[Footnote 1: MS. hanc.]
[Sidenote: [The 3^de p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: The clouds of sorrow being dispelled, Boethius
recollects the features of his Physician, whom he discovers to be
Philosophy.]
++Ryȝt so {and} none oþer wyse þe cloudes of sorowe
dissolued {and} don awey. ¶ I took heuene. {and} 164
receyuede mynde to knowe þe face of my fyciscien.
¶ So þat I sette myne eyen on hir {and} festned[e] my
lokyng. I byholde my norice philosophie. in whos
houses I hadde conuersed {and} haunted fro my ȝouþe. 168
{and} I seide þus.
[Sidenote: He addresses her.]
¶ O þou maistresse of alle uertues
descendid fro þe souereyne sete. Whi art þou comen
in to þis solitarie place of myn exil. ¶ Art þou comen
for þ{o}u art mad coupable wiþ me of fals[e] blames. 172
[Sidenote: She expresses her concern for him, and tells him that
she is willing to share his misfortunes.]
¶ O q{uod} sche my norry scholde I forsake þe now. and
scholde I not parte wiþ þe by comune trauaille þe charge
þat þou hast suffred for envie of my name. ¶ Certis
it nar[e] not leueful ne sittyng to philosophie to leten 176
wiþ-outen compaignie þe wey of hym þat is i{n}nocent.
[Sidenote: She fears not any accusation, as if it were a new
thing.]
¶ Scholde I þan redoute my blame {and} agrisen as þouȝ
þer were byfallen a newe þing. q. d. non. ¶ For
trowest þou þat philosophi be now alþerfirst assailed 180
i{n} p{er}ils by folk of wicked[e] maneres.
[Sidenote: For before the age of Plato she contended against
folly, and by her help Socrates triumphed over an unjust death.]
¶ Haue I not
stryuen wiþ ful greet strife in olde tyme byfore þe
age of my plato aȝeins þe foolhardines of foly {and}
eke þe same plato lyuyng. hys maistre socrates 184
deserued[e] victorie of vnryȝtful deeþ in my presence.
[Sidenote: Of the inheritance of Socrates the rout of Epicureans
and Stoics wanted to get a part.]
¶ Þe heritage of wyche socrates. þe h{er}itage is to seyne
þe doctrine of þe whiche soc{ra}tes in hys oppiniou{n} of [[pg 11]]
felicite þat I clepe welfulnesse ¶ Whan þat þe people 188
of epicuriens {and} stoyciens {and} many oþer enforceden
hem to go rauische eueryche man for his part þat is
to seyne. þat to eueryche of hem wolde drawen to þe
defence of his oppiniou{n} þe wordes of socrates. 192
[Sidenote: Philosophy withstood them, whereupon they tore her
robe, and, departing with the shreds, imagined that they had got
possession of her.]
¶ Þei
as in p{ar}tie of hir preye todrowe{n} me criynge {and}
debatyng þer aȝeins. {and} tornen {and} torente{n} my cloþes
þat I hadde woue{n} wiþ myn handes. {and} wiþ þe
cloutes þat þei hadden arased oute of my cloþes. þei 196
wenten awey wenyng þat I hadde gon wiþ he{m} euery
dele.
[Sidenote: Thus, clothed with her spoils, they deceived many.]
In whiche epicuryens {and} stoyciens. for as
myche as þer semed[e] so{m}me traces {and} steppes of
myne habit.
[Sidenote: [* fol. 5.]]
þe folye of men wenyng þo epicuryens 200
{and} stoyciens my *familers p{er}uertede (.s. p{er}sequend{o})
so{m}me þoruȝ þe errour of þe wikked[e] or vnkunnyng[e]
multitude of hem.
[Sidenote: Philosophy adduces examples of wise men, who had
laboured under difficulties on account of being her disciples.]
