e
sentence
of plato ?
Chaucer - Boethius
[Sidenote: _B. _ He can doubtless do all things. ]
? at is so? e q{uo}d I.
[Sidenote: _P. _ May God do evil? ]
May god done yuel 2976
q{uo}d she.
[Sidenote: _B. _ No. ]
nay for so? e q{uo}d. I.
[Sidenote: _P. _ Is evil nothing, since God, who is almighty,
cannot do it? ]
? ? an is yuel no ? ing
q{uo}d she. ? Syn ? at he ne may not done yuel ? at
may done alle ? inges.
[Sidenote: _B. _ Dost thou mock me or play with me, leading me with
thy arguments into an inextricable labyrinth, and enclosing me in
a wonderful circle of Divine Simplicity? ]
scornest ? ou me q{uo}d. I. or ellys
pleyest ? ou or deceiuest ? ou me. ? at hast so wouen me 2980
wi? ? i resou{n}s. ? e house of didalus so entrelaced. ? at it
is vnable to ben vnlaced. ? ou ? at o? er while entrest
? ere ? ou issest {and} o? er while issest ? ere ? ou entrest.
ne fooldest ? ou nat to gidre by replicac{i}ou{n} of wordes a 2984
maner wondirful cercle or envirounynge of symplicite
deuyne.
[Sidenote: For thou didst first begin with happiness, and didst
say that it was the sovereign good, and that it resided in God;
then, that God was that _Good_ and the perfection of happiness;
and, hence, thou didst infer that nobody could be happy unless he
became likewise a God. ]
? For certys a litel her byforn{e} whan ? ou bygu{n}ne
atte blisfulnesse ? {o}u seidest ? at it is souereyne
good. {and} seidest ? at it is set in souereyne god. {and} ? at 2988
god is ? e ful[le] blisfulnesse. for whiche ? ou ? af[e] me
as a couenable ? ifte. ? at is to seyne ? {a}t no wy? t nis
blisful. but yif he be good al so ? er wi?
[Sidenote: Again, thou saidst that the very form of good was the
substance whereof God and happiness were composed, and that it was
the object and desire of all things in nature. ]
{and} seidest
eke ? at ? e forme of goode is ? e substaunce of god. {and} 2992
of blisfulnesse. {and} seidest ? {a}t ? ilke same oone is ? ilke
same goode ? at is requered {and} desired of al ? e kynde
of ? inges.
[Sidenote: Thou didst prove that God rules the world by his
goodness, and that all things willingly obeyed him; and that evil
has no existence. ]
{and} ? ou p{ro}euedest in disputynge ? at god
gouerne? alle [the] ? inges of ? e worlde by ? e gouernementys 2996
of bountee. {and} seydest ? at alle ? inges wolen
ybeyen to hym. and seidest ? at ? e nature of yuel nis
no ? ing.
[Sidenote: These truths you established by forcible and natural
arguments, and by no strained and far-fetched reasons. ]
{and} ? ise ? inges ne shewedest ? ou nat wi? no
resou{n}s ytake fro wi? oute but by proues in cercles {and} 3000
homelyche knowen. ? ? e whiche p{ro}eues drawen to hem
self hir fei? {and} hir accorde eu{er}iche [of] hem of o? er. ? an
seide she ? us.
[Sidenote: _P. _ I have not deluded you, for by the Divine aid we
have accomplished our chief task. ]
I ne scorne ? e nat ne pleye ne desseyue
? e. but I haue shewed to ? e ? inge ? at is grettest ouer [[pg 106]]
alle ? inges by ? e ? ifte of god ? at we some tyme prayden 3005
[Linenotes:
2975 _? ere_--ther
2976 _do_--C. omits
_so? e_--soth
_done_--don
2978, 2979 _done_--don
2980 _wouen_--MS. wonnen, C. wouen
2981 _house_--hows
2983 _? ere_ (_both_)--ther
2987 _atte_--at
2988 _set_--MS. sette, C. set
2989 _ful[le]_--fulle
_whiche_--which
_? af[e]_--yaue
2990 _? ifte_--yift
_seyne_--seyn
2992, 2994 _goode_--good
2993 _oone_--oon
2994 _al_--alle
2996 [_the_]--from C.
2998 _ybeyen_--obeyen
2999 _no_ (2)--none
3000 _ytake_--I-taken
3001 _homelyche_--hoomlich
3002 _eueriche_--eu{er}ich
[_of_]--from C.
