No More Learning

e wicked
folk ben feble. ? who so ? at euer q{uo}d I doute? of ? is. he ne may nat
considre ? e nature of ? i{n}ges. ne ? e consequence of resou{n}. and ouer
? is q{uo}d she. ? yif ? at ? er ben two ? inges ? at han o same p{ur}pos by
kynde. {and} ? at one of he{m} p{ur}sue? {and} p{er}forme? ? ilke same
? inge by naturel office. {and} ? at o? er ne may nat done ? ilk naturel
office. but folwe? by o? er manere ? an is couenable to nat{ur}e ? Hym ? at
acomplisi? hys p{ur}pos kyndely. {and} ? it he ne acomplisi? nat hys owen
purpos. whe? er of ? ise two demest ? ou for more my? ty. ? yif ? at I
coniecte q{uo}d . I. ? at ? ou wilt seye algates. ? it I desire to herkene
it more pleynely of ? e. ? ou nilt nat ? an denye q{uo}d she ? at ? e
moeueme{n}t? of goynge nis in men by kynde. no for so? e q{uo}d I. ne ? ou
ne doutest nat q{uo}d she ? {a}t ? ilke naturel office of goynge ne be ? e
office of feet. I ne doute it nat q{uo}d . I. ? an q{uo}d she yif ? at a
wy? t be my? ty to moeue {and} go? vpon hys feet. and ano? er to whom ? ilke
naturel office of feet lakke? . enforce? hym to gone crepynge vpo{n} hys
handes. ? whiche of ? ise two au? te to ben holden more my? ty by ry? t.
knyt fur? e ? e remenaunt q{uo}d I. ? For no wy? t ne doute? ? at he ? at may
gone by nat{ur}el office of feet. ne be more my? ty ? an he ? at ne may nat
? but ? e souereyne good q{uo}d she ? at is euenlyche p{ur}posed to ? e
good folk {and} to badde. ? e good folke seken it by naturel office of
uertues. {and} ? e shrewes enforcen hem to geten it by dyuerse couetise
of er? ely ? inges. whiche ? at nis no naturel office to geten ? ilke same
souereyne goode. trowest ? ou ? at it be any o? er wyse. nay q{uo}d . I. for
? e co{n}seque{n}ce is open {and} shewynge of ? inges ? at I haue graunted.
? ? at nedes goode folk moten ben my? ty. {and} shrewes feble {and}
vnmy? ty. ? ? ou rennest ary? t byfore me q{uo}d she. {and} ? is is ? e
iugement ? at is to seyn. ? I iuge of ? e ry? t as ? ise leches ben wont
forto hopen of seke folk whan ? ei ap{er}ceyuen ? at nature is redressed
{and} wi? stonde? to ? e maladie. ? But for I see ? e now al redy to ? e
vndirstandynge I shal shewe ? e more ? ilke {and} continuel resou{n}s.
? For loke now how gretly shewi? ? e feblesse {and} infirmite of wicked
folke. ? at ne mowen nat come to ? at hire naturel entenc{i}ou{n} lede?
hem. {and} ? itte almost ? ilk naturel entenc{i}ou{n} constreine? hem.
? and what wer{e} to deme ? an of shrewes. yif ? ilke naturel helpe hadde
for-leten hem. ? ? e whiche naturel helpe of entenc{i}ou{n} go? alwey
byforne hem. {and} is so grete ? at vnne? it may be ou{er}comen.
? Considre ? an how gret defaute of power {and} how gret feblesse ? ere is
in grete felonous folk as who sei? ? e gretter ? i{n}ges ? at ben coueited
{and} ? e desire nat accomplissed of ? e lasse my? t is he ? at coueite? it
{and} may nat acomplisse. ? And for? i philosophie sei? ? us by souereyne
good. ? Sherewes ne requere nat ly? t[e] medes ne veyne gaines whiche ? ei
ne may nat folwen ne holden. but ?
ei fayle{n} of ? ilke some of ? e hey? te
of ? inges ? at is to seyne souereyne good. ne ? ise wrecches ne comen nat
to ? e effect of souereyne good. ? e whiche ? ei enforcen hem oonly to
gete{n} by ny? tes {and} by dayes. ? In ? e getyn[g] of whiche goode ? e
streng? e of good folk. is ful wel ysen. For ry? t so as ? {o}u my? test
demen hym my? ty of goynge ? at go? on hys feet til he my? t[e] come to
? ilke place fro ? e whiche place ? ere ne lay no wey for? er to be gon.
Ry? t so most ? ou nedes demen hym for ry? t my? ty ? at geti? {and} atteini?
to ? e ende of alle ? inges ? at ben to desire. by-? onde ? e whiche ende ? at
? er nis no ? ing to desire. ? Of whiche power of good folk men may
conclude ? at wicked men semen to ben bareyne {and} naked of alle
streng? e. For whi forleten ? ei v{er}tues {and} folwen vices. nis it nat
for ? at ? ei ne knowen nat ? e goodes. ? But what ? ing is more feble {and}
more caitif ? an is ? e blyndenesse of ignoraunce. or ellys ? ei knowen ful
wel whiche ? inges ? at ? ei au? ten to folwen ? but lecherye {and} couetise
ouer? rowe? hem mysturned. ? and certis so do? distemp{er}aunce to feble
men. ? at ne mowe{n} nat wrastle a? eins ? e vices ? Ne knowen ? ei nat ? an
wel ? at ? ei foreleten ? e good wilfully. {and} turnen hem vilfully to
vices. ? And in ? is wise ? ei ne forleten nat oonly to ben my? ty. but ? ei
forleten al outerly in any wise forto ben ? For ? ei ? at forleten ? e
comune fyn of alle ? inges ? at ben. ? ei for-leten also ? erwi? al forto
ben. and p{er}auenture it sholde semen to som folk ? at ? is were a
merueile to seyne ? at shrewes whiche ? at contienen ? e more p{ar}tie of
me{n} ne ben nat. ne han no beynge. ? but na? eles it is so. {and} ? us
stant ? is ? ing for ? ei ? at ben shrewes I denye nat ? at ? ei ben shrewes.
but I denye {and} sey[e] symplely and pleynly ? at ? ei [ne] ben nat. ne
han no beynge. for ry? t as ? ou my? test seyn of ? e careyne of a man ? at
it were a ded man. ? but ? ou ne my? test nat symplely callen it a man.
? So graunt[e] I wel for so? e ? at vicious folk ben wicked. but I ne may
nat graunten absolutely {and} symplely ? at ? ei ben. ? For ? ilk ? ing ? at
wi? holde? ordre {and} kepi? nature. ? ilk ? ing is {and} ha? beynge. but
? at ? ing ? at faile? of ? at. ? at is to seyne he ? {a}t forleti? naturel
ordre he for-leti? ? ilk beyng ? at is set in hys nature. but ? ou wolt
sein ? at shrewes mowen. ? Certys ? at ne denye I nat. ? but certys hir
power ne descende? nat of streng? e but of feblesse. for ? ei mowen don
wickednesses. ? e whiche ? ei ne my? ten nat don yif ? ei my? te{n} dwelle in
? e forme {and} in ? e doynge of goode folke. ? And ? ilke power shewe? ful
euydently ? at ? ei ne mowen ry? t nau? t. ? For so as I haue gadered {and}
p{ro}ued a lytel her byforn ? at yuel is nau? t. {and} so as shrewes mowen
oonly but shrewednesse. ?