Of the eyen the offyce only is the syght, To se the fayre, the lowe, or altytude, The whyte, or blacke, the hevy, or the lyght, The lytle or great, the weyke or fortytude, The ugly favour, or yet the pulcrytude; This is the use of the eyene intere, To se all thynges whiche may well appere. But of themselfe they can decerne nothynge One frome an other; but the comyn wytte Decerneth colours by spyrytuall connynge, To the fyve inwarde wittes it is so well knytte, Nothynge is sene but it doth judge it: It doth decerne the good from badnes, The hye, the lowe, the foule, the fayrenes. The nose, also, every ayre doth smel, But yet it hath nothynge auctoryte Yf it be swete for to judge and tell; But the comyn wyt doth it in certaynte, Decernynge favours in every degre, Knowynge the swete ayre from the stynkinge, Whan that the nose therof hath smellinge. The eres, also, right well gyve audyence Unto a tale, herynge it perfytely; But they can not decerne the sentence To knowe whereupon it doth so ratyfy, Upon great wysedome or elles upon foly: Thus, whether the tale be ryght good or bad By the comyn wytte the knowledge is had. Foly hath eres as well as sapience, But he can not determyne by his herynge What tale it is, for lacke of intelligence; For the comyn wytte is all understandynge, And that he lacketh to gyve hym knowynge. Wherfore the eres are but an intres To commyn wytte that sheweth the perfytnes. The mouth tasteth both swete and bytternes, But the comyn wyt decerneth proprely Yf it be soure or replete wyth swetenes; Nor yet the handes fele nothyng certaynly, But the comyn wytte decerneth subtylly Whether it be harde, moyst, or drynes, Hote, hevy, softe, or yet colde, doutles. Thus comyn wytte worketh wonderly, Upon the v. gates whyche are receptatyve Of every thynge for to take inwardly, By the comyn wytte to be affyrmatyve Or by decernynge to be negatyve; The comyn wytte, the fyrst of wyttes all, Is to decerne all thinges in generall. And than, secondly, ymagynacyon; Whan the comyn wytte hath the thinge electe, It werketh by all due inclynacyon For to brynge the mater to the hole effecte; And fantasy than hath the hole aspecte, The ymagyned matter to bring to finysshement, Wyth good desyre and inwarde judgement. And estymacion doth well comprehende The space, the place, and all the purveyaunce At what time the power might entende To brynge the cause unto perfyte utteraunce. Often it weyeth the cause in balaunce, By estymacyon ony thinge is nombred, By length or shortnes how it is accombred. Fyftly, the mynde, whan the fourth have wrought, Retayned all tyll the minde have made An outwarde knowlege to the mater thought, Bycause nothynge shall declyne and fade, It kepeth the mater nothynge rethrogarde, But dyrectly, tyll the minde have proved All suche maters whyche the iiij. have moved.