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

GLORIA UERO QUAM FALLAX.

Bvt glorie how deceiuable and how foule is it ofte. for whiche þing nat vnskilfully a tregedien þat is to sein a maker of dites þat hyȝten tregedies cried[e] and seide. ¶ O glorie glorie quod he. þou nart no þing ellys to þousandes of folkes. but a gret sweller of eres. for many[e] han had ful gret renoun by þe fals[e] oppinioun of poeple. and what þing may ben þouȝt fouler þen swiche preisynge for þilk[e] folk þat ben preised falsly. þei moten nedes han shame of hir preisynges. and yif þat folk han geten hem þank or preysyng by her desertes. what þing haþ þilk pris echid or encresed to þe conscience of wise folk þat mesuren hire good. not by þe rumour of þe poeple. but by þe soþefastnesse of conscience. and yif it seme a fair þing a man to han encresid and sprad his name. þan folweþ

it. þat it is demed to ben a foule þinge yif it ne be ysprad ne encresed. but as I seide a litel her byforne. þat syn þer mot nedes ben many folk to whiche folk þe renoun of a man ne may nat comen. it byfalleþ þat he þat þou wenest be glorious and renomed. semiþ in þe nexte parties of þe erþe to ben wiþ out glorie. and wiþ out renoun. ¶ and certis amonges þise þinges I ne trowe nat þat þe pris and grace of þe poeple nis neiþer worþi [fol. 18b] to ben remembrid ne comeþ of wise iugement. ne is ferm perdurably. ¶ But now of þis name of gentilesse. what man is it þat ne may wel seen how veyne and how flittyng a þing it is. ¶ For if þe name of gentilesse be referred to renoun and clernesse of linage. þan is gentil name but a for[e]ine þing. þat is to sein to hem þat glorifien hem of hir linage. ¶ For it semeþ þat gentilesse be a maner preysynge þat comeþ of decert of auncestres. ¶ And yif preysynge makeþ gentilesse þan moten þei nedes be gentil þat ben preysed. For whiche þing it folweþ. þat yif þou ne haue no gentilesse of þi self. þat is to sein pris þat comeþ of þi deserte foreine gentilesse ne makeþ þe nat gentil. ¶ But certis yif þer be any goode in gentilesse. I trowe it be in al oonly þis. þat it semeþ as þat a maner necessitee be imposed to gentil men. for þat þei ne sholden nat outraien or forliuen fro þe uertues of hire noble kynrede.