769
_stablenes
in ?
Chaucer - Boethius
e musice a
damoisel of oure house ? at synge? now ly? ter moedes
or p{ro}lac{i}ou{n}s now heuyer. [[pg 31]]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 9. ]]
*what ayle? ? e man. what
is it ? at ha? cast ? e in to murnyng {and} in to wepyng. 764
I trow[e] ? at ? ou hast sen some newe ? ing {and} uncou? e.
[Sidenote: Thou thinkest that Fortune is changed towards thee. ]
? ? ou wenest ? at fortune be chaunged a? eins ? e
[Sidenote: But thou art deceived. ]
? But ? ou wenest wrong. yif ? ou [? at] wene.
[Sidenote: In this misadventure of thine she hath preserved her
constancy in changing. ]
Alwey ? o ben hire maners. she ha? ra? er [kept] as to 768
? e ward hire p{ro}pre stablenes in ? e chaungyng of hyre
self. ? Ry? t swyche was she whan she flatered[e]
? e. {and} desseiued[e] ? e wi? vnleueful lykynges of
false welefulnesse.
[Sidenote: You have seen the double face of this blind divinity. ]
? ou hast now knowen {and} ataynt 772
? e doutous or double visage of ? ilke blynde goddesse
fortune. ? She ? at ? it couere? hir {and} wymple? hir
to o? er folk. ha? shewed hir euerydel to ? e. ? ? if
? ou app{ro}uest hir {and} ? enkest ? at she is good. vse 776
hir maners {and} pleyne ? e nat.
[Sidenote: If thou dost abhor her perfidy cast her off, for her
sports are dangerous. ]
? And if ? ou agrisest
hir fals[e] trecherie. dispise {and} cast aweye hir ? at
pleye? so harmefully. for she ? at is now cause of so
myche sorwe to ? e. sholde be to ? e cause of pees {and} 780
[of] ioie. ? she ha? forsaken ? e forso? e. ? e whiche
? at neuer man may be syker ? at she ne shal forsake
hym. _Glose. _ ? But na? eles some bookes han ? e text
? us. For so? e she ha? forsaken ? e ne ? er nis no man 784
syker ? at she ne ha? not forsaken.
[Sidenote: Is that happiness which is so transient? ]
? Holdest ? ou
? an ? ilke welefulnesse p{re}ciouse to ? e ? at 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 derwor? i to ? e. whiche ? at nis
not fei? ful forto dwelle. {and} whan she go? aweye ? at 788
she brynge? a wy? t in sorwe ? For syn she may nat
be wi? holde{n} at a mans wille. she make? hym a wrecche
whe{n} she dep{ar}te? fro hym.
[Sidenote: What is she (Fortune) but the presage of future
calamity? ]
? What o? er ? ing is
flitti{n}g fortune but a manere shewyng of wrycchednesse [[pg 32]]
? at is to comen. ne it ne suffri? nat oo[n]ly to loken 793
of ? ing ? at is p{re}sent byforne ? e eyen of man. but
wisdom loke? {and} mesure? ? e ende of ? inges.
[Sidenote: Her mutability should make men neither fear her threats
nor desire her favours. ]
{and} ? e
same chau{n}gyng from one to an o? er. ? at is to seyne 796
fro aduersite to p{ro}sperite make? ? at ? e manaces of
fortune ne ben not forto dreden. ne ? e flatrynges of
hir to ben desired. ? ? us atte ? e last it byhoue? ? e
to suffren wi? euene wille in pacience al ? at is don 800
inwi? ? e floor of fortune. ? at is to seyne in ? is worlde.
[Linenotes:
727 _she_ (2)--I
729 _my? t[e] seye_--myht{e} seyn
730 _stynt[e]_--stynte
732 _hire_--here
733 _knowe vtterly_--knowen owtrely
734 _languissed_--languyssest
737 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
738 _astat_--estat
_felefolde_--feelefold
739 _colour_--colours
_deceites_ (MS. decrites)--deceytes
_merueillous_--meruayles
742 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
743 _if_--yif
746 _any_ (MS. my)--any
_? ing_--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 fur? e_--MS. Come; C. Com now forth
760 _go? _--MS. go? e
761 _com_--MS. come, C. com
762 _house_--hows
_ly? ter_--lyhter{e}
763 _prolaciouns_--p{ro}basyons
_heuyer_--heuyer{e}
_ayle? _--eyleth
765 _trow[e]_--trowe
_sen_--MS. sene, C. seyn
_some_--som
_? ing_--thinge
_uncou? e_--vnkowth
766 _a? eins_--ayein
767 _wenest_--weenes
[_? at_]--C. that
768 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
[_kept_]--from C.
