Three prose versions of the Secreta Secretorum / edited with an introduction and notes by Robert Steele and a glossary by T. Henderson

Nowe here y an end makyth of the thyrde Cardynal vertue that ycallid in lateyn, Fortitudo, in Englysℏ Streynthe, And trete of the iiij^e cardynal vertue, that Is in latyn callid Temporancia, Is myn entente god helpynge. Amen. Capitulum Tricessimum quartum.

tHe fourthe vertue Cardynal, Clerkes callyth Temporance, by the wiche a man kepyth and holdyth mesure in ettynge and drynkynge, and surfetyth not, as in women, and from al Surfetys hym kepyth in al his dedis and Syggynges. And therfor Tully Sayth, "If thou desyriste Temporance Put away euery Surfete, and restrayne thy desyres; Reward thow how myche kynde askyth, and not how mych couetyse desyryth." Ife thou haste the vertue of Temporance, therto shalte thou comme, yf thou be Payet of thy-Selfe without couetyse of more to haue. For y-now he hath, that Is ap-Payet of that, that he i-richet Is, ffor more he will not desyre. And he that more couetyth, than he hath, he knowlechyth that he y-now haue not, And therfor to thy couetyse Sette thou the bridill, in ettynge and drynkynge be thou y-temperit, And aftyr that kynde askyth, put mesure. Bettyr Is lytill than to mych, but the mene alboth Surmountyth in bountee. Whan thou art in company, that thynge whych thou haste blamet, thou shalt not ette ne drynke. To the Delytes whych now byth present, ouermoche thou shalt not the yeue, ne tho [folio 43bL] that ben absente, thou

shalt not gretely desyre. See that thou can lyue [folio 53b] Of Lytill mette and Drynke. Drynke not for Delite, as doth the glotone, But for nede that thou haste; lette hungyre yeue the talent, and not Sause ne Saueure. If thou be attempret by the vertu aforsayd, thou shalt enchu foule thynges ar that thay falle, ffor no man Sudaynly taken, may not well kepe hym-Selfe. And whoso will not enchu evil company, Sudaynly he shall fall in fowle thynges. Be-holde wel al the meuementis of the body and of Corage, that ther be not in ham no filthehede. Be neuer the more hardy to done amyse, be-cause that thou arte alone by thy-Selfe, and no man Seth the; ffor a man may for euyl dedys be shent, thegh othyr men See ham not done. Thow shalt not drede no man more than thy-Selfe, ffor Sumtyme euery man Is absent to the, but thou art al tymes presente to thy-Selfe, And al that thou doste Pryueli, god Seth hit opynli. Foule and vnclene wordys thou shalt enchu, ffor hit is not fere fro the herte, that the mouthe Spekyth, and that that Is in the mouthe, Sone to the dede approcedyth. Thyn̄ accusementes thou shalt medill euenly and menely wythout empeirement of dignyte, Play not to myche, ne lagh not moche, ffor Salomon Sayth, "laghynge Is alway in the mouthe of the fole," and the fole enhawsyth his voyse whan he laghyth. The wys man wenethe he Softe laghyth. Ther is tyme of laghynge, tyme of wepynge, tyme of Speche, and tyme of beynge stille. In two causes sholde no wys man lagh, that Is to witte, in despite of anothyr man, ne for that myschefe anothyr Is betyde. Who-so laghyth when he sholde not, he Is holde [folio 44L] dyshoneste; And who-so neuer laghes, he Is ouer estrange in company. Shewe thy witte, and greue no man; whan thou shalt Play, Of veleyny the nedyth to kepe. Thou Shalte lagh wythout grynnynge, Speke wyth-out cry or noyse-makynge, Goo wythout Slouthe, Reste the wythout dyshoneste. Ouer al thynge thou shalte enchu and hate Parfitely losengerie in thy-Selfe and otheris, ffor losengerie destrueth euery vertu; the losengeoure shal Sayne to the, "god thankid, thou doste welle, and thou arte ful of vertues and of witte, riche, estable, stronge, worthy, hardy, Semely, and fayre of body, large of herte, wel despendynge, a nobill man and of grete Parage, well prowid in dedys of armes; so god me helpe, In al this land nys none thy Pere." Who-so suche losengeris belewyth othyr trowyth, they shal falle in Pride

