No More Learning

[Sidenote: Yet both would have given up all they possessed. ]

and ? it certis ? ei wolde bo? e 2100
han renou{n}ced her power.

[Sidenote: Seneca begged for poverty and exile. But relentless
fortune precipitated them to destruction, and did not permit them
to choose their fate. ]

of whiche [two] senek enforced[e]
hym to ? iue{n} to Nero his rychesses. {and} also
to han gon in to solitarie exil. ? But whan ? e grete
wey? t. ? at is to sein of lordes power or of fortune 2104
drawe? hem ? at sholden falle. ney? er of hem ne
my? t[e] do ? at he wolde.

[Sidenote: What then is Power, which terrifies its possessors, and
which cannot be got rid of at pleasure? ]

what ? ing is ? anne ? ilke
power ? at ? ou? men han it ? at ? ei ben agast. ? {and}
whan ? ou woldest han it ? ou nart nat siker. ? And 2108
yif ? ou woldest forleten it ? ou mayst nat eschewen it.

[Sidenote: No advantage is to be gained by friendship based on
prosperity instead of virtue. ]

? But whe? ir swiche men ben frendes at nede as ben
conseiled by fortune {and} nat by vertue.

[Sidenote: Adversity will turn this sort of friendship into
enmity. And what greater plague can there be than the enmity of
thy familiar friend? ]

Certys swiche
folk as weleful fortune make? frendes. contrarious fortune [[pg 77]]
make? hem enmyse. ? And what pestilence is 2113
more my? ty forto anoye a wi? t ? an a familier enemy.

[Linenotes:
2077 _had[de]_--hadde
2078 _shewid[e]_--shewede
2079 _realmes_--Reaumes
_swerde_--swerd
_heng_--MS. henge, C. heng
2081 _besines_--bysynesse
2083 _? it_--yif
_glorifien_--gloryfye
2084 _? ilk[e]_--thylke
2087 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
_environed_--enuyrownede
2088 [_hem_]--from C.
2089 _? en_--than
2091 [_or_]--from C.
2092 _realmes_--Reames
2093 _feblenesse_--feblesse
2094 _real_--Ryal
2095 [_ofte_]--from C.
_constreined[e]_--co{n}streynede
2096 _his_ (1)--hyr
_seneca_--Senek
2097 _comaundid[e]_--comau{n}dede
2098 _her_--hyr
2099 _whiche_--which
_had[de] ben long_--? {a}t hadde ben longe
2100 _courte_--court
_wolde_--wolden
2101 [_two_]--from C.
_enforced[e]_--enforcede
2102 _? iuen_--yeuen
_his_--hyse
2104 _wey? t_--weyhte
2105 _sholden_--sholen
2106 _my? t[e]_--myhte]


[Headnote:
GLORY IS DECEPTIVE. ]

QUI SE UALET[5] ESSE POTENTEM.

[Footnote 5: Read _uolet_]

[Sidenote: [The 5^the Met{ur}. ]]

[Sidenote: He who would obtain sovereign power must obtain
conquest over himself, and not yield to his passions. ]

++Who so wolde ben my? ty he mot dau{n}ten hys cruel
corage. ne put[te] nat his nekke ouercomen vndir 2116
? e foule reines of lecherie.

[Sidenote: Though your dominion extended from India to Thule, yet
if thou art tormented by care thou hast no real power. ]

for al be it so ? at ? i lordship[e]
strecche so fer ? at ? e contre Inde quaki? at ? i
comaundement. or at ? i lawes. {and} ? at ? e leest isle in
? e see ? at hy? t tile be ? ral to ? e ? ? it yif ? ou mayst 2120
nat pute{n} awey ? i foule derk[e] desijres {and} dryue{n}
oute fro ? e wreched co{m}pleyntes. Certis it nis no
power ? at ? ou hast.

[Linenotes:
2115 _wolde ben_--wole be
2116 _put[te]_--putte
2117 _lordship[e]_--lordshype
2119 _comaundement_--comau{n}dement?
_leest isle_--last Ile
2120 _hy? t_--hyhte
2121 _puten_--putten
_derk[e]_--dyrke
2122 _oute_--owt]


[Headnote:
GENTILITY IS FOREIGN TO RENOWN. ]

GLORIA UERO QUA{M} FALLAX.