769 _stablenes in ? e_--stabylnesse standeth in the
770 _swyche_--swich
771 _vnleueful_--vnlefful
775 _ha? _--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.
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
783 _text_--texte
784 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
785 _forsaken_--forsake
_Holdest ? ou_--holdestow
786 _? an_--thanne
_preciouse_--p{re}syes
787 _derwor? i_--dereworthe
_whiche_--which
788 _fei? ful_--feythfulle
_go? _--MS. go? e
_aweye_--awey
790 _mans_--mannys
791 _when_--wan
_? ing_--thinge
793 _suffri? _--suffiseth
794 _of ? ing_--on thynge
_byforne_--MS. byforne byforne
_man_--a man
795 _mesure? _--amesureth
796 _from one_--fram oon
_seyne_--seyn
797 _fro_--from
_to_--into
799 _atte ? e last_--at the laste]
[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY EXPOSTULATES WITH BOETHIUS. ]
[Sidenote: If you submit to her yoke you must patiently endure her
inflictions. ]
? Sy? en ? ou hast oones put ? i nekke vnder ? e ? okke
of hir. for if ? ou wilt write a lawe of wendyng {and} of
dwellyng to fortune whiche ? at ? ou hast chosen frely 804
to be ? i lady
[Sidenote: Impatience will only embitter your loss. ]
? Art ? ou nat wrongful in ? at {and}
makest fortune wro? e {and} asp{er}e by ? in inpacience.
{and} ? it ? ou mayst not chaungen hir.
[Sidenote: You cannot choose your port if you leave your vessel to
the mercy of the winds. ]
? Yif ? ou co{m}mittest
[{and}] bitakest ? i sayles to ? e wynde. ? ou shalt 808
be shouen not ? ider ? at ? ou woldest(:) but whider ? at
? e wy{n}de shoue? ? e ? Yif ? ou castest ? i seedes in ? e
feldes ? ou sholdest haue in mynde ? at ? e ? eres ben
o? er while plenteuous {and} o? {er} while bareyne.
[Sidenote: You have given yourself up to Fortune; it becomes you
therefore to obey her commands. ]
? ? ou 812
hast bytaken ? iself to ? e gouernaunce of fortune.
{and} for? i it byhoue? ? e to ben obeisaunt to ? e manere
of ? i lady.
[Sidenote: Would you stop the rolling of her wheel? ]
and enforcest ? ou ? e to aresten or wi? stonden
? e swyftnesse {and} ? e sweyes of hir to{ur}nyng 816
whele.
[Sidenote: Fool! if Fortune once became stable she would cease to
exist. ]
? O ? ou fool of alle mortel fooles if fortune
bygan to dwelle stable. she cesed[e] ? an to ben fortune.
[Linenotes:
801 _seyne_--seyn
_worlde_--world
802 _Sy? en_--Syn
_? okke_--yok{e}
803 _if_--yif
_write_--wryten
804 _whiche_--which
805 _lady_--ladye
_Art ? ou_--Artow
806 _wro? e_--wroth
_? in_--thine
807 _chaungen_--chaunge
808 [_and_]--from C.
809 _? ider_--thedyr
_whider_--whedyr
811 _haue_--han
814 _manere_--maneres
815 {and}--omitted
_wi? stonden_--withholden
816 _sweyes_--swey?
818 _cesed[e]_--cesede]
[[pg 33]]
[Headnote:
THE INCONSTANCY OF FORTUNE. ]
HEC CUM SUPERBA.
[Sidenote: [The fyrst met{ur}. ]
[Sidenote: Fortune is as inconstant as the ebb and flow of
Euripus. ]
++Whan fortune wi? a proude ry? t hande ha? turnid
hir chau{n}gyng stoundes she fare? lyke ? e maners 820
of ? e boillyng eurippe. _Glose. _ Eurippe is an arme of
? e see ? {a}t ebbith {and} flowi? . {and} somtyme ? e streme
is on one syde {and} somtyme on ? at o? er. _Texte_
[Sidenote: She hurls kings from their thrones, and exalts the
captive. ]
? She
cruel fortune kaste? adoune kynges ? at somtyme weren 824
ydred. {and} she deceiuable enhau{n}seth vp ? e humble
chere of hym ? at is discomfited.
