No More Learning

? Was ? an myn habit
swiche as it is now. was ? an my face or my chere swiche as now.

[Interlinear: quasi d{ice}ret non. ]

? Whan I sou? t[e] wi? ? e secretys of nature. whan ? ou enfo{ur}medest my
maners {and} ? e resou{n} of al my lijf. to ? e ensaumple of ? e ordre of
heuene.

[Interlinear: ironice]

? Is nat ? is ? e gerdou{n} ? at I refere to ? e to whom I haue be
obeisaunt. ? Certis ? ou enfo{ur}medist by ? e mou? e of plato ? is
sentence. ? at is to seyne ? at co{m}mune ? inges or comunabletes weren
blysful yif ? ei ? at haden studied al fully to wisdom gouerneden ? ilke
? inges. or ellys yif it so by-felle ? at ? e gouernours of co{m}munalites
studieden in grete wisdomes. ? ? ou saidest eke by ? e mou? e of ? e same
plato ? at it was a necessarie cause wyse men to taken {and} desire ? e
gou{er}nau{n}ce of comune ? i{n}ges. for ? at ? e gou{er}nementes of comune
citees y-left in ? e hondes of felonous to{ur}mento{ur}s Citi? enis ne
scholde not brynge inne pestile{n}ce {and} destrucc{i}ou{n} to goode
folk. ? And ? erfore I folowynge ? ilk auctoritee (. s. platonis). desiryng
to put[te] fur? e in execusiou{n} {and} in acte of comune
admi{ni}st{ra}c{i}ou{n} ? o ? inges ? at . I. hadde lerned of ? e among my
secre restyng whiles. ? ? ou {and} god ? {a}t put[te] ? ee in ? e ? ou? tis of
wise folk ben knowen wi? me ? at no ? ing brou? t[e] me to maistrie or
dignite: but ? e comune studie of al goodenes. ? And ? er-of come? it ? at
by-twixen wikked folk {and} me han ben greuouse discordes. ? at ne my? ten
not be relesed by p{ra}yeres. ? For ? is libertee ha? fredom of
conscience ? at ? e wra? ? e of more my? ty folk ha? alwey ben despised of me
for saluac{i}ou{n} of ry? t. ? How ofte haue . I. resisted {and} wi? stonde
? ilk man ? at hy? t[e] conigaste ? at made alwey assautes a? eins ? e
p{ro}pre fortunes of poure feble folke. ? How ofte haue . I. ? itte put
of. or cast out hy{m} trigwille p{ro}uost of ? e kynges hous bo? e of ? e
wronges ? at he hadde bygon[ne] to done {and} eke fully p{er}formed.
? How ofte haue I couered {and} defended by ? e auctorite of me put
a? eins p{er}ils. ? at is to seine put myne auctorite in peril for ? e
wreched pore folke. ? at ? e couetise of straungeres vnpunysched
to{ur}mentid alwey wi? myseses {and} greuaunces oute of noumbre. ? Neuer
man drow me ? itte fro ry? t to wro{n}g. When I say ? e fortunes {and} ? e
rychesse of ? e people of ? e p{ro}uinces ben harmed ey? er by p{r}iue
rauynes or by comune tributis or cariages. as sory was I as ? ei ? at
suffred[e] ? e harme. _Glosa. _ ? Whan ? at theodoric ? e kyng of gothes in
a dere ? ere hadde hys gerners ful of corne {and} comaundede ? at no ma{n}
ne schold[e] bie no corne til his corne were solde {and} ? at at a dere
greuous pris. ? But I w{i}t{h}stod ? at ordinaunce {and} ouer-com it
knowy{n}g al ? is ? e kyng hym self. ? Coempciou{n} ? at is to seyn comune
achat or bying to-gidere ? at were establissed vpon poeple by swiche a
manere imposiciou{n} as who so bou? t[e] a busshel corn he most[e] ? eue
? e ky{n}g ? e fifte p{ar}t. _Textus. _ ? Whan it was in ? e soure hungry
tyme ? ere was establissed or cried greuous {and} inplitable coempciou{n}
? at men seyn wel it schulde greetly to{ur}me{n}tyn {and} endamagen al ? e
p{ro}uince of co{m}paigne I took strif a? eins ? e p{ro}uost of ? e
pretorie for comune p{ro}fit. ? And ? e kyng knowyng of it I ouercom it
so ? at ? e coempciou{n} ne was not axed ne took effect. ? Paulyn a
counseiller of Rome ? e rychesse of ? e whyche paulyn ? e houndys of ? e
palays. ? at is to seyn ? e officeres wolde han deuoured by hope {and}
couetise ? ? it drow I hym out of ? e Iowes . s. faucib{us} of hem ? at
