No More Learning

[Sidenote: _P. _ You ask me to declare to you the most intricate of
all questions, which I am afraid can scarce be answered. ]

{and} ? an she a 3828
litel [what] smylyng seide. ? ? ou clepest me q{uo}d
she to telle ? ing. ? at is grettest of alle ? inges ? at mowen
ben axed. ? And to ? e whiche questiou{n} vnne? [e]s is
? ere au? t ynow to lauen it. as who sei? . vnne? es is ? er 3832
suffisauntly any ? ing to answere p{er}fitly to ? i questiou{n}.

[Sidenote: For the subject is of such a kind, that when one doubt
is removed, innumerable others, like the heads of the hydra,
spring up. ]

? For ? e matere of it is swiche ? at whan oon doute is [[pg 134]]
determined {and} kut awey ? er wexe{n} o? er doutes wi? -outen
nou{m}bre. ry? t as ? e heuedes waxen of ydre ? e 3836
serpent ? at hercules slou? .

[Sidenote: Nor would there be any end of them unless they were
restrained by a quick and vigorous effort of the mind. ]

? Ne ? ere ne were no
man{er}e ne noon ende. but yif ? at a wy? t co{n}streined[e]
? o doutes. by a ry? t lyuely {and} a quik fire of ? ou? t. ? at
is to seyn by vigo{ur} {and} streng? e of witte.

[Sidenote: The question whereof you want a solution embraces the
five following points: 1. Simplicity, or unity of Providence. 2.
The order and course of Destiny. ]

? For in 3840
? is matere me{n} weren wont to maken questiou{n}s of ? e
simplicite of ? e p{ur}ueaunce of god {and} of ? e ordre of
destine.

[Sidenote: 3. Sudden chance. 4. Prescience of God, and divine
predestination. 5. Free-will. ]

{and} of sodeyne hap. {and} of ? e knowyng {and}
p{re}destinac{i}ou{n} deuine {and} of ? e lyberte of fre wille. 3844
? e whiche ? ing ? ou ? i self ap{er}ceiust wel of what wey? t
? ei ben. but for as mochel as ? e knowynge of ? ise
? inges is a manere porc{i}ou{n} to ? e medicine to ? e. al be it
so ? at I haue lytel tyme to don it.

[Sidenote: I will try to treat of these things:--]

? it na? eles I wole 3848
enforcen me to shewe somwhat of it. ? but al ? ou?
? e norissinges of dite of musike delite? ? e ? ow most
suffren. {and} forberen a litel of ? ilk delite while ? at I
weue (contexo) to ? e resou{n}s yknyt by ordre ? As it like? 3852
to ? e q{uo}d I so do.

[Sidenote: Resuming her discourse as from a new principle,
Philosophy argued as follows:--]

? ? o spak she ry? t a[s] by an o? er
bygynnyn[ge] {and} seide ? us.

[Sidenote: The generation of all things, every progression of
things liable to change, and everything that moveth, derive their
causes, order, and form from the immutability of the divine
understanding. ]

? ? e enge{n}drynge of alle
? inges q{uo}d she {and} alle ? e progressiou{n}s of muuable
nat{ur}e. {and} alle ? {a}t moeue? in any manere taki? hys 3856
causes. hys ordre. {and} hys formes. of ? e stablenesse of ? e
deuyne ? ou? t

[Sidenote: Providence directs all things by a variety of means. ]

[{and} thilke deuyne thowht] ? at is yset {and}
put in ? e toure. ? at is to seyne in ? e hey? t of ? e simplicite
of god. stablisi? many manere gyses to ? inges ? at 3860
ben to don.

[Sidenote: These means, referred only to the divine intelligence,
are called Providence; but when contemplated in relation to the
things which receive motion and order from them, are called
Destiny. ]

? ? e whiche manere whan ? at men loken
it i{n} ? ilke pure clerenesse of ? e deuyne i{n}telligence. it
is ycleped p{ur}ueaunce ? but whan ? ilke manere is referred
by me{n} to ? inges ? at it moeue? {and} dispone? ? an [[pg 135]]
of olde men. it was cleped destine.

