No More Learning

e heuene.

[Sidenote: He who conquers earth doth gain the heavens. ]

for ? e er? e ouer-come{n} ? eue? ? e sterres.
? ? is is to seyne ? at whan ? at er? ely lust is ouer-comen. 4292
a man is maked wor? i to ? e heuene.

EXPLICIT LIBER QUARTUS.

[Linenotes:
4256 _saw_--say
4258 _hard[e] trauaile_--harde trauayles
_dawntede_--MS. dawnded, C. dawntede
4259 _half_--MS. hals
_rafte_--byrafte
_fro_--from
4260 _seyne_--seyn
4261 _smot_--MS. smote, C. smot
4262 [_in----lyrne_]--from C.
4263 _rauyssed[e]_--rauysshede
4266 _seid_--MS. seide, C. sayd
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
4267 _lorde_--lord
4269 _etyn_--freten
4270 _brend[e]_--brende
_flode defouled[e]_--flood defowlede
4271 _forhede dreint[e]_--forhed dreynte
4273 _lykenesse_--lyknesses
4274 _turnid[e]_--tornede
4275 _brak_--MS. brake, C. brak
_hys_--hise
4276 [_he_]--from C.
4278-80 _apaised[e]_--apaysede
4281 _bristled[e]_--brystelede
_marked[e]_--markede
4282 _cercle_--clerke
4283 _? reste_--thriste
4285 _deserued[e]_--deseruede
4286 _Go? _--MS. Go? e
_? ere_--ther
4287 _weye_--way
4288 _nake_--MS. make, C. nake
4289 _slowe_--MS. slou? , C. slowe
_fley_--flee
4292 _seyne_--seyn]




[Headnote:
THE EXISTENCE OF CHANCE. ]

INCIPIT LIBER QUINTUS.


DIXERAT ORACIONISQ{UE} CURSUM.

[Sidenote: [The fyrste prose. ]]

[Sidenote: When Philosophy had thus spoken, and was about to
discuss other matters I interrupted her. ]

++She hadde seid {and} to{ur}ned[e] ? e cours of hir resou{n} to
so{m}me o? {er} ? inges to ben tretid {and} to ben ysped.

[Sidenote: _B. _ Thy exhortation is just and worthy of thy
authority, but thou saidst that the question of the Divine
Superintendence or Providence is involved with many others--and
this I believe. ]

? an seide I. Certys ry? tful is ? in amonestyng {and} ful 4296
digne by auctorite. but ? at ? ou seidest som tyme ? at
? e questiou{n} of ? e deuyne p{ur}ueaunce is enlaced wi?
many o? er questiou{n}s. I vndir-stonde wel {and} p{ro}ue it
by ? e same ? inge.

[Sidenote: I am desirous, however, of knowing whether there be
such a thing as _Chance_, and what thou thinkest it is. ]

but I axe yif ? at ? ou wenest ? at hap 4300
be any ? ing in any weys. {and} if ? ou wenest ? at hap be
any [thing] what is it.

[Sidenote: _P. _ I hasten to fulfil my promise and to show the road
to your own country. ]

? an q{uo}d she. I haste me to
? elden {and} assoilen ? e to ? e dette of my byheste {and}
to shewen {and} opnen ? e wey by whiche wey ? ou maist 4304
come a? ein to ? i contre.

[Sidenote: But although these things you question me about are
profitable to know, yet they lead us a little out of our way. ]

? but al be it so ? at ? e ? inges
whiche ? at ? ou axest b{e}n ry? t p{ro}fitable to knowe.
? itte ben ? ei diuers somwhat fro ? e pa? e of my purpos.

[Sidenote: And by straying from the path you may be too fatigued
to return to the right road. ]

And it is to douten ? at ? ou ne be maked weery by 4308
mysweys so ? at ? ou ne mayst nat suffise to mesure{n} ? e
ry? t weye.

[Sidenote: _B. _ Don't be afraid of that, for it will refresh me as
much as rest to know these things in which I am delightfully
interested. ]

? Ne doute ? e ? er-of no ? ing q{uo}d I. for
forto knowen ? ilke ? inges to-gidre in ? e whiche ? inges
I delite me gretly. ? at shal ben to me in stede of reste. 4312
Syn it nis nat to douten of ? e ? inges folwy{n}ge whan
euery side of ? i disputisou{n} shal be stedfast to me by
vndoutous fei? . ? an seide she. ? at manere wol I don
? e. {and} byga{n} to speken ry? t ? us [[pg 150]]

[Sidenote: _P. _ I will then comply with thy requests. ]

? Certys q{uo}d she 4316
yif any wy? t diffinisse hap in ? is manere. ? at is to seyn.

