Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
SI UIS CELSI IURA.
And lucifer þe sterre bryngeþ aȝeyne þe clere day. ¶ And þus makiþ loue enterchaungeable þe p{er}durable courses. {and} þus is discordable bataile yput oute of þe contre of þe sterres. þis accordaunce atte{m}preþ by euene-lyke manere[s] þe elementes. þat þe moyste þinges striuen nat wiþ þe drye þinges. but ȝiuen place by stoundes. and þat þe colde þinges ioynen hem by feiþ to þe hote þinges. {and} þat þe lyȝt[e] fyre arist in to heyȝte. {and} þe heuy erþes aualen by her weyȝtes. ¶ by þise same cause þe floury yere ȝeldeþ swote smellys in þe fyrste somer sesou{n} warmynge. {and} þe hote somer dryeþ þe cornes. {and} autumpne comeþ aȝeyne heuy of apples. and þe fletyng reyne bydeweþ þe wynter. þis attemp{er}aunce noryssiþ {and} brynggeþ furþe al þinge þat brediþ lyfe in þis worlde. ¶ and þilk same attemp{er}aunce rauyssyng hideþ {and} bynymeþ {and} drencheþ vndir þe last[e] deþe alle þinges yborn. ¶ Amonges þise þinges sitteþ þe heye makere kyng {and} lorde. welle {and} bygynnynge. lawe {and} wise Iuge. to don equite {and} gouerniþ {and} encliniþ þe bridles of þinges. {and} þo þinges þat he stireþ to don by moeuynge he wiþdraweþ {and} arestiþ {and} affermiþ þe moeueable or wandryng þinges. ¶ For ȝif þat he ne clepiþ nat aȝein þe ryȝt goynge of þinges. {and} ȝif þat he ne constreyned[e] hem nat eftesones in to roundenesse enclined þe þinges þ{a}t ben now continued by stable ordinaunce. þei sholde deperten from hir welle. þat is to sein from hir bygynnynge {and} failen. þat is to sein to{ur}nen in to nauȝt. ¶ þis is þe co{m}mune loue of alle þinges. {and} alle þi{n}ges axen to be holden by þe fyn of good. For ellys ne myȝten þei nat lasten yif þei ne come nat eftesones aȝeine by loue retourned to þe cause þat haþ ȝeuen he{m} beynge. þat is to seyn to god.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.