[The 4the Metur.] QUAMUIS SE TIRIO.
Al be it so þat þe proude nero wiþ al his woode luxurie kembed hym and apparailed hym wiþ faire purpers of Tirie and wiþ white perles. Algates ȝitte throf he hateful to alle folk ¶ þis is to seyn þat al was he by-hated of alle folk. ¶ ȝitte þis wicked Nero hadde gret lordship and ȝaf somtyme to þe dredeful senatours þe vnworshipful setes of dignites. ¶ vnworshipful setes he clepiþ here fore þat Nero þat was so wikked ȝaf þo dignites. who wolde þanne resonably wenen þat blysfulnesse were in swiche honours as ben ȝeuen by vicious shrewes.
[The 5the prose.] AN UERO REGNA.
Bvt regnes and familarites of kynges may þei maken a man to ben myȝty. how ellys. ¶ whanne hir blysfulnesse dureþ perpetuely but certys þe olde age of tyme passeþ. and eke of present tyme now is ful of ensaumples how þat kynges þat han chaunged in to wrechednesse out of hir welefulnesse. ¶ O a noble þing and a cler þing is power þat is nat founden myȝty to kepe it self. ¶ And yif þat power of realmes be auctour and maker of blisfulnesse. yif þilke power lakkeþ on any side. amenusiþ it nat þilke blisfulnesse and bryngeþ in wrechednesse. but yif al be it so þat realmes of mankynde stretchen broode. ȝit mot þer nede ben myche folk ouer whiche þat euery kyng ne haþ no lordshipe no comaundement ¶ and certys vpon þilke syde þat power failleþ whiche þat makiþ folk blisful. ryȝt on þat same side nounpower entriþ vndirneþ þat makeþ hem wreches. ¶ In þis manere þanne moten kynges han more porcioun of wrechednesse þan of welefulnesse. ¶ A tyraunt þat was kyng of sisile þat had[de] assaied þe peril of his estat shewid[e] by similitude þe dredes of realmes by gastnesse of a swerde þat heng ouer þe heued of his familier. what þing is þan þis power þat may nat don awey þe bytynges of besines ne eschewe þe prikkes of drede. and certys ȝit wolden þei lyuen in sykernesse. but þei may nat. and ȝit þei glorifien hem in her power ¶ Holdest þou þan þat þilk[e] man be myȝty þat þou seest þat he wolde don þat he may nat don. ¶ And holdest þou þan hym a myȝty man þat haþ environed hise sydes wiþ men of armes or seruauntes and dredeþ more [hem] þat he makeþ agast. þen þei dreden hym. and þat is put in þe handes of hise seruauntȝ. for he sholde seme myȝty but of familiers [or] seruauntȝ of kynges. ¶ what sholde I telle þe any þing. syn þat I my self haue shewed þe þat realmes hem self ben ful of gret feblenesse. þe whiche familiers certis þe real power of kynges in hool estat and in estat abated ful [ofte] þroweþ adoun. ¶ Nero constreined[e] his familier and his maistre seneca to chesen on what deeþ he wolde deien. ¶ Antonius comaundid[e] þat knyȝtis slowen wiþ her swerdis Papinian his familier whiche Papinian had[de] ben long tyme ful myȝty a-monges hem of þe courte. and ȝit certis þei wolde boþe han renounced her power. of whiche [two] senek enforced[e] hym to ȝiuen to Nero his rychesses. and also to han gon in to solitarie exil. ¶ But whan þe grete weyȝt. þat is to sein of lordes power or of fortune draweþ hem þat sholden falle. neyþer of hem ne myȝt[e] do þat he wolde. what þing is þanne þilke power þat þouȝ men han it þat þei ben agast. ¶ and whan þou woldest han it þou nart nat siker. ¶ And yif þou woldest forleten it þou mayst nat eschewen it. ¶ But wheþir swiche men ben frendes at nede as ben conseiled by fortune and nat by vertue. Certys swiche folk as weleful fortune makeþ frendes. contrarious fortune makeþ hem enmyse. ¶ And what pestilence is more myȝty forto anoye a wiȝt þan a familier enemy.
[The 5the Metur.] QUI SE UALET ESSE POTENTEM.
Who so wolde ben myȝty he mot daunten hys cruel corage. ne put[te] nat his nekke ouercomen vndir þe foule reines of lecherie. for al be it so þat þi lordship[e] strecche so fer þat þe contre Inde quakiþ at þi comaundement. or at þi lawes. and þat þe leest isle in þe see þat hyȝt tile be þral to þe ¶ ȝit yif þou mayst nat puten awey þi foule derk[e] desijres and dryuen oute fro þe wreched compleyntes. Certis it nis no power þat þou hast.
[The 6the prose.] GLORIA UERO QUAM FALLAX.
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 quod he. þou nart no þing ellys to þousandes of folkes. but a gret sweller of eres. for many[e] han had ful gret renoun by þe fals[e] oppinioun of poeple. and what þing may ben þouȝt fouler þen swiche preisynge for þilk[e] folk þat ben preised falsly. þei moten nedes han shame of hir preisynges. and yif þat folk han geten hem þank or preysyng by her desertes. what þing haþ þilk pris echid or encresed to þe conscience of wise folk þat mesuren hire good. not by þe rumour 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 renoun of a man ne may nat comen. it byfalleþ þat he þat þou wenest be glorious and renomed. semiþ in þe nexte parties of þe erþe to ben wiþ out glorie. and wiþ out renoun. ¶ and certis amonges þise þinges I ne trowe nat þat þe pris and grace of þe poeple nis neiþer worþi to ben remembrid ne comeþ of wise iugement. ne is ferm perdurably. ¶ 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 renoun 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 preysynge þat comeþ of decert of auncestres. ¶ And yif preysynge makeþ gentilesse þan moten þei nedes be gentil þat ben preysed. For whiche þing it folweþ. þat yif þou ne haue no gentilesse of þi self. þat is to sein pris þat comeþ of þi deserte foreine gentilesse ne makeþ þe nat gentil. ¶ But certis yif þer be any goode in gentilesse. I trowe it be in 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.
[The 6th Metre.] OMNE HOMINUM GENUS IN TERRIS.
Al þe linage of men þat ben in erþe ben of semblable burþe. On al one is fadir of þinges. On alone minyst[r]eþ alle þinges. ¶ He ȝaf to þe sonne hys bemes. he ȝaf to þe moone hir hornes. he ȝaf þe men to þe erþe. he ȝaf þe sterres to þe heuene. ¶ he encloseþ wiþ membres þe soules þat comen fro hys heye sete. ¶ þanne comen alle mortal folk of noble seed. whi noysen ȝe or bosten of ȝoure eldris ¶ For yif þou look[e] ȝoure bygynnyng. and god ȝoure auctour and ȝoure makere. þan is þer no forlyued wyȝt but ȝif he norisse his corage vnto vices and forlete his propre burþe.