The works of our ancient, learned, & excellent English poet, Jeffrey Chaucer as they have lately been compar'd with the best manuscripts, and several things added, never before in print : to which is adjoyn'd The story of the siege of Thebes, by John Lidgate ... : together with The life of Chaucer, shewing his countrey, parentage, education, marriage, children, revenues, service, reward, friends, books, death : also a table, wherein the old and obscure words in Chaucer are explained, and such words ... that either are, by nature or derivation, Arabick, Greek, Latine, Italian, French, Dutch, or Saxon, mark'd with particular notes for the better understanding of their original.

Tum ego, Platoni (inquam) vehementer assen∣tior. Nam me horum jam secundo commemo∣ras. Primum quod memoriam corporea con∣tagione, &c.

THen said I thus: I accord me greatly to Plato, for thou recordest and remem∣brest me these thyngs yet the second time, that is to say, when first I left my memory by the contrarious conjunction of the body with the soule: and eftsoones afterward, when I lost it, confounded by thy charge, and by the burden of my sorrow: and then sayed she thus. If thou look (qd. she) first the thyngs that thou hast graunted, it ne shall not been right ferre, that thou ne shalt remembren the ilke thing that thou saidest that thou nistest not. Bo. What thing (qd. I.) Philos. By which y^e gouernment (qd. she) that this world is governed. Bo. I remember it well (qd. I) and I confesse well, that I ne wist it naught. But all be it so, that I see now from afarre what thou purposest, algates I desire yet to hearken it of thee more plainly. Phil. Thou ne wendest not (qd. she) a little here beforne y^e men should dout, that this world is governed by God. Bo. Certes (qd. I) ne yet, ne dout I it not, ne I nill neuer wene that it were to dout: as who saith but I wot well that God gouerneth this world. And I shall answeren thee by what reasons I am brought to this. This world, qd. I, of so many divers and con∣trarious parties, ne might never have ben as∣sembled in o forme, but if there were one, that conioyned so many divers things. And the same diversitie of her natures, that so discor∣den, that one fro that other must departen, and vnioynen the things y^• been conioyned, if there ne were one that contained that he hath conioyned & ybound. Ne the certaine order of nature ne should not bring forth so ordeyne mouings, by places, by times, by dooings, by spaces, by qualities, if there ne were one that were aye stedfast dwelling, that ordained & disposed these diversities of moouings. And thilke thing, whatsoeuer it be, by which that all things be ymaked and ladde, I clepe him God, that is a word that is used to all folks. Phil. Then said she: Sith thou felest thus these things, I trow that I have little more to doen, that thou, mighty of welefulnesse, hole and sound, ne see eftsoones thy country. But let us looken these things that we have purposed here beforne. Have I not numbred and said (qd. she) that suffisaunce is in blisful∣nesse. And we have accorded, that God is the ilke same blisfulnesse. Bo. Yes forsooth, (qd. I.) Philos. And that to gouern this world, qd. she, ne shall he neuer haue need of none help fro without. For els if he had need of any help, he ne should not have no full suf∣fisaunce. Boet. Yes thus it mote needs be (qd. I.) Philos. Then ordeyned he by him∣selfe alone all things (qd. she.) Boet. That may not be denied, qd. I. Philos. And I haue shewed that God is the same good. Bo. It remembreth me well, qd. I. Philosoph. Then ordeyneth he all things by thilke good, qd. she, sith he which we han accorded to be good, gouerneth all things by himselfe. And he is a key and a steire, by which the edi∣fice of this world is kept stable, and without corrumping. Bo. I accord me greatly, qd. I. And I haue apperceived a little here be∣forne, that thou wouldest say thus: all were it so that it were by a thinne suspection. Phi. I trow well, qd. she. For as I trow thou leadest now more ententifely thine eye to looken the very goods. But natheles, the thing that I shall tell thee, yet ne sheweth not lasse to token. Bo. What is that, qd. I. Phil. So as men trow, qd. she, and that rightfully, that God gouerneth all things by the key of his goodnesse. And all these same things that I haue taught thee, hasten hem by natural contencion to come to good, there may no man doubten, that they ne be gouer∣ned voluntarily. And that they ne conuerten hem of her own good will to her ordeynour. As that they ben according, and enclining to her gouernour and to her king. Bo. It mote needs be so, qd. I, for the realme ne should not seme blisful, if there were a yoke of mis∣drawings in divers parties, ne the sauing of obedient things ne should not be then. Phi. Is there nothing, qd. she, that keepeth his nature, that enforceth him to gone ayenst God? Boet. No, qd. I. Philos. And if that any thing enforced him to withstande God, might it avaylen at last ayen him, that we haue graunted to be Almighty by the right of blisfulnesse? Certes, qd. I, all utterly it ne might not auayle him. Philos. Then is there nothing, qd. she, that either may or will withstand to his Soveraigne God. Bo. I trow not, qd. I. Philos. Then, qd. she, is thilke the Soueraigne GOD, that all things gouerneth strongly, and ordayneth hem softely. Boetius. Then said I thus, I delite me, qd. I, not onely in the ends, or in the summe of the reasons, that thou hast concluded and proued, but thilke words that thou usest deliten me much more, so that at last, fooles, that sometime renden great thyngs, oughten been ashamed of hemselfe, that is to sain, that we fooles that reprehen∣den wickedly the thinges that touchen Gods gouernaunce, we oughten been ashamed of our selfe. As I, that sayed, that God refu∣seth onely the werkes of men, and ne enter∣meteth not of it. Phi. Thou hast well heard, qd. she, the fables of the Poets, how the Gy∣aunts

