Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
SET DIGNITATIB{US}.
No q{uod} .I. ¶ Certys dignitees q{uod} she app{er}tienen p{ro}perly to vertue. {and} uertue transporteþ dignite anon to þilke man to whiche she hir self is conioigned. ¶ And for as moche as hono{ur}s of poeple ne may nat maken folk digne of hono{ur}. it is wel seyn clerly þat þei ne han no p{ro}pre beaute of dignite. ¶ And ȝit men auȝten take more hede in þis. ¶ For if it so be þat he is most out cast þat most folk dispisen. or as dignite ne may nat maken shrewes worþi of no reuerences. þan makeþ dignites shrewes more dispised þan p{re}ised. þe whiche shrewes dignit[e] scheweþ to moche folk ¶ {and} for soþe nat vnpunissed. þat is forto sein. þat shrewes reuengen hem aȝeinward vpon dignites. for þei ȝelden aȝein to dignites as gret gerdou{n} whan þei byspotten {and} defoulen dignites wiþ hire vylenie. ¶ And for as moche as þou mow[e] knowe þat þilke verray reuerence ne may nat comen by þe shadewy t{ra}nsitorie dignitees. vndirstonde now þis. yif þat a man hadde vsed {and} hadde many manere dignites of consules {and} were come{n} p{er}auenture amonges straunge nac{i}ou{n}s. sholde þilke hono{ur} maken hym worshipful {and} redouted of straunge folk ¶ Certys yif þat honour of poeple were a naturel ȝifte to dignites. it ne myȝte neuer cesen nowher amonges no maner folke to done hys office. ¶ Ryȝt as fire i{n} euery contre ne stinteþ nat to enchaufen {and} to ben hote. but for as myche as forto be holden honorable or reuerent ne comeþ nat to folk of hir p{ro}pre strengþe of nat{ur}e. but only of þe fals[e] opiniou{n} of folk. þat is to sein. þat wenen þat dignites maken folk digne of hono{ur}.
An on þerfore whan þat þei comen þer as folk ne knowe{n} nat þilke dignites. her hono{ur}s vanissen awey {and} þat on oon. but þat is a-mong straung folk. maist þou sein. but amo{n}g{us} hem þat þei weren born duren þilk[e] dignites alwey. ¶ Certys þe dignite of þe p{ro}uostrie of Rome was somtyme a grete power. now is it no þing but an ydel name. {and} þe rente of þe senatorie a g{r}et charge. {and} yif a whiȝt somtyme hadde þe office to taken he[de] to þe vitailes of þe poeple as of corne {and} what oþer þinges he was holden amonges grete. but what þing is more nowe out cast þanne þilke p{ro}uostrie ¶ And as I haue seid a litel here byforne. þat þilke þing þat haþ no p{ro}pre beaute of hym self resceyueþ somtyme pris {and} shinynge {and} somtyme lesiþ it by þe opiniou{n} of vsaunces. ¶ Now yif þat dignites þanne ne mowen nat maken folk digne of reuerence. {and} yif þ{a}t dignites wexen foule of hir wille by þe filþe of shrewes. ¶ and yif þat dignites lesen hir shynynge by chaungyng of tymes. and yif þei wexen foule by estimac{i}ou{n} of poeple. what is it þat þei han in hem self of beaute þat auȝte ben desired. as who seiþ none. þanne ne mowen þei ȝiuen no beaute of dignite to none oþer.
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