227 scorne—schorne
228 rauiners——þinges—rauyneres & henteres of fowleste thinges
THE AIM OF PHILOSOPHY.
[QUISQUIS COMPOSITO.]
Who so it be He who hath triumphed over fate, and remained insensible to the changes of Fortune, shall not be moved by storms, nor by the fires of Vesuvius, nor by the fiercest thunderbolts. þat is clere of vertue sad and wel ordinat
of lyuyng. þat haþ put vnderfote þe prowed[e]
wierdes and lokiþ vpryȝt vpon eyþer fortune. he may
holde hys chiere vndiscomfited. ¶ Þe rage ne þe manace [232]
of þe commoeuyng or chasyng vpwarde hete fro þe
botme. ne schal not moeue þat man. ne þe vnstable
mountaigne þat hyȝt veseuus. þat wircheþ oute þoruȝ
hys broken[e] chemineys smokyng fires. ¶ Ne þe wey [236]
of þonder lyȝt þat is wont to smyte heyȝe toures ne
schal not mouene þat man. Fear not the tyrant’s rage. ¶ Wherto þen wrecches
drede ȝe tyrauntes þat ben wode and felownes wiþ-outen
ony strenkeþ. He who neither fears nor hopes for anything disarms the tyrant. ¶ Hope after no þing ne drede nat. and [240]
so schalt þou desarmen þe ire of þilke vnmyȝty tyraunt.
He whose heart fails him, yields his arms, and forges his own fetters. ¶ But who so þat quakyng dredeþ or desireþ þing þat
nis not stable of his ryȝt. þat man þat so doþ haþ cast
awey hys schelde and is remoeued fro hys place. and [244]
enlaceþ hym in þe cheyne wiþ whiche he may be
drawen.
229 clere—cleer
230 lyuyng—leuynge
haþ—MS. haþe
vnderfote—vndir-foot
prowed[e]—prowde
231 may——chiere—may his cheere holde
232 manace—manesses
233 þe—þe see