e
spryngyng
floures of ?
Chaucer - Boethius
[Sidenote: What is there in the gifts of Fortune that is not vile
and despicable? ]
? Now vndirstonde 1172
here al were it so ? at ? e ? iftis of fortune nar[e] nat
brutel ne t{ra}nsitorie.
[Sidenote: [* fol. 12. ]]
what is ? er in hem ? at may be
? ine *in any tyme. or ellis ? at it nys foule if ? at it be
considered {and} lokid p{er}fitely.
[Sidenote: Are riches precious in themselves, or in men's
estimation? ]
? Richesse ben ? ei 1176
p{re}ciouse by ? e nature of hem self. or ellys by ? e
nature of ? e.
[Sidenote: What is most precious in them, quantity or quality? ]
What is most wor? i of rycchesse. is it
nat golde or my? t of moneye assembled.
[Sidenote: Bounty is more glorious than niggardliness. ]
? Certis
? ilke golde {and} ? ilke moneye shine? {and} ? eue? better 1180
renou{n} to hem ? at dispenden it. ? en to ? ilke folke ? at
mokeren it.
[Sidenote: Avarice is always hateful, while liberality is
praise-worthy. ]
For auarice make? alwey mokeres to be
hated. {and} largesse make? folke clere of renou{n}
? For syn ? at swiche ? i{n}g as is t{ra}nsfered from o 1184
man to an o? er ne may nat dwellen wi? no man.
[Sidenote: Money cannot be more precious than when it is dispensed
liberally to others. ]
Certis ? an is ? ilke moneye p{re}cious. whan it is translated
in to o? er folk. {and} stynte? to ben had by
vsage of large ? euy{n}g of hym ? at ha? ? euen it. 1188
[Sidenote: If one man's coffers contained all the money in the
world, every one else would be in want of it. ]
{and} also yif al ? e moneye ? at is ouer-al in ? e world were
gadered towar[d] o man. it sholde maken al o? er men [[pg 46]]
to ben nedy as of ? at. ? And certys a voys al hool
? at is to seyn wi? -oute amenusynge fulfille? to gyder 1192
? e heryng of myche folke.
[Sidenote: Riches cannot be dispensed without diminution. ]
but Certys ? oure rycchesse
ne mowen nat passen vnto myche folk wi? -oute amenussyng
? And whan ? ei ben apassed. nedys ? ei maken
hem pore ? at forgon ? e rycchesses.
[Sidenote: O the poverty of riches, that cannot be enjoyed by many
at the same time, nor can be possessed by one without
impoverishing others! ]
? O streite {and} 1196
nedy clepe I ? ise rycchesses. syn ? at many folke [ne]
may nat han it al. ne al may it nat comen to on man
wi? -oute pouerte of al o? er folke. ? And ? e shynynge
of ge{m}mes ? at I clepe p{re}ciouse stones. drawe? it nat 1200
? e eyen of folk in to hem warde. ? at is to seyne for ? e
beaute.
[Sidenote: The beauty of precious stones consists only in their
brightness, wherefore I marvel that men admire that which is
motionless, lifeless, and irrational. ]
? For certys yif ? er were beaute or bounte
in shynyng of stones. ? ilke clerenesse is of ? e stones
hem self. {and} nat of men. ? For whiche I wondre 1204
gretly ? at men merueilen on swiche ? inges. ? For
whi what ? ing is it ? at yif it wa{n}te? moeuyng {and}
ioynture of soule {and} body ? at by ry? t my? t[e] semen
a faire creature to hym ? at ha? a soule of resou{n}. 1208
[Sidenote: Precious stones are indeed the workmanship of the
Creator, but their beauty is infinitely below the excellency of
man's nature. ]
? For al be it so ? at ge{m}mes drawen to hem self a
litel of ? e laste beaute of ? e worlde. ? oru? ? e entent
of hir creato{ur} {and} ? oru? ? e distincc{i}ou{n} of hem self.
? it for as myche as ? ei ben put vndir ? oure excellence. 1212
? ei han not desserued by no weye ? at ? e shullen
merueylen on hem.
[Sidenote: Doth the beauty of the field delight thee? ]
? And ? e beaute of feeldes delite?
it nat mychel vnto ? ow.
