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

SI UIS CELSI IURA.

Yif þou wolt demen in þi pure þouȝt þe ryȝtes or þe lawes of þe heye þund[ere]re. þat is to seyne of god. loke þou and bihold þe heyȝtes of souereyne heuene. ¶ þere kepen þe sterres by ryȝtful alliaunee of þinges hir olde pees. þe sonne ymoeued by hys rody fire. ne destourbiþ nat þe colde cercle of þe moone. ¶ Ne þe sterre yclepid þe bere. þat encliniþ hys rauyssynge courses abouten þe souereyne heyȝt of þe worlde. ne þe same sterre vrsa nis neuer mo wasshen in þe depe westerne see. ne coueitiþ nat to dyȝen hys flaumbes in þe see of [the] occian. al þouȝ he see oþer sterres yplounged in to þe see. ¶ And hesperus þe sterre bodiþ and telliþ alwey þe late nyȝtes. And lucifer þe sterre bryngeþ aȝeyne þe clere day. ¶ And þus makiþ loue enterchaungeable þe perdurable courses. and þus is discordable bataile yput oute of þe contre of þe sterres. þis accordaunce attempreþ by euene-lyke manere[s] þe elementes. þat þe moyste þinges striuen nat wiþ þe drye þinges. but ȝiuen place by stoundes. and þat þe colde þinges ioynen hem by feiþ to þe hote þinges. and þat þe lyȝt[e] fyre arist in to heyȝte. and þe heuy erþes aualen by her weyȝtes. ¶ by þise same cause þe floury yere ȝeldeþ swote smellys in þe fyrste somer sesoun warmynge. and þe hote somer dryeþ þe cornes. and

autumpne comeþ aȝeyne heuy of apples. and þe fletyng reyne bydeweþ þe wynter. þis attemperaunce noryssiþ and brynggeþ furþe al þinge þat brediþ lyfe in þis worlde. ¶ and þilk same attemperaunce rauyssyng hideþ and bynymeþ and drencheþ vndir þe last[e] deþe alle [fol. 32b] þinges yborn. ¶ Amonges þise þinges sitteþ þe heye makere kyng and lorde. welle and bygynnynge. lawe and wise Iuge. to don equite and gouerniþ and encliniþ þe bridles of þinges. and þo þinges þat he stireþ to don by moeuynge he wiþdraweþ and arestiþ and affermiþ þe moeueable or wandryng þinges. ¶ For ȝif þat he ne clepiþ nat aȝein þe ryȝt goynge of þinges. and ȝif þat he ne constreyned[e] hem nat eftesones in to roundenesse enclined þe þinges þat ben now continued by stable ordinaunce. þei sholde deperten from hir welle. þat is to sein from hir bygynnynge and failen. þat is to sein tournen in to nauȝt. ¶ þis is þe commune loue of alle þinges. and alle þinges axen to be holden by þe fyn of good. For ellys ne myȝten þei nat lasten yif þei ne come nat eftesones aȝeine by loue retourned to þe cause þat haþ ȝeuen hem beynge. þat is to seyn to god.