Boecius de consolacione philosophie

Uellem autem tecum pauca fortune ipsius verbis agitare. In igitur an ius postulat ammaduerte. P. Quid tu homo ream me cotidianis agis querelis etc

Certes I wolde pleten with the a felle thinges vsing the wordes of fortune, take hed•• now thy self yf that she ayith right / O thou man wherfore makestow me gyl∣tyf by thyn euerydayes pleynynges. what wroong haue I done the / what goodes haue I ••rafte the that were thyne-Striue o•• plete with me byfore what Iuge that thou wilte of the possession. of richesses. or of dignitees. and if thou maist shewen̄ me / that euer ony mortall man̄ hath receyued ony of the thinges to bene his in propre. then̄e wil I gran̄∣te frely that thilke thinges were thyne / whiche that thou axest. Whan that nature broughte the forth oute of thy moder wombe / I receyued the naked and nedy of alle thinges And I nourisshed the with all my rychesses. & was redy and ••tentif thurgh my fauour to sustene the / And that maketh the now Inpacient ayenst me. And

I enuiron̄ed the with all habondan̄ce and shinyng of all goodes that ben in my right / Now it liketh me to with∣drawe myn hande. thou hast had grace as he that hath vsed foreyn̄ goodes. thou hast no right to pleyne the. as though thou haddest vtterly forlorne all thy thynges. Why pley∣nest thou then̄e. I haue done the no wroong. richesses / ho∣noures. and suche other thinges ben of my right. My seruaūtes knowen me for her lady / They come with me / & departen whan I wende. I dar well afferme hardely that if tho thinges of whiche thou pleynest that thou hast forlorn had ben thyne. thou ne haddest not lorne hem. Shal I then be defended only to vse my right / Certes it is leeffull to the heuen to make clere dayes / And after that to ouerco∣me tho same dayes with derke nightes / The yere hath eke leue to apparaille the visage of therthe. now with flowres and now with fruyte. & to confounde hem somtyme with reynes and with colde / The see hath eke his right to been somtyme calme and blaundisshing with smothe water / & somtime to be horrible with wawes and with tempestes But couetise of men that may not be staunched / shall it bynde me to be stedefast. sithen that stedfastnes is vncouthe to my maners. suche is my strengthe / And suche pleye I pleye comynly. I tourne the whirling whele with the turnyng cerkle. I am glad to chaungen the lowest to the heyghest / And the heyghest to the lowest / worth vp if thou wilt / If it so be by this lawe that thou ne holde not that I do the wrong. though thou descende a downe / whan the reson of my playe axeth it / wistow not how Cresus king of lydyens of kyng Cyrus was full sore agast a lytell

beforne that this cresus was caught of cyrus & lad to th•• fire to be brend / but that a rayne descended from heuen that rescowed him. And is it out of mynde how that paulus consul of rome / whan he had taken the king of Perciens weped pietously for the captiuyte of the self king. what other thinge bewayllen the cryengis of tragedies / but only the dedes of fortune / that with an awkeward stroke ouer torneth the royames of grete nobley. Glose / Tragedie ys to seyne a ditee of a prosperite for a tyme that endeth in wretchedness / lernedist not thou in grece whan thou were yong that in the ••ntre or in the seler of Iupiter there been couched two tonnes / that one is full of good. that other is ful of harme. what right hast thou to pleyne / if thou hast taken more plenteously of the good side / That is to seyne of richesse & prosperite. and what eke if I be not al de{per}ted fro the. what eke if my mutabilite y••ueth the rightful cau∣se of hope ••o haue yet better thinges. natheles dismaye the not in thy thought. And thou that art put in the comune royame / of al ne desire not to liuen by thyn own {pro}pre right