Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
QUONIAM IGITUR QUI SCIT.
For alwey of alle þinges. þe nat{ur}e of hem ne may nat ben better þan his bygy{n}nyng. ¶ For whiche I may concluden by ryȝt uerray resou{n}. þat þilke þat is bygynnyng of alle þinges. þilke same þing is good in his substaunce. _B._ þou hast seid ryȝtfully q{uo}d .I. _P._ But we han graunted q{uo}d she þat souereyne good is blysfulnes. þat is soþe q{uo}d .I. þan q{uo}d she mote we nedes graunten {and} confessen þat þilke same souereyne goode be god. ¶ Certys q{uo}d .I. I ne may nat denye ne wiþstonde þe resou{n}s p{ur}posed. and I see wel þat it folweþ by strengþe of þe p{re}misses. ¶ Loke nowe q{uo}d she yif þis be proued [yit] more fermely þus. ¶ þat þer ne mowen nat ben two souereyne goodes þat ben diuerse amo[n]ges hem self. þat on is nat þat þat oþer is. þan [ne] mowen neiþer of hem ben p{er}fit. so as eyþer of hem lakkiþ to oþir. but þat þat nis nat p{er}fit men may seen apertly þat it nis nat souereyne. þe þinges þan þat ben souereynely goode ne mowen by no wey ben diuerse. ¶ But I haue wel conclude þat blisfulnesse {and} god ben [the] souereyne goode. For whiche it mot nedes be þat souereyne blisfulnesse is souerey[ne] dyuynite. ¶ No þing q{uo}d I nis more soþefast þan þis ne more ferme by resou{n}. ne a more worþi þing þan god may nat ben concluded. _P._ vpon þise þinges þan q{uo}d she. ryȝt as þise geometriens whan þei han shewed her p{ro}posiciou{n}s ben wont to brynge{n} in þinges þat þei clepen porismes or declarac{i}ou{n}s of forseide þinges. ryȝt so wil I ȝeue þe here as a corolarie or a mede of coroune.
For whi. for as moche as by þe getynge of blisfulnesse men ben maked blysful. {and} blisfulnesse is diuinite. ¶ þan is it manifest {and} open þat by þe gety{n}g of diuinite men ben makid blisful. ryȝt as by þe getynge of iustice . . . {and} by þe getyng of sapience þei ben maked wise. ¶ Ryȝt so nedes by þe semblable resou{n} wha{n} þei han getyn diuinite þei ben maked goddys. þan is euery blisful man god. ¶ But certis by nature. þer nys but oon god. but by þe p{ar}ticipac{i}ou{n}s of diuinite þere ne letteþ ne disturbeþ no þing þat þer ne ben many goddes. ¶ þis is q{uo}d .I. a faire þing {and} a p{re}cious. ¶ Clepe it as þ{o}u wolt. be it corolarie or porisme or mede of coroune or declarynges ¶ Certys q{uo}d she no þing nis fairer. þan is þe þing þat by resou{n} sholde ben added to þise forseide þinges. what þing q{uo}d .I. ¶ So q{uo}d she as it semeþ þat blisfulnesse conteniþ many þinges. it were forto witen wheþir [þ{a}t] alle þise þinges maken or conioignen as a maner body of blysfulnesse by diuersite of parties or [of] me{m}bris.
Or ellys yif any of alle þilke þi{n}g{us} be swyche þat it acomplise by hy{m} self þe substaunce of blisfulnesse. so þat alle þise oþer þinges ben referred and brouȝt to blisfulnesse. þat is to seyne as to þe chief of hem. ¶ I wolde q{uo}d I þat þou makedest me clerly to vndirstonde what þou seist. {and} þat þou recordest me þe forseide þinges. ¶ Haue I nat iuged q{uo}d she. þat blisfulnesse is goode. ȝis forsoþe q{uo}d .I. {and} þat souereyne goode. ¶ Adde þan q{uo}d she þilke goode þat is maked blisfulnes to alle þe forseide þinges. ¶ For þilke same blisfulnesse þat is demed to ben souereyne suffisaunce. þilke self is souereyne power. souereyne reuerence. sou{er}eyne clernesse or noblesse {and} souereyne delit. what seist þou þan of alle þise þinges. þat is to seyne. suffisance power {and} þise oþer þinges. ben þei þan as membris of blisfulnesse. or ben þei referred {and} brouȝt to souereyne good. ¶ Ryȝt as alle þinges þat ben brouȝt to þe chief of hem. b. I vndirstonde wel q{uo}d .I. what þou p{ur}posest to seke. but I desijr[e] to herkene þat þou shewe it me. _p._ Take now þus þe discressiou{n} of þis questiou{n} q{uo}d she. yif al þise þinges q{uo}d she weren membris to felicite. þan weren þei diu{er}se þat oon fro þat oþer. ¶ And swiche is þe nat{ur}e of p{ar}ties or of membris. þat dyuerse me{m}bris compounen a body. ¶ Certis q{uo}d I it haþ wel ben shewed her byforne. þat alle þise þinges ben alle on þing. þan ben þei none membris q{uo}d she. for ellys it sholde seme þat blisfulnesse were conioigned al of one membre alone. but þat is a þi{n}g þat may nat ben doon. þis þing q{uo}d .I. nys nat doutous. but I abide to herkene þe remenaunt of þe questiou{n}. þis is ope{n} {and} clere q{uo}d she. þat alle oþer þinges ben referred {and} brouȝt to goode. ¶ For þerfore is suffisaunce requered.
For it is demed to ben good. {and} forþi is power requered. for men trowen also þat it be goode. and þis same þing mowe we þinken {and} coueiten of reuerence {and} of noblesse {and} of delit. þan is souereyne good þe soume {and} þe cause of alle þat auȝt[e] be desired. forwhi þilke þing þat wiþ-holdeþ no good in it self ne semblaunce of goode it ne may nat wel in no manere be desired ne requered. {and} þe contrarie. For þouȝ þat þinges by hir nature ne ben nat goode algates yif men wene þat þei be{n} goode ȝit ben þei desired as þouȝ [þ{a}t] þei were verrayly goode. {and} þerfore is it þat men auȝte{n} to wene by ryȝt þat bounte be souereyne fyn {and} þe cause of alle þinges þat ben to requeren. ¶ But certis þilke þ{a}t is cause for whiche men requeren any þing. ¶ it semeþ þat þilke same þing be most desired. as þus yif þat a wyȝt wolde ryde for cause of hele. he ne desireþ nat so mychel þe moeuyng to ryden as þe effect of his heele. Now þan syn þat alle þinges ben requered for þe grace of good. þei ne ben [nat] desired of alle folk more þan þe same good ¶ But we han graunted þat blysfulnesse is þat þing for whiche þat alle þise oþer þinges ben desired. þan is it þus þat certis only blisfulnesse is requered {and} desired ¶ By whiche þing it sheweþ clerely þat good {and} blisfulnesse is al oone {and} þe same substaunce. ¶ I se nat q{uo}d I wher fore þat men myȝt[en] discorden in þis. _p._ {and} we han shewed þat god {and} verrey blysfulnesse is al oon þing ¶ þat is soþe q{uod} .I. þan mowe we conclude sikerly þ{a}t þe substaunce of god is set in þilke same good {and} in noon oþer place.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.