[Sidenote: [The fyrst p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: Philosophy exhorts Boethius not to torment himself on
account of his losses.]
++After þis she stynte a litel. and after þat she hadde
gadred by atempre stillenesse myn attenciou{n} she 728
seide þus.
[Sidenote: Thou art, she says, affected by the loss of thy former
fortune.]
¶ As who so myȝt[e] seye þus. After þise
þinges she stynt[e] a lytel. {and} whanne she ap{er}ceiued[e]
by atempre stillenesse þat I was ententif to
herkene hire. she bygan to speke in þis wyse. ¶ Yif 732
I q{uod} she haue vnderstonde{n} {and} knowe vtterly þe [[pg 30]]
causes {and} þe habit of þi maladie. þou languissed {and}
art deffeted for talent {and} desijr of þi raþer fortune.
[Sidenote: It hath perverted thy faculties.]
¶ She þat ilke fortune only þat is chaunged as þou 736
feinest to þe ward. haþ p{er}uerted þe clerenesse {and} þe
astat of þi corage.
[Sidenote: I am well acquainted with all the wiles of that Prodigy
(_i. e._ Fortune).]
¶ I vnderstonde þe felefolde
colo{ur} {and} deceites of þilke merueillous monstre fortune.
and how she vseþ ful flatryng familarite wiþ hem 740
þat she enforceþ to bygyle. so longe til þat she co{n}founde
wiþ vnsuffreable sorwe hem þat she haþ left
in despeir vnpurueyed.
[Sidenote: Though she has left thee, thou hast not lost anything
of beauty or of worth.]
¶ and if þou remembrest wel
þe kynde þe maners {and} þe desert of þilke fortune. þow 744
shalt wel knowe as in hir þou neuer ne haddest ne
hast ylost any fair þing. But as I trowe I shal not
gretly trauaile to don þe remembren of þise þinges.
[Sidenote: Thou wert once proof against her allurements.]
¶ For þou were wont to hurtlen [{and} despysen] hir 748
wiþ manly wordes whan she was blaundissinge {and}
presente {and} p{ur}sewedest hir wiþ sentences þat were
drawe{n} oute of myne entre. þat is to seyne out of
myn i{n}formac{i}ou{n}
[Sidenote: But sudden change works a great alteration in the minds
of men, hence it is that thou art departed from thy usual peace of
mind.]
¶ But no sudeyne mutac{i}ou{n} ne 752
bytideþ nat wiþ oute{n} a maner chau{n}gyng of curages.
and so is it byfallen þat þou art dep{ar}ted a litel fro
þe pees of þi þouȝt.
[Sidenote: But with some gentle emollients I shall prepare thee
for stronger medicines.]
but now is tyme þat þou drynke
{and} atast[e] some softe {and} delitable þinges. so þat whan 756
þei ben entred wiþ i{n}ne þe. it mow make weye to
strenger drynkes of medycynes.
[Sidenote: Approach then, Rhetoric, with thy persuasive charms,
and therewith let Music also draw near.]
¶ Com nowe furþe
þerfore þe suasiou{n} of swetnesse Rethoryen. whiche
þat goþ oonly þe ryȝt wey whil she forsakeþ not myne 760
estatutȝ. ¶ And wiþ Rethorice com forþe musice a
damoisel of oure house þat syngeþ now lyȝter moedes
or p{ro}lac{i}ou{n}s now heuyer. [[pg 31]]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 9.]]
*what ayleþ þe man. what
is it þat haþ cast þe in to murnyng {and} in to wepyng. 764
I trow[e] þat þou hast sen some newe þing {and} uncouþe.
[Sidenote: Thou thinkest that Fortune is changed towards thee.]
¶ Þou wenest þat fortune be chaunged aȝeins þe
[Sidenote: But thou art deceived.]
¶ But þou wenest wrong. yif þou [þat] wene.
[Sidenote: In this misadventure of thine she hath preserved her
constancy in changing.]
