Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
SENTIS NE INQUIT.
I put[te] me aȝenis þe hates {and} indignac{i}ou{n}s of þe accuso{ur} Ciprian. ¶ Is it not þan ynought yseyn þat I haue p{ur}chased greet[e] discordes aȝeins my self. but I aughte be more asseured aȝenis alle oþer folk þat for þe loue of ryȝtwisnesse .I. ne reserued[e] neuer no þing to my self to hem ward of þe kynges halle .s. officers. by þe whiche I were þe more syker. ¶ But þoruȝ þe same accuso{ur}s accusyng I am co{n}dempned. ¶ Of þe noumbre of whiche accuso{ur}s one basilius þat somtyme was chased out of þe kynges seruice. is now co{m}pelled i{n} accusyng of my name for nede of foreine moneye. ¶ Also opilion {and} Gaudenci{us} han accused me. al be it so þat þe Iustice regal hadde su{m}tyme demed hem boþe to go in to exil. for her treccheries {and} fraudes wiþ-outen noumbre. ¶ To whiche iugement þei wolde not obeye. but defended[e] hem by sykernesse of holy houses. þat is to seyne fledden in to seyntuaries. {and} whan þis was ap{er}ceiued to þe kyng. he comaunded[e] but þat þei voided[e] þe citee of Rauenne by certeyne day assigned þat men scholde merken hem on þe forheued wiþ an hoke of iren {and} chasen hem out of toune. ¶ Now what þing semeþ þe myȝt[e] be lykned to þis cruelte.
For certys þilk same day was receyued þe accusyng of my name by þilk[e] same accuso{ur}s. ¶ What may be seid herto. haþ my studie {and} my konnyng deserued þus. or ellys þe forseide dampnaciou{n} of me. made þat hem ryȝtful accuso{ur}s or no (q.d. no{n}). ¶ Was not fortune asshamed of þis. [Certes alle hadde nat fortune ben asshamyd] þat i{n}nocence was accused. ȝit auȝt[e] sche haue had schame of þe filþe of myn accuso{ur}s. ¶ But axest þou in so{m}me of what gilt .I. am accused. men seyne þat I wolde sauen þe co{m}paignie of þe senato{ur}s. ¶ And desirest þou to here in what manere .I. am accused þat I scholde han distourbed þe accuso{ur} to beren l{ett}res. by whiche he scholde han maked þe senatours gilty aȝeins þe kynges Real maieste. ¶ O meistresse what demest þou of þis. schal .I. forsake þis blame þat I ne be no schame to þe (q. d. no{n}). ¶ Certis .I. haue wold it. þat is to seyne þe sauuaciou{n} of þe senat. ne I schal neuer leten to wilne it. {and} þat I confesse {and} am a-knowe. but þe entent of þe accusour to be destourbed schal cese. ¶ For schal I clepe it a felonie þan or a synne þat I haue desired þe sauuaciou{n} of þe ordre of þe senat. and certys ȝit hadde þilk same senat don by me þoruȝ her decretȝ {and} hire iugementys as þouȝ it were a synne or a felonie þat is to seyne to wilne þe sauuaciou{n} of he{m} (.s senat{us}). ¶ But folye þat lieth alwey to hym self may not chaunge þe merit of þinges. ¶ Ne .I. trowe not by þe iugement of socrates þ{a}t it were leueful to me to hide þe soþe. ne assent[e] to lesynges. ¶ But certys how so euer it be of þis I put[te] it to gessen or p{re}ise{n} to þe iugeme{n}t of þe {and} of wise folk. ¶ Of whiche þing al þe ordinaunce {and} þe soþe for as moche as folk þat ben to comen aftir our{e} dayes scholle{n} knowen it. ¶ I haue put it in scripture {and} remembraunce. for touching þe l{ett}res falsly maked. by whiche l{ett}res I am accused to han hooped þe fredom of Rome.
