Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
DIXERAT ORACIONISQ{UE} CURSUM.
Syn it nis nat to douten of þe þinges folwy{n}ge whan euery side of þi disputisou{n} shal be stedfast to me by vndoutous feiþ. þan seide she. þat manere wol I don þe. {and} byga{n} to speken ryȝt þus ¶ Certys q{uo}d she yif any wyȝt diffinisse hap in þis manere. þat is to seyn. þat hap is bytidynge y-brouȝt forþe by foelyshe moeuynge. {and} by no knyttyng of causes. ¶ I conferme þat hap nis ryȝt nauȝt in no wise. and I deme al outerly þat hap nis ne dwelliþ but a voys. ¶ As who seiþ. but an ydel worde wiþ outen any significac{i}ou{n} of þing summittid to þat vois. for what place myȝt[e] ben left or dwellynge to folie {and} to disordinau{n}ce. syn þat god lediþ {and} streyniþ alle þinges by ordre. ¶ For þis sentence is verray {and} soþe þat no þinge ne haþ his beynge of nouȝt. to [the] whiche sentence none of þise olde folk ne wiþseide neuere al be it so þat þei ne vndirstoden ne moeueden it nauȝt by god p{r}ince {and} gynner of wirkyng. but þei casten as a manere foundement of subgit material. þat is to seyn of [the] nature of alle resou{n}. {and} ȝif þat ony þinge is woxen or comen of no causes. þan shal it seme þat þilke þinge is comen or woxen of nouȝt. but yif þis ne may nat ben don. þan is it nat possible þat þere haþ ben any swiche þing as I haue diffinissid a litel here byforne. ¶ How shal it þan ben q{uo}d I. nis þer þan no þing þat by ryȝt may be cleped eyþer hap{pe} or ellis auenture of fortune. or is þer ouȝt al be it so þat it is hidd fro þe poeple to whiche þise wordes ben couenable.
Myn aristotul q{uo}d she. in þe book of his phisik diffinisseþ þis þing by short resou{n} and neyȝe to þe soþe. ¶ In whiche manere q{uo}d I. ¶ As ofte q{uo}d she as men don any þing for grace of any oþer þing. {and} an oþer þinge þan þilke þing þat men ententen to doon bytideþ by som[e] causes it is ycleped hap{pe}. ¶ Ryȝt as a man dalf þe erþe by cause of tylienge of þe felde. {and} fond þere a gobet of golde by-doluen. þan wenen folk þat it is fallen by fortunous bytydyng. but for soþe it nis nat for nauȝt for it haþ hys p{ro}pre causes of whiche causes þe cours vnforseyn and vnwar semiþ to han maked hap{pe}. ¶ For yif þe tilier in þe erþe ne delue nat in þe felde. and yif þe hider of þe golde ne hadde hidd þe golde in þilke place. þe golde ne had[de] nat ben founde. þise ben þan þe causes of þe abreggynge of fortune hap. þe whiche abreggynge of fortune hap comeþ of causes encountrynge {and} flowyng to-gidre to hem selfe. {and} nat by þe entenc{i}ou{n} of þe doer. ¶ For neiþer þe hider of þe gold. ne þe deluer of þe felde ne vndirstanden nat þat þe golde sholde han be founde. but as I seide. it bytidde {and} ran to-gidre þat he dalf þere as þat oþer hadde hidd þe golde. Now may I þus diffinissen hap{pe}. ¶ Hap{pe} is an vnwar bytydyng of causes assembled in þinges þat ben don for som oþer þinge. but þilke ordre p{ro}cedynge by an vneschewable byndynge to-gidre. whiche þat descendeþ fro þe wel of purueaunce þat ordeineþ alle þinges i{n} hir{e} places {and} in hire tymes makeþ þat þe causes rennen {and} assemblen to-gidre.
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