and ouertrouth, wherthrogh thay shal Suche thynges take in hande, that neuer they shall mow well brynge to a good ende. Salamon Sayth, "the losengeoure whyth his mouthe begilyth his frende"; And therfor Caton̄ Sayth, Plus alijs de te, quam tu tibi credere noli, that Is to say, "Belew thou not anothyr man of the, more than thy-Selfe." Thou shalt wythstonde a losengeoure vtreli, that he be rebuked, and So Shalte thou done thyn owyn profite and his also, for So thou shalt not be dyscewid, and he shal not entremyt hym to discewe. Warnynge and amonestynge recewe thou gladly, and reprowynge wythout wrath or gurchynge. Ife a man reproueth the ryghtfully, thou houyste to cvne hym thanke, And yf he doth [folio 54] Hit Wrongfully, hyt may be þat he wende that he did ryghtfully.expand_less And yf Hit be that he the reprowe Wrongfully, the trouth tell hym benurly, ffor ther nys no man but he Sumtyme mystake. Salamon Sayth, "A blessyd answere abbatyth wrethe, and an harde and a thawrtouer worde raysyth [Mysyth in MS.] Stryfe and wodnesse. Reproue thou a vyse man, and he shall loue the; reproue a fole and he shal the hate." Caton̄ Sayth,

Virtutem primam Puta compescere linguam.Proximus est ille deo qui scit racione tacere,

that Is to say, "Trow thou the Pryncipal vertue to refrayne thy tonge, For he Is negh to god that can be still by reyson." And therfor hath kynde enuyronet a manes tonge wyth tethe and lippes as wyth two wallis, to Sygnyfie that no word Sholde out-Passe, but yf hit were triet wyth reyson. Kynde vs hath grauntid two eighen and two eeris, Saue but one tonge, vs to Show that more we sholde see and hyre, than Speke. Salamon Sayth, "Al that the fole thynkyth he Spekyth, but the vyse man abydyth the houre couenyable to Speke." In Spekynge a poete consailyth vj Poyntes to be-holde and kepe by this versis.

Si Sapiens fore vis, Sex serua que tibi mando:Quid loqueris, et vbi, de quo, cui,cur in MS. quomodo, quando.

that is to Say, "Ife thou wylt be wyse, Sixe thynges kepe whych y comande the: That Is to witte, what Is that, that thou Spekyste, whare, and of whome, to whome, whate manere, and in whate tyme." Vices and ewil taichis thou shalt enchue and hate in thy-Selfe, but anothyr manes vices thou shalt not to

besy encherch, nethyr aspy, For Suche a man by reysone is to hate; whan the [folio 45L] behowyth an [and in MS.] ill doer to reproue, thou shalt hit not done ouersharpely, but in fayre manere. Reprowe was founde for amendement of hym̄ that Is reprowid, But whan a man Is ouer-harde reprouet, he hatyth his reprowere, and So therof he is empeyrid and not amendyd. Therfor Sayt[h] Salamon, whose ouer-harde Snythyth the noos, he draueth blode, and therfor wyth benurtee and fayre chere thou Sholdyst reproue, and the trespace lyghtely foryewyn̄. whan a man Spekyth the wyth, fayrly hym hyre, And whath that his answere shall ben, gladely hit hym Sayne. And yf he thyn answere in dispite haue, neuer for that be thow ymeuet, ne chydynge make, ne thyn endyngnacion̄ to hym̄ Sayne. For hit is grete honoure to a man hym to wythdrawe fro chydynge. By this forsayde vertue of Temporance, of al Pepil thow shalte ben ylowid, yf thay that ben lowyr than thow, thow haue not in dispite. And to thyn̄e Souerayns doste honnoure and reuerence, And to thy felowis due company. To Souerayns reuerence and honoure, to Subiectes helpe and Socoure, to fellowis company and douceoure, to al men be benure, to no man flatterynge; haue thou fewe Pryue men, be ryghtfull to al men, Slow to be wroth, Redy to mercy, In aduersite Stydfaste, In prosperite wel avysete and humble.