No More Learning

t of hir eyen {and} wi? drow hir ry? t
as it were in to ? e streite sete of hir ? ou? t. {and} bygan to speke ry? t
? {us}. 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. ? But na? eles
? ei enforced hem to comen oonly to on ende of blisfulnesse [And
blysfulnesse] is swiche a goode ? at who so ha? geten it he ne may ouer
? at no ? ing more desiire. and ? is ? ing for so? e is ? e souereyne good ? at
conteini? in hym self al man{er}e goodes. to ? e whiche goode yif ? ere
failed[e] any ? ing. it my? t[e] nat ben souereyne goode. ? For ? an were
? ere som goode out of ? is ilke souereyne goode ? {a}t my? t[e] ben
desired. Now is it clere {and} certeyne ? a{n} ? at blisfulnesse is a
p{er}fit estat by ? e congregac{i}ou{n} of alle goodes. ? ? e whiche
blisfulnesse as I haue seid alle mortal folke enforcen hem to geten by
dyuerse weyes. ? For-whi ? e couetise of verray goode is naturely
y-plaunted in ? e hertys of men. ? But ? e myswandryng erro{ur} mysledi?
hem in to fals[e] goodes. ? of ? e whiche men some of hem wenen ? at
souereygne goode is to lyue wi? outen nede of any ? ing. {and}
t{ra}ueile{n} hem to ben habundaunt of rycchesse. and some o? er men
deme{n}. ? at sou{er}ein goode be forto be ry? t digne of reu{er}ences.
{and} enforce{n} hem to ben reu{er}enced among hir ney? bo{ur}s. by ? e
hono{ur}s ? at ? ei han ygeten ? {and} some folk ? er ben ? at halden ? at
ry? t hey? e power to be souereyn goode. {and} enforcen he{m} forto regnen
or ellys to ioigne{n} he{m} to hem ? at regnen. ? And it seme? to some
o? er folk ? at noblesse of renou{n} be ? e sou{er}ein goode. {and} hasten
hem to geten glorious name by ? e artes of werre or of pees. and many
folke mesuren {and} gessen ? {a}t sou{er}ein goode be ioye {and}
gladnesse {and} wenen ? at it be ry? t blisful [thyng{e}] to ploungen hem
i{n} uoluptuous delit. ? And ? er ben folk ? at enterchaungen ? e causes
{and} ? e endes of ? ise forseide goodes as ? ei ? at desire{n} rycchesse to
han power {and} delices. Or ellis ? ei desiren power forto han moneye or
for cause of renou{n}. ? In ? ise ? inges {and} i{n} swyche o? er ? inges is
to{ur}ned al ? e entenc{i}ou{n} of desirynges {and} [of] werkes of me{n}.
? As ? us. ? Noblesse {and} fauo{ur} of poeple whiche ? at ? iue? as it
seme? a manere clernesse of renou{n}. ? and wijf {and} children ? at men
desiren for cause of delit {and} mirinesse. ? But forso? e frendes ne
shollen nat ben rekkened among ? e goodes of fortune but of vertue. for
it is a ful holy man{er}e ? ing. alle ? ise o? er ? inges forso? e ben taken
for cause of power. or ellis for cause of delit. ? Certis now am I redy
to referen ? e goodes of ? e body to ? ise forseide ? inges abouen. ? For it
seme? ? {a}t streng? e {and} gretnesse of body ? euen power {and}
wor? inesse. ? and ? at beaute {and} swiftenesse ? euen noblesse {and}
glorie of renou{n}. {and} hele of body seme? ? iuen delit. ? In alle ? ise
? i{n}g{us} it seme? oonly ? at blisfulnesse is desired. ? For-whi ? ilke
? ing ? at euery man desire? moost ouer alle ? inges. he demi? ? at be ? e
souereyne goode. ? But I haue diffined ? at blisfulnesse is ? e souereyne
goode. for whiche euery wy? t demi? ? at ? ilke estat ? at he desire? ouer
alle ? inges ? at it be ? e blisfulnesse. ? Now hast ? ou ? an byforne [thy
eyen] almost al ? e p{ur}posed forme of ? e welfulnesse of ma{n}ky{n}de.
? at is to seyne rycchesse. hono{ur}s. power. glorie. {and} delit? . ?
e
whiche delit oonly considered Epicurus Iuged {and} establissed. ? at
delit is ? e souereyne goode. for as myche as alle o? er ? inges as hym
? ou? t[e] by-refte awey ioie {and} myr? e fro{m} ? e herte. ? But I
reto{ur}ne a? eyne to ? e studies of meen. of whiche men ? e corage alwey
rehersi? {and} seeke? ? e souereyne goode of alle be it so ? {a}t it be
wi? a derke memorie [but he not by whiche paath]. ? Ry? t as a dronke
ma{n} not nat by whiche pa? e he may reto{ur}ne home to hys house.
? Seme? it ? anne ? at folk folyen {and} erren ? at enforcen he{m} to haue
nede of no ? ing ? Certys ? er nys non o? er ? ing ? at may so weel
p{er}fo{ur}ny blisfulnesse as an estat plenteuo{us} of alle goodes ? at
ne ha? nede of none o? er ? ing. but ? at it is suffisant of hy{m} self.
vnto hym self. and foleyen swyche folk ? anne. ? at wenen ? at ? ilk ? ing
? {a}t is ry? t goode. ? at it be eke ry? t wor? i of honour {and} of
reuerence. ? Certis nay. for ? at ? ing nys ney? er foule ne wor? i to ben
dispised ? at al ? e entenc{i}ou{n} of mortel folke trauaille forto geten
it. ? And power au? t[e] nat ? at eke to be rekened amonges goodes what
ellis. for it nys nat to wene ? at ? ilke ? ing ? at is most wor? i of alle
? inges be feble {and} wi? out streng? e {and} clernesse of renou{n} au? te
? at to ben dispised. ? Certys ? er may no man forsake ? at al ? ing ? at is
ry? t excellent {and} noble. ? at it ne seme? to be ry? t clere {and}
renomed. ? For certis it nedi? nat to seie. ? at blisfulnesse be
anguissous ne dreri ne subgit to greua{n}ces ne to sorwes. syn ? at in
ry? t litel ? i{n}g{us} folk seken to haue {and} to vsen ? at may deliten
hem. ? Certys ? ise ben ? e ? i{n}ges ? at men wolen {and} desyren to geten.
and for ? is cause desiren ? ei rycches. dignites. regnes. glorie {and}
delices ? For ? erby wenen ? ei to han suffisau{n}ce hono{ur} power.
renou{n} {and} gladnesse. ? ? anne is it goode. ? {a}t men seken ? us by so
many dyu{er}se studies. In whiche desijr it may ly? tly be shew{e}d. how
grete is ? e streng? e of nature. ? For how so ? at men han dyuerse
sentences {and} discordyng algates men accordyn alle in lyuynge ? e ende
of goode.


