[Sidenote: [The 6^the p{ro}se.]]
++Bvt glorie how deceiuable {and} how foule is it ofte. for 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. for
many[e] han had ful gret renou{n} by þe fals[e] oppiniou{n} of poeple.
and what þing may ben þouȝt fouler þen swiche p{re}isynge for þilk[e]
folk þat be{n} p{re}ised falsly. þei moten nedes han shame of hir
p{re}isynges. {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 of conscience. {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 ysprad ne encresed. but as I seide a
litel her byforne. 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 out renou{n}. ¶ 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. ¶ But now of þis name of gentilesse. what man is it þat ne
may wel seen how veyne {and} how flittyng a þing it is. ¶ 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 hem þat glorifien
hem of hir linage. ¶ For it semeþ þat gentilesse be a maner p{re}ysynge
þat comeþ of decert of auncestres. ¶ And yif p{re}ysynge makeþ
gentilesse þan moten þei nedes be gentil þat ben p{re}ysed. 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. ¶ But certis yif þer be any goode in gentilesse. I trowe it be
i{n} al 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.