[Sidenote: [The ferthe Met{ur}.]]
[Sidenote: He who hath triumphed over fate, and remained
insensible to the changes of Fortune, shall not be moved by
storms, nor by the fires of Vesuvius, nor by the fiercest
thunderbolts.]
++Who so it be þat is clere of vertue sad {and} wel ordinat
of lyuyng. þat haþ put vnderfote þe prowed[e]
wierdes {and} lokiþ vpryȝt vpon eyþer fortune. he may
holde hys chiere vndiscomfited. ¶ Þe rage ne þe manace 232
of þe co{m}moeuyng or chasyng vpwarde hete fro þe
botme. ne schal not moeue þat man. ne þe vnstable
mountaigne þat hyȝt veseuus. þat wircheþ oute þoruȝ
hys broken[e] chemineys smokyng fires. ¶ Ne þe wey 236
of þonder lyȝt þat is wont to smyte heyȝe toures ne
schal not mouene þat man.
[Sidenote: Fear not the tyrant’s rage.]
¶ Wherto þen wrecches
drede ȝe tyrauntes þat ben wode {and} felownes wiþ-outen
ony strenkeþ.
[Sidenote: He who neither fears nor hopes for anything disarms the
tyrant.]
¶ Hope after no þing ne drede nat. {and} 240
so schalt þou desarmen þe ire of þilke vnmyȝty tyraunt. [[pg 13]]
[Sidenote: He whose heart fails him, yields his arms, and forges
his own fetters.]
¶ But who so þat quakyng dredeþ or desireþ þing þat
nis not stable of his ryȝt. þat man þat so doþ haþ cast
awey hys schelde {and} is remoeued fro hys place. {and} 244
enlaceþ hym i{n} þe cheyne wiþ whiche he may be
drawen.
[Linenotes:
229 _clere_--cleer
230 _lyuyng_--leuynge
_haþ_--MS. haþe
_vnderfote_--vndir-foot
_prowed[e]_--prowde
231 _may----chiere_--may his cheere holde
232 _manace_--manesses
233 _þe_--þe see
235 _hyȝt_--hihte
_veseuus_--MS. vesenus
_wircheþ_--writith
236 _broken[e]_--brokene
_smokyng_--smokynge
237 _smyte_--smyten
238 _Wherto þen_--wharto thanne
239 _felownes----ony_--felonos withowte any
241 _schalt þou desarmen_--shaltow deseruien
243 _doþ_--MS. doþe, C. doth
_haþ_--MS. haþe, C. hath
_cast_--MS. caste, C. cast
244 _schelde_--sheld
_remoeued fro_--remwed from
245 _whiche_--the which
_be_--ben]
[Headnote:
BOETHIUS SPEAKS OF HIS TROUBLES.]