Hier begynneth the book callid the myrrour of the worlde ...

Wherfor and how the vij Artes liberal were founden and of their ordre / capitulo ¶v^o

NOw declareth this book whiche is drawen out of Astronomye how somtyme the notable & wyse phi∣losophres wold enquere of the maner of the world / & how hit had ben created and made of god / wherof moche peple meruaylled / And thenne whan the world was made and compassed / ther was peple ynowhe / Of whiche many behelde the firmament / that torned round aboute the world / and meuyd / they had grete meruaylle how it myght be made /

And they waked and studyed many nyghtes and many dayes / Thenne began they to beholde the sterres that roos in the cest / and meued aboute ouer their hedes Certaynly thise philosophres apetyted not these grete mangeries ne delicyo{us} wynes ne for to fille their belyes / as don beestis that seche nothinge but their pasture / like as this day doo they that retche of nothinge but to fylle their paunche with good wynes & good vitailles & after to haue a fair bedde. white shetes & softe / and there to slepe as the swyne But those were wakyng and studyeng many nyghtes and it greued them not / but they were embelisshid moche of that they sawe the firmament thus torne and so no∣bly to holde his cours & termes Thus sawe they the ster∣res meue til they went doun in the weste / somme on that one side / and somme on the other side / And somme sonner than the other Thus behelde the prudēt men-philosophres and other aboute the firmament til it was day that they sawe the sonne shewe and ryse in the mornyng rede and clere whiche ascended and mounted half the day / And that other half descēded so longe til he wente vnder whiche made the nyght tapproche / And thenne cam agayn the sterres in the nyght in their cours til the sōne cam agayn and enlumyned the day / and helde his way and cours til that he repayred on the morn in to his pryncypal place / After they behelde the mone / whiche was a comune thynge and appered to the world dyuersely / One tyme she was rounde / another tyme half / and after horned / and so wente and becam such as noman myght see her / And after she appered horned and syth half as she had ben to fore / and

also round and full / Thenne knewe they well by their entendemēt that she approched the sonne til she was euen ayenst hym / and after departed / And after she withdrew her more and more til that she was vnder the sonne as she had ben to fore / And thenne she wente & cam agayn euery nyght and day tornyng and makyng her cours a a¦boute the firmament / right as she now doth wyth out ony thyng changyng the contrarye / But now as said is the peple that ben now thynke more / And ben moche more cu∣ryous of their grete and fatte paunches for to fylle / and to make them fatte / by whiche they come the sōner to their ende and to carayn̄ & by their ouermoche nourisshyng & vylaynous / whiche delyuereth them first to trauaylle and after to shame & dampnacion / The auncyent faders go∣uerned them not in this wyse / ffor they setted not of mete and drynke / but for talegge their hungre and thurste for to susteyne their bodyes and to holde hem in helthe in suche wyse as they myght helpe them self by their wittes / as they ought to doo for to come to the glorye of our lord / And that tyme they lyued xx or xxx yere lenger than they doo now of an honderd one / And that procedeth of theyr folissh and outrageous gouernaunce / Certaynly suche peple vnderstande not wel the worde of our lord whan he said to the deuyll whan he cam to tempte hym and saide that he shold make of the stones brede and that he shold ete / Thenne Ihesu Cryst answerd / that man lyued not only by brede / but by the worde that procedeth fro the mouth of god / yf the men in thise dayes vnderstode wel this worde / they wolde reteyne more gladly the doctrynes

that procede and come fro the mouth of our creatour and maker / But the grete rentes that they haue / & the grete tresours of their coffres bē cause of shortyng & abreggyng of their dayes / by their disordinat mangeries that ouer∣moche noye and greue them / so that nature may not wel bere ne susteyne / wherof they muste nedes the sōner rendre their soule and dye / Thus their Rentes / their tresours or other thinge wherin they delyte them / take away theyr lyf / their herte / & their wytte alle attones / In suche wyse that whan deth cometh & muste nedes dye / they haue loste wytte and vnderstondyng / of whom many ben deed and dampned / whiche at their nede may not be counseilled ne can not helpe them self whan they haue moste nede / They lyue not lyke them / that for to kepe them fro peryllis stu∣dyed in sciences and vsed their lyf in suche manere that they wold but susteyne their body only as longe as they shold be in this world / as they that wel knewe that this lyf shold not to them longe endure / And had enuye at none other thinge / but only for to lerne suche science by whiche they myght knowe the souerayn kynge allmygh∣ty that alle had created of nought and made it with his hand / Thenne they thought in their entendemēt as peple that was of noble and vertuous entencōn / that they shold neu haue knowleche of our lord god / ne of so hye myght but yf they entended and serched in his werkes whiche they fonde so excellente / and as grete as they myght en∣quere & knowe / ffor men shal neuer wel knowe the mais∣tre / but yf byfore men knowe parfightly his estate and what his werkes been / ffor by the werkys is the werkeman

