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GLORIA VERO QUAM FALLAX. — Prosa 6

"But glorie, how deceyvable and how foul is it ofte! For which thyng nat unskilfully a tragedien (that is to seyn, a makere of dytees that highten tragedies) cride and seide: "O glorie, glorie," quod he, "thow nart nothyng elles to

thousandes of folk but a greet swellere of eres!" For manye han had ful greet renoun by the false opinyoun of the peple, and what thyng mai ben thought foulere than swiche preysynge? For thilke folk that ben preysed falsly, they mote nedes han schame of hire preysynges. And yif that folk han geten hem thonk or preysynge by here dissertes, what thyng hath thilke pris echid or encresed to the conscience of wise folk, that mesuren hir good, nat by the rumour of the peple, but by the sothfastnesse of conscience? And yif it seme a fair thyng a man to han encreced and sprad his name, thanne folweth it that it is demed to ben a foul thyng yif it ne be yspradde and encreced. But, as I seide a litil herebyforn, that syn ther moot nedes ben many folk to whiche folk the renoun of [o] man ne mai nat comen, it byfalleth that he that thow wenest be glorious and renomed semeth in the nexte partie of the erthes to ben withouten glorie and withouten renoun. And certes amonges thise thynges I ne trowe nat that the pris and the grace of the peple nys neyther worthi to ben remembred, ne cometh of wys jugement, ne is ferme perdurably.

"But now of this name of gentilesse, what man is it that ne may wele seen how veyn and how flyttynge a thyng it es? For yif the name of gentilesse be referred to renoun and cleernesse of lynage, thanne is gentil name but a foreyne thyng (that is to seyn, to hem that gloryfien hem of hir lynage.) For it semeth that gentilesse be a maner preisynge that cometh of the dessertes of auncestres; and yif preisynge make gentilesse, thanne mote they nedes ben gentil that been preysed. For whiche thing it folweth that yif thou ne have no gentilesse of thiself (that is to seyn, prys that cometh of thy deserte), foreyne gentilesse ne maketh the nat gentil. But certes yif ther be ony good in gentilesse, I trowe it be al only this, that it semeth as that a maner necessite be imposed to gentil men for that thei ne schulde nat owtrayen or forlynen fro the vertus of hir noble kynrede.