No More Learning

4571 _wi? oute_--w{i}t{h}-owten
4573 _? ou? t_--thoght
4574 _yledd_--MS. yledde, C. yled
4575 _come? _--comth
4577 _done_--doon
4578 _mak[er]e_--maker{e}
4579 _au? t[e]_--owhte
4584 _whiche_--which
4588 _preis_--prys
_ry? tfulnesse_--Rihtwessenesse
4589 _deserue_--desseruyn
4590 _deuyne_--MS. deuynes, C. dyuyne
4590-93 _whiche_--which
4591 _grete_--gret
4593 [_men_]--from C.
_speken_--speke
4595 _? ilk_--thilke
4596 _emprenten_--impetrent
4597 [_nat_]--from C.
[_hope_]--from C.
4601 _whiche_--which
4602 _byforne_--by-forn]


[Headnote:
THE UNKNOWN CANNOT BE DESIRED. ]

QUE NAM DISCORS

[Sidenote: [The . 3^de. Met{ur}. ]]

[Sidenote: Say what discordant cause looses the bonds of things? ]

++What discordable cause ha? to-rent {and} vnioigned ? e
byndyng or ? e alliaunce of ? inges. ? at is to seyne
? e coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.

[Sidenote: What power doth make these two great truths (_i. e. _
Providence and Free-will) contend, which when separate are plain
and clear, but united appear dark and perplexed? ]

? whiche god
ha? establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} ? ise two so? efast 4608
or verray ? inges. ? at is to sein bytwixen ? e p{ur}ueaunce
of god {and} fre wille. ? at ? ei ben synguler {and}
diuided. ne ? at ? ei ne wolen nat ben medeled ne
coupled to-gidre. but ? er nis no discorde to [tho] verray 4612
? inges. but ? ei cleuen certeyne al wey to hem self.

[Sidenote: The mind of man encumbered by the earthly body, can
never, with her cloudy sight, discover the subtle and close bonds
of things. ]

but ? e ? ou? t of man co{n}founded {and} ouer? rowen by ? e dirke
membris of ? e body ne may nat by fir of his dirk[ed]
lokynge. ? at is to seyn by ? e vigo{ur} of hys insy? t while 4616
? e soule is in ? e body knowen ? e ? inne subtil knyttynges
of ? inges.

[Sidenote: But why does man burn with ardour to learn the hidden
notes of truth? ]

? But wherfore eschaufi? it so by so
grete loue to fynden ? ilke note[s] of so? e y-cou{er}ed. (_glosa_)
? at is to sein wherfore eschaufi? ? e ? ou? t of man by so 4620
grete desir to knowen ? ilke notificac{i}ou{n}s ? at ben yhidd
vndir ? e couerto{ur}s of so? e.

[Sidenote: Why gropes he for he knows not what? None seek to know
what is known. ]

woot it ou? t ? ilke ? inges
? at it anguissous desire? to knowe. as who sei? nay. [[pg 160]]
? For no man ne trauaile? forto witen ? inges ? at he woot. 4624
{and} ? erfore ? e texte sei? ? us. ? [_Glosa_] Si eni{m} a{n}i{m}a
ignorat istas subtiles co{n}nexiones. r{espo}nde. vn{de} est
q{uo}d desiderat scire cu{m} nil ignotu{m} possit desiderare.
? But who traua[i]le? to wyten ? inges y-knowe.

[Sidenote: If he knows them not, what does he so blindly seek? ]

and yif 4628
? at he ne knowe? hem nat. what seki? ? ilke blynde
? ou? t.

[Sidenote: Who wishes for things he hath never known? ]

what is he ? at desire? any ? inge of whiche he
woot ry? t nat. as who sei? who so desiri? any ? ing
nedis som what he knowe? of it. or ellys he ne cou? e 4632
nat desire it. or who may folwen ? inges ? at ne ben nat
ywist

[Sidenote: Or if he seek, where shall he find them? Or if he find,
how shall he be sure that he has found what he sought for? ]

? and ? ou? [? {a}t] he seke ? o ? inges where shal
he fynde{n} hem. what wy? t ? at is al vnknowynge {and}
ignoraunt may knowe ? e forme ? at is yfounde.