knowen / And how he may be suche one / And therfor the auncyent faders wold employe them and assaye the wer∣kis of our lorde / And first for to haue knowleche of his power and his vertue / Considering that they myght not ocupye them self in a more digne ne worthy science ne more diffycile / And whan the more that they knewe of his werkis and of his wisedom / somoche more had they the better wille to loue her creatour and maker / and to ho∣noure hym / considering that he had made so noble a thin∣ge and so worthy as is the heuen in whiche ben the ster∣res that shyne bright therin / and his other meruayllous vertues whiche they preysed moche / ffor how moche more they preysed hym / somoche with good wille they seruyd hym / ffor it was all their affeccion / jntencion and reson to knowe god / ffor as moche as they knewe certainly / that god had gyuen to them with nature witte & raison for to serche and compryse of thinges of therthe / and of them of heuen as moche as they myght knowe / ffor otherwyse they myght neuer haue thought it / Thus a man be he ne¦uer so wise ne discrete / may neuer come for to vnderstan∣de the hye secretes of god ne of his myracles / but by hym ffor by right he knoweth all / But of them that by natu∣re be made and ordeyned in heuen and in erthe / man may wel enquere somme resouns yf it be gyuen hym and that he be garnysshid of good quyk witte / And that he haue sette and employed his tyme to studye & to lerne / And sith they had goten vnderstandyng and raison by their grete estudye labour & trauayll / somoche that they myght comprise wherfore and how alle the world was made and

compassed as ye haue herd here to fore / So thought they thenne / that they myght wel knowe and haue reson of somme thinges / sith they had the vnderstandyng of hym that is almyghty to knowe in partie or atte leste of suche as they myght see with their eyen / how wel that they were ferre / Thus wold they knowe the reson of that / that they sawe so meue the sterres of the firmament & of them that shone so clere / Certainly this was the pryncipal cause why first they put them to studye for tenquere the science that they knewe not / And knewe wel that they shold enquere sonner of thinges that they sawe / than of them that they sawe not / And therfore were they meuyd for to knowe & tenquere the science whiche they knewe not of that they had ofte seen the firmament to meue / & wolde knowe the trouthe / And saide it was right good to knowe it / yf it pleasid god / and to knowe of his naturel werkis / ffor the more parfightly to bileue & knowe how he was god alle myghty / ffor men coude not knowe ne fynde no resons of god but only by his werkis / The good Auncyent wise men / wiche diligently wolde vnderstonde this mater / had noo cure for to amasse none other goodes / but only to lerne the pure science / they were nothing couetous / ne sette not to gadre tresours / And ther were plente of them that apperceyued as wise men that it was a grete charge to them oftymes as wel to kepe it / as to spende it by me∣sure as in other wayes to gete it and bringe it to gedre / And that all this was a letting to them for to lerne / And they deliberid emong them and concluded / that som∣me caste and threwe their tresour in to the see / The other

gaf it away and abandonned to them that wold take it / & wente as hermytes / And the other departed it to poure peple / And other ther were that lefte their good in suche wyse as them semed that they shold haue lasse cause to thynke theron / and reteyned nothyng but only for their vse / And helde with hem certayn folke to serue them to thende only / that they shold entende to nothyng but to stu∣dye and to lerne / They dyde do edefye their houses fro the peple like as religious peple and sette them in suche places that thries or foure tymes the weke they myght assemble & come to gydre for to solace them and sporte / And there eche rendred his reson of that he had founde and lerned / And so longe dyde they thus til they had experimented whiche was trewe / and who knewe most & that they had founden who had moste grettest entendement / And hym they chose by consent of them alle for maistre / And he re∣corded their resons heeryng alle the felawys / and reherced to them alle to gydre that euery man had said / In this manere were the clergies first founden contryued & auaū∣ced / And somoche trauaylled & studyed that they knewe by the helpe of our lord of whom alle science groweth and haboundeth grete partye of that it is / But this was not in lytel tyme / ffor they were longe in studye and vnder∣stode moche / And they that were first / alle that they vnder∣stode and knewe / they put it in wrytyng the best wise they coude / to thēnde that they that shold come after them / and wold entremete in connyng / myght haue their wrytyngis and trauaylle alway in the science as they had don byfore Alle that they fonde and sawe / they sette in compilacions

