No More Learning

til ? at she a-reisi? hir in til ? e houses ? {a}t
beren ? e sterres. {and} ioygne? hir weyes wi? ? e sonne [[pg 111]]
phebus. {and} felawshipe? ? e weye of ? e olde colde 3141
saturnus. and she ymaked a kny? t of ? e clere sterre.

[Sidenote: [Chaucer's Gloss. ]]

? at is to seyne ? at ? e soule is maked goddys kny? t by
? e sekyng of treu? e to comen to ? e verray knowlege of 3144
god.

[Sidenote: Through every sphere she (the mind) runs where night is
most cloudless and where the sky is decked with stars, until she
reaches the heaven's utmost sphere--]

[Sidenote: [* fol. 25. ]]

and ? ilke soule renne[? ] by ? e cercle *of ? e sterres
in alle ? e places ? ere as ? e shynyng ny? t is depeynted.
? at is to seyne ? e ny? t ? at is cloudeles. for on ny? tes ? at
ben cloudeles it seme? as ? e heuene were peynted wi? 3148
dyuerse ymages of sterres. {and} whan ? e soule ha? gon
ynou? she shal forleten ? e last[e] poynt of ? e heuene.

[Linenotes:
3133 _hey? t of ? e heuene_--heyhte of heuene
3134 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
3136 _hey? enesse----eyir_--Rou{n}dnesse of the grete ayr
_sei? _--seth
3137 _hir_--his
3138 _fire_--Fyr
_eschaufi? _--MS. eschaufi? e
3139 _she_--he
_hir_--hym
3140 _hir_--his
3141 _weye_--wey
_? e----saturnus_--MS. saturnus ? e olde colde
3142 _saturnus_--sat{ur}nis
_she_--he
3143 _soule_--thowght
3144 _treu? e_--trowthe
_knowlege_--knoleche
3145 _soule_--thoght
3146 _depeynted_--painted
3149-50 _and whan----she shal_--{and} whanne he hath I-doon
ther{e} I-nowh he shal
3149 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
3150 _? e last[e]----heuene_--the laste heuene]

[Headnote:
VICE IS ALWAYS PUNISHED. ]

[Sidenote: then pressing on she shall be prepared to see the true
Source of Light, where the great King of kings bears his mighty
sceptre, and holds the reins of the universe. ]

{and} she shal p{re}ssen {and} wenden on ? e bak of ? e swifte
firmament. and she shal ben maked p{er}fit of ? e dredefulle 3152
clerenesse of god. ? ? ere halde? ? e lorde of kynges
? e ceptre of his my? t {and} atte{m}p{er}e? ? e gouernementes
of ? is worlde.

[Sidenote: Here the great Judge, standing in shining robes, firmly
guides his winged chariot, and rules the tumultuous affairs of the
world. ]

{and} ? e shynynge iuge of ? inges stable i{n}
hy{m} self gouerne? ? e swifte carte. ? at is to seyne ? e 3156
circuler moeuyng of [the] sonne.

[Sidenote: If you at length shall arrive at this abode, you will
say this is my country--here I was born--and here will I abide. ]

{and} yif ? i weye lede?
? e a? eyne so ? at ? ou be brou? t ? ider. ? an wilt ? ou seye
now ? at ? at is ? e contre ? at ? ou requeredest of whiche ? ou
ne haddest no mynde. but now it remenbre? me wel 3160
here was I born. here wil I fastne my degree. here wil
I dwelle.

[Sidenote: And should you deign to look on the gloomy earth,
you'll see those tyrants, the fear of wretched folk, banished from
those fair realms. ]

but yif ? e lyke ? an to loken on ? e derkenesse
of ? e er? e ? at ? ou hast for-leten. ? an shalt ? ou seen ? at
? ise felonous tyrauntes ? at ? e wrecched[e] poeple drede? 3164
now shule ben exiled from ? ilke faire contre.

