No More Learning

But go? now
ra? er awey ? e meremaydenes wyche ben swete til it
be at ? e laste. {and} suffre? ? is man to be cured {and} 84
heled by myne muses. ? at is to say by notful sciences.

[Sidenote: Blushing for shame they pass the threshold. ]

? And ? us ? is compaygnie of muses I-blamed casten
wro? ely ? e chere adou{n}ward to ? e er? e {and} schewyng
by redenesse hir schame ? ei passeden sorowfuly ? e 88
? reschefolde. ? And I of whom ? e sy? t plonged i{n}
teres was derked so ? at I ne my? t[e] not knowe what
? at woman was of so i{m}perial auctorite.

[Sidenote: Boethius is astonished at the presence of the august
dame. ]

? I wex al
a-besid {and} astoned. {and} caste my sy? t adoune in to ? e 92
er? e. {and} bygan stille forto abide what sche wolde don
afterwarde. ? ? o come sche nere {and} sette hir doun
vpon ? e vterrest[e] corner of my bedde.

[Sidenote: Philosophy expresses her concern for Boethius. ]

{and} sche byholdyng
my chere ? at was cast to ? e er? e heuy {and} 96
greuous of wepyng. co{m}pleinede wi? ? ise wordes ? {a}t I
schal sey ? e p{er}t{ur}bac{i}ou{n} of my ? ou? t.

[Linenotes:
79 _syche_--swhiche
_myne_--myn
80 _weren_--ne weeren
_? e_--ye
81 _ha? _--MS. ha? e, C. hath
_ben_--be
_scoles_--schooles
82 _go? _--MS. go? e, C. goth
83 _wyche_--whiche ? at
85 _say_--seyn
_notful_--noteful
86 _I-blamed_--Iblamyd
87 _wro? ely_--wrothly
_adounward_--downward
88 _redenesse_--rednesse
_sorowfuly_--sorwfully
89 _? reschefolde_--thresshfold
_sy? t_--syhte
90 _derked_--dyrked
_my? t[e]----knowe_--myhte nat knowen
91 _wex_--wax
92 _a-besid_--abaysshed
_caste_--cast
_adoune in to_--down to
93 _don_--MS. done
95 _vterrest[e] corner_--vttereste corner{e}
_bedde_--bed
97 _compleinede_--compley[n]de
98 _sey_--seyen]


[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY ADDRESSES BOETHIUS. ]

HEU Q{UAM} PRECIPITI MERSA PROFUNDO.

[Sidenote: [The 2de Met{ur}. ]]

[Sidenote: Drowned in the depth of cares the mind loses its proper
clearness. ]

++Allas how ? e ? ou? t of man dreint in ouer ? rowyng
depnesse dulle? {and} forleti? hys p{ro}pre clerenesse. 100
myntynge to gone in to foreyne derknesses as
ofte as hys anoious bisines wexi? wi? -oute{n} mesure.
? {a}t is dryuen to {and} fro wi? worldly wyndes. [[pg 8]]

[Sidenote: Man in his freedom knew each region of the sky, the
motions of the planets, and was wont to investigate the causes of
storms, the nature and properties of the seasons, and the hidden
causes of nature. ]

? ? is
man ? at su{m}tyme was fre to who{m} ? e heuene was open 104
{and} knowen {and} was wont to gone in heuenelyche
pa? es. {and} sau? ? e ly? tnesse of ? e rede sunne. {and} sau?
? e sterres of ? e colde moone. {and} wyche sterre i{n}
heuene vse? wandryng risorses yflit by dyuerse speres. 108
? ? is man ouer comere hadde co{m}p{re}hendid al ? is by
noumbre. of accountyng in astronomye. ? And ouer
? is he was wont to seche ? e causes whennes ? e sounyng
wy{n}des moeuen {and} bisien ? e smo? e water of ? e 112
see. {and} what spirit turne? ? e stable heuene. {and}
whi ? e sterre ryse? oute of ? e reede eest. to falle
in ? e westren wawes. and what attempri? ? e lusty
houres of ? e fyrste somer sesou{n} ? at hi? te? {and} apparaile? 116
? e er? e wi? rosene floures. ? And who
make? ? at plenteuouse autu{m}pne in fulle ? eres fleti?
wi? heuy grapes. ? And eke ? is ma{n} was wont to
telle ? e dyuerses causes of nature ? at weren yhid. 120

