Car{m}i{n}a qui q{u}onda{m} studio flore{n}te p{er}egi.
[Sidenote: [The fyrste Met{ur}.]]
[Sidenote: Boethius deplores his misfortunes in the following
pathetic elegy.]
++Allas I wepyng am constreined to bygynne vers of
sorouful matere. ¶ Þat whilom in florysching
studie made delitable ditees. For loo rendyng muses
of poetes enditen to me þinges to be writen. and drery 4
v{er}s of wrecchednes weten my face wiþ v{er}ray teers.
¶ At þe leest no drede ne myȝt[e] ouer-come þo muses.
þat þei ne were{n} felawes {and} folweden my wey. þat is
to seyne when I was exiled.
[Sidenote: ypalage antithesis]
þei þat weren glorie of 8
my youȝth whilom weleful {and} grene co{n}forten now þe
sorouful werdes of me olde man.
[Sidenote: Laments his immature old age.]
for elde is comen vnwarly
vpon me hasted by þe harmes þat I haue. {and}
sorou haþ comau{n}ded his age to be in me. ¶ Heeres 12
hore ben schad ouertymelyche vpon myne heued. and
þe slak[e] skyn trembleþ vpon myn emty body.
[Sidenote: Death turns a deaf ear to the wretched.]
þilk[e]
deeþ of men is welful þat ne comeþ not in ȝeres þat
ben swete (.i. mirie.) but comeþ to wrecches often 16
yclepid.
[Linenotes:
1 _of_--MS. of of.
2 _florysching_--floryssynge
3 _rendyng_--rendynge
4 _be_--ben
5 _wrecchednes_--wrecchednesse
_teers_--teeres
6 _leest_--leeste
_myȝt[e] ouer-come_--myhte ouercomen
8 _seyne when_--seyn whan
9 _youȝth_--MS. þoȝt, C. yowthe
10 _sorouful werdes_--sorful wierdes [i. fata]
12 _sorou_--sorwe
_haþ_--MS. haþe
_be_--ben
13 _hore_--hoore
_ben_--arn
_myne_--myn
14 _slak[e]_--slake
_vpon_--of
_emty_--emptyd
_þilk[e]_--thilke
15 _welful_--weleful
_comeþ not_--comth nat
16 _.i. mirie_--omitted]
¶ Allas allas wiþ how deef an eere deeþ cruel
to{ur}neþ awey fro wrecches {and} naieþ to closen wepyng
eyen.
[Sidenote: When Fortune was favourable Death came near Boethius,
but in his adversity life is unpleasantly protracted.]
¶ While fortune vnfeiþful fauored[e] me 20
wiþ lyȝte goodes (.s. temp{or}els.) þe sorouful houre þat
is to seyne þe deeþ had[de] almost dreynt myne heued.
¶ But now for fortune clowdy haþ chaunged hir disceyuable
chere to me warde. myn vnpitouse lijf draweþ 24
a long vnagreable dwellynges in me.
[Sidenote: Why did his friends call him happy? He stood not firm
that hath thus fallen.]
¶ O ȝe my
frendes what or wherto auaunted[e] ȝe me to be weleful: [[pg 5]]
for he þat haþ fallen stood not i{n} stedfast degree.
[Linenotes:
19 _tourneþ_--torneth
_naieþ_--nayteth
_wepyng_--wepynge
20 _While_--Whil
_fauored[e]_--fauorede
21 _lyȝte_--lyhte
_.s. temporels_--omitted
_sorouful houre_--sorwful howr{e}
22 _seyne_--seyn
_had[de]_--hadde
_myne_--myn
23 _haþ_--MS. haþe
_chaunged hir disceyuable_--chaungyd hyre deceyuable
24 _vnpitouse lijf_--vnpietous lyf]
[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY APPEARS TO BOETHIUS.]