[Sidenote: The pure soul that sees the divine thought, knows all
the secret chains of things. ]

? But 4636
whan ? e soule byholde? {and} see? ? e heye ? ou? t. ? at is
to seyn god. ? an knowe? it to-gidre ? e so{m}me {and} ? e
singularites. ? at is to seyn ? e p{r}inciples {and} eueryche
by hym self.

[Sidenote: Yet, though now hidden in its fleshly members, it hath
some remembrance of its pure state--it retains the sums of things,
but has lost their particulars. ]

? But now while ? e soule is hidd in ? e 4640
cloude {and} in ? e derknesse of ? e membris of ? e body.
it ne ha? nat al for? eten it selfe. but it wi? holde? ? e
so{m}me of ? inges {and} lesi? ? e singularites.

[Sidenote: He who seeks truth is not in either circumstance
(_i. e. _ seeking for what he knows or knows not), he knoweth not
all things, nor hath he wholly forgotten all. ]

? an who so
? at seke? so? enesse. he nis in nei? {er} nou? ir habit. for 4644
he not nat alle ne he ne ha? nat alle for-? eten.
[Sidenote: But he ponders on what he knows, that he may add those
things that he hath forgotten to those that he retains. ]

? But
? itte hym remembri? ? e so{m}me of ? inges ? at he wi? holde?
{and} axe? cou{n}seil {and} treti? depelyche ? i{n}ges
ysein byforne. [_Glosa_] ? at is to sein ? e grete so{m}me in 4648
hys mynde. [_textus_] so ? at he mowe adden ? e p{ar}ties
? at he ha? for? eten. to ? ilke ? at he ha? wi? holden.

[Linenotes:
4605 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
4606 _seyne_--seyn
4607 _whiche_--which
4608 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
_grete_--gret
_so? efast_--soothfast
4610 _wille_--wil
4612 _discorde_--discord
[_tho_]--from C.
4613 _cleuen_--clyuen
4615 _dirk[ed]_--derkyd
4616 _while_--whil
4617 _knowen_--knowe
4619-21 _grete_--gret
_note[s]_--notes
4619 _so? e_--soth
4621 _yhidd_--MS. yhidde, C. Ihyd
4622 _so? e_--sooth
_? inges_--thing
4625 [_Glosa_]--from C.
4630 _? inge_--thing
_whiche_--which
4631 _woot_--not
_nat_--nawht
4632 _cou? e_--kowde
4634 [_? at_]--from C.
_where_--wher
4635 _what_--MS. ? at, C. what
_vnknowynge_--vnkunnynge
4639 _eueryche_--eu{er}ych
4640 _while_--whil
_? e_--MS. ? e ? e
_hidd_--MS. hidde, C. hidde
4641 _derknesse_--derkenesse
4642 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
_selfe_--self
4644 _nou? ir habit_--nother habite
4645 _alle_ (_both_)--al
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
4648 [_Glosa_]--from C.
4649 [_textus_]--from C.
4650 _ha? _ (_both_)--MS. ha? e]


[[pg 161]]
[Headnote:
ANSWERS TO OBJECTIONS AGAINST PROVIDENCE. ]

TAMEN ILLA UETUS INQ{U}IT HEC EST.

[Sidenote: [The 4^the p{ro}se. ]]

[Sidenote: _P. _ This is the old objection against Providence, so
ably handled by Cicero in his _Book of Divination_; and you
yourself have anxiously discussed it. ]

++? anne seide she. ? is is q{uo}d she ? e olde questiou{n} of
? e p{ur}ueaunce of god. {and} marcus tulius whan he 4652
deuided[e] ? e deuinac{i}ou{n}s. ? at is to sein in hys booke
? at he wroot of deuinac{i}ou{n}s. he moeued[e] gretly ? is
questiou{n}. {and} ? ou ? i self hast sou? t it mochel {and}
outerly {and} lo{n}g[e].

