No More Learning

? Yif any fruyt of mortal
? inges may han any wey? te or price of welefulnesse. ? My? test ? ou euere
for? eten for any charge of harme ? at my? t[e] byfallen. ? e remembrau{n}ce
of ? ilke day ? at ? ou sey[e] ? i two sones maked conseillers. {and} ylad
to gidre from ? in house vndir so gret assemble of senatours. {and} vndir
? e bly? enesse of poeple. {and} whan ? ou say[e] hem sette in ? e court in
her chaieres of dignites. ? ? ou rethorien or p{ro}nou{n}cere of kynges
p{re}ysinges. deseruedest glorie of wit {and} of eloquence. whan ? ou
sittyng bytwix ? i two sones conseillers in ? e place ? at hy? t Circo.
{and} fulfildest ? e abydyng of multitude of poeple ? at was sprad about
? e wi? large p{ra}ysynge {and} laude as me{n} syngen in victories. ? o
? aue ? ou wordes of fortune as I trowe. ? at is to seyne. ? o feffedest ? ou
fortune wi? glosynge wordes {and} desseiuedest hir. whan she accoied[e]
? e {and} norsshed[e] ? e as hir owen delices. ? ? ou hast had of fortune a
? ifte ? at is to seyn swiche gerdou{n} ? at she neu[er]e ? af to p{re}ue
man ? Wilt ? ou ? erfore leye a rekenyng wi? fortune. she ha? now
twynkeled first vpon ? e wi? a wykked eye. ? Yif ? ou considere ? e
nou{m}bre {and} ? e manere of ? i blysses. {and} of ? i sorwes. ? ou maist
nat forsake ? at ? ou nart ? it blysful. For if ? ou ? erfore wenest ? i self
nat weleful for ? inges ? at ? o semeden ioyful ben passed. ? ? er nis nat
whi ? ou sholdest wene ? i self a wrecche. for ? inges ? at now semen soory
passen also. ? Art ? ou now comen firste a sodeyne gest in to ? e shadowe
or tabernacle of ? is lijf. or trowest ? ou ? {a}t any stedfastnesse be in
mannis ? inges. ? Whan ofte a swifte houre dissolue? ? e same man. ? at is
to seyne whan ? e soule dep{ar}ti? fro ? e body. For al ? ou? ? at yelde is
? er any fei? ? at fortunous ? inges willen dwelle. ? it na? eles ? e last[e]
day of a ma{n}nis lijf is a man{er}e dee? to fortune. {and} also to
? ilke ? at ha? dwelt. {and} ? erfore what wenist ? ou ? ar recche yif ? ou
forlete hir i{n} dey{n}ge or ellys ? {a}t she fortune forlete ? e i{n}
fleenge awey.


CUM PRIMO POLO.

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

++Whan phebus ? e sonne bygynne? to spreden his clerenesse w{i}t{h}
rosene chariettes. ? an ? e sterre ydimmyd pale? hir white cheres. by ? e
flamus of ? e so{n}ne ? at ouer come? ? e sterre ly? t. ? ? is is to seyn
whan ? e sonne is risen ? e day sterre wexi? pale {and} lesi? hir ly? t for
? e grete bry? tnesse of ? e sonne. ? Whan ? e wode wexe? redy of rosene
floures in ? e first somer sesou{n} ? oru? ? e bre? e of ? e wynde Zephirus
? at wexe? warme. ? Yif ? e cloudy wynde auster blowe felliche. ? an go?
awey ? e fayrnesse of ? ornes. Ofte ? e see is clere {and} calme wi? oute
moeuy{n}g floodes. And ofte ? e horrible wynde aq{u}ilon moeue? boylyng
tempestes {and} ouer whelwe? ? e see. ? Yif ? e forme of ? is worlde is so
[? eelde] stable.
{and} yif it to{ur}ni? by so many entrechau{n}gynges.
wilt ? ou ? a{n} truste{n} in ? e trublynge fortunes of me{n}. wilt ? ou
trowen i{n} flittyng goodes. It is certeyne {and} establissed by lawe
p{er}durable ? at no ? i{n}g ? {a}t is engendred nys stedfast no stable.


TUNC EGO UERA INQ{UA}M.

[Sidenote: [The ferthe prose. ]]

++? Anne seide I ? us. O norice of alle uertues ? ou seist ful so? e. ? Ne I
may nat forsake ? e ry? t[e] swifte cours of my p{ro}speritee. ? at is to
seine. ? at p{ro}speritee ne be comen to me wondir swiftly {and} soone.
but ? is is a ? ing ? at gretly smerti? me whan it remembre? me. ? For in
alle aduersitees of fortune ? e most vnsely kynde of contrariouse fortune
is to han ben weleful. ? But ? at ? ou q{uo}d she abaist ? us ? e to{ur}ment
of ? i fals[e] opiniou{n} ? at maist ? ou not ry? tfully blamen ne aretten
to ? inges. as who sei? for ? ou hast ? itte many habundaunces of ? inges.
? _Textus. _ For al be it so ? at ? e ydel name of auenterouse welefulnesse
moeue? ? e now. it is leueful ? at ? ou rekene w{i}t{h} me of how many[e]
? inges ? ou hast ? it plentee. ? And ? erfore yif ? at ? ilke ? ing ? at ? ou
haddest for most p{re}cious in alle ? i rycchesse of fortune be kept to
? e by ? e grace of god vnwemmed {and} vndefouled. Mayst ? ou ? a{n} pleyne
ry? tfully vpon ? e myschief of fortune. syn ? ou hast ? it ? i best[e]
? inges. ? Certys ? it lyue? in goode poynt ? ilke p{re}cious hono{ur} of
mankynde. ? Symacus ? i wyues fadir whiche ? at is a man maked al of
sapience {and} of vertue. ? e whiche man ? ou woldest b[i]en redely wi? ? e
pris of ? in owen lijf. he byweyle? ? e wronges ? at men don to ? ee. {and}
not for hym self. for he liue? in sykernesse of any sentence put a? eins
him. ? And ? it lyue? ? i wif ? at is attempre of witte {and} passyng o? er
women in clennes of chastitee. and for I wol closen shortly her bountes
she is lyke to hir fadir. I telle ? e welle ? at she lyue? loo? of hir
life. {and} kepi? to ? ee oonly hir goost. {and} is al maat {and}
ouer-comen by wepyng {and} sorwe for desire of ? e ? In ? e whiche ? ing
only I mot graunten ? at ? i welefulnesse is amenused. ? What shal I seyn
eke of ? i two sones conseillours of whiche as of children of hir age ? er
shine? ? e lyknesse of ? e witte of hir fadir {and} of hir eldefadir. and
si? en ? e souereyn cure of alle mortel folke is to sauen hir owe{n}
lyues. ? O how weleful art ? ou ? ou? ? ou knowe ? i goodes. ? But ? itte ben
? er ? inges dwelly{n}g to ? e wardes ? at no man doute? ? at ? ei ne ben more
derwor? e to ? e ? en ? ine owen lijf. ? 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?