Alwey þo ben hire maners. she haþ raþer [kept] as to 768
þe ward hire p{ro}pre stablenes in þe chaungyng of hyre
self. ¶ Ryȝt swyche was she whan she flatered[e]
þe. {and} desseiued[e] þe wiþ vnleueful lykynges of
false welefulnesse.
[Sidenote: You have seen the double face of this blind divinity.]
þou hast now knowen {and} ataynt 772
þe doutous or double visage of þilke blynde goddesse
fortune. ¶ She þat ȝit couereþ hir {and} wympleþ hir
to oþer folk. haþ shewed hir euerydel to þe. ¶ Ȝif
þou app{ro}uest hir {and} þenkest þat she is good. vse 776
hir maners {and} pleyne þe nat.
[Sidenote: If thou dost abhor her perfidy cast her off, for her
sports are dangerous.]
¶ And if þou agrisest
hir fals[e] trecherie. dispise {and} cast aweye hir þat
pleyeþ so harmefully. for she þat is now cause of so
myche sorwe to þe. sholde be to þe cause of pees {and} 780
[of] ioie. ¶ she haþ forsaken þe forsoþe. þe whiche
þat neuer man may be syker þat she ne shal forsake
hym. _Glose._ ¶ But naþeles some bookes han þe text
þus. For soþe she haþ forsaken þe ne þer nis no man 784
syker þat she ne haþ not forsaken.
[Sidenote: Is that happiness which is so transient?]
¶ Holdest þou
þan þilke welefulnesse p{re}ciouse to þe þat shal passen.
[Sidenote: Is the attendance of Fortune so dear to thee, whose
stay is so uncertain, and whose removal causes such grief?]
{and} is p{re}sent fortune derworþi to þe. whiche þat nis
not feiþful forto dwelle. {and} whan she goþ aweye þat 788
she bryngeþ a wyȝt in sorwe ¶ For syn she may nat
be wiþholde{n} at a mans wille. she makeþ hym a wrecche
whe{n} she dep{ar}teþ fro hym.
[Sidenote: What is she (Fortune) but the presage of future
calamity?]
¶ What oþer þing is
flitti{n}g fortune but a manere shewyng of wrycchednesse [[pg 32]]
þat is to comen. ne it ne suffriþ nat oo[n]ly to loken 793
of þing þat is p{re}sent byforne þe eyen of man. but
wisdom lokeþ {and} mesureþ þe ende of þinges.
[Sidenote: Her mutability should make men neither fear her threats
nor desire her favours.]
{and} þe
same chau{n}gyng from one to an oþer. þat is to seyne 796
fro aduersite to p{ro}sperite makeþ þat þe manaces of
fortune ne ben not forto dreden. ne þe flatrynges of
hir to ben desired. ¶ Þus atte þe last it byhoueþ þe
to suffren wiþ euene wille in pacience al þat is don 800
inwiþ þe floor of fortune. þat is to seyne in þis worlde.
[Linenotes:
727 _she_ (2)--I
729 _myȝt[e] seye_--myht{e} seyn
730 _stynt[e]_--stynte
732 _hire_--here
733 _knowe vtterly_--knowen owtrely
734 _languissed_--languyssest
737 _haþ_--MS. haþe
738 _astat_--estat
_felefolde_--feelefold
739 _colour_--colours
_deceites_ (MS. decrites)--deceytes
_merueillous_--meruayles
742 _haþ_--MS. haþe
743 _if_--yif
746 _any_ (MS. my)--any
_þing_--thinge
747 _trauaile_--travaylen
_don_--do
_remembren of_--remenbre on
748 [_and despysen_]--from C.
749 _was_--omitted
750 _were_--weren
751 _myne_--myn
_seyne_--sayn
752 _sudeyne_--sodeyn
753 _outen_--owte
757 _inne_--in
_mow----weye_--mowe maken way
758 _strenger_--strengere
_Com nowe furþe_--MS. Come; C. Com now forth
760 _goþ_--MS. goþe
761 _com_--MS. come, C. com
762 _house_--hows
_lyȝter_--lyhter{e}
763 _prolaciouns_--p{ro}basyons
_heuyer_--heuyer{e}
_ayleþ_--eyleth
765 _trow[e]_--trowe
_sen_--MS. sene, C. seyn
_some_--som
_þing_--thinge
_uncouþe_--vnkowth
766 _aȝeins_--ayein
767 _wenest_--weenes
[_þat_]--C. that
768 _haþ_--MS. haþe
[_kept_]--from C.
