}se. ]]

[Sidenote: _B. _ Thou knowest that I did not covet mortal and
transitory things. ]

++? Anne seide I ? us. ? ou wost wel ? iself ? at ? e 1484
couetise of mortal ? inges ne hadden neuer lordshipe
of me. but I haue wel desired matere of ? inges
to done. as who sei? .

[Sidenote: I only wished to exercise my virtue in public concerns,
lest it should grow feeble by inactivity. ]

I desired[e] to han matere of
gou{er}naunce ouer comunalites. ? For vertue stille ne 1488
sholde not elden. ? at is to seyn. ? at list ? at or he wex
olde ? His uertue ? at lay now ful stille. ne sholde
nat p{er}isshe vnexcercised i{n} gouernaunce of comune.
? For whiche men my? ten speke or write{n} of his 1492
goode gouernement.

[Sidenote: _P.
_ A love of glory is one of those things that may
captivate minds naturally great, but not yet arrived at the
perfection of virtue. ]

? _Philosophie. _ ? For so? e q{uo}d
she. {and} ? at is a ? ing ? at may drawen to gouernaunce
swiche hertes as ben wor? i {and} noble of hir nature.
but na? eles it may nat drawen or tollen swiche hertes as 1496
ben y-brou? t to ? e ful[le] p{er}fecciou{n} of vertue. ? at is
to seyn couetyse of glorie {and} renou{n} to han wel
administred ? e comune ? inges. or doon goode decertes
to p{ro}fit of ? e comune.

[Sidenote: But consider how small and void of weight is that
glory. ]

for se now {and} considere how 1500
litel {and} how voide of al prise is ? ilke glorie.

[Sidenote: Astronomy teaches us that this globe of earth is but a
speck compared with the extent of the heavens, and is as nothing
if compared with the magnitude of the celestial sphere. ]

? Certeine
? ing is as ? ou hast lerned by demonstrac{i}ou{n} of
astronomye ? at al ? e envyronynge of ? e er? e aboute
ne halt but ? e resou{n} of a prykke at regard of ? e gretnesse 1504
of heuene. ? at is to seye. ? at yif ? at ? er were
maked co{m}parisou{n} of ? e er? e to ? e gretnesse of
heuene. men wolde Iugen in alle ? at er? e [ne] helde
no space

[Sidenote: Ptolemy shows that only one-fourth of this earth is
inhabited by living creatures. ]

? Of ? e whiche litel regiou{n} of ? is worlde 1508
? e fer? e partie is enhabitid wi? lyuyng beestes ? at
we knowen. as ? ou hast ? i self lerned by tholome ? at
p{ro}uit? it.

[Sidenote: Deduct from this the space occupied by seas, marshes,
lakes, and deserts, and there remains but a small proportion left
for the abode of man. ]

? yif ? ou haddest wi? drawen {and} abated
in ? i ? ou? te fro ? ilke fer? e partie as myche space as ? e 1512
see {and} [the] mareys contenen {and} ouergon {and} as
myche space as ? e regiou{n} of droughte ou{er}strecche? .

[Linenotes:
1487 _desired[e]_--desyr{e}
1489 _wex olde_--wax old
1492 _whiche_--which
_speke_--spekyn
1496 _tollen_--MS. tellen, C. tollen
1497 _ful[le]_--fulle
1501 _al prise_--alle prys
1505 _seye_--seyn
1507 _wolde_--woldyn
_alle_--al
[_ne_]--from C.
1510 _lerned_--ylerned
1512 _? ou? te_--thowht
_myche_--moche
1513 [_the_]--from C.
1514 _myche space_--moche spaces]

[[pg 57]]
[Headnote:
FAME IS CIRCUMSCRIBED. ]

[Sidenote: [* fol. 14 _b_. ]]

? at is to seye sandes {and} desertes wel vnne? sholde
*? er dwellen a ry? t streite place to ? e habitaciou{n} of 1516
men.

