[Sidenote: [The 6^the p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: How deceptive and deformed a thing is glory! Well did
the Tragedian exclaim--ὦ δόξα δόξα μυρίοισι δὴ βροτῶν, οὐδὲν
γεγῶσι βίοτον ὤγκωσας μέγαν, for the undeserving have been
crowned with glory and renown by popular and erring opinion.]
++Bvt glorie how deceiuable {and} how foule is it ofte. for 2124
whiche þing nat vnskilfully a tregedien þat is to
sein a maker of dites þat hyȝten tregedies cried[e] {and}
seide. ¶ O glorie glorie q{uod} he. þou nart no þing
ellys to þousandes of folkes. but a gret sweller of eres. 2128
for many[e] han had ful gret renou{n} by þe fals[e] oppiniou{n}
of poeple.
[Sidenote: What can be more infamous than renoun founded on the
prejudices of the vulgar?]
and what þing may ben þouȝt fouler
þen swiche p{re}isynge
[Sidenote: Those that are undeservedly praised ought to blush for
shame.]
for þilk[e] folk þat be{n} p{re}ised
falsly. þei moten nedes han shame of hir p{re}isynges. 2132
[Sidenote: If a wise man gets well-merited praise it does not add
to his felicity.]
{and} yif þat folk han gete{n} hem þank or p{re}ysyng by
her desertes. what þing haþ þilk pris echid or encresed
to þe conscience of wise folk þ{a}t mesure{n} hire
good. not by þe rumo{ur} of þe poeple. but by þe soþefastnesse 2136
of conscience.
[Sidenote: If it be a good thing to spread abroad one’s fame, it
must be dishonourable not to do so.]
{and} yif it seme a fair þing a
man to han encresid {and} sprad his name. þan folweþ
it. þat it is demed to ben a foule þinge yif it ne be [[pg 78]]
ysprad ne encresed.
[Sidenote: But a good name cannot penetrate everywhere, and the
most illustrious names must be unknown to the greatest part of the
world.]
but as I seide a litel her byforne. 2140
þat syn þer mot nedes ben many folk to whiche folk þe
renou{n} of a man ne may nat comen. it byfalleþ þat he
þat þou wenest be glorious {and} renomed. semiþ in þe
nexte p{ar}ties of þe erþe to ben wiþ out glorie. {and} wiþ 2144
out renou{n}.
[Sidenote: The favour of the people is worth but little as it is
seldom judicious and never permanent.]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 18 _b_.]]
¶ and certis amo{n}ges þise þinges I ne trowe
nat þat þe p{r}is {and} grace of þe poeple nis neiþer worþi
*to ben remembrid ne comeþ of wise iugement. ne is
ferm p{er}durably.
[Sidenote: How empty and transitory are titles of nobility!]
¶ But now of þis name of gentilesse. 2148
what man is it þat ne may wel seen how veyne {and}
how flittyng a þing it is.
[Sidenote: Gentility is wholly foreign to renown, and to those who
boast of noble birth.]
¶ For if þe name of gentilesse
be referred to renou{n} {and} clernesse of linage. þan
is gentil name but a for[e]ine þing. þat is to sein to 2152
hem þat glorifien hem of hir linage.
[Sidenote: Nobility is fame derived from the merits of one’s
ancestors.]
¶ For it semeþ
þat gentilesse be a maner p{re}ysynge þat comeþ of decert
of auncestres.
[Sidenote: If praise can give nobility they are noble who are
praised.]
¶ And yif p{re}ysynge makeþ gentilesse
þan moten þei nedes be gentil þat ben p{re}ysed. 2156
[Sidenote: Then if thou hast no nobility of thy own, thou canst
not derive any splendour from the merits of others.]
For whiche þing it folweþ. þat yif þou ne haue no gentilesse
of þi self. þat is to sein pris þ{a}t comeþ of þi deserte
foreine gentilesse ne makeþ þe nat gentil.
[Sidenote: If there be any good in nobleness of birth, it consists
alone in this, that it imposes an obligation upon its possessors
not to degenerate from the virtues of their ancestors.]
¶ But certis
yif þer be any goode in gentilesse. I trowe it be i{n} al 2160
oonly þis. þat it semeþ as þat a maner necessitee be imposed
to gentil men. for þat þei ne sholden nat outraien
or forliuen fro þe uertues of hire noble kynrede.
[Linenotes:
2124 _foule_--fowl
2125 _whiche_--whych
2126 _maker_--maker{e}
_cried[e]_--cryde
2127 _he_--she
2128 _sweller_--sweller{e}
2129 _many[e]_--manye
_had_--MS. hadde, C. had
_fals[e]_--false
2130 _fouler_--fowler{e}
2131 _þen_--thanne
_þilk[e]_--thylke
2133 _or_--of
2134 _haþ_--MS. haþe
_þilke_--thylke
2139 _foule þinge_--fowl thing
2140 _ne_--{and}
_byforne_--byforn
2144 _parties_--partye
_erþe_--Erthes
_out_--owte
2145 _out_--owhte
2148 _ferm_--ferme
2149 _veyne_--veyn
2150 _if_--yif
2154 _comeþ of_--comth of the
2157 _whiche_--which
2158 _pris_--preys
_comeþ_--comth
2160 _goode_--good
_in_ (2)--omitted
2161 _maner_--maner{e}]