[Linenotes:
4294 _seid_--MS. seide, C. seyd
_? e_--by
4297 _som tyme_--whilom
4298 _? e_ (2)--thy
4300 _? inge_--thing
4302 [_thing_]--from C.
4303 _? elden_--yilden
_assoilen_--MS. assailen, C. assoylen
_byheste_--byhest
4304-6 _whiche_--which
4306 _ben_--MS. b{e}n{e}
4307 _pa? e_--paath
4312 _stede_--styde
4314 _disputisoun_--disputaciou{n}
_be_--han ben
_stedfast_--stydefast
4317 _seyn_--seyng]

[Headnote:
DEFINITION OF CHANCE. ]

[Sidenote: If we define Chance to be an event produced by an
unintelligent motion, and not by a chain or connection of causes,
I should then affirm that Chance is nothing and an empty sound. ]

? at hap is bytidynge y-brou? t for? e by foelyshe
moeuynge. {and} by no knyttyng of causes. ? I conferme
? at hap nis ry? t nau? t in no wise. and I deme al 4320
outerly ? at hap nis ne dwelli? but a voys. ? As who
sei? . but an ydel worde wi? outen any significac{i}ou{n} of
? ing summittid to ? at vois.

[Sidenote: What room is there for folly and disorder where all
things are restrained by order, through the ordinance of God? ]

for what place my? t[e] ben
left or dwellynge to folie {and} to disordinau{n}ce. syn ? at 4324
god ledi? {and} streyni? alle ? inges by ordre.

[Sidenote: For it is a great truth that nothing can spring out of
nothing. ]

? For ? is
sentence is verray {and} so? e ? at no ? inge ne ha? his
beynge of nou? t. to [the] whiche sentence none of ? ise
olde folk ne wi? seide neuere al be it so ? at ?
ei ne 4328
vndirstoden ne moeueden it nau? t by god p{r}ince {and}
gynner of wirkyng. but ? ei casten as a manere foundement
of subgit material. ? at is to seyn of [the] nature
of alle resou{n}.

[Sidenote: Now, if anything arises without the operation of a
cause, it proceeds from nothing. ]

{and} ? if ? at ony ? inge is woxen or comen 4332
of no causes. ? an shal it seme ? at ? ilke ? inge is comen
or woxen of nou? t.

[Sidenote: But if this is impossible, then there can be no such a
thing as Chance, as we have defined it. ]

but yif ? is ne may nat ben don.
? an is it nat possible ? at ? ere ha? ben any swiche ? ing
as I haue diffinissid a litel here byforne.

[Sidenote: _B. _ Is there nothing, then, that may be called Chance
or Fortune? ]

? How shal 4336
it ? an ben q{uo}d I. nis ? er ? an no ? ing ? at by ry? t may
be cleped ey? er hap{pe} or ellis auenture of fortune.

[Sidenote: Is there nothing (hid from the vulgar) to which these
words may be applied? ]

[Sidenote: [* fol. 34. ]]

or is
? er ou? t al *be it so ? at it is hidd fro ? e poeple to
whiche ? ise wordes ben couenable.

[Sidenote: _P. _ Aristotle defines this matter with much precision
and probability. ]

Myn aristotul q{uo}d 4340
she. in ? e book of his phisik diffinisse? ? is ? ing by
short resou{n} and ney? e to ? e so? e.

[Sidenote: _B. _ How? ]

? In whiche manere
q{uo}d I.

[Sidenote: _P. _ So often as a man does anything for the sake of
any other thing, and another thing than what he intended to do is
produced by other causes, that thing so produced is called
_Chance_. ]

? As ofte q{uo}d she as men don any ? ing for
grace of any o? er ? ing. {and} an o? er ? inge ? an ? ilke 4344
? ing ? at men ententen to doon bytide? by som[e] causes
it is ycleped hap{pe}.

