No More Learning

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . ]

? For ? if ? ou remembre of what contre ? ou
art born. it nis not gou{er}ned by emp{er}oures. ne by
gouernement of multitude. as weren ? e contres of hem
of athenes. ? But o lorde {and} o kyng {and} ? at is god 564
? at is lorde of ? i contree. whiche ? at reioise? hym of
? e dwellyng of hys Cite? enis. {and} not forto putte hem
in exile. Of ? e whiche lorde it is a souerayne fredom
to be gouerned by ? e bridel of hym and obeie to his 568
iustice.

[Sidenote: The Commonwealth of Boethius. ]

? Hast ? ou for? eten ? ilke ry? t olde lawe of ? i
Citee. in ? e whiche Citee it is ordeyned {and} establissed
? at what wy? t ? at ha? leuer founden ? er i{n}ne hys sete
or hys house. ? en ellys where: he may not be exiled 572
by no ry? t fro ? at place. ? For who so ? at is co{n}tened
in-wi? ? e paleis [{and} the clos] of ? ilke Citee. ? er nis
no drede ? at he may deserue to ben exiled. ? But
who ? at lette? ? e wille forto enhabit[e] ? ere. he forlete? 576
also to deserue to ben Cite? ein of ? ilke Citee.

[Sidenote: Philosophy says she is moved more by the looks of
Boethius than by his gloomy prison. ]

? So ? at I seye ? at ? e face of ? is place ne amoeue? me
nat so myche as ? ine owen face. Ne . I. ne axe not
ra? er ? e walles of ? i librarie apparailled {and} wrou? t 580
wi? yvory {and} wi? glas ? an after ? e sete of ? i ? ou? t.

[Sidenote: Books are to be valued on account of the _thoughts_
they contain. ]

In whiche I putte nat somtyme bookes. but . I. putte
? at ? at make? bookes wor? i of p{ri}s or p{re}cious ? at is
to sein ? e sentence of my books. ? {And} certeinly of 584
? i dec{er}tes by-stowed in co{m}mune good. ? ou hast seid
so? e but after ? e multitude of ? i goode dedys. ? ou hast
seid fewe. {and} of ? e vnhonestee or falsnesse of ? inges
? at ben opposed a? eins ? e. ? ou hast remembred ? inges 588
? at be{n} knowe to alle folk.

[Sidenote: Boethius has rightfully and briefly recounted the
frauds of his accusers. ]

and of ? e felonies {and}
fraudes of ? ine accuso{ur}s. it seme? ? e haue I-touched
it forso? e ry? tfully {and} schortly. ? Al my? ten ? o
same ? inges bettere {and} more plentiuousely be couth [[pg 25]]
in ? e mou? e of ? e poeple ? {a}t knowe? al ? is. ? ? ou 593
hast eke blamed gretly {and} compleyned of ? e wrongful
dede of ? e senat. ? And ? ou 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} ? ou hast wepen for ? e damage of ? i renoune 596
? at is appaired. {and} ? i laste sorwe eschaufed
a? eins fortune {and} co{m}pleinest ? at gerdou{n}s ne ben not
euenliche ? olde to ? e desertes of folk. {and} in ? e l{att}re
ende of ? i woode muse ? ou p{r}iedest ? {a}t ? ilke pees ? at 600
gouerne? ? e heuene scholde gou{er}ne ? e er? e ? But
for ? at many tribulac{i}ou{n}s of affecc{i}ou{n}s han assailed
? e. {and} sorwe {and} Ire {and} wepyng todrawen ? ee
dyuersely

[Sidenote: Strong medicines are not proper for thee now,
distracted by grief, anger, and sadness. ]

? As ? ou art now feble of ? ou? t. my? tyer 604
remedies ne schullen not ? it touchen ? e for whiche
we wil[e] vsen somedel ly? ter medicines.

[Sidenote: Light medicines must prepare thee for sharper
remedies. ]

So ? at ? ilk[e]
passiou{n}s ? at ben woxen harde in swellyng by p{er}turbac{i}ou{n}
folowyng in to ? i ? ou? t mowen woxe esy 608
{and} softe to receyue{n} ? e strenke? of a more my?
ty {and}
more egre medicine by an esier touchyng.

[Linenotes:
560 _my? t[e]_--myhte
_haue_--han
_don_--MS. done, C. don
562 _born_--MS. borne, C. born
566 _hys_--hise
_putte_--put
568 _be_--ben
571 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
572 _house_--hows
574 [_and----clos_]--from C.
576 _wille_--wyl
_enhabit[e]_--enhabyte
578 _seye_--sey
_amoeue? _--moueth
579 _myche_--mochel
_owen_--owne
_ne_ (2)--omitted
582 _putte_ (_both_)--put
_somtyme_--whilom
585 _decertes_--desertes
_seid_--MS. seide, C. seyde
586 _so? e_--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 _? olde_--yolden
602 _many_--manye
604 _my? tyer_--myhtyer{e}
605 _whiche_--which
606 _wil[e]_--wol
_ly? ter_--lyhter{e}
_? ilk[e]_--thilke
607 _harde_--hard
608 _folowyng_--Flowyng
_woxe_--wexen
610 _esier_--esyer{e}]


[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY QUESTIONS BOETHIUS. ]

CU{M} PHEBI RADIIS G{RA}UE CA{N}C{R}I SID{US} ENESTUAT.

