No More Learning

ere no glorie in no
wyse. For what sholde ? ilke glorie ben. for he of 1604
who{m} ? is glorie is seid to be nis ry? t nou? t in no wise.

[Sidenote: But if the soul is immortal when it leaves the body, it
takes no thought of the joys of this world. ]

and ? if ? e soule whiche ? at ha? in it self science of
goode werkes vnbounden fro ? e p{r}isou{n} of ? e er? e [[pg 60]]
wende? frely to ? e heuene. dispise? it nou? t ? an alle 1608
er? ely occupac{i}ou{n}s. {and} beynge i{n} heuene reioise? ? at
it is exempt from alle er? ely ? inges [as wo seith /
thanne rekketh the sowle of no glorye of renou{n} of this
world]. 1612

[Linenotes:
1580 _whiche_--swych
1581 _scorned[e]_--scornede
1582 _swiche_--swych
_somtyme_--whilom
1583 _had[de]_--hadde
1584 _whiche_--which
_proude_--prowd
1586 _speke_--spak
1587 _? ou? t[e]_--thowhte
_assay[e]_--assaye
1588 _seyne_--seyn
1590 _feined[e]_--feynede
1592 _a? eine_--ayein
1593 _last[e]_--laste
_vndirstondest ? ou_--vndyrstondow
1594 _answered[e]_--answerde
1595 _had[de]_--hadde
1596 [_yt_]--from C.
1601 _last[e]_--laste
1602 _seyne_--seyn
1604 _for_ (2)--whan
1605 _? is_--thilke
_seid_--MS. seide, C. seyd
_nou? t_--nawht
1606 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
1608 _nou? t ? an_--nat thanne
1610 _from_--fro
1610-1612 [_as----world_]--from C. ]


[Headnote:
DEATH PUTS AN END TO RENOWN. ]

QUICUMQ{UE} SOLAM MENTE.

[Sidenote: [The 7th Metre. ]]

[Sidenote: Let him who seeks fame, thinking it to be the sovereign
good, look upon the broad universe and this circumscribed earth;
and he will then despise a glorious name limited to such a
confined space. ]

++Who so ? at wi? ouer? rowyng ? ou? t only seke? glorie
of fame. {and} weni? ? at it be souereyne good
? Lete hym loke vpon ? e brode shewyng contreys of
? e heue{n}. {and} vpo{n} ? e streite sete of ? is er? e. {and} 1616
he shal be ashamed of ? e encres of his name. ? at may
nat fulfille ? e litel compas of ? e er? e. ? O what
coueiten proude folke to liften vpon hire nekkes in
ydel {and} dedely ? ok of ? is worlde.

[Sidenote: Will splendid titles and renown prolong a man's life? ]

? For al ? ou? 1620
[? {a}t] renoune y-spradde passynge to ferne poeples go?
by dyuerse tonges. and al ? ou? grete houses {and} kynredes
shyne wi? clere titles of hono{ur}s.

[Sidenote: In the grave there is no distinction between high and
low. ]

? it na? eles
dee? dispise? al heye glorie of fame. {and} dee? wrappe? 1624
to gidre ? e heye heuedes {and} ? e lowe {and} make? egal
{and} euene ? e heyest[e] to ? e lowest[e].

[Sidenote: Where is the good Fabricius now? ]

? where
wone{n} now ? e bones of trewe fabricius.

[Sidenote: Where the noble Brutus, or stern Cato? ]

what is
now brutus or stiern Caton ? e ? inne fame ? it lastynge 1628
of hir ydel names is markid wi? a fewe lettres.

[Sidenote: Their empty names still live, but of their persons we
know nothing. ]

but al ? ou? we han knowe{n} ? e faire wordes of ? e fames of
hem. it is nat ? euen to knowe he{m} ? at ben dede {and}
consumpt.

[Sidenote: Fame cannot make you known. ]

Liggi? ? anne stille al vtterly vnknowable 1632
ne fame ne make? ? ow nat knowe. and yif ? e wene
to lyuen ? e leng{er} for wynde of ? oure mortal name.
whan o cruel day shal rauyshe ? ow. ? an is ? e secunde
dee? dwellyng in ? ow.

