No More Learning

? of whiche souereyne goode men p{ro}ue? ? at he is ful 2508
ry? t as ? ou my? test ? inken. ? at god ? at ha? blisfulnesse
in hym self. {and} ? at ilke blisfulnesse ? at is in hym
were diu{er}s in substaunce.

[Sidenote: If you think that God has received this good from
without, then you must believe that the giver of this good is more
excellent than God the receiver. ]

? For yif ? ou wene ? at
god haue receyued ? ilke good oute of hy{m} self. ? ou 2512
mayst wene ? at he ? at ? af ? ilke good to god. be more
goode ? an is god.

[Sidenote: But we have concluded that there is nothing more
excellent than God. ]

? But I am byknowen {and} confesse
{and} ? at ry? t dignely ? at god is ry? t wor? i abouen alle
? inges.

[Sidenote: But if this supreme good is in Him by nature, and is
nevertheless of a different substance, we cannot conceive, since
God is the author of all things, what could have united these two
substances differing one from another. ]

? And yif so be ? at ? is good be in hym by 2516
nature. but ? at it is diu{er}s from [hym] by wenyng
resou{n}. syn we speke of god p{r}ince of alle ? inges feyne
who so feyne may. who was he ? at [hath] co{n}ioigned
? ise diu{er}s ? inges to-gidre.

[Sidenote: Lastly, a thing which essentially differs from another
cannot be the same with that from which it is supposed to differ. ]

{and} eke at ? e last[e] se 2520
wel ? at o ? ing ? at is diu{er}s from any ? ing. ? at ? ilke
? ing nis nat ? at same ? ing. fro whiche it is vndirstonde{n}
to ben diu{er}s.

[Sidenote: Consequently, what in its nature differs from the chief
good cannot be the supreme good. ]

? an folwe? it. ? at ? ilke ? i{n}g ? at
by hys nature is dyuers from souereyne good. ? at ? at 2524
? ing nys nat souereyne good.

[Sidenote: But it would be impious and profane thus to conceive of
God, since nothing can excel Him in goodness and worth. ]

but certys ? at were a
felonous corsednesse to ? inken ? at of hym. ? at no ? ing
nis more wor? e.

[Sidenote: In fact, nothing can exist whose nature is better than
its origin. ]

For alwey of alle ? inges. ? e nat{ur}e
of hem ne may nat ben better ? an his bygy{n}nyng. 2528

[Linenotes:
2495 [_that_]--from C.
2496 _proces_--p{ro}cesses
2497 _ou? t[e]_--owen
2498 _goode_--good
2499 _souereyne goode_--souereyn good
2500 [_? at----is_]--from C.
_yset_--MS. ysette, C. set
2501 _be_--ben
_wi? seid_--MS. wi? seide, C. withseid
2503 _wi? -outen_--w{i}t{h}-owte
2504 _seid_--MS. seide, C. seyd
2505 _souereyne goode_--souereyn good
[_In----I_]--from C.
2506 _ou? t_--awht
2507 _? an of_--owt of
2508 _whiche_--whych
_souereyne goode_--souereyn good
2509 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
2510 _? at ilke_--thilke
2511 _were_--weren
2514 _goode_--worth
2517 _from_--fro
[_hym_]--from C.
2518 _feyne_--faigne
2519 _feyne_--feigne
[_hath_]--from C.
2520 _last[e]_--laste
2521 _o_--a
2522 _whiche_--whych
2524 _from_--fro
2527 _nis_--is
2528 _better_--bettre]

[Headnote:
THERE CANNOT BE TWO CHIEF GOODS. ]

[Sidenote: We may therefore conclude that the Author of all things
is really and substantially the supreme Good. ]

? For whiche I may concluden by ry? t uerray resou{n}. [[pg 91]]
? at ? ilke ? at is bygynnyng of alle ? inges. ? ilke same
? ing is good in his substaunce.

[Sidenote: _B. _ Most rightly said! ]

_B. _ ? ou hast seid ry? tfully
q{uo}d . I.

[Sidenote: _P. _ But you have owned that true felicity is the
sovereign good; then you must also grant that God is that true
felicity. ]

_P. _ But we han graunted q{uo}d she ? at 2532
souereyne good is blysfulnes. ? at is so? e q{uo}d . I. ? an
q{uo}d she mote we nedes graunten {and} confessen ? at
? ilke same souereyne goode be god.

[Sidenote: _B. _ Your conclusions follow from your premises. ]

[Sidenote: [* fol. 21 _b_. ]]

? Certys *q{uo}d
. I. I ne may nat denye ne wi? stonde ? e resou{n}s p{ur}posed. 2536
and I see wel ? at it folwe? by streng? e of ? e
p{re}misses.

[Sidenote: _P. _ Let us see whether we cannot prove this more
convincingly by considering it in this view, that there cannot be
two sovereign goods which differ in themselves. ]

? Loke nowe q{uo}d she yif ? is be proued
[yit] more fermely ? us. ? ? at ? er ne mowen nat ben
two souereyne goodes ? at ben diuerse amo[n]ges hem 2540
self.

[Sidenote: For it is plain that of the goods that differ one
cannot be what the other is; wherefore neither of them can be
perfect where one wants the other. ]

? at on is nat ? at ? at o? er is. ? an [ne] mowen
nei? er of hem ben p{er}fit. so as ey? er of hem lakki? to
o? ir.

[Sidenote: That which is not perfect cannot be the supreme good. ]

but ? at ? at nis nat p{er}fit men may seen apertly
? at it nis nat souereyne.

[Sidenote: Neither can the chief good be essentially different. ]

? e ? inges ? an ? at ben 2544
souereynely goode ne mowen by no wey ben diuerse.

