Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
FELIX QUI POTERIT. {ET} CET{ER}A.
Orpheus loked[e] abakwarde on Erudice his wijf {and} lost[e] hir {and} was deed. ¶ þis fable app{er}teineþ to ȝow alle who so euer desireþ or sekiþ to lede his þouȝte in to þe souereyne day. þat is to seyne to clerenes[se] of souereyne goode. ¶ For who so þat eu{er}e be so ouer come{n} þat he fycche hys eyen in to þe put[te] of helle. þat is to seyne who so setteþ his þouȝtes in erþely þinges. al þat euer he haþ drawen of þe noble good celestial he lesiþ it whan he lokeþ þe helles. þat is to seyne to lowe þinges of þe erþe.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.