No More Learning

]

for ? at ? ei sholden seken out ? e maladies of synne by
to{ur}ment? . [[pg 130]]

[Sidenote: I would not have the guilty defrauded by their
advocates. Their duty is to accuse, and not to excuse offenders. ]

and by ? is couenaunt ey? er ? e entent of ? e
defendo{ur}s or aduocat? sholde fayle {and} cesen in al. or 3716
ellys yif ? e office of aduocat? wolde bettre p{ro}fiten to
men. it sholde be to{ur}ned in to ? e habit of accusac{i}ou{n}.
? at is [to] s[e]yn ? ei sholde{n} accuse shrewes. {and} nat
excuse hem.

[Sidenote: Were it permitted the wicked to get a slight view of
virtue's beauty, which they have forsaken, and could they be
persuaded of the purifying effects of lawful chastisement, they
surely would not consider punishment as an evil, but would
willingly give themselves up to justice and refuse the defence of
their advocates. ]

{and} eke ? e shrewes hem self. ? it it were 3720
leueful to hem to seen at any clifte ? e vertue ? at ? ei
han forleten. {and} sawen ? at ? ei sholde putten adou{n}
? e fil? es of hire vices by [the] to{ur}ment? of peynes. ? ei
ne au? ten nat ry? t for ? e reco{m}pensac{i}ou{n} forto geten 3724
hem bounte {and} prowesse whiche ? at ? ei han lost demen
ne holden ? at ? ilke peynes weren to{ur}mentes to hem.
{and} eke ? ei wolden refuse ? e attendau{n}ce of hir aduocat?
{and} taken hem self to hire iuges {and} to hir accusours. 3728

[Sidenote: The wise hate nobody, only a fool hates good men; and
it is as irrational to hate the wicked. ]

for whiche it bytide? [? {a}t] as to ? e wise folk
? er nis no place ylete to hate. ? at is to seyn. ? at hate
ne ha? no place amonges wise men. ? For no wy? t
wolde haten gode men. but yif he were ouer moche a 3732
fole. ? and forto haten shrewes it nis no resou{n}.

[Sidenote: Vice is a sickness of the soul, and needs our
compassion, and not our hate, for the distempers of the soul are
more deplorable than those of the body, and have more claims upon
our compassion. ]

? For ry? t so as languissing is maladie of body. ry? t
so ben vices {and} sy{n}ne maladies of corage. ? and so as
we ne deme nat ? at ? ei ? at ben seek of hire body ben 3736
wor? i to ben hated. but ra? er wor? i of pite. wel more
wor? i nat to ben hated. but forto ben had in pite ben
? ei of whiche ? e ? ou? tes ben constreined by felonous
wickednesse. ? at is more cruel ? a{n} any languissinge of 3740
body.

[Linenotes:
3715 _tourment? _--torment
_? e_ (2)--omitted
3719 _[to] s[e]yn_--to seyn
3722 _sawen_--sawh
_sholde_--sholden
3723 [_the_]--from C.
3724 _au? ten_--owhte
3725-29 _whiche_--which
3729 _bytide? _--MS. bynde? , C. bytidith
[_? at_]--from C.
3730 _ylete_--I-leten
3731 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
3732 _wolde_--nyl
_moche_--mochel
3733 _fole_--fool
3736 _seek_--syke]


[Headnote:
THE FOLLY OF WAR. ]

QUID TANTOS IUUAT.

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

[Sidenote: What frenzy causes man to hasten on his fate, that is,
by war or by strife. ]

++What delite? it ? ow to exciten so grete moewynges of
hatredes {and} to hasten {and} bisien [the] fatal disposic{i}ou{n}
of ? oure dee? wi? ? oure p{ro}pre handes. ? at is 3744
to seyn by batailes or [by] contek.

[Sidenote: If death is desired he delays not to come. ]

for yif ? e axen ? e
dee? it hastisi? hym of hys owen wille. ne dee? ne [[pg 131]]
tarie? nat hys swifte hors.

[Sidenote: Why do they who are exposed to the assaults of beasts
of prey and venomous reptiles seek to slay each other with the
sword. ]

and [the] men ? at ? e serpent?
{and} ? e lyou{n}s. {and} ? e tigre. {and} ? e beere {and} ? e 3748
boore seken to sleen wi? her te? e. ? it ? ilke same men
seken to sleen eueryche of hem o? er wi? swerde.

