Boecius de consolacione philosophie

Tum ego platonj in{quam} vehementer assencior. Nam me horum iam secundo commemoras primum quod memoriam corporea contagione. Dehinc cum mero∣ris mole {pro}rsus amisi. Tum illa. Si priora inquit cō∣fess•• respicias. ne illud quidem long••••s abierit etc

THen̄e sayd I thus. i. b / I accorde me gretly to Pla∣to. for thou recordest and remembres•• me these thyn∣g••s yet the seconde tyme / that is to seye firste whan I lefte m•• memorie by the contrario{us} coniunccion of the body with the sowle. And ••••tesones afterward whan I leste it con∣founded by the charge & by the burthen of my sorowe. P. & then̄e saide she thus / yf thou seke qd she firste the thingis that thou hast graūted it ne shal not ben right ferre then̄e that thou ne shalt remembren thilk thing that thou seydest that thou nyseest not. B / what thing qd I. P. by why∣che gouernement qd she that thi•• worlde is gouerned. B Me remembreth it wel qd I / And I confesse well that I ne wis•• it not. but al be it so that I see now from a fer what thou purposest / Algates I desire yet to herkne of the more plem••••ch P / thou ne w••ndest qd she a litel here bifor••̄

that men shulde doubte that this worlde is gouerned by god B. Certes quod I ne yet ne doubte I it not / ne I nyl ne∣uer wene that it were doubte. As who seith. But I wote well that god gouerneth this worlde / And I shal short∣ly answeren the by what resons. I am brought to this / this world quod I of so many dyuerce and contrarious par∣tyes ne might neuer han ben assembled in one forme but if there were one. that conioyned so many dyuerce thynges. And the same dyuersite of her natures that so discorden that one from that other. muste departen and vnioyne the thinges that ben conioyned and yboūde / ne the certayn or∣dre of nature ne sholde not bringe forth so ordeyne moeuyn∣ges / by places / by times. by doynges by spaces by qualitees If ther ne were one that were ay stedfaste dwellinge that ordeyned and disponed these dyuersitees of mo••uynges. And thilk thing what someuer it be / by whiche that alle thinges ben y maked and led I clepe him god that is a worde that is vsed to alle folke. P. Then̄e sayde she. syn thou felest thus these thinges qd she. I trowe that I haue litel more to doon / that thou mighty of welefulnes hook & sound ne see eftesones thy coūtre / But lete vs loken the thinges that wee haue pourposed here byforne / haue I not nombred & sayd qd she that suffisan̄ce is in blisfulness•• / And we haue accorded that god is thilke same bl••sful∣nes. b / yes forsothe qd I / p / & that to gouerne this world qd she ne shal he neuer haue nede of none helpe fro without For els if he had nede of ony helpe. he ne sholde not haue no f••l suffisan̄ce. B / yes thus it mote nedes be qd I / P. Then̄e ordeyned he by him self allone alle thinges qd she

B. That maye not be denyed qd I. P. And I haue shewd that god is the same good / B / It remembreth me well qd I / P / Th••nne orde••neth he all t••i••g••s by thilk good qd she / syn he whiche we han acorded to be good. go∣uerneth alle thinges by him selfe. And he is a keye and a steyre by whiche the edyfice of this worlde is kept stable and withoute c••r••umping. B / I accorde me gretely qd I. And I haue apperceyued a litil h••re biforn that thou wol••est saye thus / All were it so that it were by a thynne suspecion. P / I trowe well qd she / For as I trowe / thou ledeste nowe m••re enten••••sly thyne e••e to loken the vereye goodes. But na••h••les the thing that I shall telle th••. yet n•• sheweth not lasse to loke•• / B / What is that quod I P / So as men ••rowe qu••d she and that rightfully that god goue••neth alle thing••s by the ke••e of his goodnes. And all th••s•• same thinges that I haue t••••ghte the has∣ten hem b•• naturelle entencion to come to good / there maye noo man̄ doubten that they ne ben gouerned v••s••••nt••ryly / And that the•• n•• conu••r••en hem of her owen good wille to her ordeynour / As that they been according & enclinyng to h••r gouernour & to her king / B. It mote nedes be soo qd I. for the royame ne shuld not seme bl••sful if ther were a yok of misdrawingis in diuerce p••••es ne the sauyng of obedient thinges ne shold not be 〈…〉〈…〉 th••r nothing qd she that kepeth his nature that enforce••h him to goone a••••nst god / B. no qd I. P. & if that ony thing enforced him to withstande god. might it auailen at l••s•• ••y••n him t••at we haue graūted to be almighty by the right of blisful∣nes. B. c••rtes qd I al vtterly it ne might not auaile him

