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Of
diuers opinions that the pagan philosophours
held of the conditions ande induring
of the varld, ande quhou the actor
declaris that the varld
is neir ane ende.
Chap. V
<f25v>
THE special cause of the scurge that hes affligit vs,
hes procedit of our disobediens contrar the command
of god. Ande the cause of our disobediens
hes procedit of ane varldly affectione ande cupidite that
ve haue touart the vile corruptione of this varld that
the scriptour callis mammon, quhilk ve hald for ane
souerane felicite, bot nochtheles it is bot ane corrupit
poison in sa far as ve can nocht serue gode ande it to
gyddir. as Sanct mathou hes said, ze may nocht serue
god ande mammon. ther is ane vthir cause that makkis
vs disobedient, mony of us beleuis in our consait that
ther is na thyng perdurabil bot the varld alanerly. sic
abusione procedis of onfaythfulnes, ande of oure blynd
affectione, quhilk makkis vs sa brutal, that ve vait
nocht quhat thing the varld is, nor quhou lang it sal
indure, bot rather ve beleue that it sal be perpetual.
ther for oure cupidite constrenzeis vs to desire prolongatione
of oure dais. that ve maye vse the blynd sensual
felicite of it, quhilk mony of vs thynkis mair comodius
ande necessair for our veilfayr, nor ve thynk of the
sempeternal
<f26r> olimp. Bot vald ve considir the diffinitione
of the varld, than i beleue that oure solistnes
ande vane opinione vald altir in ane faythtful consait.
Ther is mony that speikis of the varld, & zit thai vait
nocht quhat thing is the varld. the pagan philosophours
held mony vane opinions & tynt mekil tyme in vane
questions & speculations, ande hes tormentit the
spreitis, drauand & compiland mony beukis, quhilkis
ar set furtht in diuerse cuntreis, bot zit ther vas neuyr
ane final accordance concludit amang them, for of the
final verite that thai socht, thai gat litil, ande the ignorance
that thai haue put in vrit, is verray mekil, be
rason that the smallest part of ther ignorance in supernatural
cacis, excedit the maist part of ther knaulage.
Plato, aristotel, pithagoras, empedocles, epecurius,
thales, & mony vthir of the pagan philosophours, hes
hed grite defferens ande contentione to paynt ande discriue
the origyne ande propriete of the varld Pithagoras
said that the varld is ane thing, & it that ve cal
vniuersal is ane vthir thyng. the philosophour thales
said that ther is bot ane varld. the astrologien metrodore
affermit, that ther is mony & infinit varldlis. selencus
<f26v> the philosophour said that the varld is eternal.
Plato said that the varld hed ane begynnyng, ande sal
haue ane end, epicurius said that the varld is ronde
lyik ane boule, & empedocles said that the varld is lang
& ronde lyik ane eg. Socrates techit in his achademya,
sayand, that eftir seuyn ande thretty thousand zeiris,
al thingis, sal retourne, to that sammyn stait, as thai
began, ande he to be borne agane in his mother
voymbe ,ande to be neurist til his aige, ande sal teche
philosophie in athenes. dionisius sal exsecute his ald
tirranye in siracuse. Iulius cesar sal be lord of rome,
ande annibal sal conques ytalie. scipio sal put cartage
to sac ande to the sourde, ande grit Allexander sal
venques kyng darius. of this sort al thingis that ar by
past sal returne agane to there fyrst stait. My purpos
is nocht to speik of this material varld that is maid of
the four elementis, of the eird, the vattir the ayr ande
the fyir: bot rather i vil speik of the varld that garris
vs mysknau gode, ande be disobedient tyl his command,
quhen the creator of al thingis, cam in this varld,
to redeme vs, fra the eternal captiuite of sathan, he
complenit ande repreuit the varld, bot zit
<f27r> he repreuit
nocht the eird, the vattir, the ayr nor the fyir, for thai
foure elementis brac nocht his command, i hane herd
diuers pepil regret, maling, ande mak exclamations contrar
the varld, sayand, o false varld, o miserabil varld,
o dissaitful varld, o inconstant varld, o malicius
varld ,ande zit thai kneu nocht, quhat thing is the
varld. eftir my purpos, that varld that the pepil malingnis,
is nocht ane substancial material mas maid of
eird, vattir, ayr & fyir, bot rather it is the euyl lyfe of
the pepil that conuersis viciuslye, ande the prince of
this last varld, is the deuyl ,the quhilk sal be cassin
furtht as is rehersit in the euangel of Sanct ihone:
this varld is nocht formit of the fouer elementis as of
eird vattir ayr ande fyir as gode creat the material
varld in the begynnyng, bot rather it is creat of seuyn
elementis of sathans creatione, that is to saye, auereise
ambitione, luxure, crualte, dissait, onfaythtfulnes, dissimulatione,
& insaciabil cupidite. allace al thir seuyn
elementis that this last varld is creat of, ar ouer
abundand, vitht in oure affligit realme, quhilk is the
cause of the calamite that it induris. bot var ve as
solist to considir the vanite
<f27v> of this last varld as Salomon
considrit it, than doutles ve vald be verray solist
to resist the inuasions of it, quhilk prouokis vs to vice,
or var ve as solist til impung the occasione of syn, as
ve ar solist to seik remeid contrar the exterior accidentis
that oft occurris til hurt oure body, than doutles our
sensual cupidite vald be cum mortefeit ande venqueist.