[Sidenote: She turns a deaf ear to the tears and cries of the
wretched. ]
{and} she ney? er here?
ne recche? of wrecched[e] wepynges. {and} she is so harde
? at she lau? e? {and} scorne? ? e wepyng of hem ? e whiche 828
she ha? maked wepe wi? hir free wille.
[Sidenote: Thus she sports and boasts her power and presents a
marvel to her servants if, in the space of an hour, a man is
hurled from happiness into adversity. ]
? ? us she
pleye? {and} ? {us} she p{re}ue? hir streng? e {and} shewe? a
grete wondre to alle hir seruau{n}t? . ? Yif ? at a wy? t
is seyn weleful {and} ou{er}? rowe in an houre. 832
[Linenotes:
819 _proude_--prowd
_hande_--hand
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
820 _lyke_--lik
821 _arme_--arm
822 _streme_--strem
823 _one_--o
821 _adoune_--adown
_somtyme_--whilom
825 _ydred_ (MS. _ydredde_)--ydrad
_humble_--vmble
827 _recche? _--rekke?
_wrecched[e]_--wrecchede
_harde_--hard
828 _lau? e? _--lyssheth
_wepyng_--wepynges
830 _streng? e_--strengthes]
[Headnote:
PROSPERITY DOES NOT CONSTITUTE FELICITY. ]
VELLEM AUTE{M} PAUCA.
[Sidenote: [The secunde p{ro}se. ]]
[Sidenote: Philosophy expostulates with Boethius in the name of
Fortune. ]
++CErtis I wolde plete wi? ? ee a fewe ? inges vsynge
? e wordes of fortune tak heede now ? i self. yif ? {a}t
she axe? ry? t.
[Sidenote: Why do you accuse me (Fortune) as guilty? ]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 9 _b_. ]]
*? O ? ou man wher fore makest ? ou
me gilty by ? ine euerydayes pleynynges. what wronges 836
haue I don ? e.
damoisel of oure house ? at synge? now ly? ter moedes
or p{ro}lac{i}ou{n}s now heuyer. [[pg 31]]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 9. ]]
*what ayle? ? e man. what
is it ? at ha? cast ? e in to murnyng {and} in to wepyng. 764
I trow[e] ? at ? ou hast sen some newe ? ing {and} uncou? e.
[Sidenote: Thou thinkest that Fortune is changed towards thee. ]
? ? ou wenest ? at fortune be chaunged a? eins ? e
[Sidenote: But thou art deceived. ]
? But ? ou wenest wrong. yif ? ou [? at] wene.
[Sidenote: In this misadventure of thine she hath preserved her
constancy in changing. ]
Alwey ? o ben hire maners. she ha? ra? er [kept] as to 768
? e ward hire p{ro}pre stablenes in ? e chaungyng of hyre
self. ? Ry? t swyche was she whan she flatered[e]
? e. {and} desseiued[e] ? e wi? vnleueful lykynges of
false welefulnesse.
[Sidenote: You have seen the double face of this blind divinity. ]
? ou hast now knowen {and} ataynt 772
? e doutous or double visage of ? ilke blynde goddesse
fortune. ? She ? at ? it couere? hir {and} wymple? hir
to o? er folk. ha? shewed hir euerydel to ? e. ? ? if
? ou app{ro}uest hir {and} ? enkest ? at she is good. vse 776
hir maners {and} pleyne ? e nat.
[Sidenote: If thou dost abhor her perfidy cast her off, for her
sports are dangerous. ]
? And if ? ou agrisest
hir fals[e] trecherie. dispise {and} cast aweye hir ? at
pleye? so harmefully. for she ? at is now cause of so
myche sorwe to ? e. sholde be to ? e cause of pees {and} 780
[of] ioie. ? she ha? forsaken ? e forso? e. ? e whiche
? at neuer man may be syker ? at she ne shal forsake
hym. _Glose. _ ? But na? eles some bookes han ? e text
? us. For so? e she ha? forsaken ? e ne ? er nis no man 784
syker ? at she ne ha? not forsaken.