[Sidenote: Lo! their manners and opinions do not accord, wherefore
they engage in unjust wars, and fiercely urge on each other's
destiny. ]

[Sidenote: [* fol. 29 _b_. ]]

loo for
her man{er}s ben *diuerse {and} discordaunt ? ? ei
moeuen vnry? tful oostes {and} cruel batailes. {and} wilne 3752
to p{er}isse by enterchaungynge of dartes.

[Sidenote: But this is no just reason for shedding blood. ]

but ? e resou{n}
of cruelte nis nat ynou? ry? tful.

[Sidenote: Wouldst thou reward each as he deserves? Then love the
good as they deserve, and have pity upon the wicked. ]

wilt ? ou ? an ? elden a
couenable gerdou{n} to ? e desertes of men ? Loue ry? tfully
goode folk[;] {and} haue pite on shrewes. 3756

[Linenotes:
3743 [_the_]--from C.
3745 [_by_]--from C.
3746 _hastisi? _--hasteth
_owen wille_--owne wyl
3747 [_the_]--from C.
3749 _boore_--boor
_te? e_--teth
3750 _swerde_--swerd
3751 _her_--hir
3752 _wilne_--wylnen
3753 _enterchaungynge_--entrechaungynges]


[Headnote:
THE OPERATIONS OF CHANCE. ]

HINC EGO UIDEO INQ{UA}M. {ET} CET{ERA}.

[Sidenote: [The fyfthe p{ro}se. ]]

[Sidenote: _B. _ I see plainly the nature of that felicity which
attends the virtues of the good, and of the misery that follows
the vices of the wicked. ]

++? us see I wel q{uo}d I. ey? er what blisfulnesse or ellys
what vnselinesse is estab[l]issed in ? e desertys of
goode men {and} of shrewes.

[Sidenote: But in Fortune I see a mixture of good and evil. The
wise man prefers riches, &c. , to poverty, &c. ]

? but in ? is ilke fortune
of poeple I see somwhat of goode. {and} somwhat of 3760
yuel. for no wise man ha? nat leuer ben exiled pore
{and} nedy {and} nameles. ? an forto dwellen in hys Citee
{and} flouren of rychesses. {and} be redoutable by honoure.
{and} stronge of power

[Sidenote: And wisdom appears more illustrious, when wise men are
governors and impart their felicity to their subjects; and when
imprisonment, torture, &c. , are inflicted only upon bad citizens. ]

for in ? is wise more clerely {and} 3764
more witnesfully is ? e office of wise men ytretid whan
?
e blisfulnes {and} [the] pouste of gouerno{ur}s is as it
were yshad amonges poeples ? at ben ney? boures {and}
subgit? . syn ? at namely prisou{n} lawe {and} ? ise o? er 3768
to{ur}ment? of lawful peynes ben ra? er owed to felonous
Cite? eins. for ? e whiche felonous Cite? eins ? o peynes
ben establissed. ? an for goode folk.

[Sidenote: Why, then, should things undergo so unnatural a
change? Why should the worthy suffer and the vicious receive
the reward of virtue? ]

? ? an I m{er}ueile
me gretly q{uo}d I. whi [? {a}t] ? e ? inges ben so mys 3772
entrechaunged. ? at to{ur}ment? felounes pressen {and}
confounden goode folk. {and} shrewes rauyssen medes of
vertue {and} ben i{n} hono{ur}s. {and} in grete estatis. [[pg 132]]

[Sidenote: I should like to hear the reason of so unjust a
distribution. ]

and I
desire eke to wite{n} of ? e. what seme? ? e to ben ? e 3776
resou{n} of ? is so wrongful a confusiou{n}

[Sidenote: I should not marvel so much if _Chance_ were the cause
of all this confusion. ]

? For I wolde
wondre wel ? e lasse yif I trowed[e] ? at alle ? ise ? inges
were medeled by fortuouse hap.

[Sidenote: But I am overwhelmed with astonishment when I reflect,
that God the director of all things thus unequally distributes
rewards and punishments. ]

? But now hepe?
{and} encrese? myne astonyenge god gouerno{ur} of ? inges. 3780
? at so as god ? eue? ofte tymes to good[e] men goodes
{and} myr? es. {and} to shrewes yuel and aspre ? inges.
{and} ? eue? a? eynewarde to goode folk hardnesse. {and} to
shrewes [he] g{ra}unte? hem her wille {and} ? at ? ei desiren. 3784

[Sidenote: What difference is there, then, unless we know the
cause, between God's proceedings and the operations of Chance? ]

what difference ? an may ? er be bitwixen ? {a}t ? at
god do? . {and} ? e hap of fortune. yif men ne knowe nat
? e cause whi ? at [it] is.

