PHILOSOPHY EXHIBITS TO BOETHIUS THE WILES OF FORTUNE.
[INCIPIT LIBER SECUNDUS.]
[POSTEA [PAU]LISPER CONTICUIT.]
After þis she Philosophy exhorts Boethius not to torment himself on account of his losses. stynte a litel. and after þat she hadde
gadred by atempre stillenesse myn attencioun she [728]
seide þus. Thou art, she says, affected by the loss of thy former fortune. ¶ As who so myȝt[e] seye þus. After þise
þinges she stynt[e] a lytel. and whanne she aperceiued[e]
by atempre stillenesse þat I was ententif to
herkene hire. she bygan to speke in þis wyse. ¶ Yif [732]
I quod she haue vnderstonden and knowe vtterly þe
causes and þe habit of þi maladie. þou languissed and
art deffeted for talent and desijr of þi raþer fortune.
It hath perverted thy faculties. ¶ She þat ilke fortune only þat is chaunged as þou [736]
feinest to þe ward. haþ peruerted þe clerenesse and þe
astat of þi corage. I am well acquainted with all the wiles of that Prodigy (i. e. Fortune). ¶ I vnderstonde þe felefolde
colour and deceites of þilke merueillous monstre fortune.
and how she vseþ ful flatryng familarite wiþ hem [740]
þat she enforceþ to bygyle. so longe til þat she confounde
wiþ vnsuffreable sorwe hem þat she haþ left
in despeir vnpurueyed. Though she has left thee, thou hast not lost anything of beauty or of worth. ¶ and if þou remembrest wel
þe kynde þe maners and þe desert of þilke fortune. þow [744]
shalt wel knowe as in hir þou neuer ne haddest ne
hast ylost any fair þing. But as I trowe I shal not
gretly trauaile to don þe remembren of þise þinges.
Thou wert once proof against her allurements. ¶ For þou were wont to hurtlen [and despysen] hir [748]
wiþ manly wordes whan she was blaundissinge and
presente and pursewedest hir wiþ sentences þat were
drawen oute of myne entre. þat is to seyne out of
myn informacioun But sudden change works a great alteration in the minds of men, hence it is that thou art departed from thy usual peace of mind. ¶ But no sudeyne mutacioun ne [752]
bytideþ nat wiþ outen a maner chaungyng of curages.
and so is it byfallen þat þou art departed a litel fro
þe pees of þi þouȝt. But with some gentle emollients I shall prepare thee for stronger medicines. but now is tyme þat þou drynke
and atast[e] some softe and delitable þinges. so þat whan [756]
þei ben entred wiþ inne þe. it mow make weye to
strenger drynkes of medycynes. Approach then, Rhetoric, with thy persuasive charms, and therewith let Music also draw near. ¶ Com nowe furþe
þerfore þe suasioun of swetnesse Rethoryen. whiche
þat goþ oonly þe ryȝt wey whil she forsakeþ not myne [760]
estatutȝ. ¶ And wiþ Rethorice com forþe musice a
damoisel of oure house þat syngeþ now lyȝter moedes
or prolaciouns now heuyer. [* fol. 9.] *what ayleþ þe man. what
is it þat haþ cast þe in to murnyng and in to wepyng. [764]
I trow[e] þat þou hast sen some newe þing and uncouþe.
Thou thinkest that Fortune is changed towards thee. ¶ Þou wenest þat fortune be chaunged aȝeins
þe But thou art deceived. ¶ But þou wenest wrong. yif þou [þat] wene.
