No More Learning

t. 3516

[Linenotes:
3479 _aryue? _--aryuede
_vlixes_--MS. vluxies, C. vlixes
3481 _Circe_--Circes
3483 _enchauntment? _--enchauntement?
3484 _hande_--hand
_of_--ou{er}
3485 _had[de]_--hadde
_gestes_--MS. goostes, C. gestes
3486 _boor_--boer{e}
3488 _his_ (1)--hise
_his te? e_--hise teth
3489 _newliche_--neweliche
3490 _go? _--MS. go? e
3491 _house_--hows
3492 _bride_--bryd
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
3493 _mercie_--MS. mercurie, C. mercy
3494 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
3495 _oosteresse_--oostesse
3496 _wicked[e]_--wikkede
3497 _were woxen swyne_--weeren wexen swyn
3498 _chaunged_--Ichaunged
_brede_--bred
_forto_--MS. {and} forto
_ete acorns_--eten akkornes
3499 _hoole_--hool
3501 _wepi? _--MS. kepi? , C. weepith
3502 _monstruous_--MS. monstronous, C. Monstruos
3504 _Circes_--MS. Cirtes
_folk_--folkys
3509 _yhid_--MS. yhidde, C. I-hydd
3515 _wooden_--MS. wolden, C. wooden]


[Headnote:
THE WICKED ARE TORMENTED BY A THREEFOLD WRETCHEDNESS. ]

TUNC EGO FATEOR INQ{UA}M.

[Sidenote: [The ferthe p{ro}se. ]]

[Sidenote: _B. _ I confess that vicious men are rightly called
beasts. ]

++? an seide I ? us I confesse {and} am aknowe q{uo}d I. ne
I ne se nat ? at men may seyn as by ry? t.

[Sidenote: They retain the outward form of man, but the qualities
of their souls prove them to be beasts. ]

? {a}t
shrewes ne ben nat chaunged in to beestes by ? e
qualite of hir soules. ? Al be it so ? {a}t ? ei kepen ? itte 3520
? e forme of ? e body of mankynde.

[Sidenote: I wish, however, that the wicked were without the power
to annoy and hurt good men. ]

but I nolde nat of
shrewes of whiche ? e ? ou? t cruel woode? alwey in to
destrucc{i}ou{n} of good[e] men. ? at it wer{e} leueful to hem
to done ? at.

[Sidenote: _P. _ They have no power, as I shall presently show
you. ]

? Certys q{uo}d she ne it nis nat leueful 3524
to hem as I shal wel shewen ? e in couenable place.

[Sidenote: But were this power, which men ascribe to them, taken
away from the wicked, they would be relieved of the greatest part
of their punishment. ]

? But na? eles yif so were ? at ? ilke ? at me{n} wene{n} ben
leueful for shrewes were bynomen hem. so ? at ? ei ne [[pg 124]]
my? ten nat anoyen or don harme to goode men. ? Certys 3528
a gret p{ar}ty of ? e peyne to shrewes shulde ben allegged
{and} releued.

[Sidenote: The wicked are more unhappy when they have accomplished
their evil designs than when they fail to do so. ]

? For al be it so ? {a}t ? is ne seme nat
credible ? ing p{er}auent{ur}e to so{m}me folk ? it mot it
nedes be ? at shrewes ben more wrecches {and} vnsely. 3532
whan ? ei may don {and} p{er}forme ? at ? ei coueiten [than
yif they myhte nat complyssen ? {a}t they coueyten].

[Sidenote: If it is a miserable thing to will evil, it is a
greater unhappiness to have the power to execute it, without which
power the wicked desires would languish without effect. ]

? For
yif so be ? at it be wrecchednesse to wilne to don yuel[;]
? an is it more wrecchednesse to mowen don yuel. 3536
wi? oute whiche moeuyng ? e wrecched wille sholde
languisshe wi? oute effecte.

[Sidenote: Since, then, each of these three things (_i. e. _ the
will, the power, and the accomplishment of evil) hath its misery,
therefore a threefold wretchedness afflicts those who both will,
can, and do commit sin. ]

? ? an syn ? at eueryche of
? ise ? inges ha? hys wrecchednesse. ? at is to seyne wil
to done yuel. and moeuynge to done yuel. it mot nedes 3540
be. ? at ? ei (shrewes) ben constreyned by ? re vnselynesses
? at wolen {and} mowen {and} p{er}formen felonyes
{and} shrewednesses.