[Sidenote: But now, alas, he is constrained to keep his face to
the ground. ]

? Allas now lie? he emptid of ly? t of hys ? ou? t. {and}
hys nekke is p{re}ssid wi? heuy cheynes {and} bere? his
chere enclined adoune for ? e greet[e] wey? t. and is
constreyned to loke on foule er? e. 124

[Linenotes:
101 _gone_--goon
102 _bisines_--bysynesse
_outen_--owte
103 _worldly_--wordely
104 _sumtyme_--whilom
105 _gone_--goon
106 _pa? es_--paathes
_sau? _--sawh
_ly? tnesse_--lythnesse
_sunne_--sonne
_sau? _--MS. sue, C. sawgh
107 _wyche_--which
108 _risorses_--recourses
111 _seche_--seken
_sounyng_--sownynge
114 _ryse? oute_--aryseth owt
_falle_--fallen
115 _westren_--westrene
116 _fyrste_--fyrst
119 _eke_--ek
120 _dyuerses_--diuerse
_yhid_--MS. yhidde
121 _lie? _--lith
_emptid_--emted
123 _adoune_--adown
_greet[e] wey? t_--grete weyhte
124 _loke----foule_--looken on the fool]


[Headnote:
PHILOSOPHY ENLIGHTENS BOETHIUS. ]

SET MEDICINE INQUIT TEMPUS.

[Sidenote: [The ij^de p{ro}se. ]]

[Sidenote: More need of medicine than of complaint. ]

++Bvt tyme is now q{uo}d sche of medicine more ? en of
compleynte. ? Forso? e ? en sche entendyng to
me warde wi? al ? e lokyng of hir eyen saide.

[Sidenote: Philosophy addresses Boethius. ]

? Art
not ? ou he q{uo}d sche ? at su{m}tyme I-norschid wi? my 128
mylke {and} fostre[d] wi? my meetes were ascaped {and}
comen to corage of a p{er}fit man. ? Certys I ? af ? e
syche armures ? at ? if ? ou ? i self ne haddest first caste [[pg 9]]
hem away. ?
ei schulden haue defendid ? e in sykernesse 132
? at may not be ouer-comen. ? Knowest ? ou me not.

[Sidenote: She fears his silence proceeds from shame rather than
from stupidity. ]

[Sidenote: [* fol. 4 _b_. ]]

*Why art ? ou stille. is it for schame or for astonynge.
It were me leuer ? at it were for schame. but it seme?
me ? at astony{n}ge ha? opp{re}ssed ? e.

[Sidenote: She finds him, however, in a lethargy, the distemper of
a disordered mind. ]

? And whan 136
sche say me not oonly stille. but wi? -outen office of
tonge {and} al doumbe. sche leide hir honde softely vpon
my brest {and} seide. ? Here nis no p{er}il q{uod} sche.
? He is fallen in to a litargie. whiche ? at is a comune 140
sekenes to hertes ? at ben desceiued. ? He ha? a litel
for? eten hym self. but certis he schal ly? tly reme{m}bren
hym self. ? ? if so be ? at he ha? knowe{n} me or now.

[Sidenote: To make his recovery an easy matter, she wipes his
eyes, which were darkened by the clouds of mortal things, and
dries up his tears. ]

{and} ? at he may so done I wil wipe a litel hys eyen. 144
? at ben derked by ? e cloude of mortel ? inges ? ? ise
wordes seide sche. and wi? ? e lappe of hir garment
yplitid in a frounce sche dried[e] myn eyen ? at were
ful of ? e wawes of my wepynges. 148

[Linenotes:
125, 126 _? en_--than
127 _al_--alle
_saide_--seyde
128 _sumtyme_--whilom
_I-norschid_--MS. I-norschide, C. noryssed
129 _fostre[d]_--fostered
_my_--myne
130 _Certys_--Certes
_? af_, yaf
131 _syche_--swiche
_? if_--yif
_caste_--C. cast
132 _away_--awey
_schulden haue_--sholden han
133 _not be_--nat ben
_Knowest ? ou_--knowestow
134 _art ? ou_--artow
136 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
138 _tonge_--tunge
_doumbe_--dowmb
_honde_--hand
139 _Here_--her
140 _litargie whiche_--litarge which
141 _sekenes_--sykenesse
141, 143 _ha? _--MS. ha? e
144 _done_--doon
_wil wipe_--wol wypen
146 _garment_--garnement
147 _dried[e]_--dryede
_were_--weeren
148 _ful_--fulle]


[Headnote:
BOETHIUS RECOGNIZES HIS PHYSICIAN. ]

TUNC ME DISCUSSA.