[Linenotes:
3151-2 _she_--he
3152-3 _of ? e----of god_--of the worshipful lyht of god
3153 _? ere halde? _--ther halt
3155 _? is worlde_--the world
3156 _carte_--cart or wayn
3157 [_the_]--from C.
3159 _whiche_--which
3161 _here_ (1, 2, 3)--her
_born_--MS. borne, C. born
_wil_ (1)--wol
_wil_ (2)--wole
3162 _lyke_--liketh
_derkenesse_--dyrknesses
3164 _wrecched[e]_--wrecchede
3165 _shule_--shollen
_from_--fro]


[[pg 112]]
[Headnote:
THE GOOD ARE ALWAYS STRONG. ]

TUNC EGO PAPE INQ{UA}M. {ET} C{ETERA}.

[Sidenote: [The 2^e p{ro}se. ]]

[Sidenote: _B. _ Ah! thou promisest me great things indeed! --but
without delay, satisfy the expectations you have raised. ]

++? Anne seide I ? us. [owh] I wondre me ? at ? ou by-hetest
me so grete ? inges. ne I ne doute nat ? at ? {o}u
ne mayst wel p{er}forme ? at ? ou by-hetest. but I preie ? e 3168
oonly ? is. ? at ? ou ne tarie nat to telle me ? ilke ? inges
? at ? ou hast meoued.

[Sidenote: _P. _ You must first be convinced that the good are
always strong and powerful and the wicked destitute of strength. ]

first q{uo}d she ? ou most nedes
knowen. ? {a}t good[e] folk ben al wey strong[e] {and}
my? ty. and ? e shrewes ben feble {and} desert {and} naked 3172
of alle streng? es.

[Sidenote: These assertions do mutually demonstrate each other. ]

and of ? ise ? inges certys eueryche of
hem is declared {and} shewed by o? {er}.

[Sidenote: For since good and evil are contrary, if good be
powerful evil must be impotent. ]

? For so as good
{and} yuel ben two cont{ra}ries. yif so be ? at goode be
stedfast. ? a{n} shewe? ? e fieblesse of yuel al openly.
3176

[Sidenote: And if the frailty of evil is known, the strength and
stability of good must also be known to you. ]

and yif ? ou knowe clerely ? e freelnesse of yuel. ? e stedfastnesse
of goode is knowen.

[Sidenote: But to convince you I shall proceed to prove it from
both these principles, establishing these truths, by arguments
drawn first from one of these topics and then from the other. ]

but for as moche as ? e fey of
my sentence shal be ? e more ferme {and} habou{n}daunt. I
wil goon by ? at oon wey {and} by ? at o? er {and} I wil conferme 3180
? e ? inges ? at ben p{ur}posed now on ? is side {and}
now on ? {a}t syde.

[Sidenote: Two things are necessary to every action--the Will and
the Power; if either be wanting, nothing can be effected. ]

? Two ? inges ? er ben in whiche ? e
effect of alle ? e dedes of man kynde standi? . ? at is to
seyn. wil {and} power. and yif ? at oon of ? ise two fayle? 3184
? ere nis no ? ing ? at may be don.

[Sidenote: A man can do nothing without the concurrence of his
will, and if power faileth the will is of no effect. ]

for yif ? at wil lakke?
? ere nys no wy? t ? at vndirtake? to done ? at he wol not
don. and yif power fayle? ? e wille nis but i{n} ydel {and}
stant for nau? t.

[Sidenote: Hence, if you see a person desirous of getting what he
cannot procure, you are sure he lacks power to obtain it. ]

and ? er of come? it ? at yif ? ou se a 3188
wy? t ? at wolde gete{n} ? at he may nat geten. ? ou mayst
nat douten ? at power ne fayle? hy{m} to haue{n} ? at he
wolde. ? ? is is open {and} clere q{uo}d I. ne it may nat
ben denyed in no manere.

[Sidenote: And if you see another do what he had a mind to do, can
you doubt that he had the power to do it? ]

and yif ? ou se a wy? t q{uo}d 3192
she. ? at ha? don ? at he wolde don ? {o}u nilt nat douten
? at he ne ha? had power to done it.