[Sidenote: It will be effaced by conquering Time, so that death
will be doubly victorious. ]

_Glosa. _ ? e first dee? he clepi? 1636
here ? e dep{ar}tynge of ? e body {and} ? e soule. ? and [[pg 61]]
? e secunde dee? he clepe? as here. ? e styntynge of
? e renoune of fame. [3]

[Linenotes:
1615 _Lete_--Lat
_loke_--looken
1616 _sete_--Cyte
1617 _be_--ben
1619 _vpon_--vp
1620 _and dedely_--in the dedly
1621 _y-spradde_--ysprad
[_? at_]--from C.
_ferne_--MS. serue, C. ferne
_go? _--MS. go? e, C. goth
1622 {and} (2)--or
1623 _shyne_--shynen
_clere_--cler
1624 _al_--alle
1626 _heyest[e]_--heyoste
_lowest[e]_--loweste
1628 _stiern_--MS. sciern, C. stierne
1632 _consumpt_--{con}sumpte
1634 _lenger_--longer{e}
1637 _? e_ (1)--omitted
1639 _renoune_--renou{n}]

[Footnote 3: The next three chapters are from the Camb. MS. ]


[Headnote:
ADVERSE FORTUNE IS BENEFICIAL. ]

[SET NE ME INEXORABILE CONTRA.

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

[Sidenote: 'But do not believe,' said Philosophy, 'that I am an
implacable enemy to Fortune. ]

++BVt for-as-mochel as thow shalt nat wenen q{uod} she 1640
? {a}t I bere vntretable batayle ayenis fortune //

[Sidenote: This inconstant dame sometimes deserves well of men,
when she appears in her true colours. ]

yit som-tyme it by-falleth ? {a}t she desseyuable desserueth
to han ryht good thank of men // {And} ? {a}t is whan she
hir{e} self opneth / {and} whan she descou{er}eth hir frownt / 1644
{and} sheweth hir maneres p{ar}-auentur{e} yit vndirstondesthow
nat ? {a}t . I. shal seye //

[Sidenote: And what I say may perhaps appear paradoxical. ]

it is a wondyr ? {a}t . I.
desyr{e} to telle /

[Sidenote: That is, that adverse fortune is more beneficial than
prosperous fortune. ]

{and} forthi vnnethe may I. vnpleyten my
sentense w{i}t{h} wordes for I. deme ? {a}t contraryos fortune 1648
p{ro}fiteth mor{e} to men than fortune debonayr{e} //

[Sidenote: The latter lies and deceives us, the former displays
her natural inconstancy. ]

For al-wey whan fortune semeth debonayr{e} than she lyeth
falsly in by-hetynge the hope of welefulnesse // but forsothe
{con}traryos fortune is alwey sothfast / whan she 1652
sheweth hir self vnstable thorw hyr chau{n}gynge //

[Sidenote: That deceives us, this instructs us; that, by a
fallacious show of good, enslaves the mind; this, by the knowledge
of her fickleness, frees and absolves it. ]

the amyable fortune desseyueth folk / the contrarye fortune
techeth // the amyable fortune byndeth w{i}t{h} the beaute
of false goodys the hertes of folk ? {a}t vsen he{m} / the 1656
contrarye fortune vnbyndeth he{m} by ? ^e knowynge of
freele welefulnesse //

[Sidenote: The one is wavering and incapable of reflection, the
other is staid and wise through experience of adversity. ]

the amyable fortune maysthow sen
alwey wyndynge {and} flowynge / {and} eu{er}e mysknowynge 1659
of hir self // the contrarye fortune is a-tempre {and} restreynyd
{and} wys thorw excersyse of hir aduersyte //

[Sidenote: Lastly, prosperous fortune leads men astray. Adversity
teaches them wherein real happiness consists. ]

at the laste amyable fortune w{i}t{h} hir flaterynges draweth
mys wandrynge men fro the souereyne good // the contraryos
fortune ledith ofte folk ayein to sothfast goodes / 1664
{and} haleth hem ayein as w{i}t{h} an hooke /