3004 _? e ? inge_--the the thing
3005 _? ifte_--yift
_some tyme prayden_--whilom preyeden]
[Headnote:
GOD IS LIKE A SPHERE. ]
[Sidenote: I have proved to you that it is an essential property
of the Divine nature not to go out of itself, nor to receive into
itself anything extraneous. ]
? For ? is is ? e forme of [the] deuyne substaunce. ? at
is swiche ? at it ne slyde? nat in to outerest foreine
? inges. ne ne rec[e]yue? no st{ra}nge ? inges in hym. 3008
[Sidenote: Parmenides says of the Deity that _God is like a
well-rounded sphere_. ]
but ry? t as p{ar}maynws seide in grek of ? ilke deuyne substaunce.
he seide ? us ? at ? ilke deuyne substaunce
torne? ? e worlde {and} ? ilke cercle moeueable of ? inges
while ? ilke dyuyne substau{n}ce kepi? it self wi? outen 3012
moeuynge.
[Sidenote: He causes the moving globe to revolve, but is himself
immovable. ]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 24. ]]
? at *is to seyne ? at it ne moeui? neuere mo.
{and} ? itte it moeue? alle o? er ? inges.
[Sidenote: If I have chosen my arguments from the subjects within
range of our discussion, do not let that surprise you, for, as
Plato has taught us, there ought to be an alliance between the
words and the subject of discourse. ]
but na-? eles yif I
[haue] stered resou{n}s ? at ne ben nat taken fro wi? oute
? e compas of ? e ? inge of whiche we treten. but resou{n}s 3016
? at ben bystowed wi? i{n}ne ? at compas ? ere nis nat whi
? at ? ou sholde[st] merueylen. sen ? ou hast lerned by
?
e sentence of plato ? at nedes ? e wordes moten ben
cosynes to ? o ? inges of whiche ? ei speken. 3020
[Linenotes:
3006 [_the_]--from C.
3007 _swiche_--swich
3009 _parmaynws_--a p{ar}manides
3011 _worlde_--world
3012 _while_--whil
_wi? outen_--w{i}t{h} owte
3013 _seyne_--seyn
3014 _? itte_--yit
_o? er_--oothre
3015 [_haue_]--from C.
3016 _whiche_--which
3017 _wi? inne_--w{i}t{h} in
3020 _cosynes_--MS. conceyued, C. cosynes
_? o_--? e
_whiche_--which]
[Headnote:
THE POWER OF MUSIC. ]
FELIX QUI POTERIT. {ET} CET{ER}A.
[Sidenote: [The . 12. Met{ur}. ]]
[Sidenote: Happy is he that hath seen the lucid spring of truth!
Happy the man that hath freed himself from terrestrial chains! ]
++Blisful is ? at man ? at may seen ? e clere welle of good.
blisful is he ? at may vnbynde hym fro ? e bonde of
heuy er? e.
[Sidenote: The Thracian poet, consumed with grief for the loss of
his wife, sought relief from music. ]
? ? e poete of t{ra}ce [orphe{us}] ? at somtyme
hadde ry? t greet sorowe for ? e dee? of hys wijf.
[Sidenote: His mournful songs drew the woods along; the rolling
rivers ceased to flow; the savage beasts became heedless of their
prey; the timid hare was not aghast at the hound. ]
aftir ? at 3024
he hadde maked by hys wepely songes ? e wodes meueable
to rennen. {and} hadde ymaked ? e ryueres to stonden
stille. {and} maked ? e hertys {and} hyndes to ioignen
dredles hir sides to cruel lyou{n}s to herkene his songe. 3028
{and} had[de] maked ? at ? e hare was nat agast of ? e
hounde whiche ? at was plesed by hys songe.
[Sidenote: But the songs that did all things tame, could not allay
their master's ardent love. ]
so ? at
whane ? e most[e] ardaunt loue of hys wijf brende ? e
entrailes of his brest. ne ? e songes ? at hadde ouer [[pg 107]]
comen alle ? inges ne my? ten nat assuage hir lorde 3033
orpheus.
[Sidenote: He bewailed the cruelty of the gods above, and
descended to Pluto's realm. ]
? He pleyned[e] hym of ? e godes ? at were{n}
cruel to hym. he wente hym to ? e houses of helle
[Sidenote: There he struck his tuneful strings and sang,
exhausting all the harmonious art imparted to him by his mother
Calliope. ]
{and} ? ere he tempred[e] hys blaundissyng songes by resounyng 3036
of hys strenges. ? And spak {and} song in
wepynge alle ? at euer he hadde resceyued {and} laued
oute of ? e noble welles of hys modir calliope ? e goddesse.
[Sidenote: In songs dictated both by grief and love, he implored
the infernal powers to give him back his Eurydice. ]
{and} he song wi? as mychel as he my? t[e] of 3040
wepynge. {and} wi? as myche as loue ? at doubled[e] his
sorwe my? t[e] ? euen hym {and} teche hy{m} in his seke
h{er}te. ? And he commoeuede ? e helle {and} requered[e]
{and} sou? te by swete p{re}iere ? e lordes of soules in helle 3044
of relesynge. ? at is to seyne to ? elden hym hys wif.
