No More Learning

hem haue I-gete no? ing. but alwey her cruel
ravyne deuourynge al ? at ? ei han geten shewi? o? er gapinges. ? at is to
seye gapen {and} desiren ? it after moo rycchesse. ? What brideles my? ten
wi? holde to any certeyne ende ? e desordene coueitise of men ? Whan euere
? e ra? er ? {a}t it fleti? in large ? iftis: ? e more ay brenne? in hem ? e
? rest of hauyng. ? Certis he ? at quakyng {and} dredeful wene? hym seluen
nedy. he ne lyue? neu{er}e mo ryche.


HIIS IGITUR SI PRO SE.

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

++? erfore yif ? at fortune spake wi? ? e for hir self in ? is manere. For
so? e ? ou ne haddest [nat] what ? ou my? test answere. and if ? ou hast any
? i{n}g wherwi? . ? ou mayist ry? tfully tellen ? i co{m}pleynt. ? It byhoue?
? e to shewen it. {and} . I. wol ? eue ? e space to tellen it. ? Certeynely
q{uod} I ? an ? ise ben faire ? inges {and} enoyntid wi? hony swetnesse of
rethorike {and} musike. {and} only while ? ei ben herd ? ei ben
deliciouse. ? But to wrecches is a deppere felyng of harme. ? is is to
seyn ? at wrecches felen ? e harmes ? at ? ei suffren more greuously ? an ? e
remedies or ? e delites of ? ise wordes mowe gladen or comforten hem. so
? at whan ? ise ? inges stynten forto sou{n}[e] in eres. ? e sorwe ? at is
inset greue? ? e ? ou? t. Ry? t so is it q{uod} she. ? For ? ise ne ben ? it
none remedies of ? i maladie. but ? ei ben a manere norissinges of ? i
sorwe ? it rebel a? eyne ? i curac{i}ou{n}. ? For whan ? at tyme is. I shal
moue swiche ? inges ? at p{er}cen hem self depe. ? But na? eles ? {a}t ? ou
shalt not wilne to leten ? i self a wrecche. ? Hast ? ou for? eten ? e
nou{m}bre {and} ? e manere of ? i welefulnesse. I holde me stille how ? at
? e souerayn men of ? e Citee toke{n} ? e in cure {and} kepynge whan ? ou
were orphelyn of fadir {and} modir. {and} were chosen i{n} affinite of
p{r}inces of ? e Citee. ? And ? ou bygu{n}ne ra? er to ben leef {and} deere
? an0 forto ben a ney? bo{ur}. ? e whiche ? ing is ? e most p{re}ciouse kynde
of any p{ro}pinquitee or aliau{n}ce ? at may ben. ? Who is it ? at ne
seide ? ou nere ry? t weleful wi? so grete a nobley of ? i fadres in lawe.
? {And} wi? ? e chastite of ? i wijf. {and} wi? ? e oportunite {and}
noblesse of ? i masculyn children. ? at is to seyne ? i sones {and} ou{er}
al ? is me lyst to passe of comune ? inges. ? How ? ou haddest in ? i ? ou? t
dignitees ? at weren warned to olde men. but it delite? me to comen now
to ? e singuler vphepyng of ? i welefulnesse. ? 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. ?