[Sidenote: [The fyfthe p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: Philosophy consoles Boethius.]
++Whan I hadde wiþ a continuel sorwe sobbed or
broken out þise þinges sche wiþ hir chere peisible
{and} no þi{n}g amoeued. wiþ my compleyntes seide þ{us}.
whan I say þe q{uod} sche sorweful {and} wepyng I wist[e] 552
on-one þat þou were a wrecche {and} exiled. but I
wist[e] neuer how fer þine exile was: ȝif þi tale ne
hadde schewed it to me. but certys al be þou fer fro þi
contre.
[Sidenote: [* fol. 7 _b_.]]
þou nart *nat put out of it. but þou hast 556
fayled of þi weye {and} gon amys.
[Sidenote: She speaks to him of his country.]
¶ and yif þou hast
leuer forto wene þan þou be put out of þi contre. þan
hast þou put oute þi self raþer þen ony oþer wyȝt haþ.
[Linenotes:
550 _broken_--borken
552 _wist[e]_--wyste
553 _on-one_--anon
554 _wist[e]_--wyste
_fer_--ferr{e}
555 _ne hadde_--nadde
557 _gon_--MS. gone, C. gon
558 _leuer_--leuer{e}
558, 559 _put_--MS. putte, C. put
559 _haþ_--MS. haþe]
[Headnote:
AND PROPOSES TO ADMINISTER REMEDIES.]
¶ For no wyȝt but þi self ne myȝt[e] neuer haue don 560
þat to þe. [[pg 24]]
[Sidenote: She reminds him that he is a citizen of a country not
governed by a giddy multitude, but εἷς κοίρανός ἐστιν, εἷς
βασιλεύς.]
¶ For ȝif þou remembre of what contre þou
art born. it nis not gou{er}ned by emp{er}oures. ne by
gouernement of multitude. as weren þe contres of hem
of athenes. ¶ But o lorde {and} o kyng {and} þat is god 564
þat is lorde of þi contree. whiche þat reioiseþ hym of
þe dwellyng of hys Citeȝenis. {and} not forto putte hem
in exile. Of þe whiche lorde it is a souerayne fredom
to be gouerned by þe bridel of hym and obeie to his 568
iustice.
[Sidenote: The Commonwealth of Boethius.]
¶ Hast þou forȝeten þilke ryȝt olde lawe of þi
Citee. in þe whiche Citee it is ordeyned {and} establissed
þat what wyȝt þat haþ leuer founden þer i{n}ne hys sete
or hys house. þen ellys where: he may not be exiled 572
by no ryȝt fro þat place. ¶ For who so þat is co{n}tened
in-wiþ þe paleis [{and} the clos] of þilke Citee. þer nis
no drede þat he may deserue to ben exiled. ¶ But
who þat letteþ þe wille forto enhabit[e] þere. he forleteþ 576
also to deserue to ben Citeȝein of þilke Citee.
[Sidenote: Philosophy says she is moved more by the looks of
Boethius than by his gloomy prison.]
¶ So þat I seye þat þe face of þis place ne amoeueþ me
nat so myche as þine owen face. Ne .I. ne axe not
raþer þe walles of þi librarie apparailled {and} wrouȝt 580
wiþ yvory {and} wiþ glas þan after þe sete of þi þouȝt.
[Sidenote: Books are to be valued on account of the _thoughts_
they contain.]
In whiche I putte nat somtyme bookes. but .I. putte
þat þat makeþ bookes worþi of p{ri}s or p{re}cious þat is
to sein þe sentence of my books. ¶ {And} certeinly of 584
þi dec{er}tes by-stowed in co{m}mune good. þou hast seid
soþe but after þe multitude of þi goode dedys. þou hast
seid fewe. {and} of þe vnhonestee or falsnesse of þinges
þat ben opposed aȝeins þe. þou hast remembred þinges 588
þat be{n} knowe to alle folk.
[Sidenote: Boethius has rightfully and briefly recounted the
frauds of his accusers.]
and of þe felonies {and}
fraudes of þine accuso{ur}s. it semeþ þe haue I-touched
it forsoþe ryȝtfully {and} schortly. ¶ Al myȝten þo
same þinges bettere {and} more plentiuousely be couth [[pg 25]]
in þe mouþe of þe poeple þ{a}t knoweþ al þis. ¶ Þou 593
hast eke blamed gretly {and} compleyned of þe wrongful
dede of þe senat. ¶ And þou hast sorwed for my
blame.
[Sidenote: Thou hast, said Philosophy, bewailed the loss of thy
good name, thou hast complained against Fortune, and against the
unequal distribution of rewards and punishments.]
{and} þou hast wepen for þe damage of þi renoune 596
þat is appaired. {and} þi laste sorwe eschaufed
aȝeins fortune {and} co{m}pleinest þat gerdou{n}s ne ben not
euenliche ȝolde to þe desertes of folk. {and} in þe l{att}re
ende of þi woode muse þou p{r}iedest þ{a}t þilke pees þat 600
gouerneþ þe heuene scholde gou{er}ne þe erþe ¶ But
for þat many tribulac{i}ou{n}s of affecc{i}ou{n}s han assailed
þe. {and} sorwe {and} Ire {and} wepyng todrawen þee
dyuersely
[Sidenote: Strong medicines are not proper for thee now,
distracted by grief, anger, and sadness.]
¶ As þou art now feble of þouȝt. myȝtyer 604
remedies ne schullen not ȝit touchen þe for whiche
we wil[e] vsen somedel lyȝter medicines.
[Sidenote: Light medicines must prepare thee for sharper
remedies.]
So þat þilk[e]
passiou{n}s þat ben woxen harde in swellyng by p{er}turbac{i}ou{n}
folowyng in to þi þouȝt mowen woxe esy 608
{and} softe to receyue{n} þe strenkeþ of a more myȝty {and}
more egre medicine by an esier touchyng.
[Linenotes:
560 _myȝt[e]_--myhte
_haue_--han
_don_--MS. done, C. don
562 _born_--MS. borne, C. born
566 _hys_--hise
_putte_--put
568 _be_--ben
571 _haþ_--MS. haþe
572 _house_--hows
574 [_and----clos_]--from C.
576 _wille_--wyl
_enhabit[e]_--enhabyte
578 _seye_--sey
_amoeueþ_--moueth
579 _myche_--mochel
_owen_--owne
_ne_ (2)--omitted
582 _putte_ (_both_)--put
_somtyme_--whilom
585 _decertes_--desertes
_seid_--MS. seide, C. seyde
586 _soþe_--soth
587 _seid_--MS. seide, C. seyd
588 _opposed_--aposyd
599 _knowe_--knowyn
592 _be couth_--MS. be couth{e}, C. ben cowth
596 _wepen_--wopen
597 _laste_--last
_eschaufed_--eschaufede
598 _not_--omitted
599 _ȝolde_--yolden
602 _many_--manye
604 _myȝtyer_--myhtyer{e}
605 _whiche_--which
606 _wil[e]_--wol
_lyȝter_--lyhter{e}
_þilk[e]_--thilke
607 _harde_--hard
608 _folowyng_--Flowyng
_woxe_--wexen
610 _esier_--esyer{e}]
[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY QUESTIONS BOETHIUS.]