P. Then̄e is there nothing qd she that eyther may or wil withstonden to his souerain god / B / I trowe not qd I P. then̄e qd she is thilke the soueraine god that al thin••ges gouerneth strongly & ordeyne••h hem softly. B thenne sayd I thus I delite me qd I. not only in thendes or in the som̄e of the resons that thou hast concluded & {pro}ued / but thilke wordes that thou vsest deliten̄ me moche more. So that atte laste fooles that somtyme r••nden grete thinges oughten̄ be ashamed of hem self. that is to s••yne that wee fooles that reprehenden wickedly the thinges that touchen goddes gouernance / we oughten ben ashamed of our selfe As I that sayde that god refuseth only the werk••s of men̄ & ne entermeteth not of it. P / thou h••st wel herd qd she the fables of the poetes. how the Gean̄tes assaileden heuene with the god••es / but forsothe the debonair force of god dis∣posed hem as it was worthy / that is to seyn̄ destroyed the gean̄ts as it was worthy / But wilt thou that we reioy∣nen to geder thilk same resons / for perauēture of suche con∣iunccion maye sterten vp som̄e fayr sparke of sothe. B. do qd I as the liste. Phīa. wenestow qd she that god ne bee almighty. B. noman̄ is in doubte of it certes quod I. P No wight ne doubteth it. if he be in his mynde qd she. but he that is almighty ther nis nothing that he ne may. B That is soth qd I / P / may god do euil qd she. B / Nay forsoth qd I. P. Then̄e is euil nothing qd she / sith that he may done none euil that may done al thinges. b. scornest thou me qd I or els pleyestow or deceyuestow me that hast so won̄en me with thy resons. the ho{us} of dedal{us} so entrelaced that it is vnable to be vnlaced that thou otherwhile entrest

there thou yssuest / and other while issuest there thou entrest Ne foldest thou not to geder by replicacion of wordes a ma∣ner wonderfull cercle or enuiron̄yng of the simplicite diui∣ne / for certes a litil here biforn̄ whan thou began at blisful∣nes. thou seydest that it is souerayn good. & that God is the blisfulnes / for whiche thou yaf me as a couenable yeft that is to seyn̄ that no wight nys blisful but if he be good also therwith. & seydest eke that the forme of good is the substan̄ce of god & of blisfulnes. & saidest that thilk one Is thilk same go••d that is required & desired of all the kinde of thinges. & thou {pro}uedest in disputing that god go∣uerneth al the thinges of the worlde / by the gouernance of boūte. & se••dest that all thinges wolde obeyen to him / & s••y∣dest that the nature of euill is noo thing. •• th••se thinges shewdest thou not with no res••ns taken fro without but by proues in cercles and homelich knowen. The whiche {pro}ues drawen to hem selfe her feyth and h••r accorde eu••rich ••f hem of other / P / Thenne sayd she thus / I ne s••orne not. ne pley•• / ne deceyue the. But I haue shewd the t••ing that ys grettest ouer al thinges by the yefte of g••d that we why∣lome p••ayden. For this is the fourme of dyu••ne substan∣ce th••t is suche that hit ne slydeth not i••to vtter••st foreyn thinges. ne receyueth not no stran̄ge t••inges in him. But right as Permemdes seyde in greke of thilk dyuine sub∣stan̄ce •• He sayd thus•• that thilke dyuyne substan̄ce tour∣neth the worlde and the moeuable cercle of thinges / whyle thilke dyuyne substan̄ce kepeth hit selfe withouten moe∣uynges / that is to seyne that he moeueth neuer moo / & yet hit moeueth alle other thynges / But natheles yf I haue

styred resons that be not taken fro withoute the compas of the thing of the whiche we treten̄ / But reasons that been bistowed within compas there nys not why thou sh••ldest meruaillen̄ / sith thou hast lerned by the sentence of Plato That nedes the wordes mote been̄ cosins to the thynges of whiche they speken