whiche may noie be, for Cicero seicthe in the booke that he made of
Divinacion, and the famous doctour seint Austyn in the book of Fre wille,
and also Boecius in his booke of Consolacion, or[147] Comforte ayenst
mysfortune, accorden to the same, that we shuld not only trust that the
thinges whiche sounethe to adversite or infortune, and the whiche comethe
to us adversarily or on the lift side, for oure offenses not keping the
lawes of God, that oft tymes comythe, they dyvynyng that they fallithe be
casuelte of fortune, by prophesies, orellis thoroughe influence and
constellacions of sterris of hevyn, whiche jugementes be not necessarilie
true, for and if it were like to trouthe it were but as contingent and of
no necessite, that is to sey, as likely to be not as to be. And if a
constellacion or prophesie signified that suche a yere or bethin suche a
tyme there shulde falle werre, pestilence, or deerthe of vitaile to a
contree or region, or privacion of a contre, it is said but dispositiflie
and not of necessite or certente, for than it shulde folow that the
prophesies, constellacions, and influence of sterris were maistris over
Goddis power, and that wolde soune to an herisie orellis to a gret erroure.
And if suche {51} prophesies and influence of the seide constellacions
might be trew, yet God hathe gyve that souvereynte in mannys soule that he,
havyng a clene soule, may turne the contrarie disposicion that jugement of
constellacion or prophesies signified. As it is verified by the famous
astrologien Ptolome in his booke called Centilogie, the capitalle, seieng
_quod homo sapiens dominatur astris_, that a man is sovereyn abofe suche
domes of constellacions. And therfor ye oughte not deme ne conceyve the
gret adversite that fallithe to us is not falle to us by prophesie or by
influence of constellacion of sterris, but only for synne and wrecchidnes,
and for lak of prudence and politique governaunce in dew tyme provided, and
havyng no consideracion to the comen wele, but rathir to magnifie and
enriche oure silfe by singler covetise, using to take gret rewardis and
suffring extorcions over the pore peple, for whiche inconvenientis by the
jugementis and suffraunce of God, and of his divine providence, the whiche
by divers and of his secretis and as misteries unknowen to us he hathe
suffred this mysfortune among us here, and privacion of the saide roiaume
of Fraunce and contreis ther to falle upon us. And who so wolle considre