VANITY REPROVED.
This silly vanity was once thus ingeniously and pleasantly rallied. ¶ Haue now here and vndirstonde in þe lyȝtnesse of whiche [1580]
pride and veyne glorie. how a man scorned[e] festiualy
and myrily swiche vanite. A certain man, who had assumed the name of a philosopher through a love of vain-glory, was told by a man of humour that he could prove he was a philosopher by bearing patiently the injuries offered him. somtyme þere was a man þat
had[de] assaied wiþ striuyng wordes an oþer man. ¶ þe
whiche nat for vsage of verrey vertue. but for proude [1584]
veyne glorie had[de] taken vpon hym falsly þe name
of a philosopher. ¶ þis raþer man þat I speke of
þouȝt[e] he wolde assay[e] where he þilke were a
philosopher or no. þat is to seyne yif he wolde han suffred [1588]
[* fol. 15.] lyȝtly in pacience þe wronges *þat weren don vnto
hym. After counterfeiting patience for a while, the sophist said to the other, ‘You must surely confess that I am a philosopher.’ ¶ þis feined[e] philosophre took pacience a
litel while. and whan he hadde receiued wordes of
outerage he as in stryuynge aȝeine and reioysynge of [1592]
hym self seide at þe last[e] ryȝt þus. ¶ vndirstondest
þou nat þat I am a philosophere. ‘I might have believed it,’ said the other, ‘had you held your tongue.’ þat oþer man answered[e]
aȝein ful bityngly and seide. ¶ I had[de]
wel vndirstonden [yt]. yif þou haddest holden þi tonge [1596]
stille. What advantage is it to great and worthy men to be extolled after death? ¶ But what is it to þise noble worþi men.
For certys of swyche folk speke .I. þat seken glorie wiþ
vertue. what is it quod she. what atteiniþ fame to
swiche folk whan þe body is resolued by þe deeþ. atte [1600]
þe last[e]. If body and soul die, then there can be no glory; nor can there be when he (to whom it is ascribed) does not exist. ¶ For yif so be þat men dien in al. þat is
to seyne body and soule. þe whiche þing oure resoun
defendiþ vs to byleuen þanne is þere no glorie in no
wyse. For what sholde þilke glorie ben. for he of [1604]
whom þis glorie is seid to be nis ryȝt nouȝt in no wise.
But if the soul is immortal when it leaves the body, it takes no thought of the joys of this world. and ȝif þe soule whiche þat haþ in it self science of
goode werkes vnbounden fro þe prisoun of þe erþe
wendeþ frely to þe heuene. dispiseþ it nouȝt þan alle [1608]
erþely occupaciouns. and beynge in heuene reioiseþ þat
it is exempt from alle erþely þinges [as wo seith /
thanne rekketh the sowle of no glorye of renoun of this
world]. [1612]
1487 desired[e]—desyre
1489 wex olde—wax old
1492 whiche—which
speke—spekyn
1496 tollen—MS. tellen, C. tollen
1497 ful[le]—fulle
1501 al prise—alle prys
1505 seye—seyn
1507 wolde—woldyn
alle—al
[ne]—from C.