Q{UA}NTAS RER{UM} FLECTAT.

[Sidenote: [The 2^de Met{ur}. ]]

++IT like? me to shew[e] by subtil songe wi? slakke {and} delitable
sou{n} of strenges how ? at nature my? ty encline? {and} flitte?
gouernement? of ? inges ? {and} by whiche lawes she p{ur}ueiable kepi? ? e
grete worlde. {and} how she bindynge restreine? alle ? ing{us} by a bonde
? at may nat be vnbounden.

[Sidenote: [j]]

? Al be it so ? at ? e liou{n}s of ? e contree of pene beren ? e fair[e]
cheines. {and} taken metes of ? e handes of folk ? at ? euen it hem. {and}
dreden her sturdy maystres of whiche ? ei ben wont to suffren [betinges].
yif ? at hir horrible mou? es ben bi-bled. ? at is to sein of bestes
devoured. ? Hir corage of tyme passe? ? at ha? ben ydel {and} rested.
repaire? a? ein ? at ? ei roren greuously. {and} reme{m}bren on hir nature.
{and} slaken hir nekkes from hir cheins vnbounden. and hir maistre first
to-teren wi? blody to? e assaie? ? e woode wra? ? es of hem. ? ? is is to
sein ? ei freten hir maister.

[Sidenote: [ij]]

? And ? e Iangland brid ? at syngi? on ? e heye braunches. ? is is to sein
in ? e wode {and} after is inclosed in a streit cage.