[Sidenote: It renders us no inconsiderable service in enabling us
to recognize our true friends. ]

weenesthow
thanne ? {a}t thow owhtest to leten this a lytel thing / ? {a}t
this aspre {and} horible fortune hath discoueryd to the / the
thowhtes of thy trewe frendes // For-why this ilke fortune 1668
hath departyd {and} vncou{er}yd to the bothe the [[pg 62]]
certeyn vysages {and} ek the dowtos visages of thy
felawes // wha{n} she dep{ar}tyd awey fro the / she took
awey hyr frendes {and} lafte the thyne frendes // 1672

[Sidenote: At what price would you not have bought this knowledge
in your prosperity? ]

now whan thow wer{e} ryche {and} weleful as the semede / w{i}t{h}
how mochel woldesthow han bowht the fulle knowynge
of this // ? {a}t is to seyn the knowynge of thy
verray freendes //

[Sidenote: Complain not, then, of loss of wealth, since thou hast
found infinitely greater riches in your true friends. ]

now pleyne the nat thanne of Rychesse 1676
. I.
-lorn syn thow hast fowndyn the moste p{re}syos kynde
of Rychesses ? {a}t is to seyn thy verray frendes.


[Headnote:
ALL THINGS BOUND BY THE CHAIN OF LOVE. ]

QUOD MU{N}DUS STABILI FIDE.

[Sidenote: [The viij Met{ur}. ]]

[Sidenote: This world, by an invariable order, suffers change. ]

++THat ? ^e world w{i}t{h} stable feith / varieth acordable
chaungynges //

[Sidenote: Elements, that by nature disagree, are restrained by
concord. ]

? {a}t the contraryos qualite of element? 1680
holden among{e} hem self aliau{n}ce p{er}durable / ? {a}t pheb{us}
the sonne w{i}t{h} his goldene chariet / bryngeth forth the
rosene day / ? {a}t the mone hath {com}mau{n}dement ou{er} the
nyhtes // whiche nyhtes hesp{er}us the eue sterre hat browt // 1684

[Sidenote: The sea is thus kept within its proper bounds. ]

? {a}t ? ^e se gredy to flowen constreyneth w{i}t{h} a certeyn ende
hise floodes / so ? {a}t it is nat l[e]ueful to strechche hise
brode termes or bowndes vp-on the erthes // ? {a}t is to seyn
to cou{er}e alle the erthe //

[Sidenote: This concord is produced by love, which governeth earth
and sea, and extends its influence to the heavens. ]

Al this a-cordau{n}ce of thinges 1688
is bownden w{i}t{h} looue / ? {a}t gou{er}neth erthe {and} see / {and}
hath also {com}mau{n}dement? to the heuenes /

[Sidenote: If this chain of love were broken all things would be
in perpetual strife, and the world would go to ruin. ]

{and} yif
this looue slakede the brydelis / alle thinges ? {a}t now
louen hem to gederes / wolden maken a batayle contynuely 1692
{and} stryuen to fordoon the fasou{n} of this worlde /
the which they now leden in acordable feith by fayre
moeuynges //

[Sidenote: Love binds nations together, it ties the nuptial knot,
and dictates binding laws to friendship. ]

this looue halt to gideres poeples Ioygned
w{i}t{h} an hooly bond / {and} knytteth sacrement of maryages 1696
of chaste looues // And loue enditeth lawes to
trewe felawes //

[Sidenote: Men were truly blest if governed by this celestial
love! ']

O weleful weer{e} mankynde / yif thilke
loue ? {a}t gouerneth heuene gouerned[e] yowr{e} corages /

EXPLICIT LIB{ER} 2_^us_.

[Linenote:
1690 _hath_--H. he hath]




[[pg 63]]
[Headnote:
BOETHIUS IS COMFORTED BY PHILOSOPHY'S SONG. ]

INCIPIT LIB{ER} 3^_us_.


IAM CANTU{M} ILLA FINIERAT.