[Linenotes:
3823 _byhy? t_--by-hyhte
3824 _hidde_--hyd
3826 _preye_--p{re}ey
_diuise_--deuyse
3827 _do_--don
3828 _gretely_--gretly
3829 [_what_]--from C.
3832 _? ere au? t_--ther awht
3834 _swiche_--swych
_oon_--o
3835 _wi? outen noumbre_--w{i}t{h}-owte nowmbyr
3836 _waxen_--wexen
3837 _? ere_--ther
3838 _constreined[e]_--constreynede
3839 _lyuely_--lyfly
3840 _witte_--wit
3843 _hap_--happe
3845 _wey? t_--wyht
3848 _wole_--wol
3850 _? ow_--MS. now, C. ? {o}u
_most suffren_--MS. moste to souereyne; C. most suffren
3851 _? ilk_--thilke
3853 _? o_--so
_spak_--MS. spake, C. spak
_a[s]_--as
3856 _alle_--al
3858 [_and----thowht_]--from C.
_yset_--MS. ysette, C. yset
3859 _toure_--towr
_seyne_--seyn
_hey? t_--heyhte
3861 _don_--done
3862 _clerenesse_--klennesse]

[Headnote:
OF FATE AND PROVIDENCE. ]

[Sidenote: Reflection on the efficacy of the one and the other
will soon cause us to see their differences. ]

? ? e whiche 3865
? inges yif ? at any wy? t loke? wel in his ? ou? t.
? e streng? e of ? at oon {and} of ? at o? er he shal ly? tly mowen
seen ? at ? ise two ? inges ben diuers.
[Sidenote: Providence is the divine intelligence manifested in the
disposition of worldly affairs. ]

? For p{ur}ueau{n}ce 3868
is ? ilke deuyne resou{n} ? at is establissed in ? e souereyne
p{r}ince of ? inges. ? e whiche p{ur}ueaunce disponi? alle
? inges.

[Sidenote: Destiny or Fate is that inherent state or condition of
movable things by means whereof Providence retains them in the
order in which she has placed them. ]

but destine is ? e disposic{i}ou{n} {and} ordenaunce
cleuynge to moeuable ? inges. by ? e whiche disposic{i}ou{n} 3872
? e p{ur}ueaunce knyte? alle ? inges in hire ordres.

[Sidenote: Providence embraces all things, although diverse and
infinite; but Fate gives motion to every individual thing, and in
the place and under the form appropriated to it. ]

? For p{ur}ueaunce enbrace? alle ? i{n}ges to hepe. al ? ou? ? at
? ei ben dyuerse {and} al ? ou? ? ei ben wi? outen fyn. but
destynie dep{ar}te? {and} ordeyne? alle ? inges singlerly 3876
{and} diuide? . in moeuynges. in places. in formes. in
tymes. dep{ar}ti? [as] ? us.

[Sidenote: So that the explication of this order of things wrapt
up in the divine intelligence is Providence; and being unfolded
according to time and other circumstances, may be called Fate. ]

so ? at ? e vnfoldyng of temp{or}el
ordenaunce assembled {and} ooned in ? e lokyng of
? e deuyne ? ou? t ? Is p{ur}ueaunce {and} ? ilke same 3880
assemblynge. {and} oonyng diuided {and} vnfolden by
tymes. lat ? at ben called destine.

[Sidenote: Though these things appear to differ, yet one of them
depends on the other, for the order of Fate proceeds from the
unity of Providence. ]

[Sidenote: [* fol. 30 _b_. ]]

{and} al be *it so ? at
? ise ? inges ben dyuerse. ? itte na? eles hange? ? at oon
on ? at o? er. forwhi ? e ordre destinal p{ro}cedi? of ? e 3884
simplicite of purueaunce.

