No More Learning

? And for? i drie ? i teres for ? itte
nys nat eueriche fortune al hateful to ? e warde. ne ou{er} greet tempest
ha? nat ? it fallen vpon ? e. whan ? at ? in ancres cliue fast[e] ? at nei? er
wole suffre ? e comfort of ? is tyme p{re}sent. ne ? e hope of tyme comynge
to passen ne to falle{n}. ? And I p{re}ie q{uod} I ? at fast[e] mot[en]
? ei holden. ? For whiles ? at ? ei halden. how so eu{er}e ? at ? inges ben.
I shal wel fleten fur? e and eschapen. ? But ? ou mayst wel seen how
greet[e] apparailes {and} aray ? at me lakke? ? at ben passed awey fro me.
? I haue su{m}what auau{n}ced {and} for? ered ? e q{uod} she. if ? at ? ou
anoie nat or for? enke nat of al ? i fortune. As who sei? . ? I haue
somwhat comforted ? e so ? at ? ou tempest nat ? e ? us wi? al ? i fortune.
syn ? ou hast ? it ? i best[e] ? inges. ? But I may nat suffre ? in delices.
? at pleinst so wepyng. {and} anguissous for ? at o? er lakke? somwhat to
? i welefulnesse. ? For what man is so sad or of so p{er}fit
welefulnesse. ? at he ne stryue? or pleyne? on some half a? eine ? e
qualitee of his estat. ? For whi ful anguissous ? ing is ? e condiciou{n}
of mans goodes. ? For ey? er it come? al to gidre to a wy? t. or ellys it
laste? not p{er}petuely. ? For som man ha? grete rycchesse. but he is
asshamed of hys vngentil lynage. {and} som man is renomed of noblesse of
kynrede. but he is enclosed in so grete angre for nede of ? inges. ? at
hym were leuer ? at he were vnknowe. and som ma{n} habunde? bo? e i{n}
rychesse {and} noblesse. but ? it he bywaile? hys chast[e] lijf. for he
ha? no wijf. ? and som man is wel {and} selily maried but he ha? no
children. {and} norisshe? his ricchesse to ? e heires of straunge folk.
? And som man is gladded wi? children. but he wepi? ful sory for ? e
trespas of his son or of his dou? tir. ? and for ? is ? er accorde? no wy? t
ly? tly to ? e condic{i}ou{n} of his fortune. for alwey to euery man ? ere
is i{n} mest somwhat ? at vnassaie? he ne wot not or ellys he dredi? ? at
he ha? assaied. ? {And} adde ? is also ? at euery weleful man ha? a wel
delicat felyng. ? So ? at but yif alle ? inges fallen at hys owen wille
for he inpacient or is nat vsed to han none aduersitee. an-oone he is
? rowe ado? ne for euery lytel ? ing. ? And ful lytel ? inges ben ? o ? at
wi? drawen ? e so{m}me or ? e p{er}fecc{i}ou{n} of blisfulnesse fro hem ? at
ben most fortunat. ? How many men trowest ? ou wolde demen hem self to
ben almost in heuene yif ? ei my? ten atteyne to ? e leest[e] p{ar}tie of
? e remenaunt of ? i fortune. ? ? is same place ? at ? ou clepist exil is
contre to hem ? at enhabiten here. {and} for? i. No? ing wrecched. but whan
? ou wenest it ? As who sei? . ? ou? ? i self ne no wy? t ellys nys no
wrecche but whan he wene? hym self a wrecche by reputac{i}ou{n} of his
corage.


CONTRAQ{UE}.

++And a? einewarde al fortune is blisful to a man by ? e agreablete or by
? e egalite of hym ? at suffre? it. ? What man is ? at. ? at is so weleful
?
at nolde chau{n}ge{n} his estat whan he ha? lorn pacience. ? e swetnesse
of mannes welefulnesse is yspranid wi? many[e] bitternesses. ? e whiche
welefulnesse al ? ou? it seme swete {and} ioyeful to hym ? at vse? it. ? it
may it not be wi? -holden ? at it ne go? away whan it wol. ? ? an is it wel
sen how wrecched is ? e blisfulnesse of mortel ? inges. ? at nei? {er} it
dwelli? p{er}petuel wi? hem ? at euery fortune receyuen agreablely or
egaly. ? Ne it ne delite? not in al. to hem ? at ben anguissous. ? O ye
mortel folkes what seke ? e ? an blisfulnesse oute of ? oure self. whiche
? at is put in ? oure self. Erro{ur} {and} folie co{n}fou{n}de? ? ow ? I
shal shewe ? e shortly. ? e poynt of souereyne blisfulnesse. Is ? er any
? ing to ? e more p{re}ciouse ? an ? i self ? ? ou wilt answere nay. ? ? an if
it so be ? at ? ou art my? ty ouer ? i self ? at is to seyn by tranquillitee
of ? i soule. ? an hast ? ou ? ing i{n} ? i power ? at ? ou noldest neuer
lesen. ne fortune may nat by-nyme it ? e. {and} ? at ? ou mayst knowe ? at
blisfulnesse [ne] may nat standen in ? inges ? at ben fortunous {and}
te{m}perel. ? Now vndirstonde {and} gadir it to gidir ? us yif
blisfulnesse be ? e souereyne goode of nature ? at liue? by resou{n} ? Ne
? ilke ? ing nis nat souereyne goode ? at may be taken awey in any wyse.
for more wor? i ? ing {and} more digne is ? ilke ? ing ? {a}t may nat be
taken awey. ? ? an shewi? it wele ? at ? e vnstablenesse of fortune may nat
attayne to receyue verray blisfulnes. ? And ? it more ouer. ? What man
? at ? is toumblyng welefulnesse leedi? . ei? er he woot ? at [it] is
chaungeable. or ellis he woot it nat. ? And yif he woot it not. what
blisful fortune may ? er be in ? e blyndenesse of ignorau{n}ce. and yif he
woot ? at it is chaungeable. he mot alwey ben adrad ? {a}t he ne lese ? at
? ing. ? at he ne doute? nat but ? at he may leesen it. ? As whoo sei? he
mot ben alwey agast lest he leese ? at he wot wel he may leese. ? For
whiche ? e continuel drede ? at he ha? ne suffri? hym nat to ben weleful.
? Or ellys yif he leese it he wene to be dispised {and} forleten hit.
? Certis eke ? at is a ful lytel goode ? at is born wi? euene hert[e] whan
it is loost. ? ? at is to seyne ? at men don no more force. of ? e lost ? an
of ? e hauynge. ? And for as myche as ? ou ? i self art he to who{m} it ha?
ben shewid {and} p{ro}ued by ful many[e] demonstrac{i}ou{n}s. as I woot
wel ? at ? e soules of men ne mowen nat dien in no wise. and eke syn it is
clere. {and} certeyne ? at fortunous welefulnesse endi? by ? e dee? of ? e
body. ? It may nat ben douted ? at yif ? at dee? may take awey
blysfulnesse ? at al ? e kynde of mortal ? i{n}g{us} ne descendi? in to
wrecchednesse by ? e ende of ? e dee? . ? And syn we knowen wel ? at many a
man ha? sou? t ? e fruit of blisfulnesse nat only wi? suffryng of dee? .
but eke wi? suffryng of peynes {and} to{ur}mentes. how my? t[e] ? an ? is
p{re}sent lijf make men blisful. syn ? at whanne ? ilke self[e] lijf is
endid. it ne make? folk no wrecches.


QUISQUIS UOLET P{ER}HENNEM CAUTUS.

[Sidenote: [The ferthe met{ur}.