at it is
p{ro}pre
to ?
Chaucer - Boethius
_algate_--algates
_enclini[n]g_--enclynyd
4968 _Onlyche_--Oonly
_heyest_--heyeste
4970 _er? e_--erthes
4971 _oute_--owt
_witte_--wit
4972 _ry? t[e]_--ryhte
_hast_--MS. ha? e, C. hast
4973 _forhede_--foreheuyd
_on heye_--a heygh
4974 _foot sen_--foote syn]
[Headnote:
DEFINITION OF ETERNITY. ]
PR{O}SA VLTI{M}A.
QUONIA{M} IGITUR UTI PAULO ANTE.
[Sidenote: [The 6^te p{ro}se {and} the laste. ]]
[Sidenote: Since everything which is known is not, as I have
shown, perceived by its own inherent properties, but by the
faculties of those comprehending them, let us now examine the
disposition of the Divine nature. ]
++? Er-fore ? an as I haue shewed a litel her byforne ? at 4976
al ? inge ? at is ywist nis nat knowen by hys nature
p{ro}pre. but by ? e nature of he{m} ? at comp{re}henden it.
? Lat vs loke now in as moche as it is leueful to vs. as
who sei? lat vs loken now as we mowen whiche ? {a}t ? e 4980
estat is of ? e deuyne substaunce so ? at we mowen [ek]
knowen what his science is.
[Sidenote: All rational creatures agree in affirming that God is
eternal. ]
? e comune iugement of alle
creatures resonables ? an is ? is ? at god is eterne. lat vs
considere ? a{n} what is et{er}nite. For certys ? at shal 4984
shewen vs to-gidre ? e deuyne nature {and} ? e deuyne
science
[Sidenote: And eternity is a full, total, and perfect possession
of a life which shall never end. This will appear more clearly
from a comparison with temporal things. ]
? Eternite ? an is p{er}fit possessiou{n} {and} al
togidre of lijf interminable {and} ? at shewe? more clerely
by ? e co{m}parisou{n} or collac{i}ou{n} of temp{or}el ? inges. 4988
[Sidenote: Temporal existence proceeds from the past to the
present, and thence to the future. ]
for al ? ing ? at lyue? in tyme it is p{re}sent {and} p{ro}cedi? fro
preterit? in to fut{ur}es. ? at is to sein. fro tyme passed
in to tyme comynge.
[Sidenote: And there is nothing under the law of time, which can
at once comprehend the whole space of its existence. ]
ne ? er nis no ? ing establissed i{n}
tyme ? at may enbracen to-gidre al ? e space of hys lijf. 4992
[Linenotes:
4977 _al ? inge_--alle thinges
4979 _moche_--mochel
4980 _loken_--loke
_whiche_--which
4981 [_ek_]--from C.
4987 _clerely_--cleerly
4989 _al_--alle]
[Headnote:
THE WORLD IS NOT ETERNAL. ]
[Sidenote: Having lost _yesterday_ it does not as yet enjoy
_to-morrow_; and as for _to-day_ it consists only in the present
transitory moment. ]
for certys ? it ne ha? it nat taken ? e tyme of ? e morwe.
{and} it ha? lost ? at of ? ister-day. and certys in ? e lijf
of ? is day ? e ne lyuen no more but ry? t
as in ? is moeueable [[pg 172]]
{and} t{ra}nsitorie moment.
[Sidenote: Whatever, therefore, is subjected to a temporal
condition, as Aristotle thought of the world, may be without
beginning and without end; and although its duration may extend to
an infinity of time, yet it cannot rightly be called eternal: for
it doth not comprehend at once the whole extent of its infinite
duration, having no knowledge of things future which are not yet
arrived. ]
? an ? ilke ? inge ? at suffri? 4996
temp{or}el condic{i}ou{n}. a[l]? ough{e} ? at [it] bygan neuer
to be. ne ? ough{e} it neu{er}e cese forto be. as aristotle
demde of ? e worlde. and al ? ou? ? at ? e lif of it be
strecchid wi? infinite of tyme.
[Sidenote: [* fol. 39. ]]
? it al*gates nis it no 5000
swiche ? ing ? at men my? ten trowen by ry? t ? at it is
eterne. for al ? ou? ? at it comp{re}hende {and} embrace ? e
space of life infinite. ? it algates ne [em]brace? it nat ? e
space of ? e lif alto-gidre. for it ne ha? nat ? e fut{ur}es 5004
? at ne ben nat ? it. ne it ne ha? no lenger ? e p{re}t{er}it?
? at ben ydon or ypassed.
[Sidenote: For what is eternal must be always present to itself
and master of itself, and have always with it the infinite
succession of time. ]
but ? ilke ? ing ? an ? at ha?