[Sidenote: For as a workman, who has formed in his head the plan
of a work which he is desirous to finish, executes it afterwards,
and produces after a time all the different parts of the model
which he has conceived;]

for ry? t as a werkma{n} ? at
ap{er}ceiue? in hys ? ou? t ? e forme of ? e ? ing ? at he wil
make moeue? ? e effect of ? e werke. {and} ledi? ? at he
had[de] loked byforne in hys ? ou? t symply {and} p{re}sently 3888
by temp{or}el ? ou? t.

[Sidenote: so God in the plan of his Providence disposes
everything to be brought about in a certain order and in a proper
time;]

? Certys ry? t so god disponi?
in hys p{ur}ueaunce singlerly {and} stably ? e ? inges
? at ben to done. but he amynistre? in many maneres
{and} in dyuerse tymes by destyne. ? ilke same ? inges 3892
? at he ha? disponed ? an whe? ir ? at destine be excercised.

[Linenotes:
3872 _cleuynge_--clyuynge
3875 _wi? outen fyn_--Infynyte
3876 _singlerly_--syngulerly
3877 _in_ (3)--MS. {and}, C. in
3878 _departi? _--omitted
[_as_]--from C.
_so ? at_--lat
3884 _on_--of
3886 _wil_--wol
3888 _had[de]_--hadde
_symply_--symplely
3889 _? ou? t_--ordinau{n}ce
3890 _singlerly_--syngulerly
_stably_--stablely
3893 _ha? _--MS. ha? e]

[Headnote:
PROVIDENCE CONTROLS FATE. ]

[Sidenote: and afterwards, by the ministry of Fate, he
accomplishes what he has planned, conformably to that order and
that time. ]

ey? er by so{m}me dyuyne spirites seruaunte? to
? e deuyne p{ur}ueaunce. or ellys by so{m}me soule (a{n}i{m}a
mundi). or ellys by al nature seruynge to god. or ellys [[pg 136]]
by ? e celestial moeuyng of sterres. or ellys by ? e vertue 3897
of aungels. or ellys by ? e dyuerse subtilite of deueles.
or ellys by any of he{m}. or ellys by hem alle ? e destynal
ordynau{n}ce is ywouen or accomplissed. certys it is open 3900
? ing ? at ? e p{ur}ueaunce is an vnmoeueable {and} symple
forme of ? inges to done. {and} ? e moeueable bonde {and}
? e temp{or}el ordynaunce of ? inges whiche ? at ? e deuyne
simplicite of p{ur}ueaunce ha? ordeyned to done. ? at is 3904
destine.

[Sidenote: So then, however Fate be exercised, it is evident that
things subject to Destiny are under the control of Providence,
which disposes Destiny. ]

For whiche it is ? at alle ? inges ? at ben put
vndir destine ben certys subgit? to p{ur}ueaunce. to
whiche p{ur}ueaunce destine it self is subgit {and} vndir.

[Sidenote: But some things under Providence are exempt from the
control of Fate; being stably fixed near to the Divinity himself,
and beyond the movement of Destiny. ]

? But so{m}me ? inges ben put vndir purueaunce ? at 3908
so{ur}mounten ? e ordinaunce of destine. {and} ? o ben
? ilke ? at stably ben yficched ney to ? e first godhed ? ei
so{ur}mou{n}ten ? e ordre of destinal moeuablite.

[Sidenote: For even, as among several circles revolving round one
common centre, that which is innermost approaches nearest to the
simplicity of the middle points, and is, as it were, a centre,
round which the outward ones revolve;]

? For
ry? t as cercles ? at to{ur}nen aboute a same Centre or 3912
about a poynt. ? ilke cercle ? at is inrest or moost wi? -ynne
ioine? to ? e symplesse of ? e myddel {and} is as it
were a Centre or a poynt to ? at o? er cercles ? at tourne{n}
aboute{n} hym.

[Sidenote: whilst the outermost, revolving in a wider
circumference, the further it is from the centre describes a
larger space--but yet, if this circle or anything else be joined
to the middle point, it is constrained to be immovable. ]

? and ? ilke ? at is outerest compased by 3916
larger envyronnynge is vnfolden by larger spaces in so
mochel as it is for? est fro ? e mydel symplicite of ? e
poynt. and yif ? er be any ? i{n}g ?