[Sidenote: _B. _ Why should it not? for it is a beautiful part of a
beautiful whole. ]
_Boyce. _ ? Whi sholde it nat
deliten vs. syn ? at it is a ry? t fayr porciou{n} of ? e ry? t 1216
fair werk. ? at is to seyn of ? is worlde.
[Sidenote: Hence, we admire the face of the sea, the heavens, as
well as the sun, moon, and stars. ]
? And ry? t
so ben we gladed somtyme of ? e face of ? e see whan
it is clere. And also merueylen we on ? e heuene {and}
on ? e sterres. {and} on ? e sonne. {and} on ? e mone. [[pg 47]]
[Sidenote: _P. _ Do these things concern thee? darest thou glory in
them? ]
_Philosophie. _ ? App{er}teine? q{uo}d she any of ? ilke 1221
? inges to ? e. whi darst ? ou glorifie ? e in ? e shynynge
of any swiche ? inges.
[Sidenote: Do the flowers adorn you with their variety? ]
Art ? ou distingwed {and} embelised
by ?
e spryngyng floures of ? e first somer 1224
sesou{n}. or swelli? ? i plente in fruytes of somer. whi
art ? ou rauyshed wi? ydel ioies.
[Sidenote: Why embracest thou things wherein thou hast no
property? ]
why enbracest ? ou
straunge goodes as ? ei weren ? ine.
[Sidenote: Fortune can never make that thine which the nature of
things forbids to be so. ]
Fortune shal neuer
maken ? at swiche ? inges ben ? ine ? at nature of ? inges 1228
maked foreyne fro ? e.
[Sidenote: The fruits of the earth are designed for the support of
beasts. ]
? Syche is ? at wi? -oute{n}
doute ? e fruytes of ? e er? e owen to ben on ? e
norssinge of bestes.
[Sidenote: If you seek only the necessities of nature, the
affluence of Fortune will be useless. ]
? And if ? ou wilt fulfille ? i
nede after ? at it suffise? to nature ? an is it no nede 1232
? at ? ou seke after ? e sup{er}fluite of fortune.
[Sidenote: Nature is content with a little, and superfluity will
be both disagreeable and hurtful. ]
? For
wi? ful fewe ? inges {and} w{i}t{h} ful lytel ? ing nature
halt hire appaied. {and} yif ? ou wilt achoken ? e fulfillyng
of nat{ur}e wi? sup{er}fluites ? Certys ? ilke 1236
? inges ? {a}t ? ou wilt ? resten or pouren in to nature
shullen ben vnioyeful to ? e or ellis anoies.
[Sidenote: Does it add to a man's worth to shine in variety of
costly clothing? ]
? Wenest
? ou eke ? at it be a fair ? inge to shine wi? dyuerse
clo? ing.
[Sidenote: The things really to be admired are the beauty of the
stuff or the workmanship of it. ]
of whiche clo? ing yif ? e beaute be agreable 1240
to loken vpon. I wol merueylen on ? e nature of ? e
matere of ? ilke clo? es. or ellys on ? e werkeman ? at
wrou? t[e] hem.
[Sidenote: Doth a great retinue make thee happy? ]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 12 _b_. ]]
but al so a longe route of meyne. maki?
? at a blisful *man.
[Sidenote: If thy servants be vicious, they are a great burden to
the house, and pernicious enemies to the master of it. ]
? e whiche seruauntes yif ? ei ben 1244
vicio? s of condic{i}ou{n}s it is a greet charge {and} a
destrucc{i}ou{n} to ? e house. {and} a g{r}eet enmye to ? e lorde
hym self
[Sidenote: If they be good, why should the probity of others be
put to thy account? ]
? {And} yif ? ei ben goode men how shal
straung[e] or foreyne goodenes ben put in ? e nou{m}bre 1248
of ? i rycchesse.
[Sidenote: Upon the whole, then, none of those enjoyments which
thou didst consider as thy own did ever properly belong to thee. ]
so ? {a}t by alle ? ise forseide ? inges. it is
clerly shewed ? at neuer none of ? ilke ? inges ? at ? ou
accou{m}ptedest for ? in goodes nas nat ? i goode.
