Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" · Boethius
TUNC DEFIXO PAULULU{M}.
Now is it clere {and} certeyne þa{n} þat blisfulnesse is a p{er}fit estat by þe congregac{i}ou{n} of alle goodes. ¶ þe whiche blisfulnesse as I haue seid alle mortal folke enforcen hem to geten by dyuerse weyes. ¶ For-whi þe couetise of verray goode is naturely y-plaunted in þe hertys of men. ¶ But þe myswandryng erro{ur} myslediþ hem in to fals[e] goodes. ¶ of þe whiche men some of hem wenen þat souereygne goode is to lyue wiþ outen nede of any þing. {and} t{ra}ueile{n} hem to ben habundaunt of rycchesse. and some oþer men deme{n}. þat sou{er}ein goode be forto be ryȝt digne of reu{er}ences. {and} enforce{n} hem to ben reu{er}enced among hir neyȝbo{ur}s. by þe hono{ur}s þat þei han ygeten ¶ {and} some folk þer ben þat halden þat ryȝt heyȝe power to be souereyn goode. {and} enforcen he{m} forto regnen or ellys to ioigne{n} he{m} to hem þat regnen. ¶ And it semeþ to some oþer folk þat noblesse of renou{n} be þe sou{er}ein goode. {and} hasten hem to geten glorious name by þe artes of werre or of pees. and many folke mesuren {and} gessen þ{a}t sou{er}ein goode be ioye {and} gladnesse {and} wenen þat it be ryȝt blisful [thyng{e}] to ploungen hem i{n} uoluptuous delit. ¶ And þer ben folk þat enterchaungen þe causes {and} þe endes of þise forseide goodes as þei þat desire{n} rycchesse to han power {and} delices.
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