[Sidenote: _P. _ It is not at all surprising that you think you see
irregularities, when you are ignorant of that order by which God
proceeds. ]

it nis no merueile q{uo}d she ? ou?
? at men wenen ? at ? er be somwhat folysche and confus 3788
whan ? e resou{n} of ? e order is vnknowe.

[Sidenote: But, forasmuch as God, the good governor, presides over
all, rest assured that all things are done rightly and as they
ought to be done. ]

? But alle
? ou? ? ou ne know nat ? e cause of so gret a disposic{i}ou{n}.
na? eles for as moche as god ? e good[e] gouernour attempre?
{and} gouerne? ? e world. ne doute ? e nat ? at 3792
alle ? inges ne ben doon ary? t.

[Linenotes:
3760 _goode_--good
3761 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
_nat_--omitted
_leuer_--leu{er}e
3762 _? an_--MS. ? at, C. than
3763 _redoutable_--MS. redentable, C. redowtable
3764 _stronge_--strong
_clerely_--clerly
3766 [_the_]--from C.
3767 _ney? boures_--nesshebors
3769 _lawful_--laweful
3771 _goode_--good
3772 [_? at_]--from C.
3775 _grete_--gret
3776 _to witen_--forto weten
3778 _trowed[e]_--trowede
_alle_--al
3779 _were_--weeren
_fortuouse_--fortunous
3780 _myne_--myn
3781 _good[e]_--goode
3782 _yuel_--yuelis
3783 _hardnesse_--hardnesses
3784 [_he_]--from C.
_wille_--wyl
3785 _difference_--MS. differenee
3786 _do? _--MS. do? e
_hap_--happe
3787 [_it_]--from C.
_it_--ne it
3788 _confus_--confuse
3789 _alle_--al
3791 _good[e]_--goode
3793 _ne_--omitted]


[Headnote:
THE HIDDEN CAUSES OF THINGS. ]

SI QUIS ARCTURI[8] SYDERA.

[Footnote 8: MS. arituri]

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

[Sidenote: He who knows not that the Bear is seen near the Pole,
nor has observed the path of Bootes, will marvel at their
appearance. ]

++Who so ? at ne knowe nat ? e sterres of arctour
yto{ur}ned neye to ? e souereyne contre or point.
? at is to seyne yto{ur}ned neye to ? e souereyne pool of ? e 3796
firmament {and} woot nat whi ? e sterre boetes passe? or
gaderi? his wey[n]es. {and} drenche? his late flaumbes in
? e see. {and} whi ? at boetes ? e sterre vnfoldi? his ouer
swifte arisynges. ? an shal he wo{n}dre{n} of ? e lawe of ? e 3800
heye eyre.

[Sidenote: The vulgar are alarmed when shadows terrestrial obscure
the moon's brightness, causing the stars to be displayed. ]

{and} eke if ? at he ne knowe nat why ? at ? e
hornes of ? e ful[le] moene waxen pale {and} infect by ? e
bou{n}des of ? e derke ny? t ? and how ? e moene dirk
{and} confuse discouere? ? e sterres. ? at she had[de] [[pg 133]]
ycouered by hir clere visage.

[Sidenote: Thinking the eclipse the result of enchantment, they
sought to destroy the charms by the tinkling of brazen vessels or
cymbals. ]

? e co{m}mune errour moeue? 3805
folk {and} maki? wery hir bacines of bras by ? ikke
strookes. ? at is to seyne ? at ? er is a maner poeple ? at
hy? t[e] coribandes ? at wenen ? at whan ? e moone is in 3808
? e eclips ? at it be enchau{n}tid. and ? erfore forto rescowe
? e moone ? ei betyn hire basines wi? ? ikke strokes.

[Sidenote: Yet none marvel when the north-west wind renders the
sea tempestuous; nor when vast heaps of congealed snow are melted
by the warm rays of the sun, because the causes are apparent. ]

? Ne no man ne wondre? whan ? e blastes of ? e wynde
chorus betyn ? e strondes of ? e see by quakynge floodes. 3812
ne no man ne wondre? whan ? e wey?