[Sidenote: _B. _ I grant it--but still I wish the vicious were
without this misfortune. ]

? I accorde me q{uo}d I. but I
desire gretely ? at shrewes losten sone ? ilke vnselynesses. 3544
? at is to seyne ? at shrewes were despoyled of moeuyng
to don yuel.

[Sidenote: _P. _ They shall be despoiled of it sooner than you wish
perhaps, or than they themselves imagine. ]

? so shulle{n} ? ei q{uo}d she.

[Sidenote: [* fol. 28. ]]

sonnere
p{er}auenture ? en ? {o}u woldest *or sonnere ? en ? ei hem
self wenen to lakken mowynge to done yuel.

[Sidenote: In the narrow limits of this life, nothing, however
tardy it appears, can seem to an immortal soul to have a very long
duration. ]

? For 3548
? ere nis no ? ing so late in so short bou{n}des of ? is lijf
? at is longe to abide. namelyche to a corage inmortel.

[Sidenote: The great hopes, and the subtle machinations of the
wicked, are often suddenly frustrated, by which an end is put to
their wickedness. ]

Of whiche shrewes ? e grete hope {and} ? e heye co{m}passy{n}g{us}
of shrewednesse is often destroyed by a 3552
sodeyne ende or ? ei ben war. {and} ? at ? ing establi? to
shrewes ? e ende of hir shrewednesse.

[Sidenote: If vice renders men wretched, the longer they are
vicious the longer must they be miserable. ]

? For yif ? at
shrewednesse maki? e wrecches. ? an mot he nedes be
most wrecched ? at lengest is a shrewe.

[Sidenote: And they would be infinitely wretched if death did not
put an end to their crimes. ]

? e whiche 3556
wicked shrewes wolde ydemen aldirmost vnsely {and}
caytifs yif ? at hir shrewednes ne were yfinissed. at ? e [[pg 125]]
leste weye by ? e outerest[e] dee? .

[Sidenote: It is clear, as I have already shown, that eternal
misery is infinite. ]

for [yif] I haue concluded
so? e of ? e vnselynesse of shrewednesse. ? an shewe? 3560
it clerely ? at ? ilke shrewednesse is wi? outen ende ? e
whiche is certeyne to ben p{er}durable.

[Sidenote: _B. _ This consequence appears to be just, but difficult
to assent to. ]

? Certys q{uo}d I
? is [conclusion] is harde {and} wonderful to graunte. ? But
I knowe wel ? at it accorde? moche to [the] ? i{n}ges ?
at I 3564
haue graunted her byforne.

[Sidenote: _P. _ You think rightly; but if you cannot assent to my
conclusion you ought to show that the premises are false, or that
the consequences are unfairly deduced; for if the premises be
granted, you cannot reject the inferences from them. ]

? ? ou hast q{uo}d she ? e ry? t
estimac{i}ou{n} of ? is. but who so euere wene ? at it be an
harde ? ing to acorde hym to a conclusiou{n}. it is ry? t
? at he shewe ? at so{m}me of ? e p{re}misses ben fals. or 3568
ellys he mot shewe ? at ? e colasiou{n} of p{re}posic{i}ou{n}s
nis nat spedful to a necessarie conclusio{n}. ? and yif it
be nat so. but ? at ? e p{re}misses ben yg{ra}nted ? er nis
nat whi he sholde blame ? e argument.

[Sidenote: What I am about to say is not less wonderful, and it
follows necessarily from the same premises. ]

for ? is ? ing ? at 3572
I shal telle ? e nowe ne shal not seme lasse wondirful.

[Linenotes:
3517 _aknowe_--aknowe it
3518 _seyn_--sayn
3523 _good[e]_--goode
3524 _done_--don
3526 _ben_--be
3527 _for_--to
3528 _my? ten_--myhte
_don_--MS. done, C. doon
_harme_--harm
3529 _gret_--MS. grete, C. gret
3533-36 _don_--MS. done, C. doon
3533-34 [_than----coueyten_]--from C.
3537 _moeuyng_--mowynge
_wille_--wil
3539 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
_seyne_--seyn
3540 _done_ (1)--doon
_moeuynge to done_--Mowynge to don
_mot_--MS. mote, C. mot
3544 _gretely_--gretly
3545 _seyne_--seyn
_were_--weeren
_moeuyng_--mowynge
3548 _wenen_--weene
_to lakken----yuel_--omitted
3549 _? ere_--ther
_so_ (2)--the
3550 _longe_--long
3552 _shrewednesse_--shrewednesses
_often_--ofte
3558 _shrewednes_--shrewednesse
_yfinissed_--fynyshed
3559 _weye_--wey
_outerest[e]_--owtteryste
[_yif_]--from C.
3560 _so? e_--soth
3561 _clerely_--cleerly
3563 [_conclusion_]--from C.
_harde_--hard
3564 [_the_]--from C.
3567 _harde_--hard
3568 _fals_--false
3573 _nowe_--now]

[Headnote:
THE WRETCHEDNESS OF THE WICKED IS DIMINISHED BY PUNISHMENT. ]

but of ? e ? inges ? at ben taken al so it is necessarie as
who so sei? it folwe? of ? at whiche ? at is p{ur}posed
byforn.