[Sidenote: But it has been shown that God and happiness are the
chief good, wherefore the sovereign felicity and the Supreme
Divinity are one and the same. ]

?
But I haue wel conclude ? at blisfulnesse {and} god ben
[the] souereyne goode. For whiche it mot nedes be ? at
souereyne blisfulnesse is souerey[ne] dyuynite. ? No 2548
? ing q{uo}d I nis more so? efast ? an ? is ne more ferme by
resou{n}. ne a more wor? i ? ing ? an god may nat ben
concluded.

[Sidenote: Following then the examples of geometricians who deduce
their consequences from their propositions, I shall deduce to thee
something like a corollary as follows:--]

_P. _ vpon ? ise ? inges ? an q{uo}d she. ry? t as
? ise geometriens whan ? ei han shewed her p{ro}posiciou{n}s 2552
ben wont to brynge{n} in ? inges ? at ? ei clepen porismes
or declarac{i}ou{n}s of forseide ? inges. ry? t so wil I ? eue
? e here as a corolarie or a mede of coroune.

[Sidenote: Because by the attainment of felicity men become happy,
and as felicity is the same as Divinity itself, therefore by the
attainment of Divinity men are made happy. ]

For whi.
for as moche as by ? e getynge of blisfulnesse men ben 2556
maked blysful. {and} blisfulnesse is diuinite. ? ? an is
it manifest {and} open ? at by ? e gety{n}g of diuinite men
ben makid blisful.

[Sidenote: But as by the participation of justice or of wisdom men
become just or wise,]

ry? t as by ? e getynge of iustice . . .
{and} by ? e getyng of sapience ? ei ben maked wise. 2560

[Linenotes:
2529 _whiche_--whych
2531 _seid_--MS. seide, C. seyd
2533 _so? e_--soth
2534 _mote_--moten
2539 [_yit_]--from C.
2541 _is_ (1)--nis
_o? er_--othre
[_ne_]--from C.
2546 _conclude_--concluded
2547 [_the_] from C.
_goode_--good
_be_--ben
2549 _so? efast_--sothfast
_ferme_--MS. forme, C. ferme
2552 _proposiciouns_--MS. p{ro}porsiou{n}s, C. p{ro}posiciou{n}s
2553 _porismes_--MS. poeismes, C. porysmes
2554 _wil_--wole]

[Headnote:
THE HAPPY MAN IS A GOD. ]

[Sidenote: so by partaking of Divinity they must necessarily,
and by parity of reason, become gods. ]

? Ry? t so nedes by ? e semblable resou{n}
wha{n} ? ei han getyn [[pg 92]]
diuinite ? ei ben maked goddys.

[Sidenote: Every happy man then is a god. But by nature there is
only _One_; but by participation of Divine essence there may be
many gods. ]

? an is euery blisful
man god. ? But certis by nature. ? er nys but oon god.
but by ? e p{ar}ticipac{i}ou{n}s of diuinite ? ere ne lette? ne 2564
disturbe? no ? ing ? at ? er ne ben many goddes. ? ? is
is q{uo}d . I. a faire ? ing {and} a p{re}cious. ? Clepe it as
? {o}u wolt. be it corolarie or porisme or mede of coroune
or declarynges ? Certys q{uo}d she no ? ing nis fairer. 2568
? an is ? e ? ing ? at by resou{n} sholde ben added to ? ise
forseide ? inges. what ? ing q{uo}d . I.

[Sidenote: But as happiness seems to be an assemblage of many
things, ought we not to consider whether these several things
constitute conjointly the body of happiness, or whether there is
not some one of these particular things that may complete the
substance or essence of it, and to which all the rest have a
relation? ]

? So q{uo}d she as
it seme? ? at blisfulnesse conteni? many ? inges. it were
forto witen whe? ir [? {a}t] alle ? ise ? inges maken or 2572
conioignen as a maner body of blysfulnesse by diuersite
of parties or [of] me{m}bris. Or ellys yif any of alle
? ilke ? i{n}g{us} be swyche ? at it acomplise by hy{m} self ? e
substaunce of blisfulnesse. so ? at alle ? ise o? er ? inges 2576
ben referred and brou? t to blisfulnesse. ? at is to seyne
as to ? e chief of hem.

[Sidenote: _B. _ Illustrate this matter by proper examples. ]

? I wolde q{uo}d I ? at ? ou
makedest me clerly to vndirstonde what ? ou seist. {and}
? at ? ou recordest me ? e forseide ? inges.

[Sidenote: _P. _ As you grant that happiness is a good, you may say
the same of all the other goods; for perfect sufficiency is
identical with supreme felicity; so is supreme power, likewise
high rank, a shining reputation, and perfect pleasure. ]

? Haue I nat 2580
iuged q{uo}d she. ? at blisfulnesse is goode. ? is forso? e
q{uo}d . I. {and} ? at souereyne goode. ? Adde ? an q{uo}d
she ? ilke goode ? at is maked blisfulnes to alle ? e forseide
? inges. ? For ? ilke same blisfulnesse ? at is 2584
demed to ben souereyne suffisaunce. ? ilke self is
souereyne power. souereyne reuerence. sou{er}eyne clernesse
or noblesse {and} souereyne delit.

[Sidenote: What say you, then; are all these things, sufficiency,
power, and the rest, to be considered as constituent parts of
felicity? or are they to be referred to the sovereign good as
their source and principal? ]

what seist ? ou
? an of alle ? ise ? inges. ? at is to seyne. suffisance power 2588
{and} ? ise o? er ? inges. ben ? ei ? an as membris of blisfulnesse.
or ben ? ei referred {and} brou? t to souereyne good.
? Ry? t as alle ? inges ? at ben brou? t to ? e chief of hem.

[Linenotes:
2563 _oon_--o
2564 _lette?