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

[Sidenote: Philosophy now ended her song. ]

++By this she hadde endid hir{e} song{e} / whan the swetnesse 1700
of hir{e} ditee hadde thorw p{er}ced me ? {a}t was desirous
of herkninge /

[Sidenote: I was so charmed that I kept a listening as if she were
still speaking. ]

{and} . I. astoned hadde yit streyhte myn
Eres / ? {a}t is to seyn to herkne the bet / what she wolde
seye //

[Sidenote: At last I said, O sovereign comforter of dejected
minds, how much hast thou refreshed me with the energy of thy
discourse, so that I now think myself almost an equal match for
Fortune and able to resist her blows. ]

so ? {a}t a litel her{e} aft{er} . I. seyde thus // O thow 1704
? {a}t art sou{er}eyn comfort of Angwissos corages // So thow
hast remou{n}ted {and} norysshed me w{i}t{h} the weyhte of thy
sentenses {and} w{i}t{h} delit of thy syngynge // so ? {a}t . I. trowe
nat now ? {a}t . I. be vnparygal to the strokes of fortune / as 1708
who seyth. I. dar wel now suffren al the assautes of fortune
{and} wel deffende me fro hyr //

[Sidenote: I fear not, therefore, thy remedies, but earnestly
desire to hear what they are. ]

{and} tho remedies
whyche ? {a}t thow seydest hir{e} byforn weren ryht sharpe
Nat oonly p{a}t . I. am nat agrysen of hem now // but . I. desiros 1712
of herynge axe gretely to heeren tho remedyes //

[Sidenote: _P. _ When I perceived that, silent and attentive, you
received my words, I expected to find such a state of mind in you,
or rather, I created in you such an one. ]

than seyde she thus // ? {a}t feelede . I. ful wel q{uod} she //
whan ? {a}t thow ententyf {and} stylle rauysshedest my
wordes // {and} . I. abood til ? {a}t thow haddest swych habyte 1716
of thy thowght as thow hast now // or elles tyl ? {a}t . I.
my self had[de] maked to the the same habyt / which
? {a}t is a moore verray thing{e} //

[Sidenote: What remains to be said is of such a nature that when
it is first tasted it is pungent and unpleasant, but when once
swallowed it turns sweet, and is grateful to the stomach. ]

And certes the remenau{n}t
of thinges ? {a}t ben yit to seye / ben swyche // ? {a}t fyrst 1720
whan men tasten hem they ben bytynge / but whan
they ben resseyuyd w{i}t{h}-inne a whyht than ben they
swete //

[Sidenote: But because you say you would now gladly hear, with
what desire would you burn if you could imagine whither I am going
to lead you? ]

but for thow seyst ? {a}t thow art so desirous to
herkne hem // wit[h] how gret brennynge woldesthow 1724
glowen / yif thow wystest whyder . I. wol leden the //

[Sidenote: _B. _ Whither is that, I pray? ]

whydyr{e} is ? {a}t q{uod} . I. //

[Sidenote: _P. _ To that true felicity, of which you seem to have
but a faint foretaste. ]

to thilke verray welefulnesse
q{uod} she // of whyche thynge herte dremeth //

[Sidenote: But your sight is clouded with false forms, so that it
cannot yet behold this same felicity. ]

but for as moche as thy syhte is ocupied {and} distorbed / by 1728
Imagynasyon of herthely thynges / thow mayst nat yit
sen thilke selue welefulnesse //

[Sidenote: _B. _ Show me, I pray, that true happiness without
delay. ]

do q{uod} . I. {and} shewe
me / what is thilke verray welefulnesse / . I. preye the [[pg 64]]
w{i}t{h}-howte tarynge //

[Sidenote: _P. _ I will gladly do so at your desire, but I will
first describe that false cause (of happiness), so that you may be
better able to comprehend the exact model. ]

? {a}t wole . I. gladly don q{uod} she / 1732
for the cause of the // but . I. wol fyrst marken the by
wordes / {and} I wol enforcen me to enformen the //
thilke false cause of blysfulnesse ? {a}t thow more knowest /
so ? {a}t whan thow hast fully by-holden thilke false 1736
goodes {and} torned thyne eyen to ? {a}t oother syde / thow
mowe knowe the clernesse of verray blysfulnesse //]