[Sidenote: [The sixte met{ur}. ]]

[Sidenote: He who sows his seed when the sun is in the Sign of
Cancer, must look for no produce. ]

++Whan ? at ? e heuy sterre of ? e cancre eschaufe? by
? e beme of pheb{us}. ? at is to seyne whan ? at pheb{us} 612
? e sonne is in ? e signe of ? e Cancre. Who so ? eue?
? an largely hys sedes to ? e feldes ? at refuse to receiuen
hem. lete hym gon bygyled of trust ? at he
hadde to hys corn. to acorns or okes.

[Sidenote: Think not to ingather violets in the wintry and stormy
season. ]

yif ? ou wilt 616
gadre violett? . ne go ? ou not to ? e purp{er} wode whan
? e felde chirkynge agrise? of colde by ? e felnesse of
? e wynde ? at hy? t aquilon

[Sidenote: If you wish for wine in autumn let the tendrils of the
vine be free in the spring. ]

Yif ? ou desirest or
? wolt vsen grapes ne seke ? ou nat wi? a gloto{n}us hande [[pg 26]]
to streine {and} p{re}sse ? e stalkes of ? e vine in ? e first 621
somer sesou{n}. for bachus ? e god of wyne ha? ra? er
? euen his ? iftes to autu{m}pne ? e latter ende of somer.

[Sidenote: To every work God assigns a proper time, nor suffers
anything to pass its bounds. ]

[Sidenote: [* fol. 8. ]]

? God tokeni? {and} assigne? *? e tymes. ablyng hem 624
to her p{ro}pre offices. ? Ne he ne suffre? not stoundes
whiche ? at hym self ha? deuided {and} co{n}streined to
be medeled to gidre

[Sidenote: Success does not await him who departs from the
appointed order of things. ]

? And for? i he ? at forlete?
certeyne ordinaunce of doynge by ou{er}? rowyng wey. 628
he ne ha? no glade issue or ende of hys werkes.

[Linenotes:
612 _beme_--beemes
_seyne_--seyn
614 _hys_--hise
_refuse_--refusen
615 after _hem_ C. adds [s. corn]
_lete hym gon_ (MS. _gone_)--lat hym gon
616 _or_--of
_wilt gadre_--wolt gadery
618 _felde_--feeld
_felnesse_--felnesses
619 _hy? t_--hyhte
620 _hande_--hond
622 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
625 _her propre_--heer{e} propres
_not_--nat the
626 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
627 _be medeled_--ben I-medled
628 _certeyne_--certeyn
629 _ha? _--MS. ha? e]


[Headnote:
DISCOVERS THE CAUSE OF HIS DISTEMPER. ]

PRIMU{M} IGITUR PATERIS ROGACIONIB{US}.

[Sidenote: [The syxte p{ro}se. ]]

[Sidenote: Philosophy proposes to question Boethius. ]

++FIrst wolt ? ou suffre me to touche {and} assaie ? e stat
of ? i ? ou? t by a fewe demaundes. so ? at I may
vnderstonde what be ? e manere of ? i curac{i}ou{n}. ? Axe 632
me q{uod} . I. atte ? i wille what ? ou wilt. {and} I schal
answer{e}.

[Sidenote: _P. _ Is the world governed by Chance? ]

? ? o saide sche ? us. whe? er wenest ? ou q{uo}d
sche ? {a}t ? is worlde be gouerned by foolisshe happes
{and} fortunes. or elles wenest ? ou ? at ? er be i{n} it any 636
gouerneme{n}t of resou{n}.

[Sidenote: _B. _ By no means. The Creator presides over his own
works. ]

Certes q{uod} . I. ne trowe not
in no manere ? at so certeyne ? inges scholde be moeued
by fortunouse fortune. but I wot wel ? at god maker
{and} mayster is gouerno{ur} of ? is werk.

[Sidenote: I shall never swerve from this opinion. ]

Ne neuer nas 640
? it day ? at my? t[e] putte me oute of ? e so? enesse of
? at sentence.

[Sidenote: _P. _ Yes! Thou didst say as much when thou didst
declare man alone to be destitute of divine care. ]

? So is it q{uod} sche. for ? e same ? ing
songe ? ou a lytel here byforne {and} byweyledest {and}
byweptest. ? at only men weren put oute of ? e cure of 644
god. ? For of alle o? er ? inges ? ou ne doutest nat
? at ? ei nere gouerned by reso{n}.

[Sidenote: Still thou seemest to labour under some defect even in
this conviction. ]

but how (. i. pape. ).
I wondre gretly certes whi ? at ? ou art seek. si? en ? ou
art put in to so holesom a sentence. but lat vs seken 648
depper. I coniecte ? at ? ere lakke? I not what. [[pg 27]]

[Sidenote: Tell me how the world is governed.