Chaucer's translation of Boethius's "De consolatione philosphiæ" / edited from British Museum additional MS. 10, 340 collated with Cambridge University Library MS. Ii.3.21 by Richard Morris

HIC UBI CONTINUATO DOLORE.

Whan I hadde wiþ a continuel sorwe sobbed or broken out þise þinges sche wiþ hir chere peisible and no þing amoeued. wiþ my compleyntes seide þus. whan I say þe quod sche sorweful and wepyng I wist[e] on-one þat þou were a wrecche and exiled. but I wist[e] neuer how fer þine exile was: ȝif þi tale ne hadde schewed it to me. but certys al be þou fer fro þi contre. þou nart [fol. 7b] nat put out of it. but þou hast fayled of þi weye and gon amys. ¶ and yif þou hast leuer forto wene þan þou be put out of þi contre. þan hast þou put oute þi self raþer þen ony oþer wyȝt haþ. ¶ For no wyȝt but þi self ne myȝt[e] neuer haue don

þat to þe. ¶ For ȝif þou remembre of what contre þou art born. it nis not gouerned by emperoures. ne by gouernement of multitude. as weren þe contres of hem of athenes. ¶ But o lorde and o kyng and þat is god þat is lorde of þi contree. whiche þat reioiseþ hym of þe dwellyng of hys Citeȝenis. and not forto putte hem in exile. Of þe whiche lorde it is a souerayne fredom to be gouerned by þe bridel of hym and obeie to his iustice. ¶ Hast þou forȝeten þilke ryȝt olde lawe of þi Citee. in þe whiche Citee it is ordeyned and establissed þat what wyȝt þat haþ leuer founden þer inne hys sete or hys house. þen ellys where: he may not be exiled by no ryȝt fro þat place. ¶ For who so þat is contened in-wiþ þe paleis [and the clos] of þilke Citee. þer nis no drede þat he may deserue to ben exiled. ¶ But who þat letteþ þe wille forto enhabit[e] þere. he forleteþ also to deserue to ben Citeȝein of þilke Citee. ¶ So þat I seye þat þe face of þis place ne amoeueþ me nat so myche as þine owen face. Ne .I. ne axe not raþer þe walles of þi librarie apparailled and wrouȝt wiþ yvory and wiþ glas þan after þe sete of þi þouȝt. In whiche I putte nat somtyme bookes. but .I. putte þat þat makeþ bookes worþi of pris or precious þat is to sein þe sentence of my books. ¶ And certeinly of þi decertes by-stowed in commune good. þou hast seid soþe but after þe multitude of þi goode dedys. þou hast seid fewe. and of þe vnhonestee or falsnesse of þinges þat ben opposed aȝeins þe. þou hast remembred þinges þat ben knowe to alle folk. and of þe felonies and fraudes of þine accusours. it semeþ þe haue I-touched it forsoþe ryȝtfully and schortly. ¶ Al myȝten þo

same þinges bettere and more plentiuousely be couth in þe mouþe of þe poeple þat knoweþ al þis. ¶ Þou hast eke blamed gretly and compleyned of þe wrongful dede of þe senat. ¶ And þou hast sorwed for my blame. and þou hast wepen for þe damage of þi renoune þat is appaired. and þi laste sorwe eschaufed aȝeins fortune and compleinest þat gerdouns ne ben not euenliche ȝolde to þe desertes of folk. and in þe lattre ende of þi woode muse þou priedest þat þilke pees þat gouerneþ þe heuene scholde gouerne þe erþe ¶ But for þat many tribulaciouns of affecciouns han assailed þe. and sorwe and Ire and wepyng todrawen þee dyuersely ¶ As þou art now feble of þouȝt. myȝtyer remedies ne schullen not ȝit touchen þe for whiche we wil[e] vsen somedel lyȝter medicines. So þat þilk[e] passiouns þat ben woxen harde in swellyng by perturbacioun folowyng in to þi þouȝt mowen woxe esy and softe to receyuen þe strenkeþ of a more myȝty and more egre medicine by an esier touchyng.