What app{er}teneþ me to speken þer-of. Of whiche l{ett}res þe fraude hadde ben schewed ap{er}tly if I hadde had libertee forto han vsed {and} ben at þe co{n}fessiou{n} of myn accuso{ur}s. ¶ Þe whiche þing in alle nedys haþ grete strenkeþ. ¶ For what oþ{er} fredo{m} may men hopen. Certys I wolde þat some oþ{er} fredom myȝt[e] be hoped. ¶ I wolde þan haue answered by þe wordes of a man þat hyȝt[e] Canius. for whan he was accused by Gayus Cesar Germeins son þat he (cani{us}) was knowyng {and} consentyng of a coniurac{i}ou{n} maked aȝeins hym (.s. Gai{us}). ¶ Þis Canius answered[e] þus. ¶ Yif I had[de] wist it þou haddest not wist it. In whiche þing sorwe haþ not so dulled my witte þ{a}t I pleyne oonly þat schrewed[e] folk apparailen folies aȝeins vertues. ¶ But I wondre gretly how þat þei may p{er}forme þinges þat þei had[de] hoped forto done.
For why. to wylne schrewednesse þat comeþ p{ar}auenture of oure defaute. ¶ But it is lyke to a monstre {and} a meruaille. ¶ How þat in þe p{re}se{n}t syȝt of god may ben acheued {and} p{er}formed swiche þinges. as euery felonous man haþ conceyued in hys þouȝt aȝeins i{n}nocent. ¶ For whiche þing oon of þi familers not vnskilfully axed þus. ¶ Ȝif god is. whennes comen wikked[e] þinges. {and} yif god ne is whennes comen goode þinges. but al hadde it ben leueful þat felonous folk þat now desiren þe bloode {and} þe deeþ of alle goode men. {and} eke of al þe senat han wilned to gone destroien me. whom þei han seyn alwey bataile{n} {and} defenden goode men {and} eke al þe senat. Ȝit hadde I not desserued of þe fadres. þat is to seyne of þe senatours þat þei scholde wilne my destrucc{i}ou{n}. ¶ Þou remembrest wele as I gesse þat whan I wolde don or seyn any þing. þou þi self alwey p{re}sent reweledest me. ¶ At þe citee of verone wha{n} þat þe kyng gredy of comune slauȝter. caste hym to t{ra}nsporten vpon al þe ordre of þe senat. þe gilt of his real maieste of þe whiche gilt þat albyn was accused. wiþ how grete sykernesse of p{er}il to me defended[e] I al þe senat. ¶ Þou wost wel þat I seide soþe. ne I auaunted[e] me neuer in preysyng of my self. ¶ For alwey when any wyȝt resceiueþ p{re}ciouse renou{n} in auauntyng hym self of hys werkes: he amenusiþ þe secre of hys conscience. ¶ But now þou mayst wel seen to what ende I am comen for myne i{n}nocence.
I receiue peyne of fals felonie in gerdou{n} of verray vertue. ¶ And what open co{n}fessiou{n} of felonie had[de] euer iugis so accordaunt i{n} cruelte. þat is to seyne as myne accusyng haþ. ¶ Þat oþer errour of mans witte or ellys co{n}diciou{n} of fortune þat is vncerteyne to al mortal folk ne submytted[e] su{m}me of he{m}. þat is to seyne þat it ne cheyned[e] su{m}me iuge to han pitee or compassiou{n}. ¶ For al þouȝ I had[de] ben accused þat I wolde brenne holy houses. {and} strangle p{re}stys wiþ wicked swerde. ¶ or þat .I. had[de] grayþed deeþ to alle goode men algatis þe sentence scholde han punysched me p{re}sent confessed or co{n}uict. ¶ But now I am remewed fro þe Citee of rome almost fyue-hundreþ þousand pas. I am wiþ outen defence dampned to p{ro}sc{ri}pciou{n} {and} to þe deeþ. for þe studie {and} bountees þat I haue done to þe senat. ¶ But o wel ben þei worþi of mercye (as who seiþ nay.) þer myȝt[e] neuer ȝit non of hem ben conuicte.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.