[Sidenote: As if a man trench the ground for tillage and find
gold, then this is believed to happen by chance, although it is
not so. ]

? Ry? t as a man dalf ? e er? e by
cause of tylienge of ? e felde. {and} fond ? ere a gobet of [[pg 151]]
golde by-doluen. ? an wenen folk ? at it is fallen by fortunous 4348
bytydyng. but for so? e it nis nat for nau? t for
it ha? hys p{ro}pre causes of whiche causes ? e cours vnforseyn
and vnwar semi? to han maked hap{pe}.

[Sidenote: For if the tiller had not ploughed the field, and if
the hider of the gold had not concealed it in that spot, the gold
had not been found. ]

? For
yif ? e tilier in ? e er? e ne delue nat in ? e felde. and yif 4352
? e hider of ? e golde ne hadde hidd ? e golde in ? ilke
place. ? e golde ne had[de] nat ben founde.

[Sidenote: These, then, are the causes of a fortuitous acquisition
which proceeds from a conflux of encountering causes, and not from
the intention of the doer. ]

? ise ben
? an ? e causes of ? e abreggynge of fortune hap. ? e whiche
abreggynge of fortune hap come? of causes encountrynge 4356
{and} flowyng to-gidre to hem selfe. {and} nat by ? e entenc{i}ou{n}
of ? e doer.

[Sidenote: For neither the hider of the gold nor the husbandman
intended or understood that the gold should be found. ]

? For nei? er ? e hider of ? e gold.
ne ? e deluer of ? e felde ne vndirstanden nat ? at ? e
golde sholde han be founde. but as I seide.

[Sidenote: But it happened by the concurrence of these two causes
that the one did dig where the other had hidden the money. ]

it bytidde 4360
{and} ran to-gidre ? at he dalf ? ere as ? at o? er hadde hidd
? e golde.

[Sidenote: Chance, then, is an unexpected event, by a concurrence
of causes, following an action designed for a particular purpose. ]

Now may I ? us diffinissen hap{pe}. ? Hap{pe}
is an vnwar bytydyng of causes assembled in ? inges ? at
ben don for som o? er ? inge. but ? ilke ordre p{ro}cedynge 4364
by an vneschewable byndynge to-gidre.

[Sidenote: This concurrence of causes proceeds from that order
which flows from the fountain of Providence and disposes all
things as to place and time. ]

whiche ? at
descende? fro ? e wel of purueaunce ? at ordeine? alle
? inges i{n} hir{e} places {and} in hire tymes make? ? at ? e
causes rennen {and} assemblen to-gidre. 4368

[Linenotes:
4318 _for? e_--forth
4322 _worde_--word
4323 _my? t[e]_--myhte
4324 _left_--lefte
4325 _streyni? _--constreynyth
4326 _so? e_--soth
_no ? inge_--nothing
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
4327 [_the_]--from C.
4330 _gynner_--bygynner{e}
4331 [_the_]--from C.
4332 _? if_--MS. ? it, C. yif
_? inge_--thing
4335 _? at----ben_--? {a}t hap be
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
_swiche_--swych
4338 _happe_--hap
4339 _hidd_--MS. hidde, C. hidd
4340 _whiche_--which
4342 _ney? e_--nehg
_whiche_--which
4343 _don_--MS. done, C. don
4344 _? inge_--thing
4345 _som[e]_--some
4346 _happe_--hap
4347 _of_ (1)--to
_fond_--MS. fonde, C. fownde
4348 _golde_--gold
_fallen_--byfalle
4349 _for_ (2)--of
4350 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
_hys_--hise
4351 _happe_--hap
4352 _tilier_--tylyer{e}
_delue_--dolue
4353 _hider_--hyder{e}
_golde_--gold
_hidd_--MS. hidde
4353-4 _golde_--gold
4354 _had[de]_--hadde
4355 _fortune_--fortuit
_whiche_--which
4356 _fortune_--fortuit
_come? _--comth
4357 _flowyng_--MS. folwyng, C. flowynge
_selfe_--self
4358 _doer_--doer{e}
_hider_--hider{e}
4359 _deluer_--deluer{e}
_felde_--feeld
_vndirstanden_--vndirstoden
4360 _golde_--gold
4361 _hidd_--MS. hidde, C. hyd
4362 _happe_ (_both_)--hap
4365 _whiche_--which
4366 _descende? _--MS.