{and} co{m}prehendi? to-gidre alle ? e plente of ? e lif i{n}terminable.
to whom ? ere ne faili? nat of ? e fut{ur}e. 5008
{and} to whom ? er nis nat of ? e p{re}t{er}it escapid nor
ypassed. ? ilk[e] same is ywitnessed or yproued by ry? t
to ben eterne. and it byhoue? by necessite ? at ? ilke
? inge be alwey p{re}sent to hym self {and} co{m}potent. as 5012
who sei? alwey p{re}sent to hym self {and} so my? ty ? at al
by ry? t at hys plesaunce. {and} ? {a}t he haue al p{re}sent
? e infinit of ? e moeuable tyme.
[Sidenote: Therefore some philosophers, who had heard that Plato
believed that this world had neither beginning nor end, falsely
concluded, that the created universe was coeternal with its
Creator. ]
wherfore som men
trowe{n} wrongefully ? at whan ? ei heren ? at it semid[e] 5016
to plato ? at ? is worlde ne had[de] neuer bygynnynge
of tyme. ne ? at it neu{er}e shal haue faylynge. ? ei wenen
i{n} ? is man{er}e ? at ? is worlde ben maked coet{er}ne wi?
his makere. as who sei? . ? ei wenen ? at ? is worlde {and} 5020
god ben maked to-gidre eterne. and it is a wrongful
wenynge.
[Sidenote: But it is one thing to be conducted through a life of
infinite duration, which was Plato's opinion of the world, and
another thing to comprehend at once the whole extent of this
duration as present which, it is manifest, can only belong to the
Divine mind. ]
for o? er ? ing is it to ben yladd by lif interminable
as plato graunted[e] to ? e worlde. {and} o? er
? ing is it to embracen to-gidre alle ? e p{re}sence to ? e lif 5024
interminable. ? e whiche ? ing it is clere {and} manifest
?
at it is p{ro}pre to ? e deuine ? ou? t. [[pg 173]]
[Sidenote: Nor ought it to seem to us that God is prior to and
more ancient than his creatures by the space of time, but rather
by the simple and undivided properties of his nature. ]
ne it ne sholde nat
semen to vs ? at god is elder ? an ? inges ? at ben ymaked
by quantite of tyme. but ra? er by ? e p{ro}prete of hys 5028
symple nature.
[Sidenote: The infinite progression of temporal things imitates
the ever-present condition of an immovable life:]
for ? is ilke infinit[e] moeuyng of temp{or}el
? inges folwi? ? is p{re}sentarie estat of ? e lijf i{n}moeueable.
[Linenotes:
4993-4 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
4993 _? e_ (2)--to
4994 _? at_--the tyme
4997 _a[l]? oughe_--al-thogh
[_it_]--from C.
4999 _worlde_--world
5001 _swiche_--swych
5002 _eterne_--from C. , MS. eternite
5003 _life_--lyf
5004-5-6 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
5006 _ydon_--MS. ydone, C. I-doon
5007 _alle_--al
5008-9 _nat_--nawht
5010 _? ilk[e]_--thilke
_or_--{and}
5014 _by_--be
5016 _semid[e]_--semede
5017 _worlde_--world
_had[de]_--hadde
5018 _haue_--han
5019-20 _worlde_--world
5022 _yladd_--MS. yladde, C. I-lad
5023 _worlde_--world
5024 _embracen_--enbrace
_alle_--al
_presence to_--p{re}sent of
5025 _clere_--cleer]
[Headnote:
GOD IS ETERNAL. ]
[Sidenote: and since it cannot copy nor equal it from an immovable
and simply present state, it passes into motion and into an
infinite measure of past and future time. ]
{and} so as it ne may nat contrefeten it ne feyne{n}
it ne ben euene lyke to it. for ? e inmoeueablete. ? at is 5032
to seyn ? at is i{n} ? e eternite of god. ? it faile? {and}
falle? in to moeuynge fro ? e simplicite of [the] p{re}sence
of god. {and} disencresi? to ? e infinite quantite of
fut{ur}e {and} of p{re}terit.