[Sidenote: [The 6^the p{ro}se. ]]

[Sidenote: How deceptive and deformed a thing is glory! Well did
the Tragedian exclaim--? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , for the undeserving have been
crowned with glory and renown by popular and erring opinion. ]

++Bvt glorie how deceiuable {and} how foule is it ofte. for 2124
whiche ? ing nat vnskilfully a tregedien ? at is to
sein a maker of dites ? at hy? ten tregedies cried[e] {and}
seide. ? O glorie glorie q{uod} he. ? ou nart no ? ing
ellys to ? ousandes of folkes. but a gret sweller of eres. 2128
for many[e] han had ful gret renou{n} by ? e fals[e] oppiniou{n}
of poeple.

[Sidenote: What can be more infamous than renoun founded on the
prejudices of the vulgar? ]

and what ? ing may ben ? ou? t fouler
? en swiche p{re}isynge

[Sidenote: Those that are undeservedly praised ought to blush for
shame. ]

for ? ilk[e] folk ? at be{n} p{re}ised
falsly. ? ei moten nedes han shame of hir p{re}isynges. 2132

[Sidenote: If a wise man gets well-merited praise it does not add
to his felicity. ]

{and} yif ? at folk han gete{n} hem ? ank or p{re}ysyng by
her desertes. what ? ing ha? ? ilk pris echid or encresed
to ?
e conscience of wise folk ? {a}t mesure{n} hire
good. not by ? e rumo{ur} of ? e poeple. but by ? e so? efastnesse 2136
of conscience.

[Sidenote: If it be a good thing to spread abroad one's fame, it
must be dishonourable not to do so. ]

{and} yif it seme a fair ? ing a
man to han encresid {and} sprad his name. ? an folwe?
it. ? at it is demed to ben a foule ? inge yif it ne be [[pg 78]]
ysprad ne encresed.

[Sidenote: But a good name cannot penetrate everywhere, and the
most illustrious names must be unknown to the greatest part of the
world. ]

but as I seide a litel her byforne. 2140
? at syn ? er mot nedes ben many folk to whiche folk ? e
renou{n} of a man ne may nat comen. it byfalle? ? at he
? at ? ou wenest be glorious {and} renomed. semi? in ? e
nexte p{ar}ties of ? e er? e to ben wi? out glorie. {and} wi? 2144
out renou{n}.

[Sidenote: The favour of the people is worth but little as it is
seldom judicious and never permanent. ]

[Sidenote: [* fol. 18 _b_. ]]

? and certis amo{n}ges ? ise ? inges I ne trowe
nat ? at ? e p{r}is {and} grace of ? e poeple nis nei? er wor? i
*to ben remembrid ne come? of wise iugement. ne is
ferm p{er}durably.

[Sidenote: How empty and transitory are titles of nobility! ]

? But now of ? is name of gentilesse. 2148
what man is it ? at ne may wel seen how veyne {and}
how flittyng a ? ing it is.

[Sidenote: Gentility is wholly foreign to renown, and to those who
boast of noble birth. ]

? For if ? e name of gentilesse
be referred to renou{n} {and} clernesse of linage. ? an
is gentil name but a for[e]ine ? ing. ? at is to sein to 2152
hem ? at glorifien hem of hir linage.

[Sidenote: Nobility is fame derived from the merits of one's
ancestors. ]

? For it seme?
? at gentilesse be a maner p{re}ysynge ? at come? of decert
of auncestres.

[Sidenote: If praise can give nobility they are noble who are
praised. ]

? And yif p{re}ysynge make? gentilesse
? an moten ? ei nedes be gentil ? at ben p{re}ysed. 2156

[Sidenote: Then if thou hast no nobility of thy own, thou canst
not derive any splendour from the merits of others. ]

For whiche ? ing it folwe? . ? at yif ? ou ne haue no gentilesse
of ? i self. ? at is to sein pris ? {a}t come? of ? i deserte
foreine gentilesse ne make? ? e nat gentil.

