Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
A{N}I{M}ADUERTO INQ{UA}M.
I ne graunte nat þat þis lib{er}tee be euene like in alle þinges. forwhi in þe souereyns deuynes substau{n}ces. þat is to seyn in spiritȝ ¶ Iugement is more clere {and} wil nat be corumped. {and} haþ myȝt redy to speden þinges þat ben desired. ¶ But þe soules of men moten nedes ben more free whan þei loken hem in þe speculac{i}ou{n} or lokynge of þe deuyne þouȝt. {and} lasse free whan þei sliden in to þe bodies. {and} ȝit lasse free whan þei ben gadred to-gidre {and} co{m}p{re}hendid in erþely membris. but þe last[e] seruage is whan þat þei ben ȝeue{n} to vices. {and} han yfalle fro þe possessiou{n} of hire p{ro}pre resou{n} ¶ For after þat þei han cast aweye hir eyen fro þe lyȝt of þe souereyn soþefastnesse to lowe þinges {and} dirke ¶ Anon þei dirken by þe cloude of ignoraunce {and} ben troubled by felonous talentȝ. to þe whiche talentȝ whan þei app{ro}chen {and} assenten. þei hepen {and} encresen þe seruage whiche þei han ioigned to hem self. and in þis manere þei ben caitifs fro hire p{ro}pre libertee. þe whiche þinges naþeles þe lokynge of þe deuyne purueaunce seeþ þ{a}t alle þinges byholdeþ {and} seeþ fro et{er}ne. and ordeyneþ hem eueryche i{n} her merites. as þei ben p{ro}destinat. {and} it is seid in grek. þat alle þinges he seeþ {and} alle þinges he hereþ.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.