[Sidenote: [The firste p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: Philosophy appears to Boethius, like a beautiful woman,
and of great age.]
++IN þe mene while þat I stille recorded[e] þise þinges 28
wiþ my self. {and} markede my wepli compleynte wiþ
office of poyntel. I saw stondyng aboue þe heyȝt of my
heued a woman of ful greet reuerence by semblaunt
hir eyen brennyng {and} clere seing ouer þe comune 32
myȝt of men. wiþ a lijfly colo{ur} {and} wiþ swiche vigoure
{and} strenkeþ þat it ne myȝt[e] not be emptid. ¶ Al
were it so þat sche was ful of so greet age. þat men ne
wolde not trowe i{n} no manere þat sche were of oure 36
elde.
[Sidenote: Her height could not be determined, for there were
times when she raised her head higher than the heavens.]
þe stature of hir was of a doutous iugement. for
su{m}tyme sche constreyned[e] {and} schronk hir selue{n}
lyche to þe comune mesure of men. {and} su{m}tyme it
semed[e] þat sche touched[e] þe heuene wiþ þe heyȝte 40
of hir heued. and when sche hef hir heued heyer sche
p{er}ced[e] þe selue heuene. so þat þe syȝt of men lokyng
was i{n} ydel.
[Sidenote: Her clothes were finely wrought and indissoluble, but
dark and dusky, like old besmoked images.]
¶ Hir cloþes weren maked of ryȝt delye
þredes {and} subtil crafte of p{er}durable matere. þe wyche 44
cloþes sche hadde wouen wiþ hir owen hondes: as I
knew wel aftir by hir selfe. declaryng {and} schewyng
to me þe beaute. þe wiche cloþes a derkenes of a forleten
and dispised elde had[de] duskid {and} dirkid as 48
it is wo{n}t to dirken by-smoked ymages.
[Sidenote: On the lower hem of her garment was the letter Π
and on the upper Θ.]
¶ In þe neþerest[e]
hem or bordure of þese cloþes me{n} redden [[pg 6]]
ywouen in swiche a gregkysche .P. þat signifieþ þe lijf
actif. And abouen þ{a}t l{ett}re in þe heyȝest[e] bordure 52
a grekysche T. þat signifieþ þe lijf contemplatif.
[Linenotes:
26 _auaunted[e]_--auauntede
_be_--ben
27 _haþ_--MS. haþe
_not_--nat
_stedfast_--stidefast
28 _In þe mene_--omitted
_recorded[e]_--recordede
30 _saw_--MS. sawe, C. sawh
_stondyng above_--MS. studiyng aboue, C. stondinge abouen
_heyȝt_--heyhte
_my_--myn
31 _greet_--gret
32 _brennyng_--brennynge
_clere seing_--cleer seynge
33 _swiche_--swych
34 _strenkeþ_--strengthe
_it----emptid_--it myhte nat ben emted
_Al_--alle
36 _wolde----trowe_--wolden nat trowen
37 _iugement_--Iuggement
38 _sumtyme_--somtyme
_constreyned[e]_--constreynede
_schronk_--MS. schronke, C. shronk
39 _lyche_--lyk
40 _semed[e]_--semede
_touched[e]_--towchede
41 _when_--whan
_hef_--MS. heued, C. hef
_heyer_--hyere
42 _perced[e]_--percede
_syȝt_--syhte
_lokyng_--lookynge
44 _crafte_--craft
45 _wouen_--MS. wonnen, C. wouen
_owen hondes_--owne handes
46 _knew_--MS. knewe, C. knewh
_selfe declaryng_--self declarynge
_schewyng_--shewynge
47 _derkenes_--dirknesse
_forleten_--forletyn
48 _dispised_--despised
_had[de] duskid_--hadde dusked
_dirkid_--derked
49 _by-smoked_--the smokede
_neþerest[e]_--nethereste
50 _þese_--thise
51 _swiche_--omitted
_gregkysche_--grekyssh{e}
_signifieþ_--syngnifieth
52 _heyȝest[e]_--heyeste]
[Headnote:
A DESCRIPTION OF PHILOSOPHY.]
[Sidenote: Between the letters were steps like a ladder.]
¶ And by-twene þese two l{ett}res þere weren seien degrees
nobly wrouȝt in manere of laddres. By wyche
degrees men myȝt[en] clymbe fro þe neþemast[e] l{ett}re 56
to þe ouermast[e].
[Sidenote: Philosophy’s garments were tattered and torn, and
pieces had been carried violently off.]
¶ Naþeles hondes of su{m} men
hadde korue þ{a}t cloþe by vyolence {and} by strenkeþ.
¶ And eueryche man of hem hadde born away syche
peces as he myȝte geet[e].
[Sidenote: In her right hand she bore her books, and in her left a
sceptre.]
¶ And forsoþe þis forsaide 60
woman ber bookes in hir ryȝt honde. {and} in hir lefte
honde sche ber a ceptre. ¶ And when sche sauȝ þese
poetical muses ap{ro}chen aboute my bedde. {and} endytyng
wordes to my wepynges. sche was a lytel ameued 64
and glowed[e] wiþ cruel eyen.
[Sidenote: Philosophy bids the Muses leave Boethius, as they only
increase his sorrow with their sweet venom.]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 4.]]
¶ Who q{uo}d sche haþ
suffred ap{ro}chen to þis seek[e] man þise comune strumpetis
of siche a place þat *men clepen þe theatr{e}.
