Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
HIC UBI CONTINUATO DOLORE.
Of þe whiche lorde it is a souerayne fredom to be gouerned by þe bridel of hym and obeie to his iustice. ¶ Hast þou forȝeten þilke ryȝt olde lawe of þi Citee. in þe whiche Citee it is ordeyned {and} establissed þat what wyȝt þat haþ leuer founden þer i{n}ne hys sete or hys house. þen ellys where: he may not be exiled by no ryȝt fro þat place. ¶ For who so þat is co{n}tened in-wiþ þe paleis [{and} the clos] of þilke Citee. þer nis no drede þat he may deserue to ben exiled. ¶ But who þat letteþ þe wille forto enhabit[e] þere. he forleteþ also to deserue to ben Citeȝein of þilke Citee. ¶ So þat I seye þat þe face of þis place ne amoeueþ me nat so myche as þine owen face. Ne .I. ne axe not raþer þe walles of þi librarie apparailled {and} wrouȝt wiþ yvory {and} wiþ glas þan after þe sete of þi þouȝt.
In whiche I putte nat somtyme bookes. but .I. putte þat þat makeþ bookes worþi of p{ri}s or p{re}cious þat is to sein þe sentence of my books. ¶ {And} certeinly of þi dec{er}tes by-stowed in co{m}mune good. þou hast seid soþe but after þe multitude of þi goode dedys. þou hast seid fewe. {and} of þe vnhonestee or falsnesse of þinges þat ben opposed aȝeins þe. þou hast remembred þinges þat be{n} knowe to alle folk. and of þe felonies {and} fraudes of þine accuso{ur}s. it semeþ þe haue I-touched it forsoþe ryȝtfully {and} schortly. ¶ Al myȝten þo same þinges bettere {and} more plentiuousely be couth in þe mouþe of þe poeple þ{a}t knoweþ al þis. ¶ Þou hast eke blamed gretly {and} compleyned of þe wrongful dede of þe senat. ¶ And þou hast sorwed for my blame. {and} þou hast wepen for þe damage of þi renoune þat is appaired. {and} þi laste sorwe eschaufed aȝeins fortune {and} co{m}pleinest þat gerdou{n}s ne ben not euenliche ȝolde to þe desertes of folk. {and} in þe l{att}re ende of þi woode muse þou p{r}iedest þ{a}t þilke pees þat gouerneþ þe heuene scholde gou{er}ne þe erþe ¶ But for þat many tribulac{i}ou{n}s of affecc{i}ou{n}s han assailed þe. {and} sorwe {and} Ire {and} wepyng todrawen þee dyuersely ¶ As þou art now feble of þouȝt. myȝtyer remedies ne schullen not ȝit touchen þe for whiche we wil[e] vsen somedel lyȝter medicines. So þat þilk[e] passiou{n}s þat ben woxen harde in swellyng by p{er}turbac{i}ou{n} folowyng in to þi þouȝt mowen woxe esy {and} softe to receyue{n} þe strenkeþ of a more myȝty {and} more egre medicine by an esier touchyng.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.