No More Learning

[Linenotes:
801 _seyne_--seyn
_worlde_--world
802 _Sy? en_--Syn
_? okke_--yok{e}
803 _if_--yif
_write_--wryten
804 _whiche_--which
805 _lady_--ladye
_Art ? ou_--Artow
806 _wro? e_--wroth
_? in_--thine
807 _chaungen_--chaunge
808 [_and_]--from C.
809 _? ider_--thedyr
_whider_--whedyr
811 _haue_--han
814 _manere_--maneres
815 {and}--omitted
_wi? stonden_--withholden
816 _sweyes_--swey?
818 _cesed[e]_--cesede]


[[pg 33]]
[Headnote:
THE INCONSTANCY OF FORTUNE. ]

HEC CUM SUPERBA.

[Sidenote: [The fyrst met{ur}. ]

[Sidenote: Fortune is as inconstant as the ebb and flow of
Euripus. ]

++Whan fortune wi? a proude ry? t hande ha? turnid
hir chau{n}gyng stoundes she fare? lyke ? e maners 820
of ? e boillyng eurippe. _Glose. _ Eurippe is an arme of
? e see ? {a}t ebbith {and} flowi? . {and} somtyme ? e streme
is on one syde {and} somtyme on ? at o? er. _Texte_

[Sidenote: She hurls kings from their thrones, and exalts the
captive. ]

? She
cruel fortune kaste? adoune kynges ? at somtyme weren 824
ydred. {and} she deceiuable enhau{n}seth vp ? e humble
chere of hym ? at is discomfited.

[Sidenote: She turns a deaf ear to the tears and cries of the
wretched. ]

{and} she ney? er here?
ne recche? of wrecched[e] wepynges. {and} she is so harde
? at she lau? e? {and} scorne? ? e wepyng of hem ? e whiche 828
she ha? maked wepe wi? hir free wille.

[Sidenote: Thus she sports and boasts her power and presents a
marvel to her servants if, in the space of an hour, a man is
hurled from happiness into adversity. ]

? ? us she
pleye? {and} ? {us} she p{re}ue? hir streng? e {and} shewe? a
grete wondre to alle hir seruau{n}t? . ? Yif ? at a wy? t
is seyn weleful {and} ou{er}? rowe in an houre. 832

[Linenotes:
819 _proude_--prowd
_hande_--hand
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
820 _lyke_--lik
821 _arme_--arm
822 _streme_--strem
823 _one_--o
821 _adoune_--adown
_somtyme_--whilom
825 _ydred_ (MS. _ydredde_)--ydrad
_humble_--vmble
827 _recche? _--rekke?
_wrecched[e]_--wrecchede
_harde_--hard
828 _lau? e? _--lyssheth
_wepyng_--wepynges
830 _streng? e_--strengthes]


[Headnote:
PROSPERITY DOES NOT CONSTITUTE FELICITY. ]

VELLEM AUTE{M} PAUCA.

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

[Sidenote: Philosophy expostulates with Boethius in the name of
Fortune. ]

++CErtis I wolde plete wi? ? ee a fewe ? inges vsynge
? e wordes of fortune tak heede now ? i self. yif ? {a}t
she axe? ry? t.

[Sidenote: Why do you accuse me (Fortune) as guilty? ]

[Sidenote: [* fol. 9 _b_. ]]

*? O ? ou man wher fore makest ? ou
me gilty by ? ine euerydayes pleynynges. what wronges 836
haue I don ? e.

[Sidenote: What goods or advantages have I deprived you of? ]

what goodes haue I byreft ? e ? at weren
? ine. stryf or plete wi? me by fore what iuge ? at ? ou
wilt of ? e possessiou{n} of rycchesse or of dignites

[Sidenote: Can you prove that ever any man had a fixed property in
his riches? ]

? And
yif ? ou maist shewe me ? at euer any mortal man ha? 840
receyued any of ? ese ? inges to ben his in p{ro}pre. ? an
wol I graunt[e] frely ? at [alle] ? ilke ? inges were{n} ? ine
whiche ? at ? ou axest.

