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.
