Boecius de consolacione philosophie

Primum igitur pateris ne me pauculis interrogacio∣nibus statum tue mentis attingere at{que} temptare. vt qui modus sit tue curacionis intelligam etc

FIrste woldest thou suffre me to touche & assaye the estate of thy thought by a fewe demandes so that I may vnderstande by. the maner of thy curacion / axe me qd I at thy will that thou wolt / & I shal answere / Tho saide she thus. whether wa••e••t thou qd she that this world bee gouerned folisshe by h••ppes & fortunes / or els wenest thou that ther be in it on•• gouernement of reson. B / Certes qd I / I ne trowe n••t in noo manere that so certayne thinges shold be moeued by fortunous fortune / but I wote well that god maker & maister is gouernour of his werk / ne was neuer yet day that might put me out of the sothnes of that sentence / P / So is it qd she for the same thing sange thou a litel here biforn̄ & bewailledest & weptest / that only men were putte out of the cure of god. For of alle other thinges. thou ne doubtest not that they nere gouerned by reason / But. och / I wondre certes greetly. why that thou arte seke. Syn that thou arte putte in so holsom̄e a senten∣ce. But lete vs seken depper / I coniecte that ther lacketh I note what / But seye me this. syn that thou ne doub∣test not that this world bee gouerned by God. with whiche gouernaille takest thou hede that hit is gouerned

vnnethe qd I know I the sentence of thy question / so that I ne may not yet answeren to thy demaūdes. I was not deceyued qd she. that ther ne fayled somwhat by whiche the maladie of {per}turbacion is crepte into thy thought. so as the strength of thy palais shynyng is open / but saye me this. remembrest thou what is thende of thinges. & whider thentencōn of al kynde tendeth / I haue herde told it som∣tyme qd I. but drerines hath dulled my memoire / Certes qd she thou wotest wel whens al thinges be comen & {pro}ce∣ded / I wote wel qd I & ansuerde that god is begyn̄ing of al. And hou may this be qd she / that syn thou knowest the begyn̄yng of thinges / that thou ne knowest not what is thende of thinges. but suche ben the customes of {per}turbacōn & this power they han. that they may moeue aman fr••m his place. that is to seye from the sta••l••nes & {per}f••ccion of his knowing. but certes they may not al arace him / ne as••ene him in all / but I wold that thou wel••est answere to this Remembrestow that thou arte a man. Boece / why shold I not remēbren that qd I. philes••hie. Ma••stow not telle me then̄e what thing is a man̄. Arestow not me quod I whether that I be a resonable mortal beest. I wote wel and confesse that I am it. wistow neu yet that th••u were ony other thing qd she. No qd I / Now wele knowe I qd she other cause of thy maladie / & that right greet. thou hast le••t for to knowen thy self what thou arte. thurgh whiche I haue pleynly foūden the cause of thy maladie / or els thentre of recouering of thy hele. For why / For thou art confoū∣ded with for••eting of thy self. For thou sorowdest that thou arte e••iled of thy propre goodes. And for thou ne

wist what is thende of thinges. For thy demest thou that felonous and wicked men be mighty and welefull. and for thou hast foryeten by whiche gouernements the world is gouerned. For thy wenest thou that these mutacions of fortune fleten without gouernour / These ben the caus••s not onely to maladie. but certes grete causes to deth. but I thanke the auctour & the maker of hele. that nature hath not al forleten the / I haue grete norisshing of thyn hele. & that is the soth sentence of gouernance of the worlde / that thou bileuest that the gouernyng of it is not subgette ne vnderput to the folie of these happes auenturous. but to the reson of god. and therfore doubte the nothing / for of this litil sparke thyne hete of lyf shal shyne / But for asmoche as it is not tyme yet of faster remedies / and the nature is of thoughtes thus deceyued. That as ofte as they cast aweye soth oppinions / they clothen hem in false oppinions Of the whiche fals oppinions. the derken••s of perturbaci∣on wexeth vp / that confoūdeth the very insight. and that derkenes shall I somwhat assaye to maken thynne & wey∣ke by light & meneliche remedies. so that after that the der∣kenes of deceyuyng thinges be don awaye / thou may kno∣we the shynyng of veraye light