And dide so moche eche in hi styme that they were more than .ij.M. and .CCCC. yere er they by their labours & continuel studyes had goten the vij Artes or sciences li∣beral and put to gydre / But they helde their labour wel employed & the payne that they put therto / ffor they knew by their witte and by their clergye / alle that was come on erthe by nature / whan they wold sette their cure theron And also were not abasshed whan a merueyllo{us} caas hap∣ped on heuen or on erthe / ffor they coude wel enquere the re∣son wherfore it was / & sith that it happed by nature / And so loued god moche the more / whan they sawe suche mer∣uayllo{us} werkis / And watched many nyghtes with right grete joye and grete studye of this that they sawe & fon∣de so hye werkes / by whiche they amēded them self ayenst our lord that they knewe trouthe / and lefte the vanyte of this world / that so litil is worth for to come to the joye that neuer shall faylle / Of whom plente of wyse philoso∣phres that were in the world deyde wrongfully and without reson / by cause they shewde rightfully to the grete lordes / & gaf them fair examples / in repreuyng & myspreysing their euil tyrannyes and thextorsiouns that they dyde to moche peple / And preched to them right and trouthe / And they that wold not bileue them / & had shame of that they were of them blamed / they made them to be put in their prisons / where they made them to deye by greuous tourmentes / by cause they shewd to them the trouth wherof they were cer∣tayn / like as was don to holy sayntes that suffred deth and passion for the loue of ihesu cryste whom they wold en∣haunse So were ther suche philosophres that by their witte

and vnderstandyng prephecyed the holy tyme of the co∣myng of ihesu cryste lyke as virgyle saide whiche was in the tyme of Cezar at Rome / by whiche plente of peple ha¦ue ben better syth / than they were bifore / ffor he saide that a newe lignage was enioyed fro heuen on hygh̄ that shold do / vertues in erthe by whom the deuyl shold be ouercome / vpon whiche saynt poul that sawe this escripture / whiche he moche preysed / saide with a sorouful herte for so moch•• as he had not ben crysten / ha that j shold haue rendred and yelden the to god / yf thou haddest lyued / and that j had come to the / Other philosophres ther were of whome eue∣rich saide good wordes and meruayllous / But we may not now reherce alle the good thinges that they saide / ffor they were prudent alle and valyant / seen that they set to fore alle other thynges clergye / ffor yf it were not by clergye / men shold not knowe that god were / And yf they had not ben so prudent men as they were / ther had neuer be so grete clergye as is now / And yf ther were now suche as they were thenne that fonde first clergye / it shold be other wyse than it now is / But clergye goth now al to nought / that almost it is perisshid / ffor in thise dayes the peple secth not by cause that they that ought wnderstande vertues and to teche other and enscyne and gyue example to doo well / they ben they that recule and withdrawe fro it And alle this procedeth by their folye / ffor nomā holdeth clergye for vertue / ne he loueth it not ne applyeth it in all poyntes / But many ther ben that sechen the lyes & dres∣tis / and leue the clere wyn̄ / ffor noman lerneth ne secheth now / but for to conne so moche that he myght conquere &

gete the moneye / And whan they haue goten and large∣ly assemblid therof / thenne ben they werse than they were a fore / ffor the money hath so surprysed them that they may entende to none other thinge / Ther ben plente of pour clerkes that gladly wold lerne yf they had the power But they may not entende therto / by cause they haue not wherof for to furnisshe them of their necessitees as wel for to haue bookes as m••te. drinke and clothes / But ben cō∣strayned for to gete their liuyng other wise / ffor the riche haue now in thise dayes seased somoche / that the poure abide naked and must suffre / yet ben ther plente of Riche clerkis that haue bookes without nombre of one & other richely adoubed and couerd to thende that they ben holden for wise and good clerkes / ffor they seche to haue nomore / buf only the loos and preysing of the peple / And doo in lyke wyse as the Cock that shrapeth in the duste for to fynde pasture / he shrapeth so longe in the duste and mulle til he fynde a gemme riche and precyous whiche shyneth clere / thenne he begynneth to loke theron and beholdeth it / and doth nomore but late it lye / ffor he demandeth not af∣ter the ouche or gemme / but had leuir haue somme corn to ete / In like wise is it of many of thise not wise clerkis couetous that haue the precyous bookes richely lymined storyed and wel adoubed / that doo nothinge but loke and beholde them without forth while they be newe by cause them seme that they ben fair / & so they beholde them glad∣ly and passe therwith / and after they torne on that other side and thinke for to fylle their belyes / & to come to their folyssh desyres / And they myght lerne ynoughe yf they