Oft tymys ve seik remeide to keip vs fra euyl accidentis
that hurtis oure body, as quhen the sune castis oure
grite heyt: ve pas vndir the vmbre or the schaddou.
quhen ve ar tirit to gang on oure feit, ve ar solist to
seik horse to ryde. quhen the rane cummis, ve pas
vndir the thak, or vthir couuert place. quhen ve ar
thirsty ve seik drynk. quhen the plag of pestilens
occurris, ve ar solist to seik ane cleene duelling place
vndir ane temperat climat. Bot in opposit, quhen
auereise assailzeis vs, ve seik nocht the vertu of
liberalite, nor quhen vile luxure trublis vs, ve adhere
nocht to the vertu of temperance ande contenens.
quhen ire affligis vs, ve seik nocht the vertu of patiens
quhen arrogans ande ambitione entris in our hartis, ve
seik nocht the vertu of humilite. ande nou be cause
that ve seik na remeid contrar
<f28r> our disordinat cupidite,
nor zit resistis the occasions ande temptations of the
prouocations of vice, ve becum haistylye venqueist, be
rason that oure smal resistance, generis grit hardynes in
the aduerse party of oure saul. ther is ane mair odius
thing amang vs, for al the vicis that oure cupidite prouokis
vs to commit, our blynd affectione garris vs beleue,
that tha ar supreme vertu ande felicite be cause
thai ar pleisand tyl oure fragil nature, the quhilk is
the principal occasione that ve conuerse sa viciusle as
this miserabil sensual lyif var perpetual, ande as the
dede hed na pouuer to sla oure bodeis, & as there var
nocht ane hel to torment oure saulis, bot as ther var
ane fenzet hel of the poietis fictions, as virgil hes set
furtht in the sext beuk of his eneados. Bot as i hef
befor rehersit, i suspect that there is ouer mony that
beleuis in the opinione of Socrates, that is to saye that
the varld sal indure seuyn ande thretty thousand
zeiris. bot admittand vndir protestatione, that socrates
opinione var of verite, zit socrates hes nocht said that
the terme of oure lyue dais sal pas the course of nature,
that is to saye, to pas the course of ane hundretht zeir,
<f28v> ve haue experiens daly, that quhar ane man lyuis ane
hundretht zeir in ony cuntre ane hundretht lyuis
nocht ane hundretht monetht. Nou to confound the
opinione of Socrates, ande to confound al them that vil
nocht beleue that the varld is neir ane final ende, i vil
arme me vitht the croniklis of master ihone carion,
quhar he allegis the prophesye of helie. sayand that
fra the begynnyng of the varld, on to the consummatione
of it, sal be the space of sex thousand zeir. the
quhilk sex thousand zeir sal be deuydit in thre partis.
the fyrst tua thousand zeir, the varld sal be vitht out
ony specefeit lau in vrit, quhilk vas the tyme betuix
adam ande abraham, the nyxt tua thousand zeir vas
the lau of circoncisione, vitht ane institutione of diuyne
policie, ande vitht adoratione of god, quhilk vas the
tyme betuix Abraham ande the incarnatione quhen
crist ihus resauit our humanite for our redemptione.
the thrid tua thousand zeir sal be betuix the incarnatione
& the last aduent quhilk sal be the consummatione
of the varld. bot thir last tua thousand zeir,
(as master ihone carion allegis in the prophesye of
helie) sal nocht be completit, be rason
<f29r> that the daye
of iugement sal be antecipet, be cause of them that ar
his electis, as is vrityn in the xxiiii cheptour of Sanct
mathou, & nisi breuiati fuissent dies illi, non
fieret salua omnis caro: sed propter electos
breuiabuntur dies illi. quha listis to reide al the
xxiiii cheptour of Sanct mathou, tha sal persaue euidently
that the varld is verray neir ane ende, be rason
that mony of the singis & taikkyns that precedis the
daye of iugement that ar expremit in the foirsaid cheptour,
ar by past, & the remanent ar nou presently in
oure dais: ther for efftir the supputatione of helie as
mastir ihone carion hes rehersit, the varld hes bot four
hundretht fyfty tua zeir tyl indure be cause that ther
is fiue hundrethe fourty aucht zeir by past of the foir
said sex thousand zeir. bot eftir the vordis of Sanct
mathou, the consummatione of the varld sal be haistiar
nor foure hundretht fyftye & tua zeir. zit god hes
nocht affixt ane certan daye to fal vithtin the said
terme of iiii.c.lii zeir, as is rehersit in Sanct mathou, de
die autem illa & hora, nemo s(c)it neque angeli
celorum nisi solus pater. ther for ve haue mistir
to be vigilant ande reddy, sen the terme of cristis cumming
is schort, ande
<f29v> the day oncertane, as is said in
the foir said euangel. vigilate ergo quia nescitis
qua hora dominus vester venturus sit. this veil
considrit, maye be ane probabil rason that the varld is
neir ane ende. quhilk suld be occasione til haue it in
detestatione, ande til haue premeditatione of the future
eternal beatitude & felicite, that gode hes promeist til
al them that haldis it in abhominatione.
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