No More Learning

In ? e getyn[g] of whiche goode ? e
streng? e of good folk. is ful wel ysen.

[Sidenote: For as you deem him a good walker that goes to the end
of his journey, so you must esteem him powerful that attains his
desires, beyond which there is nothing to desire. ]

For ry? t so as
? {o}u my? test demen hym my? ty of goynge ? at go? on
hys feet til he my? t[e] come to ? ilke place fro ? e whiche 3280
place ? ere ne lay no wey for? er to be gon. Ry? t so
most ? ou nedes demen hym for ry? t my? ty ? at geti?
{and} atteini? to ? e ende of alle ? inges ? at ben to desire.
by-? onde ? e whiche ende ? at ? er nis no ? ing to desire. 3284

[Linenotes:
3226 _? ilk_--thilke
3229 _owen_--owne
3231 _wilt_--wolt
_herkene_--herkne
3232 _pleynely_--pleynly
_denye_--denoye
3233 _moeuement? _--Moeuement
3237 _go? _--MS. go? e
_hys_--hise
3238 _gone_--goon
3239 _hys_--hise
_whiche_--which
3240 _more_--the Moore
_fur? e_--forth
3242 _gone_--gon
3245 _good_--goode
3246 _uertues_--vertuus
3247 _whiche_--which
3248 _goode_--good
3253 _byfore_--by-forn
3254 _forto_--to
3255 _seke_--sike
3259 _wicked_--wikkede
3260 _come_--comyn
3261 _? ilk_--thilke
3262 _deme_--demen
3263-4 _helpe_--help
3264 _whiche_--which
_go? _--MS. go? e
3265 _grete_--gret
_vnne? _--vnnethe
_be ouercomen_--ben ou{er}come
3267 _? ere_--ther
_grete_--wikkede
3268 _? inges_--thing
_ben_--is
3271 _Sherewes ne requere_--ne shrewes ne requeren
3272 _ly? t[e]_--lyhte
_veyne_--veyn
_nat_--omitted
3276 _whiche_--which
3277 _getyn[g]_--getinge
_whiche goode_--which good
3278 _ysen_--MS. and C. ysene
3279 _go? _--MS. go? e
3280 _my? t[e]_--myhte
3281 _? ere_--ther
_lay_--laye
_for? er_--forthere
_be_--ben
3283 _desire_--desired
3284 _? at_--omitted]

[Headnote:
THE WICKED HAVE NO REAL EXISTENCE. ]

[Sidenote: Wicked men, then, are destitute of those powers which
the good so amply possess. ]

? Of whiche power of good folk men may conclude ? at
wicked men semen to ben bareyne {and} naked of alle
streng? e.

[Sidenote: Wherefore do they leave virtue, and follow vice? Is it
because they are ignorant of good? ]

For whi forleten ? ei v{er}tues {and} folwen
vices. nis it nat for ? at ? ei ne knowen nat ? e goodes. 3288

[Sidenote: What is more weak and base than the blindness of
ignorance? Or do they know the way they ought to follow, but are
led astray by lust and covetousness? ]

? But what ? ing is more feble {and} more caitif ? an is ? e [[pg 116]]
blyndenesse of ignoraunce. or ellys ? ei knowen ful wel
whiche ? inges ? at ? ei au? ten to folwen ? but lecherye
{and} couetise ouer? rowe? hem mysturned.

[Sidenote: And so, indeed, weak-minded men are overpowered by
intemperance, for they cannot resist vicious temptations. ]

? and certis 3292
so do? distemp{er}aunce to feble men. ? at ne mowe{n} nat
wrastle a? eins ? e vices

[Sidenote: Do they willingly desert Good and turn to Evil? If they
do so, they not only cease to be powerful, but even cease to
exist. ]

? Ne knowen ? ei nat ? an wel
? at ? ei foreleten ? e good wilfully. {and} turnen hem vilfully
to vices. ? And in ? is wise ? ei ne forleten nat 3296
oonly to ben my? ty. but ? ei forleten al outerly in any
wise forto ben

[Sidenote: For those who neglect the common end of all beings,
cease to exist. ]

? For ? ei ? at forleten ? e comune fyn of
alle ? inges ? at ben. ? ei for-leten also ? erwi? al forto
ben.

