Walters Ms. W.199, Gossouin of Metz, Image du Monde

112

and tended to them, which is to say it gave to each man what he needed to live, it was called "monnoie." "Monos" in Greek means "only one thing." For at that time there was only one kind of money in the whole world. but now everyone makes his own adulterated money and misuses it more than if there were only one coin or matter. For you seen in this respect a lot of fraud. The philosophers did not set it up this way. Rather, they established money in order to save the world. And I say this: if all money was removed from circulation except for the tournois and the parisien, then coins would be smaller and less heavy, and easier to carry on the road. For since they would be smaller and lighter, they would be of more worth in helping and having one's life; and indeed they were invented for no other purpose. For money is not stolen except for the gold and silver that is in it. And those who first established it made it very small and light so that it could be more easily carried by anyone, wherever they wanted to go. [rubric:] This speaks of the philosophers who in former times used to travel the world. [/rubric]

Thus the philosophers went through the world wherever they wanted by means of their money, and the merchants went with their wares, or people went on pilgrimage, [grammar problem here] or to seek out and inquire into other places that they wanted to know about. For there were many people who were philosophers and wanted to experience all things, who went by sea and by land, the better to investigate the truth of the secret things of heaven and earth. They did not roast themselves at the great fires and braziers as is done now by many who wander [truant] with false devotion [papelart]. There are these latter types in the world who do not give themselves to any good things or any virtues except to have the world's praise. And so they would go searching by sea and land in every place, to understand good and evil better and to learn how to distinguish the one from the other, and for this they endured many great struggles to gain the salvation of their souls. But these days no one seeks anything except to have the renown of being called master, so as to gain the praise of the world, which so quickly fails them. Certainly

113

the evil man cannot think of high things. For he who is of the earth pays attention to the earth, and he who aspires to God, God attends to him. [note the word play here]. For God himself says so in these words: "He who is of earth, speaks of the earth. And he who comes from heaven aspires to heaven. He who is without peer [lit: other] is Lord of all [lit: the others]. The philosophers, who knew well how to understand these words, considered it more worthy to suffer hardship and tribulation [see note] in order to learn, rather than to incline to worldly honors. For they held the sciences and scholarship [see note] to be more valuable than all the lordships of the world. Plato, who was a powerful and praised teacher in Athens, left his noble state and his home because he wanted to live in such fame. He searched out many countries and regions and held it more worthy to have pain, tribulation, and shame for the sake of seeking out and learning truth, than to have lordship and domination in the world. Nor did he want to have the renown of being a master. He would never say anything of which he was not certain just so he could gain the vain praise of the world. [see note] Appollinus, who was such a great prince, left his empire and his reign and departed poor and naked in order to learn the sciences

He was captured and sold many times by strangers. Of all those who bought and sold him none was all that brave, yet he never fought back (lit: fought back) either in the sale or in the purchase, but was always able to learn from it. And he worked so hard in every place to learn and recognize God and the world, which [knowledge] he held more valuable to have than any other worldly treasure. He saw sitting on a throne of gold a great philosopher of great renown who was teaching his students within his throne room, where he was seated, and he was teaching them about the actions of Nature and about good morals and the course of the days and of the stars, and of the reason and meaning of the things that contain wisdom. This philosopher was named Hyarchas. Apollonius searched afterwards for so long in many countries that he [finally] found the table of fine gold which was so famous that it was acclaimed the Table [see note] of the Sun, in which the whole world was portrayed. He saw it and learned of many deeds and many marvels that he loved more than any realm. He wandered through such strange lands that he passed the river Ganges and through all of India

all the way to the end for long as he could find a path, and wherever he was he always found something that he could learn and from which he could get benefit for himself and others, in order to progress before God. King Alexander, too, suffered innumerable travails in order to learn. But he went from one place to another in royal state and with the power of men, and so he was not as well able to learn and investigate things for their truth. Virgil went through many lands and countries as well, to investigate the truth of things. Ptolemy, who was the king of Egypt, did not consider himself quit of this duty [see note], so he wandered through many countries until he had found many marvels. Saint Paul, who was a very wise man, went to many countries and through many realms, the better to learn and see and test all the good scholars that he could find. Saint Brandon never stopped wandering, by sea and by land, so much that he saw many great marvels. For he came upon an island in the ocean where he saw certain birds that spoke like spirits, and they told him some