[Sidenote: Is that happiness which is so transient? ]
? Holdest ? ou
? an ? ilke welefulnesse p{re}ciouse to ? e ? at 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 derwor? i to ? e. whiche ? at nis
not fei? ful forto dwelle. {and} whan she go? aweye ? at 788
she brynge? a wy? t in sorwe ? For syn she may nat
be wi? holde{n} at a mans wille. she make? hym a wrecche
whe{n} she dep{ar}te? fro hym.
[Sidenote: What is she (Fortune) but the presage of future
calamity? ]
? What o? er ? ing is
flitti{n}g fortune but a manere shewyng of wrycchednesse [[pg 32]]
? at is to comen. ne it ne suffri? nat oo[n]ly to loken 793
of ? ing ? at is p{re}sent byforne ? e eyen of man. but
wisdom loke? {and} mesure? ? e ende of ? inges.
[Sidenote: Her mutability should make men neither fear her threats
nor desire her favours. ]
{and} ? e
same chau{n}gyng from one to an o? er. ? at is to seyne 796
fro aduersite to p{ro}sperite make? ? at ? e manaces of
fortune ne ben not forto dreden. ne ? e flatrynges of
hir to ben desired. ? ? us atte ? e last it byhoue? ? e
to suffren wi? euene wille in pacience al ? at is don 800
inwi? ? e floor of fortune. ? at is to seyne in ? is worlde.
[Linenotes:
727 _she_ (2)--I
729 _my? t[e] seye_--myht{e} seyn
730 _stynt[e]_--stynte
732 _hire_--here
733 _knowe vtterly_--knowen owtrely
734 _languissed_--languyssest
737 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
738 _astat_--estat
_felefolde_--feelefold
739 _colour_--colours
_deceites_ (MS. decrites)--deceytes
_merueillous_--meruayles
742 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
743 _if_--yif
746 _any_ (MS. my)--any
_? ing_--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 fur? e_--MS. Come; C. Com now forth
760 _go? _--MS. go? e
761 _com_--MS. come, C. com
762 _house_--hows
_ly? ter_--lyhter{e}
763 _prolaciouns_--p{ro}basyons
_heuyer_--heuyer{e}
_ayle? _--eyleth
765 _trow[e]_--trowe
_sen_--MS. sene, C. seyn
_some_--som
_? ing_--thinge
_uncou? e_--vnkowth
766 _a? eins_--ayein
767 _wenest_--weenes
[_? at_]--C. that
768 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
[_kept_]--from C.
769 _stablenes in ? e_--stabylnesse standeth in the
770 _swyche_--swich
771 _vnleueful_--vnlefful
775 _ha? _--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.
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
783 _text_--texte
784 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
785 _forsaken_--forsake
_Holdest ? ou_--holdestow
786 _? an_--thanne
_preciouse_--p{re}syes
787 _derwor? i_--dereworthe
_whiche_--which
788 _fei? ful_--feythfulle
_go? _--MS. go? e
_aweye_--awey
790 _mans_--mannys
791 _when_--wan
_? ing_--thinge
793 _suffri? _--suffiseth
794 _of ? ing_--on thynge
_byforne_--MS. byforne byforne
_man_--a man
795 _mesure? _--amesureth
796 _from one_--fram oon
_seyne_--seyn
797 _fro_--from
_to_--into
799 _atte ? e last_--at the laste]
[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY EXPOSTULATES WITH BOETHIUS. ]
[Sidenote: If you submit to her yoke you must patiently endure her
inflictions. ]
? Sy? en ? ou hast oones put ? i nekke vnder ? e ? okke
of hir. for if ? ou wilt write a lawe of wendyng {and} of
dwellyng to fortune whiche ? at ? ou hast chosen frely 804
to be ? i lady
[Sidenote: Impatience will only embitter your loss. ]
? Art ? ou nat wrongful in ? at {and}
makest fortune wro? e {and} asp{er}e by ? in inpacience.
{and} ? it ? ou mayst not chaungen hir.
[Sidenote: You cannot choose your port if you leave your vessel to
the mercy of the winds. ]
? Yif ? ou co{m}mittest
[{and}] bitakest ? i sayles to ? e wynde. ? ou shalt 808
be shouen not ? ider ? at ? ou woldest(:) but whider ? at
? e wy{n}de shoue? ? e ? Yif ? ou castest ? i seedes in ? e
feldes ? ou sholdest haue in mynde ? at ? e ? eres ben
o? er while plenteuous {and} o? {er} while bareyne.