In this misadventure of thine she hath preserved her constancy in changing. Alwey þo ben hire maners. she haþ raþer [kept] as to [768]
þe ward hire propre stablenes in þe chaungyng of hyre
self. ¶ Ryȝt swyche was she whan she flatered[e]
þe. and desseiued[e] þe wiþ vnleueful lykynges of
false welefulnesse. You have seen the double face of this blind divinity. þou hast now knowen and ataynt [772]
þe doutous or double visage of þilke blynde goddesse
fortune. ¶ She þat ȝit couereþ hir and wympleþ hir
to oþer folk. haþ shewed hir euerydel to þe. ¶ Ȝif
þou approuest hir and þenkest þat she is good. vse [776]
hir maners and pleyne þe nat. If thou dost abhor her perfidy cast her off, for her sports are dangerous. ¶ And if þou agrisest
hir fals[e] trecherie. dispise and cast aweye hir þat
pleyeþ so harmefully. for she þat is now cause of so
myche sorwe to þe. sholde be to þe cause of pees and [780]
[of] ioie. ¶ she haþ forsaken þe forsoþe. þe whiche
þat neuer man may be syker þat she ne shal forsake
hym. Glose. ¶ But naþeles some bookes han þe text
þus. For soþe she haþ forsaken þe ne þer nis no man [784]
syker þat she ne haþ not forsaken. Is that happiness which is so transient? ¶ Holdest þou
þan þilke welefulnesse preciouse to þe þat shal passen.
Is the attendance of Fortune so dear to thee, whose stay is so uncertain, and whose removal causes such grief? and is present fortune derworþi to þe. whiche þat nis
not feiþful forto dwelle. and whan she goþ aweye þat [788]
she bryngeþ a wyȝt in sorwe ¶ For syn she may nat
be wiþholden at a mans wille. she makeþ hym a wrecche
when she departeþ fro hym. What is she (Fortune) but the presage of future calamity? ¶ What oþer þing is
flitting fortune but a manere shewyng of wrycchednesse [792]
þat is to comen. ne it ne suffriþ nat oo[n]ly to loken
of þing þat is present byforne þe eyen of man. but
wisdom lokeþ and mesureþ þe ende of þinges. Her mutability should make men neither fear her threats nor desire her favours. and þe
same chaungyng from one to an oþer. þat is to seyne [796]
fro aduersite to prosperite makeþ þat þe manaces of
fortune ne ben not forto dreden. ne þe flatrynges of
hir to ben desired. ¶ Þus atte þe last it byhoueþ þe
to suffren wiþ euene wille in pacience al þat is don [800]
inwiþ þe floor of fortune. þat is to seyne in þis worlde.
PHILOSOPHY EXPOSTULATES WITH BOETHIUS.
If you submit to her yoke you must patiently endure her inflictions. ¶ Syþen þou hast oones put þi nekke vnder þe ȝokke
of hir. for if þou wilt write a lawe of wendyng and of
dwellyng to fortune whiche þat þou hast chosen frely [804]
to be þi lady Impatience will only embitter your loss. ¶ Art þou nat wrongful in þat and
makest fortune wroþe and aspere by þin inpacience.
and ȝit þou mayst not chaungen hir. You cannot choose your port if you leave your vessel to the mercy of the winds. ¶ Yif þou committest
[and] bitakest þi sayles to þe wynde. þou shalt [808]
be shouen not þider þat þou woldest(:) but whider þat
þe wynde shoueþ þe ¶ Yif þou castest þi seedes in þe
feldes þou sholdest haue in mynde þat þe ȝeres ben
oþer while plenteuous and oþer while bareyne. You have given yourself up to Fortune; it becomes you therefore to obey her commands. ¶ Þou [812]
hast bytaken þiself to þe gouernaunce of fortune.
and forþi it byhoueþ þe to ben obeisaunt to þe manere
of þi lady. Would you stop the rolling of her wheel? and enforcest þou þe to aresten or wiþstonden
þe swyftnesse and þe sweyes of hir tournyng [816]
whele. Fool! if Fortune once became stable she would cease to exist. ¶ O þou fool of alle mortel fooles if fortune
bygan to dwelle stable. she cesed[e] þan to ben fortune.
727 she (2)—I
729 myȝt[e] seye—myhte seyn
730 stynt[e]—stynte
732 hire—here