[Sidenote: You came naked into the world, and I cherished you and
encompassed you with affluence. ]

? Whan ? at nature brou? t[e] ? e
for? e out of ? i moder wombe. I receyued[e] ? e naked 844
{and} nedy of al ? ing. {and} I norysshed[e] ? e wi? my [[pg 34]]
rychesse. {and} was redy {and} ententif ? o{ru}? my fauo{ur} to
sustene ? e. ? And ? at make? ? e now i{n}pacient a? eins
me. {and} I envirounde ? e wi? al ? e habundaunce {and} 848
shinyng of al goodes ? at ben in my ry? t.

[Sidenote: Now that I have a mind to withdraw my bounty, be
thankful and complain not. ]

? Now it
lyke? me to wi? drawe myne hande. ? ou hast had grace
as he ? at ha? vsed of foreyne goodes. ? ou hast no ry? t to
pleyne ? e. as ? ou? ? ou haddest vtterly lorn alle ? i 852
? inges. whi pleynest ? ou ? an. I haue don ? e no wrong.

[Sidenote: Riches and honours are subject to me. ]

Ricches hono{ur}es {and} swyche o? er ? inges ben of my
ry? t.

[Sidenote: They are my servants, and come and go with me. ]

? My seruauntes knowen me for hir lady. ? ei
comen wi? me {and} dep{ar}ten whan I wende. I dar wel 856
affermen hardyly. ? at yif ? o ? inges of whiche ? ou
pleynest ? at ? ou hast forlorn hadde ben ? ine. ? ou ne
haddest not lorn he{m}.
[Sidenote: Shall I alone be forbidden to use my own right? ]

? shal I ? an only be defended
to vse my ry? t.

[Sidenote: Doth not heaven give us sunny days and obscure the same
with dark nights? ]

? Certis it is leueful to ? e heuene to 860
make clere dayes. {and} after ? at to keuere ? e same dayes
wi? derke ny? tes.

[Sidenote: Is not the earth covered with frost as well as with
flowers? ]

? ? e er? e ha? eke leue to apparaile
? e visage of ? e er? e now w{i}t{h} floures {and} now wi?
fruyt. {and} to confounde he{m} so{m}tyme wi? raynes {and} 864
wi? coldes.

[Sidenote: The sea sometimes appears calm, and at other times
terrifies us with its tempestuous waves. ]

? ? e see ha? eke hys ry? t to be somtyme
calme {and} blaundyshing wi? smo? e water. {and}
somtyme to be horrible wi? wawes {and} wi? tempestes.

[Sidenote: Shall I be bound to constancy by the covetousness of
men? ]

? But ? e couetyse of men ? at may not be staunched 868
shal it bynde me to be stedfast. syn ? at stedfastnesse
is vnkou? to my maneres. ? Swyche is my streng? e.

[Sidenote: I turn my rolling wheel and amuse myself with exalting
what was low, and bringing down what was high. ]

{and} ? is pley. I pley[e] co{n}tinuely. I tourne ? e whirly{n}g
whele wi? ? e tournyng cercle ? I am glade to chaunge 872
? e lowest to ? e heyeste. {and} ? e heyest to ? e loweste.

