Boecius de consolacione philosophie

Hec vbi continuo delatraui dolore. illa vultu placido nichil{que} meis questionibus mota. Cū te inquit. mestū lacrimantem{que} vidissem. ilico miserū exulem{que} cog∣nosci. Sz quā id longincū esset exiliū etc

WHan I had with a continuel sorowe sobbed or bro∣ken out these thinges. she with her chere pesible / and nothing a moeued with my compleyntes seyde thus / whan I sawe the qd she sorouful and weping / I wist anon that thou were a wretche and exiled / but I nyst neuer how fer thyne exile was if thy tal•• ne hadde sh••wd it me. but cer••tes al be thou ferre from thy coūtre / thou narte not al putte out of hit. But thou hast failled of thy weye and gone amys / and if thou haste leuer for to wene that thou be put out of thy contreye. thenne hast thou putte out thy self ra∣ther than ony other wight hath / for no wight but thou thy selfe ne mighte neuer haue doon̄ that to the / For if thou re∣membre the of what coūtreye thou arte borne / hit nys not gouerned by emperours ne by gouernement of multitude As weren the coūtreyes of hem of Ath••nes / but one lorde and one kyng and that is god that is lord of thy coū∣treye. whiche that reioysseth hym of the dwellyng of his C••••••••eyn••. and not for to putte hem in exile. Of the whi∣che lorde it is a fredom̄e to be gouerned by the brydle of him & obeye to his Iustice. hast thou forgoten thilke olde lawe

of thy cite / In the whiche cite it is ordeyned & establisshed that what wight hath leu foūde therin his seete or his hous than els where. He may not be exiled by no right from that place. For who so that is contened within the palais of thilke cite / ther nys noo drede that he may deserue to be exiled. But who that letteth the wille tenhabite there. he forletteth also to deserue to be a citezeyn of thilke cite. So that I seye that the face of this place ne moeueth me not so mykyl as thyn owen face. Ne I ne axe not rather the wal∣les of thy librarye apparailled & wrought with yuory and with glas. than after the seete of thy thought / In whiche I putt not whilom bookes / but I putt that / that maketh bookes worthy of price or precious. that is to seye sentence of my bookes / And certainly of thy desertes bestowed in comyne good. thou haste said soth / But after the multi∣tude of thy good dedes thou hast sayd fewe / And of the honeste / or of the falsenes of thinges that ben opposed ay∣enst the / thou hast remembrid thinges that be knowen to all folke. And of the felonyes and fraudes of thyne ac∣cusours / It semeth the haue touched it forsothe rightfully and shortly / All myghten tho same thinges better and more plenteously been couthe in the mouthe of the peuple that knoweth all this. Thou haste eke blamed gretly and compleyned of the wroongfull dede of the Senate And thou haste sorowed for my blame / And thou hast wepen for the damage of thy renommee that is appaired & thy last sorow enchaced ayen f••rtune / cōpleynest the guer∣dons ne be not euenly yolden to the desertes of folk & in thy latter ende of thy wode muse. thou praiedest that thilk peas

that gouerneth the heuen sholde gouern•• the erthe. But for that many tribulacions of affeccions haue assayled the. & sorowe & Ire & weping to drawen the diuersly. as thou arte now feble of thought / mightier remedies ne shullen not yet touchen the / for whiche we willen somdele vsen lighter me∣dicines. so that thilk passions that be waxen harde in swel∣ling by {per}turbacions flowing into thy thought. mowen waxe easy & softe to receyue the strength of a more mighty and more egre medicine by an easier touching