Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
POSTEA [PAU]LISPER CONTICUIT.
But as I trowe I shal not gretly trauaile to don þe remembren of þise þinges. ¶ For þou were wont to hurtlen [{and} despysen] hir wiþ manly wordes whan she was blaundissinge {and} presente {and} p{ur}sewedest hir wiþ sentences þat were drawe{n} oute of myne entre. þat is to seyne out of myn i{n}formac{i}ou{n} ¶ But no sudeyne mutac{i}ou{n} ne bytideþ nat wiþ oute{n} a maner chau{n}gyng of curages. and so is it byfallen þat þou art dep{ar}ted a litel fro þe pees of þi þouȝt. but now is tyme þat þou drynke {and} atast[e] some softe {and} delitable þinges. so þat whan þei ben entred wiþ i{n}ne þe. it mow make weye to strenger drynkes of medycynes. ¶ Com nowe furþe þerfore þe suasiou{n} of swetnesse Rethoryen. whiche þat goþ oonly þe ryȝt wey whil she forsakeþ not myne estatutȝ. ¶ And wiþ Rethorice com forþe musice a damoisel of oure house þat syngeþ now lyȝter moedes or p{ro}lac{i}ou{n}s now heuyer. what ayleþ þe man. what is it þat haþ cast þe in to murnyng {and} in to wepyng. I trow[e] þat þou hast sen some newe þing {and} uncouþe. ¶ Þou wenest þat fortune be chaunged aȝeins þe ¶ But þou wenest wrong. yif þou [þat] wene.
Alwey þo ben hire maners. she haþ raþer [kept] as to þe ward hire p{ro}pre stablenes in þe chaungyng of hyre self. ¶ Ryȝt swyche was she whan she flatered[e] þe. {and} desseiued[e] þe wiþ vnleueful lykynges of false welefulnesse. þou hast now knowen {and} ataynt þe doutous or double visage of þilke blynde goddesse fortune. ¶ She þat ȝit couereþ hir {and} wympleþ hir to oþer folk. haþ shewed hir euerydel to þe. ¶ Ȝif þou app{ro}uest hir {and} þenkest þat she is good. vse hir maners {and} pleyne þe nat. ¶ And if þou agrisest hir fals[e] trecherie. dispise {and} cast aweye hir þat pleyeþ so harmefully. for she þat is now cause of so myche sorwe to þe. sholde be to þe cause of pees {and} [of] ioie. ¶ she haþ forsaken þe forsoþe. þe whiche þat neuer man may be syker þat she ne shal forsake hym. _Glose._ ¶ But naþeles some bookes han þe text þus.
For soþe she haþ forsaken þe ne þer nis no man syker þat she ne haþ not forsaken. ¶ Holdest þou þan þilke welefulnesse p{re}ciouse to þe þat shal passen. {and} is p{re}sent fortune derworþi to þe. whiche þat nis not feiþful forto dwelle. {and} whan she goþ aweye þat she bryngeþ a wyȝt in sorwe ¶ For syn she may nat be wiþholde{n} at a mans wille. she makeþ hym a wrecche whe{n} she dep{ar}teþ fro hym. ¶ What oþer þing is flitti{n}g fortune but a manere shewyng of wrycchednesse þat is to comen. ne it ne suffriþ nat oo[n]ly to loken of þing þat is p{re}sent byforne þe eyen of man. but wisdom lokeþ {and} mesureþ þe ende of þinges. {and} þe same chau{n}gyng from one to an oþer. þat is to seyne fro aduersite to p{ro}sperite makeþ þat þe manaces of fortune ne ben not forto dreden. ne þe flatrynges of hir to ben desired. ¶ Þus atte þe last it byhoueþ þe to suffren wiþ euene wille in pacience al þat is don inwiþ þe floor of fortune. þat is to seyne in þis worlde. ¶ Syþen þou hast oones put þi nekke vnder þe ȝokke of hir. for if þou wilt write a lawe of wendyng {and} of dwellyng to fortune whiche þat þou hast chosen frely to be þi lady ¶ Art þou nat wrongful in þat {and} makest fortune wroþe {and} asp{er}e by þin inpacience. {and} ȝit þou mayst not chaungen hir. ¶ Yif þou co{m}mittest [{and}] bitakest þi sayles to þe wynde. þou shalt be shouen not þider þat þou woldest(:) but whider þat þe wy{n}de shoueþ þe ¶ Yif þou castest þi seedes in þe feldes þou sholdest haue in mynde þat þe ȝeres ben oþer while plenteuous {and} oþ{er} while bareyne. ¶ Þou hast bytaken þiself to þe gouernaunce of fortune. {and} forþi it byhoueþ þe to ben obeisaunt to þe manere of þi lady. and enforcest þou þe to aresten or wiþstonden þe swyftnesse {and} þe sweyes of hir to{ur}nyng whele. ¶ O þou fool of alle mortel fooles if fortune bygan to dwelle stable. she cesed[e] þan to ben fortune.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.