[Sidenote: Cerberus, Hell's three-headed porter, stood amazed;]
? Cerberus ? e porter of helle wi? his ? re heuedes was
cau? t {and} al abaist for ? e new[e] songe.
[Sidenote: the Furies, tormentors of guilty souls, did weep;]
{and} ? e ? re goddesses
furijs {and} vengerisse of felonies ? at to{ur}mente{n} 3048
{and} agaste{n} ? e soules by anoye wexen sorweful {and} sory
{and} wepen teres for pitee.
[Sidenote: Ixion, tormented by the revolving wheel, found rest;]
? an was nat ? e heued of
Ixion{e} yto{ur}mented by ? e ou{er}? rowi{n}g whele.
[Sidenote: Tantalus, suffering from a long and raging thirst,
despised the stream;]
? And
tantalus ? at was destroied by ? e woodnesse of longe 3052
? rust dispise? ? e flodes to drynke.
[Sidenote: and the greedy vulture did cease to eat and tear the
growing liver of Tityus. ]
? e fowel ? at hy? t
voltor ? at eti? ? e stomak or ? e giser of ticius is so fulfilled
of his songe ? at it nil etyn ne tyren no more.
[Linenotes:
3022 _vnbynde_--vnbyndyn
_bonde_--bondes
3023 [_orpheus_]--from C.
_somtyme_--whilom
3024 _sorowe_--sorwe
3028 _dredles_--dredeles
_to herkene_--forto herknen
3029 _had[de]_--hadde
3030 _? at_ (2)--omitted
3031 _most[e]_--moste
3032 _hadde_--hadden
3033 _assuage_--asswagen
_lorde_--lord
3034 _pleyned[e]_--pleynede
_godes_--heuene goodes
3035 _wente_--MS. wenten, C. wente
3036 _tempred[e] hys_--temprede hise
3037 _of hys_--C. omits
_spak_--MS. spakke, C. spak
_song_--MS. songe, C. soonge
3038 _alle_--al
3039 _oute_--owt
_goddesse_--goddes
3040 _song_--MS. songe, C. soonge
_mychel_--mochel
3041 _myche_--moche
_doubled[e]_--dowblede
3042 _my? t[e]_--myhte
_? euen_--yeue
_teche_--thechen
_in----herte_--omitted
3043 _commoeuede_--MS. comaunded, C. co{m}moeuede
3044 _sou? te_--by-sowhte
3045 _? elden_--yilden
3046 _his_--hise
3047 _cau? t_--MS. cau? te, C. cawht
_new[e] songe_--newe song
3049 _anoye----sorweful_--anoy woxen soruful
3050 _? an_--tho ne
3051 _whele_--wheel
3053 _? rust_--thurst
_hy? t_--hihte
3054 _fulfilled_--fulfyld
3055 _songe_--song]
[Headnote:
FIX NOT THE THOUGHTS ON EARTHLY THINGS. ]
[Sidenote: At length Pluto himself relented, crying out, 'We are
overcome! Let us give him back his wife, he hath well won her by
his song. ]
? Atte ? e laste ? e lorde {and} Iuge of soules was moeued 3056
to misericordes {and} cried[e] we ben ouer comen q{uo}d
he. yif[e] we to orpheus his wijf to bere hym co{m}paignye
he ha? welle I-bou? t hir by his faire songe {and}
his ditee. [[pg 108]]
[Sidenote: But we will lay this injunction upon him. Till he
escape the infernal bounds, he shall not cast a backward look. ']
but we wil putte{n} a lawe in ? is. {and} couenaunt 3060
in ? e ? ifte. ? {a}t is to seyne. ? at til he be out of
helle yif he loke byhynden hym [? {a}t] hys wijf shal
come{n} a? eine to vs
[Sidenote: But, who shall give a lover any law? Love is a greater
law than may be given to any earthly man. ]
? but what is he ? at may ? eue a
lawe to loueres. loue is a gretter lawe {and} a strengere to 3064
hym self ? an any lawe ? {a}t men may ? euen.
[Sidenote: Alas! having left the realms of night, Orpheus cast a
look behind and lost his too-much-loved Euridice. ]
? Allas
whan Orpheus {and} his wijf were al most at ? e termes of
? e ny? t. ? at is to seyne at ? e last[e] boundes of helle.
Orpheus loked[e] abakwarde on Erudice his wijf {and} 3068
lost[e] hir {and} was deed.
[Sidenote: This fable belongs to all you, whose minds would view
the Sovereign Good. ]
? ? is fable app{er}teine? to
? ow alle who so euer desire?