[Sidenote: You have given yourself up to Fortune; it becomes you
therefore to obey her commands. ]
? ? ou 812
hast bytaken ? iself to ? e gouernaunce of fortune.
{and} for? i it byhoue? ? e to ben obeisaunt to ? e manere
of ? i lady.
[Sidenote: Would you stop the rolling of her wheel? ]
and enforcest ? ou ? e to aresten or wi? stonden
? e swyftnesse {and} ? e sweyes of hir to{ur}nyng 816
whele.
[Sidenote: Fool! if Fortune once became stable she would cease to
exist. ]
? O ? ou fool of alle mortel fooles if fortune
bygan to dwelle stable. she cesed[e] ? an to ben fortune.
[Linenotes:
801 _seyne_--seyn
_worlde_--world
802 _Sy? en_--Syn
_? okke_--yok{e}
803 _if_--yif
_write_--wryten
804 _whiche_--which
805 _lady_--ladye
_Art ? ou_--Artow
806 _wro? e_--wroth
_? in_--thine
807 _chaungen_--chaunge
808 [_and_]--from C.
809 _? ider_--thedyr
_whider_--whedyr
811 _haue_--han
814 _manere_--maneres
815 {and}--omitted
_wi? stonden_--withholden
816 _sweyes_--swey?
818 _cesed[e]_--cesede]
[[pg 33]]
[Headnote:
THE INCONSTANCY OF FORTUNE. ]
HEC CUM SUPERBA.
[Sidenote: [The fyrst met{ur}. ]
[Sidenote: Fortune is as inconstant as the ebb and flow of
Euripus. ]
++Whan fortune wi? a proude ry? t hande ha? turnid
hir chau{n}gyng stoundes she fare? lyke ? e maners 820
of ? e boillyng eurippe. _Glose. _ Eurippe is an arme of
? e see ? {a}t ebbith {and} flowi? . {and} somtyme ? e streme
is on one syde {and} somtyme on ? at o? er. _Texte_
[Sidenote: She hurls kings from their thrones, and exalts the
captive. ]
? She
cruel fortune kaste? adoune kynges ? at somtyme weren 824
ydred. {and} she deceiuable enhau{n}seth vp ? e humble
chere of hym ? at is discomfited.
[Sidenote: She turns a deaf ear to the tears and cries of the
wretched. ]
{and} she ney? er here?
ne recche? of wrecched[e] wepynges. {and} she is so harde
? at she lau? e? {and} scorne? ? e wepyng of hem ? e whiche 828
she ha? maked wepe wi? hir free wille.
[Sidenote: Thus she sports and boasts her power and presents a
marvel to her servants if, in the space of an hour, a man is
hurled from happiness into adversity. ]
? ? us she
pleye? {and} ? {us} she p{re}ue? hir streng? e {and} shewe? a
grete wondre to alle hir seruau{n}t? . ? Yif ? at a wy? t
is seyn weleful {and} ou{er}? rowe in an houre. 832
[Linenotes:
819 _proude_--prowd
_hande_--hand
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
820 _lyke_--lik
821 _arme_--arm
822 _streme_--strem
823 _one_--o
821 _adoune_--adown
_somtyme_--whilom
825 _ydred_ (MS. _ydredde_)--ydrad
_humble_--vmble
827 _recche? _--rekke?
_wrecched[e]_--wrecchede
_harde_--hard
828 _lau? e? _--lyssheth
_wepyng_--wepynges
830 _streng? e_--strengthes]
[Headnote:
PROSPERITY DOES NOT CONSTITUTE FELICITY. ]
VELLEM AUTE{M} PAUCA.
[Sidenote: [The secunde p{ro}se. ]]
[Sidenote: Philosophy expostulates with Boethius in the name of
Fortune. ]
++CErtis I wolde plete wi? ? ee a fewe ? inges vsynge
? e wordes of fortune tak heede now ? i self. yif ? {a}t
she axe? ry? t.
[Sidenote: Why do you accuse me (Fortune) as guilty? ]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 9 _b_. ]]
*? O ? ou man wher fore makest ? ou
me gilty by ? ine euerydayes pleynynges. what wronges 836
haue I don ? e.