[Linenotes:
1702 _streyhte_--H. strenghed
1712 _am nat_--H. nam nought
1718 _had[de]_--H. hade
1734 _wol_--H. shall{e}
1739 _wil_--wole
_felde_--feeld]


[Headnote:
AWAY WITH FALSE FELICITY! ]

[Sidenote: * Here the Add. MS. begins again. ]

*QUI SERERE I{N}GENIUM.

[Sidenote: [The fyrst met{ur}. ]]

[Sidenote: He who would sow seed must first clear the ground of
useless weeds, so that he may reap an abundant harvest. ]

? Who so wil sowe a felde plentiuous. lat hym first
delyuer it of ? ornes {and} kerue asondre wi? his hooke 1740
? e bushes {and} ? e ferne so ? at ? e corne may come{n} heuy
of eres {and} of greins.

[Sidenote: Honey tastes all the sweeter to a palate disgusted by
offensive flavours. ]

hony is ? e more swete yif mou? es
han firste tastid sauoures ? {a}t ben wikke.

[Sidenote: The stars shine all the clearer when the southern
showery blasts cease to blow. ]

? ? e sterres
shynen more agreably whan ? e wynde Nothus leti? his 1744
ploungy blastes.

[Sidenote: When Lucifer has chased away the dark night, then
Phoebus mounts his gay chariot. ]

{and} aftir ? at lucifer ? e day sterre ha?
chased awey ? e derke ny? t. ? e day ? e feir{e}r ledi? ? e
rosene horse of ? e sonne.

[Sidenote: So you, beholding the false felicity, and withdrawing
your neck from the yoke of earthly affections, will soon see the
sovereign good. ]

? Ry? t so ? ou byholdyng
first ? e fals[e] goodes. bygynne to wi? drawe ? i nek[ke] 1748
fro ? e ? ok of er? ely affecc{i}ou{n}s. {and} afterwarde ? e
verrey goodes sholle{n} entre i{n} to ? i corage.

[Linenotes:
1740 _delyuer_--delyuere
_of_--fro
_hooke_--hook
1741 _bushes_--bosses
_ferne_--fern
_corne_--korn
1743 _firste_--fyrst
_wikke_--wyckyd
1744 _wynde_--wynd
_his_--hise
1745 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
1746 _feirer_--fayrere
1747 _horse_--hors
_Ry? t_--And Ryht
1748 _fals[e]_--false
_bygynne_--bygyn
_wi? drawe_--w{i}t{h} drawen
_nek[ke]_--nekke
1749 _afterwarde_--afft{er}ward
1750 _entre_--entren]


[Headnote:
THE DESIRE OF THE TRUE GOOD. ]

TUNC DEFIXO PAULULU{M}.

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

[Sidenote: Philosophy, with a serious air, and appearing to
recollect herself, and to rouse up all her faculties, thus began. ]

++? O fastned[e] she a lytel ? e sy? t of hir eyen {and} wi? drow
hir ry? t as it were in to ? e streite sete of hir 1752
? ou? t. {and} bygan to speke ry? t ? {us}.

[Sidenote: All the cares and desires of men seek one
end--happiness. ]

Alle ? e cures
q{uo}d she of mortal folk whiche ? at trauaylen hem i{n}
many manere studies gon certys by diu{er}se weies.

[Sidenote: [* fol. 15 _b_. ]]

? But na? eles ? ei enforced hem *to comen oonly to on 1756
ende of blisfulnesse [[pg 65]]

[Sidenote: True happiness is that complete good which, once
obtained, leaves nothing more to be desired. ]

[And blysfulnesse] is swiche a goode
? at who so ha? geten it he ne may ouer ? at no ? ing more
desiire.

[Sidenote: It is the sovereign good, and comprehends all others.
It lacks nothing, otherwise it could not be the supreme good. ]

and ? is ? ing for so? e is ?