[Sidenote: If they be not desirable, why shouldst thou grieve for
the loss of them? ]
? In
? e whiche ? inges yif ? er be no beaute to ben desired. 1252
[Linenotes:
1172 _strenger_--strenger{e}
_vndirstonde_--vndyrstond
1173 _nar[e]_--ne weere
1174 _be ? ine_--ben thyn
1175 _foule_--fowl
1176 _Richesse_--Rychessis
1178 _rycchesse_--rychesses
1179, 1180 _golde_--gold
1180 _better_--betere
1181 _? en_--thanne
1182 _mokeres_--mokereres
1183 _folke clere_--folk cler
1184 _swiche_--swich
_from_--fram
1187 _stynte? _--stenteth
1188 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
1189 _world_--worlde
1190 _al_--alle
1191 _al hool_--omitted
1193 _myche folke_--moche folk{e}
_rycchesse_--rychesses
1194 _myche_--moche
1196 _forgon_--MS. forgone
1197 _? ise_--this
_rycchesses_--rychesse
[_ne_]--from C.
1198 _on_--o
1199 _wi? -oute_--with-owten
_al_--alle
_folke_--folk{e}
1200 _preciouse_--p{re}syous
1201 _in_--omitted
_warde_--ward
_seyne_--seyn
1202 _beaute_ (1)--beautes
_For_--but
1203 _in_--in the
1204 _whiche_--which
1207 _ioynture_--Ioyngture
1208 _faire_--fayr
_ha? _--MS. ha? e
1210 _laste_--last
_worlde_--world
1212 _myche_--mochel
1213 _desserued_--MS. desseyued, C. desseruyd
_weye_--wey
_shullen_--sholden
1215 _mychel_--mochel
1217 _fair werk_--fayr{e} werke
_worlde_--world
1219 _clere_--cler
1222 _darst ? ou glorifie_--darsthow gloryfyen
1225 _in_--in the
1229 _Syche_--Soth
1230 _on_--to
1231, 1235, 1237 _wilt_--wolt
1238 _shullen_--shollen
1239 _fair_--fayre
1240 _whiche_--which
1242 _werkeman_--werkman
1246 _house_--hows
_lorde_--lord
1248 _goodenes_--goodnesse
1250 _shewed_--I-shewyd
_none_--oon
1251 _? in_--thine
_goode_--good]
[[pg 48]]
[Headnote:
RICHES BRING ANXIETIES. ]
whi sholdest ? ou be sory yif ? ou leese hem. or whi
sholdest ? ou reioysen ? e to holden hem.
[Sidenote: If they are fair by nature, what is that to thee? ]
? For if ? ei
ben fair of hire owen kynde. what app{er}tene? ? at to ? e.
[Sidenote: They would be equally agreeable whether thine or not. ]
for as wel sholde ? ei han ben faire by hem self. 1256
? ou? ? ei were{n} dep{ar}tid from alle ? in rycchesse.
[Sidenote: They are not to be reckoned precious because they are
counted amongst thy goods, but because they seemed so before thou
didst desire to possess them. ]
? For-why
faire ne p{re}cio? s ne weren ? ei nat. for ? at ? ei
comen amonges ? i rycchesse. but for ? ei semeden fair
{and} p{re}cious. ? erfore ? ou haddest leuer rekene hem 1260
amonges ? i rycchesse.
[Sidenote: What, then, is it we so clamorously demand of Fortune? ]
but what desirest ? ou of fortune
wi? so greet a noyse {and} wi? so greet a fare
[Sidenote: Is it to drive away indigence by abundance? ]
? I
trowe ? ou seke to dryue awey nede wi? habundaunce
of ? inges.
[Sidenote: But the very reverse of this happens, for there is need
of many helps to keep a variety of valuable goods. ]
? But certys it turne? to ? ow al in ? e 1264
contrarie. for whi certys it nedi? of ful many[e] helpynges
to kepen ? e dyuersite of preciouse ostelment? .
[Sidenote: They want most things who have the most. ]
and so? e it is ? at of many[e] ? inges han ? ei nede ? at
many[e] ? inges han.