[Sidenote: And do you, who are confined to the least point of this
point, think of nothing but of blazing far and wide your name and
reputation? ]

{and} ? e ? an ? at ben environed {and} closed wi?
i{n}ne ? e leest[e] prikke of ? ilk prikke ? enke ? e to
manifesten ? oure renou{n} {and} don ? oure name to ben
born for? e.

[Sidenote: What is there great in a glory so circumscribed? ]

but ? our{e} glorie ? at is so narwe {and} so 1520
streyt y? ronge{n} in to so litel boundes. how myche
contein? e it in largesse {and} in greet doynge.

[Sidenote: Even in this contracted circle, there is a great
variety of nations, to whom not only the fame of particular men,
but even of great cities, cannot extend. ]

And also
sette ? is ? er to ? at many a nac{i}ou{n} dyuerse of tonge
{and} of maneres. {and} eke of resou{n} of hir lyuyng ben 1524
enhabitid in ? e cloos of ? ilke litel habitacle. ? To ? e
whiche nac{i}ou{n}s what for difficulte of weyes. {and} what
for diu{er}site of langages. {and} what for defaute of
vnusage entercomunynge of marchau{n}dise. nat only ? e 1528
names of singler men ne may [nat] strecchen. but eke
? e fame of Citees ne may nat strecchen.

[Sidenote: In the time of Marcus Tullius the fame of Rome did not
reach beyond Mount Caucasus. ]

? At ? e
last[e] Certis in ? e tyme of Marcus tulyus as hym
self write? in his book ? at ? e renou{n} of ? e comune of 1532
Rome ne hadde nat ? itte passed ne clou{m}ben ou{er} ? e
mou{n}taigne ? at hy? t Caucasus. {and} ? itte was ? ilk
tyme rome wel wexen {and} gretly redouted of ? e p{ar}thes.
and eke of o? er folk enhabityng aboute.

[Sidenote: How narrow, then, is that glory which you labour to
propagate. ]

? Sest ? ou 1536
nat ? an how streit {and} how comp{re}ssed is ? ilke glorie
? at ? e t{ra}uaile{n} aboute to shew {and} to multiplie.

[Sidenote: Shall the glory of a Roman citizen reach those places
where the name even of Rome was never heard? ]

May ? an ? e glorie of a singlere Romeyne strecchen ? ider
as ? e fame of ? e name of Rome may nat clymben ne 1540
passen.

[Sidenote: Customs and institutions differ in different
countries. ]

? And eke sest ? {o}u nat ? at ? e maners of
diu{er}se folk {and} eke hir lawes ben discordau{n}t amonge
hem self.

[Sidenote: What is praise-worthy in one is blame-worthy in
another. ]

so ? {a}t ? ilke ? ing ? at so{m}men iugen wor? i of
p{re}ysynge. o? er folk iugen ? at it is wor? i of torment. 1544

[Linenotes:
1515 _seye_--seyn
1516 _streite_--streyt
1517 _? an_--thanne
1518 _inne_--in
_leest[e]_--leste
_? ilk_--thilke
_? enke ? e_--thinken ye
1520 _born for? e_--MS. borne, C. born, forth
_narwe_--narwh
1521 _streyt_--streyte
_myche_--mochel
1522 _contein? e_--coueyteth
1525 _habitacle_--MS. habitache, C. habytacule
1529 [_nat_]--from C.
1531 _last[e]_--laste
1532 _write? _--writ
1533 _hadde_--hadden
_? itte_--omitted
1534 _hy? t_--hyhte
_? ilk_--thikke
1535 _wexen_--waxen
1536 _Sest ? ou_--sestow
1538 _shew_--shewe
1539 _singlere_--singler]

[Headnote:
FAME IS NOT ETERNAL. ]

[Sidenote: It is not the interest of any man who desires renown to
have his name spread through many countries. ]

? and ? er of come? ? at ? ou? a man delite hy{m} in
p{re}ysyng of his renou{n}.