[Footnote 4: Read _dignitates_.]
[Sidenote: [The 4^the p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: It may be said that _dignities_ confer honour on their
possessors.]
++Bvt dignitees to whom þei ben comen make þei hym 1968
honorable {and} reuerent.
[Sidenote: But have they power to destroy vice or implant virtue
in the heart?]
han þei nat so grete strengþe
þat þei may putte vertues in þe hertis of folk. þat vsen
þe lordshipes of hem. or ellys may þei don awey þe
vices.
[Sidenote: So far from expelling vicious habits, they only render
them more conspicuous.]
Certys þei [ne] ben nat wont to don awey wikkednesses. 1972
but þei ben wont raþer to shew[en] wikkednesses.
[Sidenote: Hence arises the indignation when we see dignities
given to wicked men.]
{and} þer of comeþ it þat I haue ryȝt grete desdeyne.
þat dignites ben ȝeuen ofte to wicked men.
[Sidenote: Hence Catullus’ resentment against Nonius, whom he
calls the botch, or impostume of the State.]
¶ For whiche þing catullus clepid a consul of Rome þat 1976
hyȝt noni{us} postum. or boch. as who seiþ he clepiþ
hy{m} a congregac{i}ou{n} of uices in his brest as a postum
is ful of corrupc{i}ou{n}. al were þis noni{us} set in a
chayere of dignitee.
[Sidenote: The deformities of wicked men would be less apparent if
they were in more obscure situations.]
Sest þou nat þan how gret vylenye 1980
dignitees don to wikked men. ¶ Certys vnworþines of
wikked men shold{e} ben þe lasse ysen yif þei nere renomed
of none hono{ur}s.
[Sidenote: Would you free yourself from peril by accepting a
magistracy along with Decoratus a buffoon and informer?]
¶ Certys þou þi self ne
myȝtest nat ben brouȝt wiþ as many p{er}ils as þou 1984
myȝtest suffren þat þ{o}u woldest bere þi magistrat wiþ
decorat. þat is to seyn. þat for no p{er}il þat myȝt[e] bifalle{n}
þe by þe offence of þe kyng theodorik þou noldest
nat ben felawe in gouernaunce w{i}t{h} decorat. whanne 1988
þou say[e] þat he had[de] wikkid corage of a likerous
shrewe {and} of an acusor.
[Sidenote: Honours do not render undeserving persons worthy of
esteem.]
¶ Ne I ne may nat for swiche
honours Iuge{n} hem worþi of reuerence þat I deme {and}
holde vnworþi to han þilke same hono{ur}s.
[Sidenote: If you find a man endowed with wisdom you deem him
worthy of respect and of the wisdom which he professes.]
¶ Now yif 1992
þou saie a man þat were fulfilled of wisdom. certys þou
ne myȝtest nat demen þ{a}t he were vnworþi to þe [[pg 73]]
hono{ur}. or ellys to þe wisdom of whiche he is fulfilled.
[Sidenote: _B._ I could not do otherwise.]
No q{uod} .I.
[Sidenote: _P._ Virtue has her proper worth, which she ever
transfers to her votaries.]
¶ Certys dignitees q{uod} she app{er}tienen 1996
p{ro}perly to vertue. {and} uertue transporteþ dignite anon
to þilke man to whiche she hir self is conioigned.
[Linenotes:
1969 _make_--maken
1969 _grete_--gret
1972 [_ne_]--from C.
_ben_--be
1972, 1973 _wikkednesses_--wykkydnesse
1973 _to_--omitted
_shew[en]_--shewen
1974 _comeþ_--comth
_grete desdeyne_--gret desdaign
1976 _whiche_--which
1977 _hyȝt_--hyhte
_nonius_--MS. vonn{us}, C. nomy{us}
_boch_--MS. boþe, C. boch
_clepiþ_--clepyd
1979 _nonius_--MS. uonn{us}, C. nomy{us}
_set_--MS. sette, C. set
1980 _Sest þou_--Sesthow
_þan_--thanne
_vylenye_--fylonye
1981 _vnworþines_--vnworthynesse
1982 _ben_--be
_ysen_--MS. ysene, C. I-sene
1984 _many_--manye
1985 _bere_--beren
1986 _myȝt[e]_--myhte
1987 _þe_ (2)--omitted
1988 _whanne_--whan
1989 _say[e]_--saye
_had[de]_--hadde
1994 _demen_--deme
1995 _whiche_--which
1996 _quod she_--omitted
1997 _vertue_--vertu
_uertue_--vertu
1998 _whiche_--whych]
[Headnote:
DIGNITIES APPERTAIN TO VIRTUE.]
[Sidenote: Honours conferred by the populace do not make men
worthy of them, for they have no intrinsic merit to bestow.]
¶ And for as moche as hono{ur}s of poeple ne may nat
maken folk digne of hono{ur}. it is wel seyn clerly þat 2000
þei ne han no p{ro}pre beaute of dignite. ¶ And ȝit men
auȝten take more hede in þis.
[Sidenote: Dignities conferred upon shrews only make their vices
the more conspicuous.]
¶ For if it so be þat he
is most out cast þat most folk dispisen. or as dignite ne
may nat maken shrewes worþi of no reuerences. þan 2004
makeþ dignites shrewes more dispised þan p{re}ised. þe
whiche shrewes dignit[e] scheweþ to moche folk
[Sidenote: Nor do dignities themselves escape without injury; for
worthless men take their revenge upon them, and defile them by
their contagious villanies.]
¶ {and}
for soþe nat vnpunissed. þat is forto sein. þat shrewes
reuengen hem aȝeinward vpon dignites. for þei ȝelden 2008
aȝein to dignites as gret gerdou{n} whan þei byspotten
{and} defoulen dignites wiþ hire vylenie.