gapede{n}. ? And for as myche as ? e peyne of ?
e accusac{i}ou{n} aiuged
byforn ne scholde not sodeynly henten ne punischen wrongfuly Albyn a
counseiller of Rome. I put[te] me a? enis ? e hates {and}
indignac{i}ou{n}s of ? e accuso{ur} Ciprian. ? Is it not ? an ynought
yseyn ? at I haue p{ur}chased greet[e] discordes a? eins my self. but I
aughte be more asseured a? enis alle o? er folk ? at for ? e loue of
ry? twisnesse . I. ne reserued[e] neuer no ? ing to my self to hem ward of
? e kynges halle . s. officers. by ? e whiche I were ? e more syker. ? But
? oru? ? e same accuso{ur}s accusyng I am co{n}dempned. ? Of ? e noumbre of
whiche accuso{ur}s one basilius ? at somtyme was chased out of ? e kynges
seruice. is now co{m}pelled i{n} accusyng of my name for nede of foreine
moneye. ? Also opilion {and} Gaudenci{us} han accused me. al be it so
? at ? e Iustice regal hadde su{m}tyme demed hem bo? e to go in to exil.
for her treccheries {and} fraudes wi? -outen noumbre. ? To whiche
iugement ? ei wolde not obeye. but defended[e] hem by sykernesse of holy
houses. ? at is to seyne fledden in to seyntuaries. {and} whan ? is was
ap{er}ceiued to ? e kyng. he comaunded[e] but ? at ? ei voided[e] ? e citee
of Rauenne by certeyne day assigned ? at men scholde merken hem on ? e
forheued wi? an hoke of iren {and} chasen hem out of toune. ? Now what
? ing seme? ? e my? t[e] be lykned to ? is cruelte. For certys ? ilk same day
was receyued ? e accusyng of my name by ? ilk[e] same accuso{ur}s. ? What
may be seid herto. ha? my studie {and} my konnyng deserued ? us. or ellys
? e forseide dampnaciou{n} of me. made ? at hem ry? tful accuso{ur}s or no
(q. d. no{n}). ? Was not fortune asshamed of ? is. [Certes alle hadde nat
fortune ben asshamyd] ? at i{n}nocence was accused. ? it au? t[e] sche haue
had schame of ? e fil? e of myn accuso{ur}s. ? But axest ? ou in so{m}me of
what gilt . I. am accused. men seyne ? at I wolde sauen ? e co{m}paignie of
? e senato{ur}s. ? And desirest ? ou to here in what manere . I. am accused
? at I scholde han distourbed ? e accuso{ur} to beren l{ett}res. by whiche
he scholde han maked ? e senatours gilty a? eins ? e kynges Real maieste.
? O meistresse what demest ? ou of ? is. schal . I. forsake ? is blame ? at I
ne be no schame to ? e (q. d. no{n}). ? Certis . I. haue wold it. ? at is
to seyne ? e sauuaciou{n} of ? e senat. ne I schal neuer leten to wilne
it. {and} ? at I confesse {and} am a-knowe. but ? e entent of ? e accusour
to be destourbed schal cese. ? For schal I clepe it a felonie ? an or a
synne ? at I haue desired ? e sauuaciou{n} of ? e ordre of ? e senat. and
certys ? it hadde ? ilk same senat don by me ? oru? her decret? {and} hire
iugementys as ? ou? it were a synne or a felonie ? at is to seyne to wilne
? e sauuaciou{n} of he{m} (. s senat{us}). ? But folye ? at lieth alwey to
hym self may not chaunge ? e merit of ? inges. ? Ne . I. trowe not by ? e
iugement of socrates ? {a}t it were leueful to me to hide ? e so? e. ne
assent[e] to lesynges. ? But certys how so euer it be of ? is I put[te]
it to gessen or p{re}ise{n} to ? e iugeme{n}t of ? e {and} of wise folk.
? Of whiche ? ing al ? e ordinaunce {and} ? e so? e for as moche as folk ? at
ben to comen aftir our{e} dayes scholle{n} knowen it. ? I haue put it in
scripture {and} remembraunce. for touching ? e l{ett}res falsly maked. by
whiche l{ett}res I am accused to han hooped ? e fredom of Rome. What
app{er}tene? me to speken ? er-of. Of whiche l{ett}res ? e fraude hadde
ben schewed ap{er}tly if I hadde had libertee forto han vsed {and} ben
at ? e co{n}fessiou{n} of myn accuso{ur}s. ? ? e whiche ? ing in alle nedys
ha? grete strenke? .