[Sidenote: But since it cannot possess at once the whole extent of
its duration, yet, as it never ceases wholly to be, it faintly
emulates _that_ whose perfection it can neither attain nor
express, by attaching itself to the present fleeting moment,
which, because it resembles the durable present time, imparts to
those things that partake of it an appearance of existence. ]
{and} so as it ne may nat han togidre 5036
al ? e plente of ? e lif. algates ? itte for as moche as
it ne cesi? neuere forto ben in som manere it seme?
somde[l] to vs ? at it folwi? {and} resembli? ? ilke ? ing
? {a}t it ne may nat attayne to. ne fulfille. {and} bynde? it 5040
self to som manere p{re}sence of ? is litel {and} swifte
moment. ? e whiche p{re}sence of ? is lytele {and} swifte
moment. for ? at it bere? a manere ymage or lykenesse
of ? e ay dwellynge p{re}sence of god. it graunte? to 5044
swiche manere ? inges as it bitidi? to ? at it seme? hem
? at ? ise ? inges han ben {and} ben
[Sidenote: But as it cannot stop or abide it pursues its course
through infinite time, and by gliding along it continues its
duration, the plenitude of which it could not comprehend, by
abiding in a permanent state. ]
{and} for [? {a}t] ? e p{re}sence
of swiche litel moment ne may nat dwelle ? er-for
[it] rauyssid[e] {and} took ? e infinit[e] wey of tyme. ? at 5048
is to seyn by successiou{n}. {and} by ? is man{er}e it is ydon.
for ? at it sholde continue ? e lif in goynge of ? e whiche
lif it ne my? t[e] nat embrace ? e plente in dwellynge.
[Sidenote: If we would follow Plato in giving things their right
names, let us say that God is _eternal_ and the world
_perpetual_. ]
{and} for ? i yif we willen putte wor? i name[s] to ? inges 5052
{and} folwen plato. lat vs seyn ? a{n} so? ely ? at god is
et{er}ne. {and} ? at ? e worlde is p{er}petuel.
[Sidenote: His knowledge, surpassing the progression of time, is
ever present, containing the infinite space of past and future
times, and embraces in his clear insight all things, as if they
were now transacting. ]
? an syn ? at
euery iugeme{n}t knowe? {and} comp{re}hendi? by hys owen
nature ? inges ? at ben subiect vnto hym. ? ere is so? ely 5056
al-wey to god an et{er}ne {and} p{re}sentarie estat. {and} ? e
science of hym ? at ouer-passe? alle
temp{or}el moe[ue]m{en}t [[pg 174]]
dwelli? in ? e symplicite of hys p{re}sence {and} embrace?
{and} considere? alle ? e infinit spaces of tymes 5060
p{re}terit? {and} fut{ur}es {and} loke? in ? is symple knowynge
alle ? inges of p{re}t{er}it ry? t as ? ei weren ydoon p{re}sently
ry? t now
[Sidenote: Prescience is, then, a foreknowledge, not of what is to
come, but of the present and _never-failing now_ (in which God
sees all things as if immovably present). ]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 39 _b_. ]]
? yif ? ou wolt ? an ? enke {and} avise{n} ? e
p{re}science by whiche it knowe? al[le] ? i{n}ges *? ou ne 5064
shalt nat demen it as p{re}science of ? inges to comen.
[Linenotes:
5032 _lyke_--lyk
5034 [_the_]--from C.
5039 _somde[l]_--somdel
5040 _fulfille_--fullfyllen
5041 _litel_--from C. , MS. lykly
5042 _whiche_--which
_lytele_--from C. , MS. lykly
5046 _ben_ (1)--yben
[_? at_]--from C.
5047 _swiche_--swych
5048 [_it_]--from C.
5051 _my? t[e]_--myhte
5052 _willen putte_--wollen putten
_name[s]_--names
5053 _so? ely_--sothly
5054 _worlde_--world
5055 _owen_--owne
5056 _so? ely_--sothly
5057 _al-wey_--al-weys
5058 _alle_--al
_moe[ue]ment_--moeueme{n}t
5063 _? enke_--thinken
_avisen_--auyse
5064 _whiche_--which
_al[le]_--alle]
[Headnote:
DEFINITION OF PRESCIENCE. ]
but ? ou shalt deme{n} [it] more ry? tfully ? at it is science
of presence or of instaunce ? at neuer ne fayle? .
[Sidenote: Therefore _foreknowledge_ is not so applicable a term
as _providence_--for God looks down upon all things from the
summit of the universe. ]
for whiche it nis nat ycleped p{ro}uidence but it sholde ra? er 5068
be cleped purueaunce ? at is establissed ful fer fro ry? t
lowe ? inges. {and} byholde? from a-fer alle ? inges ry? t as
it were fro ? e heye hey? te of ? inges.
[Sidenote: Do you think that God imposes a necessity on things by
beholding them? It is not so in human affairs. ]
whi axest ? ou ? an
or why disputest ? ou ? an ? at ? ilke ? inges ben don by 5072
necessite whiche ? at ben yseyen {and} yknowen by ? e
deuyne sy? t. syn ? at for so? e men ne maken nat ?