[Sidenote: [The 3^de Met{ur}. ]]

[Sidenote: Her touch dispels the darkness of his soul, just as the
heavy vapours, that darken the skies and obscure the sunlight, are
chased away by the north wind, causing the return of the hidden
day, when the sun smites our wondering sight with his sudden
light. ]

++? us when ? at ny? t was discussed {and} chased awey.
derknesses forleften me. {and} to myn eyen repeyre
a? eyne her firste strenke? . and ry? t by ensample as
? e sonne is hid when ? e sterres ben clustred. ? at is to 152
sey whe{n} sterres ben couered wi? cloudes by a swifte
wynde ? at hy? t chorus. {and} ? at ? e firmame{n}t stont
derked by wete ploungy cloudes. and ? at ? e sterres not
apperen vpo{n} heuene. ? So ? at ? e ny? t seme? sprad 156
vpo{n} er? e. ? Yif ? an ? e wynde ? at hy? t borias
sent out of ? e kaues of ? e contre of Trace beti? ? is [[pg 10]]
ny? t. ? at is to seyn chasi? it away {and} descouere? ? e
closed day. ? ? an schine? pheb{us} yshaken wi? 160
sodeyne ly? t {and} smyte? wi? hys bemes i{n} m{er}uely{n}g
eyen.

[Linenotes:
149 _when_--whan
150 _myn_--myne
_repeyre_--repeyrede
151 _a? eyne_--omitted
_her firste_--hir fyrst
152 _hid_--MS. hidde, C. hid
_when_--whan
153 _sey_--seyn
_when_--whan
154 _hy? t_--heyhte
_chorus_--MS. thorus
_stont_--MS. stonde, C. stant
157 _? an_--thanne
_wynde_--wynd
_hy? t_--hyhte
158 _sent_--isent
160 _? an_--thanne
161 _sodeyne_--sodeyn]


[Headnote:
THE TRIALS OF PHILOSOPHY AND PHILOSOPHERS. ]

HAUT[1] ALITER TRISTICIE.

[Footnote 1: MS. hanc. ]

[Sidenote: [The 3^de p{ro}se. ]]

[Sidenote: The clouds of sorrow being dispelled, Boethius
recollects the features of his Physician, whom he discovers to be
Philosophy. ]

++Ry? t so {and} none o? er wyse ? e cloudes of sorowe
dissolued {and} don awey. ? I took heuene. {and} 164
receyuede mynde to knowe ? e face of my fyciscien.
? So ? at I sette myne eyen on hir {and} festned[e] my
lokyng. I byholde my norice philosophie. in whos
houses I hadde conuersed {and} haunted fro my ? ou? e. 168
{and} I seide ? us.

[Sidenote: He addresses her. ]

? O ? ou maistresse of alle uertues
descendid fro ? e souereyne sete. Whi art ? ou comen
in to ? is solitarie place of myn exil. ? Art ? ou comen
for ? {o}u art mad coupable wi? me of fals[e] blames. 172

[Sidenote: She expresses her concern for him, and tells him that
she is willing to share his misfortunes. ]

? O q{uod} sche my norry scholde I forsake ? e now. and
scholde I not parte wi? ? e by comune trauaille ? e charge
? at ? ou hast suffred for envie of my name. ? Certis
it nar[e] not leueful ne sittyng to philosophie to leten 176
wi? -outen compaignie ? e wey of hym ? at is i{n}nocent.

[Sidenote: She fears not any accusation, as if it were a new
thing. ]

? Scholde I ? an redoute my blame {and} agrisen as ? ou?
? er were byfallen a newe ? ing. q. d. non.