No More Learning

an how gret vylenye
dignitees don to wikked men. ? Certys vnwor? ines of wikked men shold{e}
ben ? e lasse ysen yif ? ei nere renomed of none hono{ur}s. ? Certys ? ou
? i self ne my? test nat ben brou? t wi? as many p{er}ils as ? ou my? test
suffren ? at ? {o}u woldest bere ? i magistrat wi? decorat. ? at is to seyn.
? at for no p{er}il ? at my? t[e] bifalle{n} ? e by ? e offence of ? e kyng
theodorik ? ou noldest nat ben felawe in gouernaunce w{i}t{h} decorat.
whanne ? ou say[e] ? at he had[de] wikkid corage of a likerous shrewe
{and} of an acusor. ? Ne I ne may nat for swiche honours Iuge{n} hem
wor? i of reuerence ? at I deme {and} holde vnwor? i to han ? ilke same
hono{ur}s. ? Now yif ? ou saie a man ? at were fulfilled of wisdom. certys
? oune my? test nat demen ? {a}t he were vnwor? i to ? e hono{ur}. or ellys
to ? e wisdom of whiche he is fulfilled. No q{uod} . I. ? Certys dignitees
q{uod} she app{er}tienen p{ro}perly to vertue. {and} uertue transporte?
dignite anon to ? ilke man to whiche she hir self is conioigned. ? And
for as moche as hono{ur}s of poeple ne may nat maken folk digne of
hono{ur}. it is wel seyn clerly ? at ? ei ne han no p{ro}pre beaute of
dignite. ? And ? it men au? ten take more hede in ? is. ? For if it so be
? at he is most out cast ? at most folk dispisen. or as dignite ne may nat
maken shrewes wor? i of no reuerences. ? an make? dignites shrewes more
dispised ? an p{re}ised. ? e whiche shrewes dignit[e] schewe? to moche
folk ? {and} for so? e nat vnpunissed. ? at is forto sein. ? at shrewes
reuengen hem a? einward vpon dignites. for ? ei ? elden a? ein to dignites
as gret gerdou{n} whan ? ei byspotten {and} defoulen dignites wi? hire
vylenie. ? And for as moche as ? ou mow[e] knowe ? at ? ilke verray
reuerence ne may nat comen by ? e shadewy t{ra}nsitorie dignitees.
vndirstonde now ? is. yif ? at a man hadde vsed {and} hadde many manere
dignites of consules {and} were come{n} p{er}auenture amonges straunge
nac{i}ou{n}s. sholde ? ilke hono{ur} maken hym worshipful {and} redouted
of straunge folk ? Certys yif ? at honour of poeple were a naturel ? ifte
to dignites. it ne my? te neuer cesen nowher amonges no maner folke to
done hys office. ? Ry? t as fire i{n} euery contre ne stinte? nat to
enchaufen {and} to ben hote. but for as myche as forto be holden
honorable or reuerent ne come? nat to folk of hir p{ro}pre streng? e of
nat{ur}e. but only of ? e fals[e] opiniou{n} of folk. ? at is to sein. ? at
wenen ? at dignites maken folk digne of hono{ur}. An on ? erfore whan ? at
? ei comen ? er as folk ne knowe{n} nat ? ilke dignites. her hono{ur}s
vanissen awey {and} ? at on oon. but ? at is a-mong straung folk. maist
? ou sein. but amo{n}g{us} hem ? at ? ei weren born duren ? ilk[e] dignites
alwey. ? Certys ? e dignite of ? e p{ro}uostrie of Rome was somtyme a
grete power. now is it no ? ing but an ydel name. {and} ? e rente of ? e
senatorie a g{r}et charge. {and} yif a whi? t somtyme hadde ? e office to
taken he[de] to ? e vitailes of ? e poeple as of corne {and} what o? er
? inges he was holden amonges grete. but what ? ing is more nowe out cast
? anne ? ilke p{ro}uostrie ? And as I haue seid a litel here byforne. ? at
? ilke ? ing ? at ha? no p{ro}pre beaute of hym self resceyue? somtyme pris
{and} shinynge {and} somtyme lesi? it by ? e opiniou{n} of vsaunces.
? Now yif ? at dignites ? anne ne mowen nat maken folk digne of reuerence.
{and} yif ? {a}t dignites wexen foule of hir wille by ? e fil? e of
shrewes. ? and yif ? at dignites lesen hir shynynge by chaungyng of
tymes. and yif ? ei wexen foule by estimac{i}ou{n} of poeple. what is it
? at ? ei han in hem self of beaute ? at au? te ben desired. as who sei?
none. ? anne ne mowen ? ei ? iuen no beaute of dignite to none o? er.


