[Sidenote: [The fifthe met{ur}.]]
[Sidenote: Author of the starry sky, Thou, seated on high, turnest
the spheres, and imposest laws upon the stars and planets.]
++O þou maker of þe whele þat bereþ þe sterres. whiche
þat art fastned to þi p{er}durable chayere. {and}
turnest þe heuene wiþ a rauyssyng sweigh{e}
{and} {con}streinest [[pg 22]]
þe sterres to suffren þi lawe. ¶ So þ{a}t þe 505
mone somtyme schynyng wiþ hir ful hornes metyng
wiþ alle þe bemes of þe sonne.
[Sidenote: The sun obscures the lesser lights, and quenches even
the moon’s light.]
¶ Hir broþer hideþ þe
sterres þat ben lasse. {and} somtyme whan þe mone 508
pale wiþ hir derke hornes approcheþ þe sonne. leesith
hir lyȝtes.
[Sidenote: Thou raisest Hesperus to usher in the shades of night,
and again causest him to be the harbinger of day, whence his name
Lucifer.]
¶ And þat þe euesterre esperus whiche
þat in þe first[e] tyme of þe nyȝt bryngeþ furþe hir
colde arysynges comeþ eft aȝeynes hir vsed cours. {and} 512
is pale by þe morwe at þe rysynge of þe sonne. and is
þan cleped lucifer. ¶ Þou restreinest þe day by schorter
dwellyng in þe tyme of colde wynter þat makeþ þe
leues to falle. ¶ Þou diuidest þe swifte tides of þe 516
nyȝt when þe hote somer is comen.
[Sidenote: Thou controllest the changing seasons of the year.]
¶ Þi myȝt attempre[þ]
þo variau{n}tȝ sesons of þe ȝere. so þat
ȝepherus þe deboneire wynde bringeþ aȝein in þe first[e]
somer sesou{n} þe leues þat þe wynde þat hyȝt[e] boreas 520
haþ reft awey in autu{m}pne. þat is to seyne in þe laste
eende of somer. and þe sedes þat þe sterre þat hyȝt arctur{us}
saw ben waxen hey[e] cornes whan þe sterre
sirius eschaufeþ hym. 524
[Sidenote: All nature is bound by thy eternal law.]
¶ Þere nis no þing vnbounde
from hys olde lawe ne forleteþ hym of hys p{ro}pre estat.
[Linenotes:
502 _whele_--whel
_whiche_--which
503 _fastned_--yfastned
_chayere_--chayer
504 _sweighe_--sweyh
_constreinest_, MS. contreuiest, C. constreynest
506 _hir_--her{e}
508 _lasse_--lesse
510 _esperus whiche_--hesperus which
511 _first[e]_--fyrste
_furþe_--forth
512 _eft_--est
514 _restreinest_--MS. restreniest
516 _to_--omitted
518 _attempre[þ] þo_--atempreth the
_sesons_--sesoun
_ȝere_--yer
519 _wynde bringeþ_--wynd brengeth
520 _wynde_--wynd
_hyȝt[e]_--hihte
521 _reft_--MS. refte, C. reft
_seyne_--seyn
522 _hyȝt_--hihte
_arcturus_--MS. aritur{us}
523 _saw_--MS. saweþ, C. sawgh
_hey[e]_--hyye
524 _hym_--hem
_þere_--ther
_þing_--thinge
525 _from_--fram
_forleteþ hym of_--forleetheth þe werke of]
[Headnote:
CONTRASTED WITH THE ORDER OF NATURE.]
[Sidenote: Why, then, leavest thou man’s actions uncontrolled?]
¶ O þou gouerno{ur} gouernyng alle þinges by certeyne
ende. why refusest þou oonly to gouerne þe werkes of
men by dewe manere.
[Sidenote: Why should fickle fortune be allowed to work such
mighty changes in the world?]
¶ Whi suffrest þ{o}u þat slidyng 528
fortune turneþ to grete vtter chaungynges of þinges.
so þat anoious peyne þat scholde duelly punissh{e} felouns
punissitȝ innocentȝ.
[Sidenote: The wicked are prosperous, while the righteous are in
adversity.]
¶ And folk of wikked[e]
man{er}es sitten in heiȝe chaiers. {and} anoienge folk 532
treden {and} þat vnryȝtfully in þe nekkes of holy men. [[pg 23]]
¶ And vertue clere {and} schynyng naturely is hid in
dirke dirkenesses. {and} þe ryȝtful man beriþ þe blame
{and} þe peyne of þe felowne. ¶ Ne þe forsweryng ne 536
þe fraude couered {and} kembd wiþ a fals colo{ur} ne
a-noyeþ not to schrewes. ¶ Þe whiche schrewes whan
hem lyst to vsen her strengþe þei reioisen hem to
putte{n} vndir hem þe souerayne kynges. whiche þ{a}t 540
poeple wiþ[outen] noumbre dreden.
[Sidenote: O thou that bindest the disagreeing elements, look upon
this wretched earth, and, as thou dost govern the spacious
heavens, so let the earth be firmly bound.]
¶ O þou what so
euer þou be þat knyttes[t] alle bondes of þinges loke
on þise wrecched[e] erþes. we men þat ben nat a
foule party but a faire party of so grete a werke we 544
ben turmentid in þe see of fortune. ¶ Þou gouerno{ur}
wiþdraw {and} restreyne þe rauyssinge flodes {and} fastne
{and} forme þise erþes stable wiþ þilke [bonde] wiþ
whiche þou gouernest þe heuene þat is so large. 548
[Linenotes:
527 _refusest þou_--refowsestow
529 _to----þinges_--so grete entrechaunginges of thynges
531 _punissitȝ_--punysshe
_wikked[e]_--wykkede
532 _heiȝe_--heer{e}
533 _in_--oon
534 {and}--omitted
536 _Ne þe forsweryng_--Ne forswerynge
537 _kembd_--MS. kembde, C. kembd
541 _wiþ[outen]_--withhowtyn
542 _knyttes[t]_--knyttest
543 _wrecched[e]_--wrecchede
544 _a_ (2)--omitted
545 _þe_--this
546 _wiþdraw_--MS. wiþdrawe, C. withdrawh
_þe_--thei
547 _forme_--ferme
[_bonde_]--from C.
_wiþ_--by]
[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY CONSOLES BOETHIUS,]