[Sidenote: You may marvel that I assert that the wicked, the
majority of the human race, have no existence--but it is, however,
most true. ]

and p{er}auenture it sholde semen to som folk ? at 3300
? is were a merueile to seyne ? at shrewes whiche ? at
contienen ? e more p{ar}tie of me{n} ne ben nat. ne han no
beynge. ? but na? eles it is so. {and} ? us stant ? is ? ing

[Sidenote: That the wicked are bad I do not deny--but I do not
admit that they have any real existence. ]

for ? ei ? at ben shrewes I denye nat ? at ? ei ben shrewes. 3304
but I denye {and} sey[e] symplely and pleynly ? at ? ei
[ne] ben nat. ne han no beynge.

[Sidenote: You may call a corpse a dead man, but you cannot with
propriety call it a man. ]

for ry? t as ? ou my? test
seyn of ? e careyne of a man ? at it were a ded man.
? but ? ou ne my? test nat symplely callen it a man. 3308

[Sidenote: So the vicious are profligate men, but I cannot confess
they absolutely exist. ]

? So graunt[e] I wel for so? e ? at vicious folk ben
wicked. but I ne may nat graunten absolutely {and}
symplely ? at ? ei ben.

[Sidenote: That thing exists that preserves its rank, nature, and
constitution, but when it loses these essentials it ceases to be. ]

? For ? ilk ? ing ? at wi?
holde? ordre {and} kepi? nature. ? ilk ? ing is {and} ha? 3312
beynge. but ? at ? ing ? at faile? of ? at. ? at is to seyne
he ? {a}t forleti? naturel ordre he for-leti? ? ilk beyng
? at is set in hys nature.

[Sidenote: But, you may say that the wicked have a _power_ to act,
nor do I deny it; but their power is an effect of weakness. ]

but ? ou wolt sein ? at shrewes
mowen. ? Certys ? at ne denye I nat. ?
but certys 3316
hir power ne descende? nat of streng? e but of feblesse.

[Sidenote: They can do evil, but this they could not do, if they
retained the power of doing good. ]

for ? ei mowen don wickednesses. ? e whiche ? ei ne
my? ten nat don yif ? ei my? te{n} dwelle in ? e forme {and}
in ? e doynge of goode folke. [[pg 117]]

[Sidenote: This power, then, clearly shows their impotence. ]

? And ? ilke power 3320
shewe? ful euydently ? at ? ei ne mowen ry? t nau? t.

[Linenotes:
3285 _whiche_--the which
_? at_--? {a}t the
3286 _ben_--be
3291 _au? ten to folwen_--owhten folwe
3293 _do? _--MS. do? e, C. doth
3394 _wrastle_--wrastlen
3295 _vilfully_--wilsfully
3297 _outerly_--owtrely
3301 _seyne_--seyen
3304-5 _denye_--denoye
3305 _sey[e] symplely_--seye sympeli
3306 [_ne_]--from C.
3307 _seyn_--seyen
3309 _graunt[e]_--graunte
3311-12 _? ilk_--thilke
3312 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
3313 _? at_ (1)--what
_seyne_--seyn
3314 _? ilk_--thilke
3315 _set_--MS. sette, C. set
3316 _denye_--denoye
3318 _don_--MS. done, C. don
3319 _my? ten_ (1)--myhte
_dwelle_--dwellin
3320 _goode_--good]

[Headnote:
POWER, AN ATTRIBUTE OF THE CHIEF GOOD. ]

[Sidenote: For as evil is nothing, it is clear that while the
wicked can only do evil they can do nothing. ]

? For so as I haue gadered {and} p{ro}ued a lytel her byforn
? at yuel is nau? t. {and} so as shrewes mowen oonly
but shrewednesse. ? is conclusiou{n} is al clere. ? at 3324
shrewes ne mowen ry? t nat to han power.