[Sidenote: _B. _ No, surely. _P. _ A man, then, is esteemed
powerful in respect of what he is able to do, and weak in
relation to what he is unable to perform. ]

no q{uo}d. I. and in
? at. ? at euery wy? t may. in ? at ? at men may holden
hym my? ty. as who sei? i{n} as moche as a man is my? ty [[pg 113]]
to done a ? ing. in so moche men halden hy{m} my? ty. 3197
and in ? at ? at he ne may. in ? at men demen hym to
ben feble.

[Sidenote: _B. _ That is true. ]

I confesse it wel q{uo}d I.

[Sidenote: _P. _ Do you remember that I proved that the will of
man, following different pursuits, seeks happiness only? ]

Remembri? ? e q{uo}d
she ? at I. haue gadred {and} shewed by forseide resou{n}s 3200
? at al ? e entenc{i}ou{n} of ? e wil of ma{n}kynde whiche ? at
is lad by diuerse studies hasti? to comen to blisfulnesse.
? It reme{m}bre? me wel q{uo}d I ? at it hath ben shewed.

[Linenotes:
3166 [_owh_]--from C.
3171 _good[e]_--goode
_strong[e]_--stronge
3172 _desert_--dishert
3173 _eueryche_--eu{er}ich
3175 _goode_--good
3176 _stedfast_--stidefast
3177 _freelnesse_--frelenesse
_stedfastnesse_--stidefastnesse
3178 _goode_--good
3180 _oon_--oo
_wil_ (2)--wole
3185-6 _? ere_--ther
3185 _don_--MS. done, C. don
3186 _done_--don
3187 _wille_--wil
3188 _come? _--comht
3189 _mayst_--MS. mayste, C. mayst
3191 _clere_--cler
3192 _denyed_--denoyed
3193-4 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
3193 _don_ (_both_)--MS. done, C. doon
3194 _had_--MS. hadde, C. had
_done_--doon
3196 _as moche_--so moche
3197 _done_--doon
_moche_--mochel
_halden_--halt
3201 _whiche_--which
3202 _lad_--MS. ladde, C. lad
3203 _it hath ben_--MS. I herde ? e, C. it hath ben]

[Headnote:
THE IMPOTENCY OF THE WICKED. ]

[Sidenote: Do you recollect too, that it has been shown that
happiness is the supreme good of men--and all desire this good,
since all seek happiness? ]

{and} recorde? ? e nat ? an q{uo}d she. ? at blisfulnesse is 3204
? ilke same goode ? at men requeren.

[Sidenote: [* fol. 25 _b_. ]]

so ? at whan ? at
blisfulnesse is requered *of alle. ? at goode [also] is
requered {and} desired of al. It recorde? me wel q{uo}d I.
for haue it gretly alwey ficche[d] in my memorie.

[Sidenote: All men, then, good and bad, seek to acquire good? ]

alle 3208
folk ? an q{uo}d she goode {and} eke badde enforcen he{m}
wi? oute difference of entenc{i}ou{n} to come{n} to goode.
? at is a uerray consequence q{uo}d I.

[Sidenote: And it is certain that when men obtain good they become
good? ]

and certeyne is q{uo}d
she ? at by ? e gety{n}g of goode ben men ymaked goode. 3212

[Sidenote: _B. _ It is most certain. ]

? is is certeyne q{uo}d. I.

[Sidenote: _P. _ Do good men, then, get what they desire? ]

? ? an geten goode men ? at ? ei
desiren.

[Sidenote: _B. _ It seems so. ]

so seme? it q{uo}d I.

[Sidenote: _P. _ If evil men obtain the good, they can be no longer
evil? ]

but wicked[e] folk q{uo}d
she yif ? ei geten ? e goode ? at ? ei desire{n} ? ei [ne]
mowen nat ben wicked.

[Sidenote: _B. _ It is so. ]

so is it q{uo}d . I.