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

FELIX QUI POTERIT. ET CETERA.

Blisful is þat man þat may seen þe clere welle of good. blisful is he þat may vnbynde hym fro þe bonde of heuy erþe. ¶ þe poete of trace [orpheus] þat somtyme hadde ryȝt greet sorowe for þe deeþ of hys wijf. aftir þat he hadde maked by hys wepely songes þe wodes meueable to rennen. and hadde ymaked þe ryueres to stonden stille. and maked þe hertys and hyndes to ioignen dredles hir sides to cruel lyouns to herkene his songe. and had[de] maked þat þe hare was nat agast of þe hounde whiche þat was plesed by hys songe. so þat whane þe most[e] ardaunt loue of hys wijf brende þe

entrailes of his brest. ne þe songes þat hadde ouer comen alle þinges ne myȝten nat assuage hir lorde orpheus. ¶ He pleyned[e] hym of þe godes þat weren cruel to hym. he wente hym to þe houses of helle and þere he tempred[e] hys blaundissyng songes by resounyng of hys strenges. ¶ And spak and song in wepynge alle þat euer he hadde resceyued and laued oute of þe noble welles of hys modir calliope þe goddesse. and he song wiþ as mychel as he myȝt[e] of wepynge. and wiþ as myche as loue þat doubled[e] his sorwe myȝt[e] ȝeuen hym and teche hym in his seke herte. ¶ And he commoeuede þe helle and requered[e] and souȝte by swete preiere þe lordes of soules in helle of relesynge. þat is to seyne to ȝelden hym hys wif. ¶ Cerberus þe porter of helle wiþ his þre heuedes was cauȝt and al abaist for þe new[e] songe. and þe þre goddesses furijs and vengerisse of felonies þat tourmenten and agasten þe soules by anoye wexen sorweful and sory and wepen teres for pitee. þan was nat þe heued of Ixione ytourmented by þe ouerþrowing whele. ¶ And tantalus þat was destroied by þe woodnesse of longe þrust dispiseþ þe flodes to drynke. þe fowel þat hyȝt voltor þat etiþ þe stomak or þe giser of ticius is so fulfilled of his songe þat it nil etyn ne tyren no more. ¶ Atte þe laste þe lorde and Iuge of soules was moeued to misericordes and cried[e] we ben ouer comen quod he. yif[e] we to orpheus his wijf to bere hym compaignye he haþ welle I-bouȝt hir by his faire songe and

his ditee. but we wil putten a lawe in þis. and couenaunt in þe ȝifte. þat is to seyne. þat til he be out of helle yif he loke byhynden hym [þat] hys wijf shal comen aȝeine to vs ¶ but what is he þat may ȝeue a lawe to loueres. loue is a gretter lawe and a strengere to hym self þan any lawe þat men may ȝeuen. ¶ Allas whan Orpheus and his wijf were al most at þe termes of þe nyȝt. þat is to seyne at þe last[e] boundes of helle. Orpheus loked[e] abakwarde on Erudice his wijf and lost[e] hir and was deed. ¶ þis fable apperteineþ to ȝow alle who so euer desireþ or sekiþ to lede his þouȝte in to þe souereyne day. þat is to seyne to clerenes[se] of souereyne goode. ¶ For who so þat euere be so ouer comen þat he fycche hys eyen in to þe put[te] of helle. þat is to seyne who so setteþ his þouȝtes in erþely þinges. al þat euer he haþ drawen of þe noble good celestial he lesiþ it whan he lokeþ þe helles. þat is to seyne to lowe þinges of þe erþe.