[Sidenote: These shadowy honours have nothing in their nature to
procure respect; for if a man, having borne the honours of the
consulate, should go among barbarians would this honour gain him
their respect?]
¶ And for as
moche as þou mow[e] knowe þat þilke verray reuerence
ne may nat comen by þe shadewy t{ra}nsitorie dignitees. 2012
vndirstonde now þis. yif þat a man hadde vsed {and}
hadde many manere dignites of consules {and} were
come{n} p{er}auenture amonges straunge nac{i}ou{n}s. sholde
þilke hono{ur} maken hym worshipful {and} redouted of 2016
straunge folk
[Sidenote: If respect were an attribute of honour it would
infallibly bring esteem everywhere, just as heat is ever an
attribute of fire.]
¶ Certys yif þat honour of poeple were
a naturel ȝifte to dignites. it ne myȝte neuer cesen
nowher amonges no maner folke to done hys office.
[Linenotes:
2000 _clerly_--MS. clerkly, C. clerly
2002 _auȝten----hede_--owhten taken mor heed
2002-3 _For----dignite_--For yif so be þ{a}t a wykkyd whyght be
so mochel the fowler{e} {and} the moore owt cast þ{a}t he
is despised of most folk so as dignete
2004-2007 _maken----soþe_--maken shrewes digne of Reu{er}ence
the whych shrewes dignete sheweth to moche foolk thanne
makith dignete shrewes rather so moche mor{e} despised than
preysed {and} forsothe
2008 _ȝelden_--yilden
2009 _byspotten_--by-spetten
2010 _hire_--hyr
2011 _moche_--mochel
_mow[e]_--mowe
2012 _þe shadewy_--thyse shadwye
2013 _vndirstonde_--vndyrstond
_þis_--thus
2014 _hadde_--had
2018 _ȝifte_--yift
2019 _folke_--foolk
_done_--don]
[Headnote:
DIGNITIES DO CONFER ESTEEM.]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 17 _b_.]]
¶ Ryȝt as fire i{n} euery contre ne stinteþ nat to 2020
enchaufen {and} *to ben hote.
[Sidenote: Honours arise from the false opinions of men, and
vanish when they come among those who do not esteem them, that is,
among foreign nations.]
but for as myche as forto
be holden honorable or reuerent ne comeþ nat to folk of
hir p{ro}pre strengþe of nat{ur}e. but only of þe fals[e] [[pg 74]]
opiniou{n} of folk. þat is to sein. þat wenen þat dignites 2024
maken folk digne of hono{ur}. An on þerfore whan þat
þei comen þer as folk ne knowe{n} nat þilke dignites.
her hono{ur}s vanissen awey {and} þat on oon. but þat is
a-mong straung folk. maist þou sein.
[Sidenote: Do they always endure in those places that gave birth
to them?]
but amo{n}g{us} 2028
hem þat þei weren born duren þilk[e] dignites alwey.
[Sidenote: The Prætorate was once a great honour, but now it is
only an empty name and a heavy expense.]
¶ Certys þe dignite of þe p{ro}uostrie of Rome was somtyme
a grete power. now is it no þing but an ydel
name. {and} þe rente of þe senatorie a g{r}et charge. 2032
[Sidenote: What is more vile than the office of the
superintendency of provisions?]
{and} yif a whiȝt somtyme hadde þe office to taken he[de] to
þe vitailes of þe poeple as of corne {and} what oþer þinges
he was holden amonges grete. but what þing is more
nowe out cast þanne þilke p{ro}uostrie
[Sidenote: That which hath no innate beauty must lose its
splendour or value according as popular opinion varies concerning
it.]
¶ And as I haue 2036
seid a litel here byforne. þat þilke þing þat haþ no
p{ro}pre beaute of hym self resceyueþ somtyme pris {and}
shinynge {and} somtyme lesiþ it by þe opiniou{n} of
vsaunces.
[Sidenote: If dignities cannot confer esteem, if they become vile
through filthy shrews, if they lose their lustre by the change of
times, if they become worthless by the change of popular opinion,
what beauty do they possess which should make them desirable, or
what dignity can they confer on others?]
¶ Now yif þat dignites þanne ne mowen 2040
nat maken folk digne of reuerence. {and} yif þ{a}t dignites
wexen foule of hir wille by þe filþe of shrewes. ¶ and
yif þat dignites lesen hir shynynge by chaungyng of
tymes. and yif þei wexen foule by estimac{i}ou{n} of 2044
poeple. what is it þat þei han in hem self of beaute
þat auȝte ben desired. as who seiþ none. þanne ne
mowen þei ȝiuen no beaute of dignite to none oþer.
[Linenotes:
2020 _enchaufen_--eschaufen
2021 _myche_--mochel
2022 _be_--ben
2023 _fals[e]_--false
2024 _þat_ (2)--omitted
2027 _her_--hyr
_vanissen_--vanesshen
2028 _a-mong_--amonges
_straung_--strau{n}ge
_but_--ne
2029 _þat_--ther
_duren þilk[e]_--ne duren nat thylke
2030 _somtyme_--whylom
2031 _grete_--gret
2032 _þe_ (2)--omitted
2033 _somtyme_--whylom
_þe_--MS. þe þe
2034 _corne_--corn
_what_--omitted
2035 _more nowe_--now more
2036 _cast_--MS. caste, C. cast
2037 _seid_--MS. seide, C. seyd
_here byforne_--her by-forn
_haþ_--MS. haþe
2042 _filþe_--felthe
2043 _þat_--omitted
2046 _auȝte_--owhte
_none_--non
2047 _þei_--MS. ȝe, C. they
_none_--non]