XIII. FORTUNE.
————Fortune
That semeth trewest when she wol bigyle,
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
And, when a wight is from hire whiel ithrowe,
Than laugheth she, and maketh hym the mowe.
(Troylus and Cryseyde, bk. iii. st. 254, vol. iv. p. 299.)
She (Fortune) vseþ ful flatryng familarité wiþ hem þat she enforceþ to bygyle.
(Chaucer’s Boethius, [p. 30].)
. . . . . . . She lauȝeþ and scorneþ þe wepyng of hem þe whiche she haþ maked wepe wiþ hir free wille . . . . . . . Yif þat a wyȝt is seyn weleful and ouerþrowe in an houre.
(Ib. [p. 33].)
In book v., stanza 260, vol. v. p. 75, Chaucer describes how the soul of Hector, after his death, ascended ‘up to the holughnesse of the seventhe spere.’ In so doing he seems to have had before him met. 1, book 4, of Boethius, where the ‘soul’ is described as passing into the heaven’s utmost sphere, and looking down on the world below. See Chaucer’s Boethius, [p. 110, 111].
Ætas Prima is of course a metrical version of lib. ii. met. 5.
Hampole speaks of the wonderful sight of the Lynx; perhaps he was indebted to Boethius for the hint.—(See Boethius, book 3, pr. 8, [p. 81].)
I have seen the following elsewhere:
(1) Value not beauty, for it may be destroyed by a three days’ fever.
(See Chaucer’s Boethius, [p. 81].)
(2) There is no greater plague than the enmity of thy familiar friend.
(See Chaucer’s translation, [p. 77].)
Chaucer did not English Boethius second-hand, through any early French version, as some have supposed, but made his translation with the Latin original before him.
Jean de Méung’s version, the only early French translation, perhaps, accessible to Chaucer, is not always literal, while the present translation is seldom free or periphrastic, but conforms closely to the Latin, and is at times awkwardly literal. A few passages, taken haphazard, will make this sufficiently clear.
Et dolor ætatem jussit inesse suam. And sorou haþ comaunded his age to be in me ([p. 4]).
Et ma douleur commanda a vieillesse
Entrer en moy / ains quen fust hors ieunesse.
Mors hominum felix, quæ se nec dulcibus annis
Inserit, et mæstis sæpe vocata venit.
Þilke deeþ of men is welful þat ne comeþ not in ȝeres þat ben swete (i. mirie). but comeþ to wrecches often yclepid. ([p. 4])
On dit la mort des homes estre eureuse
Qui ne vient pas en saison plantureuse
Mais des tristes moult souuent appellee
Elle y affuit nue / seche et pelee.
Querimoniam lacrymabilem. Wepli compleynte ([p. 5]). Fr. ma complainte moy esmouuant a pleurs.
Styli officio. Wiþ office of poyntel ([p. 5]). Fr. (que ie reduisse) par escript.
Inexhaustus. Swiche . . . þat it ne myȝt[e] not be emptid ([p. 5]). Fr. inconsumptible.
Scenicas meretriculas. Comune strumpetis of siche a place þat men clepen þe theatre ([p. 6]). Fr. ces ribaudelles fardees.
Præcipiti profundo. In ouer-þrowyng depnesse ([p. 7]).
[L]As que la pensee de lomme
Est troublee et plongie comme
En abisme precipitee
Sa propre lumiere gastee.
Nec pervetusta nec incelebris. Neyþer ouer-oolde ne vnsolempne ([p. 11]). Fr. desquelz la memoire nest pas trop ancienne ou non recitee.
Inter secreta otia. Among my secre restyng whiles ([p. 14]). Fr. entre mes secrettes et oyseuses estudes.
Palatini canes. Þe houndys of þe palays ([p. 15]). Fr. les chiens du palais.
Masculæ prolis. Of þi masculyn children ([p. 37]). Fr. de ta lignie masculine.
Ad singularem felicitatis tuæ cumulum venire delectat. It deliteþ me to comen now to þe singuler vphepyng of þi welefulnesse ([p. 37]). Fr. Il me plait venir au singulier monceau de ta felicite.
Consulare imperium. Emperie of consulers ([p. 51]). Fr. lempire consulaire.
Hoc ipsum brevis habitaculi. Of þilke litel habitacle ([p. 57]). Fr. de cest trespetit habitacle.
Late patentes plagas. Þe brode shewyng contreys ([p. 60]).
QViconques tend a gloire vaine
Et le croit estre souueraine
Voye les regions patentes
Du ciel . . . . . .
Ludens hominum cura. Þe pleiyng besines of men ([p. 68]).
Si quil tollist par doulz estude
Des hommes la solicitude . .
Hausi cœlum. I took heuene ([p. 10]). Fr. ie . . . regarday le ciel.
Certamen adversum præfectum prætorii communis commodi ratione suscepi. I took strif aȝeins þe prouost of þe pretorie for comune profit ([p. 15]). Fr. ie entrepris lestrif a lencontre du prefect du parlement royal a cause de la commune vtilite.
At cujus criminis arguimur summam quæris? But axest þou in somme of what gilt I am accused? ([p. 17]). Fr. Mais demandes tu la somme du pechie duquel pechie nous sommes arguez?
Fortuita temeritate. By fortunouse fortune ([p. 26]). Fr. par fortuite folie.
Quos premunt septem gelidi triones. Alle þe peoples þat ben vndir þe colde sterres þat hyȝten þe seuene triones ([p. 55]). Fr. ceulx de septentrion.
Ita ego quoque tibi veluti corollarium dabo. Ryȝt so wil I ȝeue þe here as a corolarie or a mede of coroune ([p. 91]). Fr. semblablement ie te donneray ainsi que vng correlaire.