[Sidenote: _B. _ What is that? ]

what is ? at q{uo}d I.

[Sidenote: _P. _ That the wicked who have been punished for their
crimes, are happier than if justice had allowed them to go
unpunished. ]

? certys q{uo}d she ? at is 3576
? at ? {a}t ? ise wicked shrewes ben more blysful or ellys
lasse wrecches. ? at byen ? e tourmentes ? at ? ei han
deserued. ? an yif no peyne of Iustice ne chastied[e]
hem.

[Sidenote: I do not appeal to popular arguments, that punishment
corrects vice, that the fear of chastisement leads them to take
the right path, and that the sufferings of evil-doers deter others
from vice, but I believe that guilty men, unpunished, become much
more unhappy in another way. ]

ne ? is ne seye I nat now for ? at any man my? t[e] 3580
? enk[e] ? at ? e maneres of shrewes ben coriged {and}
chastised by veniaunce. {and} ? at ? ei ben brou? t to ? e
ry? t wey by ? e drede of ? e tourment. ne for ? at ? ei
? euen to o? er folk ensample to fleyen fro{m} vices. ? But 3584
I vndirstonde ? itte [in] an o? er manere ? at shrewes
ben more vnsely whan ? ei ne ben nat punissed al be it
so ? at ? ere ne ben had no resou{n} or lawe of correcc{i}ou{n}.
ne none ensample of lokynge.

[Sidenote: _B. _ In what way do you mean? ]

? And what manere 3588
shal ? at ben q{uo}d I. ou? er ? an ha? ben told here [[pg 126]]
byforn

[Sidenote: _P. _ Are not good people happy, and evil folk
miserable? ]

? Haue we nat graunted ? an q{uo}d she ? at
good[e] folk ben blysful. {and} shrewes ben wrecches.

[Sidenote: _B. _ Yes. ]

? is q{uo}d I.

[Sidenote: _P. _ If good be added to the wretchedness of a man,
will not he be happier than another whose misery has no element of
good in it? ]

[thanne q{uod} she] ? if ? at any good were 3592
added to ? e wrecchenesse of any wy? t. nis he nat more
blisful ? an he ? at ne ha? no medelyng of goode in hys
solitarie wrecchednesse.

[Sidenote: _B. _ It seems so. ]

so seme? it q{uo}d I.

[Sidenote: _P. _ And if to the same wretched being another misery
be annexed, does not he become more wretched than he whose misery
is alleviated by the participation of some good? ]

and what
seyst ? ou ? an q{uo}d she of ? ilke wrecche ? at lakke? alle 3596
goodes. so ? at no goode nis medeled in hys wrecchednesse.
{and} ? itte ouer alle hys wickednesse for whiche
he is a wrecche ? at ? er be ? itte ano? er yuel anexid {and}
knyt to hym. shal not men demen hym more vnsely 3600
? an ? ilke wrecche of whiche ? e vnselynesse is re[le]ued
by ? e p{ar}ticipac{i}ou{n} of som goode.

[Sidenote: _B. _ He does. ]

whi sholde he nat
q{uo}d I.

[Sidenote: _P. _ When evil men are punished they have a degree of
good annexed to their wretchedness, to wit, the punishment itself,
which as it is the effect of justice is good. ]

? ? an certys q{uo}d she han shrewes whan ? ei
ben punissed somwhat of good anexid to hir wrecchednesse. 3604
? at is to seyne ? e same peyne ? at ? ei suffren
whiche ? at is good by ? e resou{n} of Iustice.

[Sidenote: And when these wretches escape punishment something
more of ill (_i. e. _ exemption from punishment) is added to their
condition. ]

And whan
? ilke same shrewes ascapen wi? outen tourment. ? an
han ? ei somwhat more of yuel ? it ouer ? e wickednesse 3608
? at ? ei han don. ? at is to seye defaute of peyne.
whiche defaute of peyne ? ou hast graunted is yuel.

[Sidenote: _B. _ I cannot deny it. ]

? For ?