QUA{M}UIS SE TIRIO.

[Sidenote: [The 4^the Met{ur}. ]]

++Al be it so ? at ? e proude nero wi?
al his woode luxurie kembed hym
{and} apparailed hym wi? faire purp{er}s of Tirie {and} wi? white
perles. Algates ? itte throf he hateful to alle folk ? ? is is to seyn ? at
al was he by-hated of alle folk. ? ? itte ? is wicked Nero hadde gret
lordship {and} ? af somtyme to ? e dredeful senatours ? e vnworshipful
setes of dignites. ? vnworshipful setes he clepi? here fore ? at Nero ? at
was so wikked ? af ? o dignites. who wolde ? anne resonably wenen ? at
blysfulnesse were in swiche hono{ur}s as ben ? euen by vicious shrewes.


AN UERO REGNA.

[Sidenote: [The 5^the p{ro}se. ]]

++Bvt regnes {and} familarites of kynges may ? ei maken a ma{n} to ben
my? ty. how ellys. ? whanne hir blysfulnesse dure? p{er}petuely but
certys ? e olde age of tyme passe? . {and} eke of p{re}sent tyme now is
ful of ensau{m}ples how ? {a}t kynges ? at han chaunged in to wrechednesse
out of hir welefulnesse. ? O a noble ? ing {and} a cler ? ing is power ? at
is nat founden my? ty to kepe it self. ? And yif ? at power of realmes be
auctour {and} maker of blisfulnesse. yif ? ilke power lakke? on any side.
amenusi? it nat ? ilke blisfulnesse {and} brynge? in wrechednesse. but
yif al be it so ? at realmes of mankynde stretchen b{r}oode. ? it mot ? er
nede ben myche folk ouer whiche ? at euery kyng ne ha? no lordshipe no
comaundement ? and certys vpon ? ilke syde ? at power faille? whiche ? at
maki? folk blisful. ry? t on ? at same side nou{n}power entri? vndirne?
? at make? hem wreches. ? In ? is manere ? anne moten kynges han more
porciou{n} of wrechednesse ? an of welefulnesse. ? A tyraunt ? at was kyng
of sisile ? at had[de] assaied ? e p{er}il of his estat shewid[e] by
similitude ? e dredes of realmes by gastnesse of a swerde ? at heng ouer
? e heued of his familier. what ? ing is ? an ? is power ? at may nat don
awey ? e bytynges of besines ne eschewe ? e prikkes of drede. and certys
? it wolden ? ei lyuen in sykernesse. but ? ei may nat. and ? it ? ei
glorifien hem in her power ? Holdest ? ou ? an ? at ? ilk[e] man be my? ty
? at ? {o}u seest ? at he wolde don ? at he may nat don. ? And holdest ? ou
? an hym a my? ty man ? at ha? environed hise sydes wi? men of armes or
seruauntes {and} drede? more [hem] ? at he make? agast. ? en ? ei dreden
hym. {and} ? at is put in ? e handes of hise seruaunt? . for he sholde seme
my? ty but of familiers [or] seruaunt? of ky{n}ges. ? what sholde I telle
? e any ? ing. syn ? at I my self haue shewed ? e ? at realmes hem self ben
ful of gret feblenesse. ? e whiche familiers certis ? e real power of
kynges in hool estat {and} in estat abated ful [ofte] ? rowe? adou{n}.
? Nero co{n}streined[e] his familier {and} his maistre seneca to chesen
on what dee? he wolde deien. ? Antonius comau{n}did[e] ? at kny? tis
slowen wi? her swerdis Papinian his familier whiche Papinian had[de] ben
long tyme ful my? ty a-monges hem of ? e courte. and ? it certis ? ei wolde
bo? e han renou{n}ced her power. of whiche [two] senek enforced[e] hym to
? iue{n} to Nero his rychesses. {and} also to han gon in to solitarie
exil. ? But whan ? e grete wey? t. ? at is to sein of lordes power or of
fortune drawe? hem ? at sholden falle. ney? er of hem ne my? t[e] do ? at he
wolde. what ? ing is ? anne ? ilke power ? at ? ou? men han it ? at ? ei ben
agast. ? {and} whan ? ou woldest han it ? ou nart nat siker. ? And yif ? ou
woldest forleten it ? ou mayst nat eschewen it. ? But whe? ir swiche men
ben frendes at nede as ben conseiled by fortune {and} nat by vertue.
Certys swiche folk as weleful fortune make? frendes. contrarious fortune
make? hem enmyse.