¶ Þe wyche only ne asswagen not his sorowes. wiþ no 68
remedies. but þei wolde fede {and} norysche hem wiþ
swete venym. ¶ Forsoþe þise ben þo þat wiþ þornes
{and} prykkynges of talentȝ or affecciou{n}s wiche þat
ben no þing frutefiyng nor p{ro}fitable destroyen þe 72
cornes plenteuouse of frutes of reson.
[Sidenote: They may accustom the mind to bear grief, but cannot
free it from its malady.]
¶ For þei
holden þe hertes of men i{n} usage. but þei ne delyuere
not folk fro maladye. but if ȝe muses hadde wiþdrawen
fro me wiþ ȝoure flateries. any vnkonnyng
{and} vnp{ro}fitable [[pg 7]]
man as men ben wont to fynde comunely amonges 77
þe peple. I wolde wene suffre þe lasse greuously.
[Linenotes:
54 _by-twene þese_--bytwixen thise
_þere_--ther
_seien_--seyn
55 _nobly wrouȝt_--nobely ywroght
_wyche_--whiche
56 _myȝt[en] clymbe_--myhten clymbyn
_neþemast[e]_--nethereste
57 _ouermast[e]_--vppereste
_sum_--some
58 _hadde korue_--hadden koruen
_cloþe_--cloth
_strenkeþ_--strengthe
59 _born_--MS. borne, C. born
_away syche_--awey swiche
60 _geet[e]_--geten
_forsaide_--forseide
61 _ber_--MS. bere, C. bar
_bookes_--smale bookes
_honde_--hand
_lefte honde_--left hand
62 _ber_--MS. bere, C. baar
_sauȝ þese_--say thise
63 _bedde_--bed
_endytyng_--enditynge
64 _ameued_--amoued
65 _glowed[e]_--glowede
_haþ_--MS. haþe, C. hath
66 _seek[e]_--sike
_þise_--the
_strumpetis_--strompetes
67 _siche_--swich
_clepen_--clepyn
68 _only ne_--nat oonly ne
_not his_--nat hise
_no_--none
69 _wolde fede_--wolden feeden
_norysche hem_--noryssyn hym
72 _ben_--ne ben
_frutefiyng_--fructefiynge
73 _cornes plenteuouse_--corn plentyuos
74 _þe_ and _ne_--both omitted
75 _not_--nat
_if ȝe_--MS. if þe, C. yif ye
_hadde_--hadden
76 _vnkonnyng_--vnkunnynge
78 _peple_--poeple]
[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY REBUKES THE MUSES.]
[Sidenote: Philosophy is deeply grieved, because they have not
seduced one of the profane, but one who has been brought up in
Eleatic and Academic studies.]
¶ For-why in syche an vnp{ro}fitable man myne ententes
weren no þing endamaged. ¶ But ȝe wiþdrawen me 80
þis man þat haþ ben norysched in studies or scoles of
Eleaticis {and} of achademicis in grece.
[Sidenote: She bids the syrens begone.]
¶ But goþ now
raþer awey ȝe meremaydenes wyche ben swete til it
be at þe laste. {and} suffreþ þis man to be cured {and} 84
heled by myne muses. þat is to say by notful sciences.
[Sidenote: Blushing for shame they pass the threshold.]
¶ And þus þis compaygnie of muses I-blamed casten
wroþely þe chere adou{n}ward to þe erþe {and} schewyng
by redenesse hir schame þei passeden sorowfuly þe 88
þreschefolde. ¶ And I of whom þe syȝt plonged i{n}
teres was derked so þat I ne myȝt[e] not knowe what
þat woman was of so i{m}perial auctorite.
[Sidenote: Boethius is astonished at the presence of the august
dame.]
¶ I wex al
a-besid {and} astoned. {and} caste my syȝt adoune in to þe 92
erþe. {and} bygan stille forto abide what sche wolde don
afterwarde. ¶ Þo come sche nere {and} sette hir doun
vpon þe vterrest[e] corner of my bedde.
[Sidenote: Philosophy expresses her concern for Boethius.]
{and} sche byholdyng
my chere þat was cast to þe erþe heuy {and} 96
greuous of wepyng. co{m}pleinede wiþ þise wordes þ{a}t I
schal sey þe p{er}t{ur}bac{i}ou{n} of my þouȝt.
[Linenotes:
79 _syche_--swhiche
_myne_--myn
80 _weren_--ne weeren
_ȝe_--ye
81 _haþ_--MS. haþe, C. hath
_ben_--be
_scoles_--schooles
82 _goþ_--MS. goþe, C. goth
83 _wyche_--whiche þat
85 _say_--seyn
_notful_--noteful
86 _I-blamed_--Iblamyd
87 _wroþely_--wrothly
_adounward_--downward
88 _redenesse_--rednesse
_sorowfuly_--sorwfully
89 _þreschefolde_--thresshfold
_syȝt_--syhte
90 _derked_--dyrked
_myȝt[e]----knowe_--myhte nat knowen
91 _wex_--wax
92 _a-besid_--abaysshed
_caste_--cast
_adoune in to_--down to
93 _don_--MS. done
95 _vterrest[e] corner_--vttereste corner{e}
_bedde_--bed
97 _compleinede_--compley[n]de
98 _sey_--seyen]
[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY ADDRESSES BOETHIUS.]