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 2120 nat pute{n} awey þi foule derk[e] desijres {and} dryue{n} oute fro þe wreched co{m}pleyntes. Certis it nis no power þat þou hast. [Linenotes: 2115 _wolde ben_--wole be 2116 _put[te]_--putte 2117 _lordship[e]_--lordshype 2119 _comaundement_--comau{n}dementȝ _leest isle_--last Ile 2120 _hyȝt_--hyhte 2121 _puten_--putten _derk[e]_--dyrke 2122 _oute_--owt] [Headnote: GENTILITY IS FOREIGN TO RENOWN.] GLORIA UERO QUA{M} FALLAX. [Sidenote: [The 6^the p{ro}se.]] [Sidenote: How deceptive and deformed a thing is glory! Well did the Tragedian exclaim--ὦ δόξα δόξα μυρίοισι δὴ βροτῶν, οὐδὲν γεγῶσι βίοτον ὤγκωσας μέγαν, for the undeserving have been crowned with glory and renown by popular and erring opinion.] ++Bvt glorie how deceiuable {and} how foule is it ofte. for 2124 whiche þing nat vnskilfully a tregedien þat is to sein a maker of dites þat hyȝten tregedies cried[e] {and} seide. ¶ O glorie glorie q{uod} he. þou nart no þing ellys to þousandes of folkes. but a gret sweller of eres. 2128 for many[e] han had ful gret renou{n} by þe fals[e] oppiniou{n} of poeple. [Sidenote: What can be more infamous than renoun founded on the prejudices of the vulgar?] and what þing may ben þouȝt fouler þen swiche p{re}isynge [Sidenote: Those that are undeservedly praised ought to blush for shame.] for þilk[e] folk þat be{n} p{re}ised falsly. þei moten nedes han shame of hir p{re}isynges. 2132 [Sidenote: If a wise man gets well-merited praise it does not add to his felicity.] {and} yif þat folk han gete{n} hem þank or p{re}ysyng by her desertes. what þing haþ þilk pris echid or encresed to þe conscience of wise folk þ{a}t mesure{n} hire good. not by þe rumo{ur} of þe poeple. but by þe soþefastnesse 2136 of conscience. [Sidenote: If it be a good thing to spread abroad one’s fame, it must be dishonourable not to do so.] {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 [[pg 78]] ysprad ne encresed. [Sidenote: But a good name cannot penetrate everywhere, and the most illustrious names must be unknown to the greatest part of the world.] but as I seide a litel her byforne. 2140 þat syn þer mot nedes ben many folk to whiche folk þe renou{n} of a man ne may nat comen. it byfalleþ þat he þat þou wenest be glorious {and} renomed. semiþ in þe nexte p{ar}ties of þe erþe to ben wiþ out glorie. {and} wiþ 2144 out renou{n}.