Boecius de consolacione philosophie

Tum ego. Scis in{quam}. ipsa minimum nobis ambici∣onem mortalium rerum fuisse dominatam. {sed} mat••ri∣am gerendis rebus optauimus. quo ne virtus tacita consenesceret. Et illa. At{que} hic vnum est etc

THen̄e saide I thus thou wotest wel thy self that the couetyse of mortal thinges ne hadden neuer lordship in me / but I haue wel desired matier of thinges to done As who seith I desire to haue mater of gouernan̄ces ouer comynaltees / For vertue still shold not elden / that ys to seyne. that leste er that he wexe old. his vertue that laye now still ne shold not perisshe vnexcerciced in gouernan∣ce of comune. For whiche men mighte speken or wryten of his good gouernement / P. Forsoth quod she and that ys a thing that may drawen to gouernance suche her∣tes as ben worthy and noble of her nature. But natheles it ••ay not drawen or tellen ••uche hertes. as ben y brought to the full perfeccion of vertue / That is to seyne couetyse of glorie and renom̄ee to haue wel administred the com∣mune thinges or done good desertes to prouffit of the com∣mune. For see now & considere howe litil and howe wyde of all price is thilke glorie / certeyne thing is as thou hast lerned by the demonstracion of Astronomye / that all the enuyronnyng of the erthe aboute. ne halt but the reson of a pricke / at the regarde of the gretenes of heuene / that ys to seyne / that if there were maked comparison of the erthe to the gretnes of heuene. men wold Iuggen in all that ne helde ne space. Of the whyche litell region of this worlde The fourthe parte of the erthe is inhabited wyth lyuyng beestis that we knowen. As thou haste thy self y lerned by Ptholome that proueth hit. And yf thou haddest with∣drawen and abated in the thoughte fro thilke fourthe partye / as moche space as the see and the mareys contey∣nen & ouergoon / As moche space as the region of drought

ouerstreccheth that is to seyne sandes and desertes. ••ell vnnethe shuld there dwellen a right streyte place to the habitacion of men. And ye that be enuyroned and closed with the leste prick of thilke prick / thinken ye manyfesten or publisshen your renōme. and done your name for to ben borne forth / But your glorie that is so narowe & so strayte throngen into so litil boūdes / howe mykel conteyneth it in larges and in grete doyng / And also sette thereto that many a nacion diuerce of tonge and of maners and eke of reson of her liuyng been inhabited in the clo••s of thilk habitacle. the whiche nacions what for difficulte ••f weyes And what for dyuers••te of langage. And what for de∣faulte of vnusage / and entrecomenyng of march••ndyse Not onely the names of singuler men̄ ne maye not stre••∣chen / but eke the fame of ••ytees ma•• not s••re••c••••n. Atte laste certes in the tyme of Marcus Tul••ius as h••m s••lfe write in his b••oke that the renōme of the comune of rome ne had not yet passed ne clomben ouer the m••ntaine that highte cancasus •• And yet was rome well waxen and redoubted of the parthes and eke of other folk enhabiting aboute / Seest thou not thenne howe s••reyte and how com∣press••d is thilke glori•• that ye trauaillen aboute to she∣wen and to multepl••e. Maye thenne the glorie of a singu∣lere romayne strecchen thider as the fame of the name of Rome / maye not climben ne passen •• And eke seest thou not that the maneres of diuerce folke and ••er lawes been dis••ordan̄t amonges hem selfe. So that thilke thing that somme men Iugge worthie of preysing other folke iug∣gen that that is worthy of tourmente. And hereof cometh

hit that thaugh a man̄ deliteth hym in preys••ng of hys renōmee / he maye not in no wise bringen forth ne spreden his name to many maner peples / And there fore euery man ought to bee apayd of his glorie that is publisshed amonge his owne neyghbours / And thilke noble renom∣mee shall bee restreyned with in the boundes of tho maner folke / But howe many a man̄ that was full noble in his tyme hath the wretches and nedy foryetyng of writ••rs putt oute of mynde and done awaye / Al be hit soo that certes thilke thinges p••ouffiten litil / The whiche thinges and writinges longe & derke elde do awaye bothe hem and eke her auctours / but ye men semen to geten you a perdu∣rabilite whan ye thinken in tyme comyng youre fame shal lasten. But nathe les if thou wilt make comparison to the endeles spaces of eternyte. what thing haste thou. by whi∣che thou maist reioyssen the of l••ng lasting of thy name For if there were made comparison of thabyding of a mo∣mente to ten thousand wynter / For as moche as bothe tho spaces been ended / For yet hath the momente som̄e por∣cion of hit all thaugh hit bee litill. But natheles thilk selfe nombre of yeres. & eke as many yeres as therto may bee multeplied. Ne maye not certes bee comparisoned to the perdurabilite that is endeles. For of thinges whiche that haue ende maye bee maked comparison / But of thin∣ges whiche that been withouten end to thynges that ha∣ue ende maye bee maked noo compairison̄ / And for thy ys hit that all thaugh renommee as of longe tyme as euer the luste to thynken were though to the regard of the Eternyte that is vnstancheable and Infynyte

it ne sholde not only seme litil / but pleynlich right nought But ye semen certes ye can do nothing a right. but if it be for the audience of the peuple and for idle rumours. & ye forsaken the grete worthynes of conscience and of ver∣tue. Aud ye seken youre guerdones of the smale wordes of stran̄ge folke / haue now here and vnderstande in the lightnes of suche pride and veyne glorie how a man skor∣ned festynaly and merily ••uche vanytee. whilome there was a man̄ that had assayed with striuyng wordes an other man̄ / the whiche not for vsage of vere••y vertue / but for proude vayn glorie had taken vpon him falsely the na∣me of philosophre / this rather man that Ispack of thought he wolde assaye whether he thilk were a philosophre or noo / that is to seye / if that he wold haue suffrid lightly in paciēce the wronges that were don̄ to him. this ••eyned philosophre toke paciēce a litil while / & whan he had receyued wordes of outrage / he as in striuyng ayen & reioys••ng him s••lf said at last thus. vnderstandestow not that I am a philosophre That other man̄ ansuerde agayn bitingly & said / I hadd wel vnderstande it if thou haddest holden thy tonge still / but what is hit to this noble worthy man / for certes of suche ••olk speke I that seken glorie with vertue. what is it qd she what atteyneth fame to suche folk whan the body is re∣solued by the deth acte laste for if so be that men deyen in al / that i•• to seye body & sowle. the whiche thing our reson d••fendeth vs to bileuen. then̄e is there no gl••rie in no wyse For what sholde t••ilke glorie bee. whan he of whem thilke glorie i•• sayd to be nys right nought in no wise. & yf the sowle whiche that hath in hi•• self science of good werkes

vnbounden from the pryson of therthe / wendeth frely to the heuene dispiseth it not thenne all erthely ocupacion. and beyng in heuene reioyseth that it is exempt from alle erth∣ly thinges / As who saith thenne rekkith the soule neuer of no glorie of renōme of this worlde