[Linenotes:
833 _plete_--pleten
834 _tak_--MS. take, C. tak
835 _makest ? ou_--makes thow
836 _wronges_--wro{n}ge
837 _don_--MS. done, C. don
_byreft_--MS. byrefte, C. byreft
838 _stryf_--MS. stryue, C. stryf
_plete_--pleten
_by fore_--by forn
839 _wilt_--wolt
_rycchesse_--rychesses
840 _shewe_--shewyn
_euer_--eu{er}e
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
841 _? ese_--tho
_his_--hise
842 _graunt[e]_--grau{n}te
[_alle_]--from C.
845 _al ? ing_--alle thinges
_norysshed[e]_--noryssede
846 _rychesse_--rychesses
848, 849 _al_--alle
848 _habundaunce_--abou{n}dau{n}ce
850 _wi? ----hande_--withdrawen myn hand
_had_--MS. hadde, C. had
851 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
852 _vtterly_--outrely
_lorn_--MS. lorne, C. for lorn.
853 _don_--MS. done, C. don
854 _Ricches_--Rychesses
858 _forlorn_--MS. forlorne, C. forlorn
859 _lorn_--MS. lorne, C. lorn
860 _vse_--vsen
861 _keuere ? e_--coeu{er}yn tho
862 _derke_--dirk
_er? e_--yer
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
864 _confounde_--co{n}fownden
865 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
866 _calme_--kalm
867 (2nd) _wi? _--omitted
869 _stedfast_--stidefast
_stedfastnesse_--stidefastnesse
870 _vnkou? _--MS. vnkou? e, C. vnkowth
_Swyche_--Swych
871 _pley[e]_--pleye
872 _whele_--wheel
_glade_--glad
_chaunge_--chaungy{n}]

[[pg 35]]
[Headnote:
BE SUBJECT TO FORTUNE'S CHANGES. ]

[Sidenote: Ascend if you will, but come down when my sport
requires it. ]

wor? e vp yif ? ou wilt. so it be by ? is lawe. ? at ? ou
ne holde not ? at I do ? e wronge ? ou? ? ou descende
dou{n} whanne resou{n} of my pleye axe? it.

[Sidenote: Know you not the history of Croesus and of Paulus
AEmilius? ]

Wost ? ou 876
not how Cresus kyng of lyndens of whiche kyng Cir{us}
was ful sore agast a litel byforne ? at ? is rewlyche
Cresus was cau? t of Cirus {and} lad to ? e fijr to be
brent. but ? at a reyne desce{n}ded[e] dou{n} from heuene 880
? at rescowed[e] hym ? And is it out of ? i mynde how
? at Paulus consul of Rome whan he hadde take ? e
kyng of p{er}ciens weep pitou[s]ly for ? e captiuitee of ? e
self[e] kyng.

[Sidenote: What else does the weeping muse of Tragedy deplore but
the overthrow of kingdoms by the indiscriminate strokes of
Fortune? ]

What o? er ? inges bywaylen ? e criinges of 884
Tragedies. but only ? e dedes of fortune. ? at wi? an
vnwar stroke ouert{ur}ne? ? e realmes of grete nobley
? _Glose. _ Tragedie is to seyne a dite of a p{ro}sp{er}ite for
a tyme ? at endi? in wrechednesse.

[Sidenote: Did you not learn whilst a youth, that at the gates of
Jove's palace stand two vessels, one full of blessings, the other
of woes? ]

Lernedest nat ? ou 888
in grek whan ? ou were ? onge ? at in ? e entre or in ? e
seler of Iuppiter ? er ben couched two tunnes. ? at on
is ful of good ? at o? er is ful of harme.

[Sidenote: What if you have drunk too deep of the first vessel? ]

? What ry? t
hast ? ou to pleyne. yif ? ou hast taken more plenteuously 892
of ? e goode syde ? at is to seyne of my rycchesse {and}
p{ro}sp{er}ites. {and} what eke. yif I be nat departed fro ? e.

[Sidenote: My mutability gives thee hope of happier days. ]

What eke. yif my mutabilitee ? iue? ? e ry? tful cause of
hope to han ? it better ? i{n}ges.

[Sidenote: Desire not to be exempted from the vicissitudes of
humanity. ]

? Na? eles desmaie ? e 896
nat in ? i ? ou? t. and ? {o}u ? at art put in comune realme
of alle: ne desijr[e] nat to lyue by ? ine oonly p{ro}pre ry? t.