[Sidenote: But neither of you have offered a satisfactory solution
of the difficulty. ]

but ? it ne ha? it nat ben determined 4656
ne yspedd fermely {and} diligently of any of yow.

[Sidenote: The cause of this mystery is that the human
understanding cannot conceive the simplicity of the divine
prescience, for if it were possible to comprehend this, every
difficulty would at once disappear. ]

? And ? e cause of ? is derkenesse {and} [of this] difficulte
is for ? at ? e moeuynge of ? e resou{n} of mankynde ne
may nat moeue{n} to. ? at is to sein applien or ioygnen to 4660
? e simplicite of ? e deuyne p{re}science. ? ? e whiche
symplicite of ? e deuyne p{re}science ? if ? at men [myhten
thinken it in any maner{e} / ? {a}t is to seyn / ? {a}t yif men] my? te
? inken {and} co{m}p{re}henden ? e ? inges as god see? hem. 4664
? an ne sholde ? er dwellen outerly no doute.

[Sidenote: I shall, therefore, try to explain and solve this
difficult question. ]

? e whiche
resou{n} {and} cause of difficulte I shal assaie at ? e laste
to shewen {and} to speden.

[Sidenote: [* fol. 36 _b_. ]]

? whan I haue *firste
[yspendyd / {and}] ansewered to ? o resou{n}s by whiche ? {o}u 4668
art ymoeued.

[Sidenote: I ask, then, why you do not approve the reasoning of
such as think--that Prescience does not obstruct the liberty of
the will, because it is not the necessitating cause of future
events? ]

? For I axe whi ? {o}u wenest ? at ? ilk[e]
resou{n}s of hem ? at assoilen ? is questiou{n} ne ben nat
spedeful ynou? ne sufficient ? e whiche soluc{i}ou{n} or ? e
whiche resou{n} for ? at it demi? ? at ? e p{re}science nis nat 4672
cause of necessite to ? inges to comen. ? an ne wene? it
nat ? at fredom of wille be distourbed or ylett by p{re}science.

[Linenotes:
4653 _deuided[e]_--deuynede
_booke_--book
4654 _moeued[e]_--moeuede
4655 _sou? t_--I-sowht
4656 _long[e]_--longe
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
4657 _yspedd_--MS. yspedde, C. Isped
_fermely_--MS. feruently, C. fermely
4658 _derkenesse_--dirknesse
[_of this_]--from C.
4662-3 [_myhten----men_]--from C.
4663 _my? te_--myhten
4667 _firste_--fyrst
4668 [_yspendyd and_]--from C.
_? o_--the
_whiche_--which
4669 _art_--MS. arte
_? ilk[e]_--thilke
4671 _spedeful_--spedful
4672 _whiche_--which
4674 _wille_--wyl]

[Headnote:
NECESSITY AND PRESCIENCE. ]

[Sidenote: Do you draw an argument of the necessity of future
events, from any other topic than this,--that those things which
are foreknown must of necessity happen? ]

for ne drawest ? ou nat argumentes from ellys
where of ? e necessite of ? inges to comen. As who sei? 4676
any o? er wey ? an ? us. but ? at ? ilke ? inge[s] ? at ? e p{re}scie{n}ce
woot byforn [ne] mowen nat vnbitide. ? at is to
seyn ? at ? ei moten bitide.

[Sidenote: If divine prescience imposes no necessity upon future
things, must not the issue of things be voluntary, and man's will
free and unconstrained? ]

? But ? an yif ? at p{re}science
ne putte? no necessite to ? inges to comen. as ? ou ? i self 4680
hast confessed it {and} byknowen a litel herbyforn{e}.
? what [[pg 162]]
cause [or what] is it. as who sei? ? ere may no cause be.