[Sidenote: Honours do not render undeserving persons worthy of esteem.]
¶ Ne I ne may nat for swiche honours Iuge{ n} hem worþi of reuerence þat I deme { and} holde vnworþi to han þilke same hono{ ur}s.
[Sidenote: If you find a man endowed with wisdom you deem him worthy of respect and of the wisdom which he professes.]
¶ Now yif 1992 þou saie a man þat were fulfilled of wisdom. certys þou ne my[gh]test nat demen þ{ a}t he were vnworþi to þe [[pg 73]] hono{ ur}. or ellys to þe wisdom of whiche he is fulfilled.
[Sidenote: _B._ I could not do otherwise.]
[Sidenote: _P._ Virtue has her proper worth, which she ever transfers to her votaries.]
¶ Certys dignitees q{ uod} she app{ er}tienen 1996 p{ ro}perly to vertue. { and} uertue transporteþ dignite anon to þilke man to whiche she hir self is conioigned.
[Linenotes: 1969 _make_--maken 1969 _grete_--gret 1972 [_ne_]--from C. _ben_--be 1972, 1973 _wikkednesses_--wykkydnesse 1973 _to_--omitted _shew[en]_--shewen 1974 _comeþ_--comth _grete desdeyne_--gret desdaign 1976 _whiche_--which 1977 _hy[gh]t_--hyhte _nonius_--MS. vonn{ us}, C. nomy{ us} _boch_--MS. boþe, C. boch _clepiþ_--clepyd 1979 _nonius_--MS. uonn{ us}, C. nomy{ us} _set_--MS. sette, C. set 1980 _Sest þou_--Sesthow _þan_--thanne _vylenye_--fylonye 1981 _vnworþines_--vnworthynesse 1982 _ben_--be _ysen_--MS. ysene, C. I-sene 1984 _many_--manye 1985 _bere_--beren 1986 _my[gh]t[e]_--myhte 1987 _þe_ (2)--omitted 1988 _whanne_--whan 1989 _say[e]_--saye _had[de]_--hadde 1994 _demen_--deme 1995 _whiche_--which 1996 _quod she_--omitted 1997 _vertue_--vertu _uertue_--vertu 1998 _whiche_--whych]
[Headnote: DIGNITIES APPERTAIN TO VIRTUE.]
[Sidenote: Honours conferred by the populace do not make men worthy of them, for they have no intrinsic merit to bestow.]
¶ And for as moche as hono{ ur}s of poeple ne may nat maken folk digne of hono{ ur}. it is wel seyn clerly þat 2000 þei ne han no p{ ro}pre beaute of dignite. ¶ And [gh]it men au[gh]ten take more hede in þis.
[Sidenote: Dignities conferred upon shrews only make their vices the more conspicuous.]
¶ For if it so be þat he is most out cast þat most folk dispisen. or as dignite ne may nat maken shrewes worþi of no reuerences. þan 2004 makeþ dignites shrewes more dispised þan p{ re}ised. þe whiche shrewes dignit[e] scheweþ to moche folk