769 _stablenes in þe_--stabylnesse standeth in the
770 _swyche_--swich
771 _vnleueful_--vnlefful
775 _haþ_--MS. had, C. hat
776 _good_--MS. goode, C. god
777 _agrisest_--MS. agrised, C. agrysyst
778 _fals[e]_--false
780 _myche_--mochel
781 [_of_]--from C.
_haþ_--MS. haþe
783 _text_--texte
784 _haþ_--MS. haþe
785 _forsaken_--forsake
_Holdest þou_--holdestow
786 _þan_--thanne
_preciouse_--p{re}syes
787 _derworþi_--dereworthe
_whiche_--which
788 _feiþful_--feythfulle
_goþ_--MS. goþe
_aweye_--awey
790 _mans_--mannys
791 _when_--wan
_þing_--thinge
793 _suffriþ_--suffiseth
794 _of þing_--on thynge
_byforne_--MS. byforne byforne
_man_--a man
795 _mesureþ_--amesureth
796 _from one_--fram oon
_seyne_--seyn
797 _fro_--from
_to_--into
799 _atte þe last_--at the laste]
[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY EXPOSTULATES WITH BOETHIUS.]
[Sidenote: If you submit to her yoke you must patiently endure her
inflictions.]
¶ Syþen þou hast oones put þi nekke vnder þe ȝokke
of hir. for if þou wilt write a lawe of wendyng {and} of
dwellyng to fortune whiche þat þou hast chosen frely 804
to be þi lady
[Sidenote: Impatience will only embitter your loss.]
¶ Art þou nat wrongful in þat {and}
makest fortune wroþe {and} asp{er}e by þin inpacience.
{and} ȝit þou mayst not chaungen hir.
[Sidenote: You cannot choose your port if you leave your vessel to
the mercy of the winds.]
¶ Yif þou co{m}mittest
[{and}] bitakest þi sayles to þe wynde. þou shalt 808
be shouen not þider þat þou woldest(:) but whider þat
þe wy{n}de shoueþ þe ¶ Yif þou castest þi seedes in þe
feldes þou sholdest haue in mynde þat þe ȝeres ben
oþer while plenteuous {and} oþ{er} while bareyne.
[Sidenote: You have given yourself up to Fortune; it becomes you
therefore to obey her commands.]
¶ Þou 812
hast bytaken þiself to þe gouernaunce of fortune.
{and} forþi it byhoueþ þe to ben obeisaunt to þe manere
of þi lady.
[Sidenote: Would you stop the rolling of her wheel?]
and enforcest þou þe to aresten or wiþstonden
þe swyftnesse {and} þe sweyes of hir to{ur}nyng 816
whele.
[Sidenote: Fool! if Fortune once became stable she would cease to
exist.]
¶ O þou fool of alle mortel fooles if fortune
bygan to dwelle stable. she cesed[e] þan to ben fortune.
[Linenotes:
801 _seyne_--seyn
_worlde_--world
802 _Syþen_--Syn
_ȝokke_--yok{e}
803 _if_--yif
_write_--wryten
804 _whiche_--which
805 _lady_--ladye
_Art þou_--Artow
806 _wroþe_--wroth
_þin_--thine
807 _chaungen_--chaunge
808 [_and_]--from C.
809 _þider_--thedyr
_whider_--whedyr
811 _haue_--han
814 _manere_--maneres
815 {and}--omitted
_wiþstonden_--withholden
816 _sweyes_--sweyȝ
818 _cesed[e]_--cesede]
[[pg 33]]
[Headnote:
THE INCONSTANCY OF FORTUNE.]