In stadio. In þe stadie or in þe forlonge ([p. 119]). Fr. ou (for au) champ.
Conjecto. I coniecte ([p. 154]). Fr. ie coniecture.
Nimium . . . adversari ac repugnare videtur. It semeþ . . . to repugnen and to contrarien gretly. Fr. Ce semble chose trop contraire et repugnante.
Universitatis ambitum. Envirounynge of þe vniuersite ([p. 165]). Fr. lauironnement de luniuersalite.
Rationis universum. Vniuersite of resoun ([p. 165]). Fr. luniuersalite de Raison.
Scientiam nunquam deficientis instantiæ rectius æstimabis. Þou shalt demen [it] more ryȝtfully þat it is science of presence or of instaunce þat neuer ne fayleþ ([p. 174]). Fr. mais tu la diras plus droittement et mieulx science de instante presentialite non iamais defaillant mais eternelle.
Many of the above examples are very bald renderings of the original, and are only quoted here to show that Chaucer did not make his translation from the French.
Chaucer is not always felicitous in his translations:—thus he translates clavus atque gubernaculum by keye and a stiere ([p. 103]), and compendium (gain, acquisition) by abreggynge (abridging, curtailment), [p. 151]. Many terms make their appearance in English for the first time,—and most of them have become naturalized, and are such as we could ill spare. Some few are rather uncommon, as gouernaile (gubernaculum), [p. 27]; arbitre (arbitrium), [p. 154]. As Chaucer takes the trouble to explain inestimable (inæstimabilis), [p. 158], it could not have been a very familiar term.
Our translator evidently took note of various readings, for on [p. 31] he notes a variation of the original. On [p. 51] he uses armurers (= armures) to render arma, though most copies agree in reading arva.
There are numerous glosses and explanations of particular passages, which seem to be interpolated by Chaucer himself. Thus he explains what is meant by the heritage of Socrates ([p. 10, 11]); he gives the meaning of coemption ([p. 15]); of Euripus ([p. 33]); of the porch ([p. 166]).[11] Some of his definitions are very quaint; as, for instance, that of Tragedy—‘a dité of a prosperité for a tyme þat endiþ in wrechednesse’ ([p. 35]). One would think that the following definition of Tragedian would be rather superfluous after this,—‘a maker of dites þat hyȝten (are called) tregedies’ ([p. 77]).
Melliflui . . . oris Homerus
is thus quaintly Englished: Homer wiþ þe hony mouþe, þat is to seyn. homer wiþ þe swete dites ([p. 153]).
The present translation of the De Consolatione is taken from Additional MS. 10,340, which is supposed to be the oldest manuscript that exists in our public libraries. After it was all copied out and ready for press, Mr Bradshaw was kind enough to procure me, for the purpose of collation, the loan of the Camb. University MS. Ii. 3. 21, from which the various readings at the foot of the pages are taken.
Had I had an opportunity of examining the Cambridge MS. carefully throughout before the work was so far advanced, I should certainly have selected it in preference to the text now given to the reader. Though not so ancient as the British Museum MS., it is far more correct in its grammatical inflexions, and is no doubt a copy of an older and very accurate text.
The Additional MS. is written by a scribe who was unacquainted with the force of the final -e. Thus he adds it to the preterites of strong verbs, which do not require it; he omits it in the preterites of weak verbs where it is wanted, and attaches it to passive participles (of weak verbs), where it is superfluous. The scribe of the Cambridge MS. is careful to preserve the final -e where it is a sign (1) of the definite declension of the adjective; (2) of the plural adjective; (3) of the infinitive mood; (4) of the preterite of weak verbs; (5) of present participles;[12] (6) of the 2nd pers. pret. indic. of strong verbs; (7) of adverbs; (8) of an older vowel ending.
The Addit. MS. has frequently thilk (singular and plural), and -nes (in wrechednes, &c.), when the Camb. MS. has thilke[13] and -nesse.
For further differences the reader may consult the numerous collations at the foot of the page.
If the Chaucer Society obtains that amount of patronage from the literary public which it deserves, but unfortunately has yet not succeeded in getting, so that it may be enabled to go on with the great work which has been so successfully commenced, then the time may come when I shall have the opportunity of editing the Camb. MS. of Chaucer’s Boethius for that Society, and lovers of Early English Literature will have two texts instead of one.
[1] Other translations are by John Walton of Osney, in verse, in 1410 (Reg. MS. 18, A 13), first printed at Tavistock in 1525, and to be edited some time or other for the E.E.T.S. An anonymous prose version in the Bodleian. George Coluile, alias Coldewel, 1556; J. T. 1609; H. Conningesbye, 1664; Lord Preston, 1695, 1712; W. Causton, 1730; Redpath, 1785; R. Duncan, 1789; anon. 1792 (Lowndes).
[2] Dante, in his Convito, says, “Misimi a legger quello non conosciuto da molti libro di Boezio, nel quale captivo e discacciato consolato s’avea.”
[3] Printed at Ghent, 1485.
[4] By Reynier de Seinct Trudon, printed at Bruges, 1477.
[5] An old version of the 11th cent., printed by Graff, and a modern one printed at Nuremberg, 1473.
[6] By Jean de Méung, printed at Paris, 1494.
[7] By Varchi, printed at Florence, 1551; Parma, 1798.
[8] The Harl. MS. reads not nat, to the confusion of the metre.
[9] = ne wot nat = knows not.
[10] Cf. Dante, Inferno, V. 121.
Nessun maggior dolore
Che recordarsi del tempo felice
Nella miseria; e ciò sa ’l tuo Dottore.
[11] See pages 39, 50, 61, 94, 111, 133, 149, 153, 159.
[12] In the Canterbury Tales we find participles in -yngë.
[13] It is nearly always thilkë in the Canterbury Tales.