[Sidenote: That you may understand the force of this power, I have
proved that nothing is more powerful than the sovereign good. ]

and for as
moche as ? ou vndirstonde whiche is ? e streng? e ? at is
power of shrewes. I haue diffinised a lytel here byforn
? at no ? ing nis so my? ty as souereyne good

[Sidenote: _B. _ That is true. ]

? ? at is 3328
so? e q{uo}d . I.

[Sidenote: _P. _ And that supreme good can do no evil? ]

[{and} thilke same souereyn good may don
non yuel //

[Sidenote: _B. _ Certainly not. ]

Certes no q{uod} I]

[Sidenote: _P. _ Is there any one who thinks that man can do all
things? ]

? Is ? er any wy? t ? an
q{uo}d she ? at weni? ? at men mowen don alle ? inges.

[Sidenote: _B. _ No sane man can think so. ]

No man q{uo}d . I. but yif he be out of hys witte.

[Sidenote: _P. _ But men may do evil. ]

? but 3332
certys sherewes mowen don yuel q{uo}d she.

[Sidenote: _B. _ I would to God they could not. ]

? ? e wolde
god q{uo}d I ? at ? ei ne my? te{n} don none.

[Sidenote: _P. _ Since he that can do good, can do all things, and
he that has power to do evil cannot do all things, therefore the
evil-doers are less powerful. ]

? at q{uo}d she
so as he ? at is my? ty to done oonly but good[e] ? inges
may don alle ? inges. and ? ei ? at ben my? ty to done 3336
yuel[e] ? inges ne mowen nat alle ? inges. ? an is ? is open
? ing {and} manifest ? at ? ei ? {a}t mowe{n} don yuel ben of
lasse power.

[Sidenote: Let me add too that _power_ is one of the things to be
desired, and that all such things are to be referred to the chief
good (the perfection of their nature). ]

and ? itte to p{ro}ue ? is conclusiou{n} ? ere
helpe? me ? is ? at I haue shewed here byforne. ? at al 3340
power is to be nou{m}bred amonge ? inges ? at men au? ten
requere. {and} haue shewed ? at alle ? i{n}ges ? at au? ten ben
desired ben referred to good ry? t as to a manere hey? te
of hyr nature.

[Sidenote: But the power of doing evil has no relation to that
Good, therefore it is not desirable; but as all power is
desirable, it is clear that the ability to do evil is not power. ]

? But for to mowen don yuel {and} 3344
felonye ne may nat ben referred to good. ? an nis nat
yuel of ? e nou{m}bre of ? inges ? at au? te{n}.

[Sidenote: [* fol. 26 _b_. ]]

*be desired. but
al power au? t[e] ben desired {and} requered. ? ? an is
it open {and} cler ? at ? e power ne ? e moeuyng of shrewes 3348
nis no powere.

[Sidenote: It clearly follows from this reasoning, that the good
only are powerful while the vicious are feeble. ]

{and} of alle ? ise ? inges it shewe? wel ? at
? e goode folk ben certeynly my? ty. {and} ? e shrewes ben [[pg 118]]
douteles vnmy? ty

[Sidenote: And Plato's opinion is hereby verified that the _wise_
only have the power to do what they desire; the wicked may follow
the dictates of their lusts, but their great aim and desire,
_i. e. _ HAPPINESS, they can never attain. ]

? And it is clere {and} open ? at ? ilke
sentence of plato is uerray {and} so? e. ? {a}t sey? ? at oonly 3352
wiseme{n} may [doon] ? at ? ei desiren. {and} shrewes
mowen haunten ? at hem lyke? . but ? at ? ei desiren ? at
is to seyne to comen to souereyne good ? ei ne han no
power to acomplissen ? at.

[Sidenote: The wicked may gratify their desires, thinking to
attain the chief good (for which they wish), but they can never
possess it, for impiety and vice can never be crowned with
happiness. ]

? For shrewes don ? at hem 3356
list whan by ? o ?