for certys I ne trowe nat þat any man wolde seyn þis. þat þo þinges þat men don now þ{a}t þei ne weren 4736 to bitiden. first or þei were ydon ¶ and þilk same þinges al þouȝ þ{a}t men hadde{n} ywyst hem by-forn. ȝitte þei han fre bitidynges. for ryȝt as science of þinges p{re}sent ne bryngeþ in no necessite to þinges 4740 [þ{a}t men doon // Ryht so the p{re}science of thinges to comen ne bryngeth in no necessite to thinges] to bytiden [Sidenote: But you may doubt whether there can be any certain prescience of things, of which the event is not necessitated: for here there seems to be an evident contradiction.] but þou mayst seyn þat of þilke same it is ydouted. as wheþer þat of þilke þinges þat ne han non endes {and} 4744 bytidynges necessaryes yif þer-of may ben any p{re}science [Linenotes: 4708 _nowe_--now 4709 _susteniþ_--ysustenyd _stedfast_--stydefast _ladd_--MS. ladde, C. lad 4714 _whiche_--which 4715 [_þat_]--from C. _sholde_--sholden 4716 _demen_--MS. denyen [_þat_]--from C. 4717 _necessite_--MS. necessites 4721 _hys_--hise 4725 [_þat_]--from C. 4727 _veyne_--veyn _alle_--al _crafte_--craft 4729 _þise_--MS. þise þise, C. the 4732 _wiþ out_--w{i}t{h}-owte 4733 _bytide_--bytyden _whiche_--which 4737 _were_--weeren _ydon_--MS. ydone, C. I-doon _þilk_--thilke 4741-2 [_þat----thinges_]--from C. 4744 _endes_--issues] [[pg 164]] [Headnote: THE NATURE OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE.] [Sidenote: If things are foreknown, you may contend they must necessarily happen; and if their event is not necessary, they cannot be foreseen, because true knowledge can comprehend nothing but what is absolutely certain.] ¶ For certys þei seme to discorde. for þou wenest þat yif þat þinges ben yseyn byforn þat necessite folweþ hem. and yif ({et} putas) necessite faileþ hem þei ne 4748 myȝten nat ben wist byforn. {and} þat no þinge ne may ben comp{re}hendid by science but certeyne. [Sidenote: And if things uncertain in their events are foreseen as certain, this knowledge is nothing more than a false opinion.] {and} yif þo þinges þat ne han no certeyne bytidynges ben ypurueied as certeyn. [Sidenote: For it is very remote from true knowledge to judge of things otherwise than they really are.] it sholde ben dirkenesse of oppiniou{n} nat 4752 soþefastnesse of science [{and} þ{o}u weenyst þ{a}t it be diu{er}se fro the hoolnesse of science / þ{a}t any man sholde deme a thing to ben oother weys thanne it is it self]. [Sidenote: The cause of this error is that men imagine that their knowledge is wholly derived from the nature of the things known, whereas it is quite the reverse.]