Prolicionycion [sic]

¶ Capitulum 12

THe name of philosophres had begynnyng of Pyctagoras / for old grekes callyd hym self sophistris that is wyse / but Pyctagoras whan me axed what man he was / he answerd and sayde that he was a Philosopher that is a louer of wytte and of wysedom for to clepe him self a wyseman it wold seme grete boost & pryde / Afterward other philosophres hadden her names of her auctours ¶And soo they that held pyctagoras loore / were cal∣led pyctogoraci· And they that helden Platoes loore were cleped platonici ¶Pol̄ libro primo Somme philosophres hadden na∣mes of contrees & so they that helden pyctagoras lore were cleped Italya / For Pyctagoras taught a grete contre of Italye / that somtyme was called the grete grecia / Other were callyd Io∣nyci / that hadden that name of the yonder grece / theyr Auctor & prince was tales and millesius Ysidorus libro octauo ¶Other had names of standyng and comyng to geders as stoycy· acha¦demice peripatetici Stoyci had that name of a porche of Athe∣ne called Stoa in the langage of grece ther in was peynted the grete beryng and dedes of wisemen. and of strong The firste of hem was yeuen that all synne was lyke grete and thus he mea∣ned that it were as grete synne to stele strawe as gold & to slee a knyght as an hors for the beest he saide is not to blame but the mannes wylle ¶ This Zenon̄ sayd that mannes soule shal dye with the body. Treuisa I wolde a wyseman had seen his water /

and powred it in his throte though it were a galon· ¶ Than it foloweth in the storye he and his scolers sayde that they shold not dure withouten ende and netheles they desired lif withouten ende Achademici hadden that name of platoes towne beside a thene called achademia and was in poynt for to falle· there pla¦to was woont for to studye ¶ This trowed al thyng was vn∣certaynly made / Archelaus brought vp that secte but democrit{us} made it more ¶But it must be graunted that many thynges be vnknowen and hidde fro mannes knowleche. ¶ So god wyl that many thynges passe the knowleche of man. And also ma∣ny thynges be that maye be knowen by mannes kyndly wytte / Paripatetici haue that name of wandrynge and of walkyng▪ for Aristotle was her Auctour and was wont to dispute wan∣dryng and walkyng· Augustinus de ciuitate dei libro octauo Ther be thre maner philosophres of kynde and taketh hede of kyn¦de of thynges suche were· tales Millesius Pyctagoras and they that helde her loore / And somme ethici that toke hede and taught the knowleche and connynge of gode lyuynge and of thewes •• Suche was Socrates and they that held his loore / and Plato specially and they that helde his loore Therfore amonge all he is preysed for a parfighte techer of Philosophi•• ¶ Ysidorus libro octauo capitulo sexto ¶ Therfor he is a veray phisosophre that hath knoheleche of thynges that longeth to god and to man and holdeth al maner way of rightful lyuyng / But of al manere of Philosophres they that were cleped dyuynes were reputed for moost excellent For they treated of god that is almyghty. Ne∣theles many of hem erred in treatyng of god and of the world And many came to the knowleche of god netheles they worship¦ped hym not as god / but vanysshede away in her thoughtis and sayd that they were wyse and they were made fooles. The err∣ours of hem brought in afterward many errours in holy chir∣che / Suche a fals errour is that dede men shal not ryse at the day of dome· and that euery martir is euen and pere to god Au∣gustinus de ciuitate dei libro octauo / capitulo decimo / ¶ They that had right knowleche of god profyted moche to the knowle¦che of truth and suche was plato that sayd that in god is cau∣se of beyng / reason of vnderstandyng and ordre of good lyuyng And therfor god is to vs begynnyng of kynde so••hnes of loore and grace of lyf· Also ther were Philosophres that trauaylled theyr wyttes to fynde and knowe cause of thynges and maner

of lyuyng· netheles they were mooste preysed that knewe god & where he is and that he is cause of al thynges that is wrought and lyghte of sothnesse and of truthe and welle of grace / that we shal drynke To this knowleche they come in this maner / they trauaylled theyr wyttes to fynde the best of all that is god They knewe that / that is no body for a body maye be fordone & corrupted for it is made of contrary thynges Also they toke hede that god is no lykenesse / that may be chaunged therfore he passed al bodyes and al lykenesses ¶The body is sene withoute the lykenesse of the bodye is in thought within & that that is in thought within / is no body but lykenesse of a bodye Than the lykenesse is knowen by a thyng that is nowther the lykenesse nowther the bodye and that that is lykenesse is seen and demed whether it be fayre owther fowle / is better than the thynge that is soo demed Ther is no fayrenesse of body whether it be in sta∣te of body as in shap of lengthe and brede owther in moeuynge as in songe but suche as the inwytte of man demeth / and that myght not be but yf ther were a better lykenesse in the inwytte without swellyng of body and cryeng of mannes wis without lengthe or space of the place and of tyme· But that is mannes thought and kynde in wytte of mannes sowle and that is no bo¦dy· syth that the lykenesse that is knowen therby is no body But and our inwytte is no body shold god make that our in wytte be a body / Also our inwytte is chaungeable and moeua∣ble / els sholde no mannes wytte knowe better than other· of that he felyth and knoweth neyther he that is wyttyer better than he that is duller / And yet· the same wytte amendeth and profyteth and demeth better after than byfore / But what that is amended and apeyred is chaungeable Than philosophres and dyuynes knewen wel that no thyng that is chaungeable may be but by hym that is a stydfaste and not chaungeable· to him is none other beyng than lyuyng. none other being than vnderstanding none other beyng than be wele ¶Eutr & Mariauns