Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
TUM EGO PLATONI INQ{UA}M.
Me remembriþ it wel q{uo}d I. {and} I confesse 2884 wel þat I ne wist[e] it nat ¶ But al be it so þat I se now fro{m} afer what þou p{ur}posest ¶ Algates I desire ȝit to herkene it of þe more pleynely. [Sidenote: _P._ You acknowledged a little while ago that this world was governed by God?] ¶ þou ne wendest nat q{uo}d she a litel here byforne þat men 2888 sholden doute þat þis worlde is gouerned by god. [Sidenote: _B._ I still cling to this opinion, and will give you my reasons for this belief.] ¶ Certys q{uo}d I ne ȝitte doute I it nauȝt. ne I nil neuer wene þat it were to doute. as who seiþ. but I wot wel þat god gouerneþ þis worlde. ¶ And I shal 2892 shortly answere þe by what resou{n}s I am brouȝt to þis. [Sidenote: The discordant elements of this world would never have assumed their present form unless there had been a wise Intelligence to unite them; and even after such a union, the joining of such opposites would have disunited and ruined the fabric made up of them, had not the same conjoining hand kept them together.] ¶ þis worlde q{uod} I of so many dyuerse {and} co{n}trarious p{ar}ties ne myȝten neuer han ben assembled in o forme. but yif þere ne were oon þat conioigned so many[e 2896 diu{er}se] þinges. ¶ And þe same diuersite of hire natures þat so discordeden þat oon fro þat oþer most[e] dep{ar}ten {and} vnioigne{n} þe þi{n}ges þat ben co{n}ioigned. yif þere ne were oon þat contened[e] þat he haþ co{n}ioigned 2900 {and} ybounde.
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