Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
AN UERO REGNA.
Certys swiche folk as weleful fortune makeþ frendes. contrarious fortune makeþ hem enmyse. ¶ And what pestilence is more myȝty forto anoye a wiȝt þan a familier enemy. [Sidenote: [The 5^the Met{ur}.]] ++Who so wolde ben myȝty he mot dau{n}ten hys cruel corage. ne put[te] nat his nekke ouercomen vndir þe foule reines of lecherie. for al be it so þat þi lordship[e] strecche so fer þat þe contre Inde quakiþ at þi comaundement. or at þi lawes. {and} þat þe leest isle in þe see þat hyȝt tile be þral to þe ¶ ȝit yif þou mayst nat pute{n} awey þi foule derk[e] desijres {and} dryue{n} oute fro þe wreched co{m}pleyntes. Certis it nis no power þat þou hast.
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