wolde entende it / ffor they haue wel the power / and myght doo as the wise men dyde herto fore / the whiche by their trauayl. studye and diligence fonde first the clergyes / but they haue their entendement folissh and out of the waye / And therfor the sciences and artes perisshe in suche wise that vnneth and with grete payne knowe they their par∣tes of reson whiche is the first book of gramaire / the whiche is the first of the seuen sciences But put their ar∣te•• in their males / and goo lerne anon the lawes or decre∣tals / and become aduocates and iuristes for to amasse & gadre alway money wherin the deuyl conforteth hem / and yet doo they not somoche for to lerne / as they doo for to fylle their purses / In parys Oxenford and Cambrige is ther suche maner of clerkes that ben acustomed to wille haue the Renomme and fame to be called maistres for to be the more preysed and honoured / And haue leuer to conne lytil and to haue the name of maistre / than they shold be good clerkes without hauyng the degree and na∣me of maistre / But they be called maistres wrongfully / ffor vanyte maistryeth them in suche wise that they can but lytil trouthe / bicause that they haue so soone the na∣me of maistre they leue the clergye / And take them to the wynnyng / lyke as marchants doo and brokers / And in this wise ben many in the world that haue the name of maistre / that knowe right lytil of good and reson / ffor they that now desire this ben not maistres after right / ffor they ordeyne them otherwise to the sciences / than they dyde that fonde them first / They entred first in to gramayre for to drawe reson in their ordynaunce / And after logyque

for to preue and shewe the trouth fro the false / After they fonde rethoryque for to speke fair in iugement and right whiche they moche loued / & after arsmetryque for to be ex∣pert in alle thinges / after they fonde geometrie for to me∣sure & compasse alle maistrye / & after they fonde the sciēce of musyque for to sette alle thinges in concordaūce / after they had the vnderstandyng of astronomye / ffor therby were they meuid to haue science & vertue / In this manere ye may vnderstāde how they that first fonde science / ordey∣ned the vij artes or vij sciences / & they ben in suche wise entrelaced that they may not be auctorised that one with∣out that other ne entierly preysed / & also the first may not be perfightly cōned withoute the laste / ne the laste wyth∣out the firste / and he that wille lerne one a right & vnder∣stonde it / hym behoueth to lerne alle the other / ffor otherwi∣se may not be knowen appertly the certayn / ne the incer∣tayn / ffor that one is so comune to that other that it beho∣ueth to knowe of alle / but now men seche to lerne nomore but the arte for to gete y^• moneye / & ben to blame of that the other were preysed that first so trauaylled of whiche it is to vs so grete nede / ffor litil shold we haue knowē yf we had not seen it by writing / ffor as it is tofore said / yf cler∣gye had be loste / we had knowē nothing ne who had be god Ne men shold neuer haue knowen / what thing had ben best to doo / & so shold alle the world haue ben dampned / thēne had we ben born in an euyll houre / ffor the men had knowē nomore than do dombe beestis / and alle the good thinges ben now knowen & alle comen of the vij sciences that the philosophres fonde somtyme by their wyttes / ffor therby

had they vnderstondyng to loue god and his vertues And that god is alway & shal be withouten ende / & so bi∣leued they in grete faith truly in the aūcyent lawe / But in thise dayes the sciēces perisshe by our enuyes detraccōns & other euylles in suche wise that right lityl is reteyned of one and other / ffor now dar no man entende but for ry∣chesse / ffor myssayers felons & enuyo{us} men that wil lerne no good / & yf they see ony entende to sciēces & clergyes / & they be not riche & myghty for to furnysse hem / the Ryche men wil anon scorne & mocque them / & thus wil the deuil exhorte them that is their maister & their lord & to whom it pleseth that they messaye in so moche as he shal reward them with grete hyre that they shal be sure to haue alle euyl aduētures in helle that stynketh where they shal moc∣ke them self and shal saye that they were born in an euyl houre / whan they haue not lerned that they ought to lerne There shal they haue more prouffyt of their sciences / that loued better to cōquere clergye / than the fool to conne kno∣we to assemble the grete tresours & the grete richesses / & knowe ye that alle they that for to gete worldly goodes lefte their tyme for to lerne good / ben alle assured to haue euyl & payne after their deth / ffor by their auarice & cheuaū∣ce the sciences come to nought / so that almost they be pe∣risshyd / & that / whiche now is knowen / cometh & groweth of the vnyusitees of parys oxenford & cambrige & other &c