¶ Þis is to seyne for þei
semeden philosophres: þei weren p{ur}sued to þe deeþ 204
and slayn. ¶ So yif þou hast not knowen þe exilynge
of anaxogore. ne þe empoysenyng of socrates. ne þe
to{ur}mentȝ of ȝeno for þei [weren] straungers. ¶ Ȝit
myȝtest þou haue knowe{n} þe senectiens {and} þe Canyos 208
{and} þe sorancis of wyche folk þe renou{n} is neyþer ouer
oolde ne vnsolempne. ¶ Þe whiche men no þing ellys
ne brouȝt[e] hem to þe deeþ but oonly for þei weren
enfourmed of my maneres. {and} semede{n} moste vnlyke 212
to þe studies of wicked folk. ¶ And forþi þou auȝtest
not to wondre þouȝ þ{a}t I in þe bitter see of þis lijf be
fordryuen wiþ tempestes blowyng aboute. [[pg 12]]
[Sidenote: It is the aim of Philosophy to displease the wicked,
who are more to be despised than dreaded, for they have no
leader.]
in þe whiche
te{m}peste þis is my most p{ur}pos þat is to seyn to displese 216
to wikked[e] men. ¶ Of whiche schrews al be
þe oost neuer so grete it is to dispyse. for it nis gouerned
wiþ no leder of resoune. but it is rauysched only by
flityng errour folyly {and} lyȝtly.
[Sidenote: If Philosophy is attacked by the wicked, she retires
within her fortress, leaving the enemy busy among the useless
baggage, and laughing to scorn such hunters of trifles.]
¶ And if þei somtyme 220
maky{n}g an ost aȝeynest vs assaile vs as strengere. oure
leder draweþ to gedir hys rycchesse i{n} to hys toure.
{and} þei ben ententif aboute sarpulers or sachels vnp{ro}fitable
forto taken. but we þat ben heyȝ abouen syker 224
fro al tumulte {and} wode noise. ben stored {and} enclosed
in syche a palays. whider as þat chateryng or anoying
folye ne may not attayne. ¶ We scorne swiche
rauiners {and} honters of foulest[e] þinges. 228
[Linenotes:
163 _none oþer_--non oother
_sorowe_--sorwe
165 _knowe_--knowen
166 _myne_--myn
_festned[e]_--fastnede
170 _fro_--from
170, 171 _art þou_--artow
172 _mad_--MS. made, C. maked
_fals[e]_--false
174 _parte_--parten
176 _nar[e]_--nere
_sittyng_--sittinge
178 _þan_--thanne
179 _þing_--thing
_q.d. non_--omitted
180 _trowest þou_--trowestow
_alþerfirst_--alderfirst
181 _wicked[e]_--wikkede
182 _strife_--strif
183 _aȝeins_--ayenis
_foolhardines_--foolhardinesse
_foly_--folie
184 _eke_--ek
185 _deserued[e]_--desseruede
186 _wyche_--the which
_seyne_--seyn
188 _welfulnesse_--welefulnesse
189 _oþer_--oothre
190 _go_--gon
_eueryche_--euerich
191 _seyne_--seyn
_to_--omitted
_eueryche_--euerich
194 _tornen_--_read_ coruen, C. koruen
195 _wouen_--MS. wonne{n}, C. wouen
196 _arased_--arraced
197 _gon_--MS. gone, C. gon
198 _dele_--del
199 _myche_--moche
_semed[e]_--semede
{and}--or
200 _myne_--myn
_wenyng_--MS. wevyng, C. weninge
202 _þoruȝ_--thorw
_wikked[e]_--wikkede
_vnkunnyng[e]_--vnkunnynge
203 _seyne_--seyn þ{a}t
204 _semeden_--semede
_pursued_--MS. pursuede, C. pursued
205 _slayn_--MS. slayne, C. slayn
207 [_weren_]--weeren
208 _myȝtest þou haue_--myhtestow han
209 _sorancis_--sorans
_wyche_--which
_is_--nis
210 _oolde_--MS. colde, C. old
211 _brouȝt[e]_--browhte
212 _enfourmed_--MS. vnfourmed, C. enformyd
_my_--myne
_vnlyke_--vnlyk
213 _wicked folk_--wikkede foolk{e}
_auȝtest_--owhtest
214 _wondre_--wondren
_bitter_--bittre
216 _displese_--displesen
217 _wikked[e]_--wikkede
_schrews_--shrewes
218 _oost_--glossed _acies_ in C.
_grete_--gret
219, 222 _leder_--leder{e}
220 _flityng_--fleetynge
_lyȝtly_--lythly
_if_--yif
221 _aȝeynest_--ayenis
222 _to----rycchesse_, to gydere hise rychesses
_toure_--towr
224 _heyȝ_--heye
225 _al_--alle
_ben_--omitted
_stored_--warnestored
226 _syche_--swich
_þat_--omitted
227 _scorne_--schorne
228 _rauiners----þinges_--rauyneres & henteres of fowleste thinges]
[Headnote:
THE AIM OF PHILOSOPHY.]