547 forme—ferme
[bonde]—from C.
wiþ—by
PHILOSOPHY CONSOLES BOETHIUS,
[HIC UBI CONTINUATO DOLORE.]
Whan I hadde Philosophy consoles Boethius. wiþ a continuel sorwe sobbed or
broken out þise þinges sche wiþ hir chere peisible
and no þing amoeued. wiþ my compleyntes seide þus.
whan I say þe quod sche sorweful and wepyng I wist[e] [552]
on-one þat þou were a wrecche and exiled. but I
wist[e] neuer how fer þine exile was: ȝif þi tale ne
hadde schewed it to me. but certys al be þou fer fro þi
[* fol. 7 b.] contre. þou nart *nat put out of it. but þou hast [556]
fayled of þi weye and gon amys. She speaks to him of his country. ¶ and yif þou hast
leuer forto wene þan þou be put out of þi contre. þan
hast þou put oute þi self raþer þen ony oþer wyȝt haþ.
AND PROPOSES TO ADMINISTER REMEDIES.
¶ For no wyȝt but þi self ne myȝt[e] neuer haue don [560]
þat to þe. She reminds him that he is a citizen of a country not governed by a giddy multitude, but εἷς κοίρανός ἐστιν, εἷς βασιλεύς. ¶ For ȝif þou remembre of what contre þou
art born. it nis not gouerned by emperoures. ne by
gouernement of multitude. as weren þe contres of hem
of athenes. ¶ But o lorde and o kyng and þat is god [564]
þat is lorde of þi contree. whiche þat reioiseþ hym of
þe dwellyng of hys Citeȝenis. and not forto putte hem
in exile. Of þe whiche lorde it is a souerayne fredom
to be gouerned by þe bridel of hym and obeie to his [568]
iustice. The Commonwealth of Boethius. ¶ Hast þou forȝeten þilke ryȝt olde lawe of þi
Citee. in þe whiche Citee it is ordeyned and establissed
þat what wyȝt þat haþ leuer founden þer inne hys sete
or hys house. þen ellys where: he may not be exiled [572]
by no ryȝt fro þat place. ¶ For who so þat is contened
in-wiþ þe paleis [and the clos] of þilke Citee. þer nis
no drede þat he may deserue to ben exiled. ¶ But
who þat letteþ þe wille forto enhabit[e] þere. he forleteþ [576]
also to deserue to ben Citeȝein of þilke Citee.
Philosophy says she is moved more by the looks of Boethius than by his gloomy prison. ¶ So þat I seye þat þe face of þis place ne amoeueþ me
nat so myche as þine owen face. Ne .I. ne axe not
raþer þe walles of þi librarie apparailled and wrouȝt [580]
wiþ yvory and wiþ glas þan after þe sete of þi þouȝt.
Books are to be valued on account of the thoughts they contain. In whiche I putte nat somtyme bookes. but .I. putte
þat þat makeþ bookes worþi of pris or precious þat is
to sein þe sentence of my books. ¶ And certeinly of [584]
þi decertes by-stowed in commune good. þou hast seid
soþe but after þe multitude of þi goode dedys. þou hast
seid fewe. and of þe vnhonestee or falsnesse of þinges
þat ben opposed aȝeins þe. þou hast remembred þinges [588]
þat ben knowe to alle folk. Boethius has rightfully and briefly recounted the frauds of his accusers. and of þe felonies and
fraudes of þine accusours. it semeþ þe haue I-touched
it forsoþe ryȝtfully and schortly. ¶ Al myȝten þo
same þinges bettere and more plentiuousely be couth [592]
in þe mouþe of þe poeple þat knoweþ al þis. ¶ Þou
hast eke blamed gretly and compleyned of þe wrongful
dede of þe senat. ¶ And þou hast sorwed for my
blame. Thou hast, said Philosophy, bewailed the loss of thy good name, thou hast complained against Fortune, and against the unequal distribution of rewards and punishments. and þou hast wepen for þe damage of þi renoune [596]
þat is appaired. and þi laste sorwe eschaufed
aȝeins fortune and compleinest þat gerdouns ne ben not
euenliche ȝolde to þe desertes of folk. and in þe lattre
ende of þi woode muse þou priedest þat þilke pees þat [600]
gouerneþ þe heuene scholde gouerne þe erþe ¶ But
for þat many tribulaciouns of affecciouns han assailed
þe. and sorwe and Ire and wepyng todrawen þee
dyuersely Strong medicines are not proper for thee now, distracted by grief, anger, and sadness. ¶ As þou art now feble of þouȝt. myȝtyer [604]
remedies ne schullen not ȝit touchen þe for whiche
we wil[e] vsen somedel lyȝter medicines. Light medicines must prepare thee for sharper remedies. So þat þilk[e]
passiouns þat ben woxen harde in swellyng by perturbacioun
folowyng in to þi þouȝt mowen woxe esy [608]
and softe to receyuen þe strenkeþ of a more myȝty and
more egre medicine by an esier touchyng.
550 broken—borken
552 wist[e]—wyste
553 on-one—anon
554 wist[e]—wyste
fer—ferre