[Sidenote: If there be any good in nobleness of birth, it consists
alone in this, that it imposes an obligation upon its possessors
not to degenerate from the virtues of their ancestors. ]

? But certis
yif ? er be any goode in gentilesse. I trowe it be i{n} al 2160
oonly ? is. ? at it seme? as ? at a maner necessitee be imposed
to gentil men. for ? at ? ei ne sholden nat outraien
or forliuen fro ? e uertues of hire noble kynrede.

[Linenotes:
2124 _foule_--fowl
2125 _whiche_--whych
2126 _maker_--maker{e}
_cried[e]_--cryde
2127 _he_--she
2128 _sweller_--sweller{e}
2129 _many[e]_--manye
_had_--MS. hadde, C. had
_fals[e]_--false
2130 _fouler_--fowler{e}
2131 _? en_--thanne
_? ilk[e]_--thylke
2133 _or_--of
2134 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
_? ilke_--thylke
2139 _foule ? inge_--fowl thing
2140 _ne_--{and}
_byforne_--byforn
2144 _parties_--partye
_er? e_--Erthes
_out_--owte
2145 _out_--owhte
2148 _ferm_--ferme
2149 _veyne_--veyn
2150 _if_--yif
2154 _come? of_--comth of the
2157 _whiche_--which
2158 _pris_--preys
_come? _--comth
2160 _goode_--good
_in_ (2)--omitted
2161 _maner_--maner{e}]


OMNE HOMINU{M} GENUS IN TERRIS.

[Sidenote: [The 6^th Metre. ]]

[Sidenote: All men have the same origin. ]

++Al ? e linage of men ? at ben i{n} er? e ben of semblable 2164
bur? e.

[Sidenote: They have one father and one king, who gave the moon
her horns, and adorned the sun with his rays. ]

On al one is fadir of ? inges. On alone
minyst[r]e? alle ? inges. ? He ? af to ? e sonne hys
bemes. he ? af to ? e moone hir hornes.

[Sidenote: The same gave the earth to man and adorned the sky with
stars. ]

he ? af ? e men to
? e er? e. he ? af ? e sterres to ? e heuene.

[Sidenote: He breathed into man the breath of life. ]

? he enclose? 2168
wi? membres ? e soules ? at comen fro hys heye sete. [[pg 79]]

[Sidenote: All men spring from this illustrious source. ]

? ? anne comen alle mortal folk of noble seed.

[Sidenote: Why then do they boast of pedigree? ]

whi noysen ? e or bosten of ? oure eldris

[Sidenote: He alone is ignoble who submits to vice and forgets his
noble origin. ]

? For yif ? ou
look[e] ? oure bygy{n}ny{n}g. and god ? oure aucto{ur} {and} 2172
? oure makere. ? an is ? er no forlyued wy? t but ? if he
norisse his corage vnto vices {and} forlete his p{ro}pre
bur? e.

[Linenotes:
2166 _hys_--hyse
2167 _hir_--hyse
2169 _fro hys_--fram hyse
2170 _seed_--sede
2171 _bosten_--MS. voscen, C. bosten
2172 _look[e]_--loke]


[Headnote:
SENSUAL PLEASURES FULL OF ANXIETY. ]

QUID AUTEM DE CORPORIBUS. [6]

[Footnote 6: Read _corporis voluptatibus_. ]

[Sidenote: [The 7^the p{ro}se. ]]

[Sidenote: But what shall I say with respect to sensual pleasures,
the desire of which is full of anxiety, and the enjoyment of them
full of repentance? ]

++But what shal I seie of delices of body. of whic[h]e 2176
delices ? e desiringes ben ful of anguisse. {and} ? e
fulfillinges of he{m} ben ful of penaunce.

[Sidenote: What diseases and intolerable pains (the merited fruits
of vice) are these delights wont to bring upon those who enjoy
them! ]

? How grete
sekenesse {and} how grete sorwes vnsuffrable ry? t as a
manere fruit of wickednesse ben ? ilke delices wont to 2180
bryngen to ? e bo[d]ies of folk ? at vsen hem.

[Sidenote: I am unable to see what joy is to be found in the
gratification of them.