That a man sholde surmonte al bestis in vertues and namely in two. Capitulum xxm.
hItte is to witte, that lyke as a man of al bestis that euer god makyd surmountyth in nobelesse of kynde, So he sholde ham surmounte in vertues, and namely in two, that byth two begynnyngis and hedis of al maner mankynde workis, that is to wyttynge, vndyrstondynge or reysone, and wille. And therfor euery vertu that is done by good vndyrstondynge or reyson is y-callid Prudencia; And̛ euery vertu by the wyche a man doith any worke Duly and ryghtfully. hit is y-callid Iusticia, and appendyth to wille, for the Ryghtfulnes of workis or of dedis comyth and rysyth of Ryghtfulnesse of wille. But of this two goodis hit is to say of the goodnesse of reyson, and of the goodnesse of wille, and of har profiteis, a man is destourbet in two maners: In oone manere by the wickydnesse of Fleshly appetites, that is to witte by glotony and Lechurie, and for thes wyckydnes to refrayne, hit be-howyth haue the vertu of temperance; In an-othyr maner thay byth destroubid by the wickydnesse of corage, the whyche comyth of foreyne thynges, as drede that a man hath of Perelis, othyr of trauals, for the whyche is nedfull thynge to a man that he be Stabelid and confermyd by the Streyth of the vertue that gothe not out of the wey, ne ouerpassyth that that reysone yewyth; this vertue is callid Streynthe of corage or of herte, In latyn as aforsayde hit is callid̛ Fortitudo. And as y-aforsayde thes bene the foure cardynall vertues, that is to witte Pryncipall vertues or Souerayns, For to ham byth remewid̛ al that othyr vertues as to har cheffs. And thegh vertu appendyth to al men, namly hit appendyth to a kynge and to a prynce, [folio 18L] and to al others that [folio 38b] owyth any Pepile to gouerne ande redresse. Amonge thes vertues that we haue namyd aftyr ryght ordyr, Hit be-howyth to begyn̛ wyth