assaileden heauen with the gods: but forsooth the debonaire force of God disposed hem as it was worthy, that is to sain, destroy∣ed the Gyaunts as it was worthy. But wilt thou that we rejoynen together thilk same reasons? For perauenture of such conjuncti∣ons may sterten vp some fair spark of sooth. Boecius. Do (qd. I) as thee list. Philosophy. Wenest thou (qd. she) that God ne be almigh∣ty? Boecius. No man is in doubt of it certes (qd. I.) Philosophy. No wight ne doubteth it, if he be in his mind (qd. she.) But he that is almighty, there nis nothing that he ne may. Boecius. That is sooth (qd. I.) Philosophy. May God do euil (qd. she?) Boe. Nay forsoth (qd. I.) Phi. Then is euil nothing (qd. she) sith that he may doen none euil, that may doen all things. Boecius. Scornest thou me (qd. I) or els playest thou, or deceiuest thou me, that hast so wonnen with thy rea∣sons, the house of Dedalus so enterlacing, that it is vnable to be vnlaced, that thou otherwhile enterest there thou issuest, and otherwhile issuest there thou enterest. Ne foldest thou not togither, by replicacion of words, a manner wonderful circle, or enui∣ronning of the simplicity diuine. For certes, a little here beforne, when thou began at blisfulnesse, thou saidest that it is a souerain good, and y^• God is the blisfulnesse, for which thou yaue me as a couenable yeft, that is to sain, that no wight nis blisful, but if he be God also therewith. And saidest eke, that the form of good is the substance of God and of blisfulnesse. And saidest, y^• thilke one is thilk same good, that is required and desired of all the kind of things. And thou prouedst in dis∣puting, that God gouerneth all the things of the world by the gouernance of bounty, and saidest that all things would obeyen to him, and saidest that y^• nature of euil is nothing. And these things shewedst thou not with no reasons taken fro without, but by prooues in cercles and homeliche knowing. The which prooues drawen to hemself her faith and her accord, eueriche of hem of other. Philosophy. Then said she thus: I ne scorn not, ne play, ne deceiue thee, but I haue shewed the thing that is greatest ouer all things, by y^• yeft of God, that we whylom praiden. For this is the form of diuine substaunce, that is such, that it ne slideth not into vtterest forrain things, ne receyueth not no straunge things in him. But right as Permenides said in Greek of thilk diuine substaunce: He said thus, * That thilk diuine substaunce tourneth the world, and the moouable cercle of things, while the ilke diuine substaunce kepeth it self without moouings, that is to saine, that he mooueth neuer mo, and yet it moueth all other things. But nathelesse, if I haue styred reasons, that be not taken fro without the compasse of the thing of the which we treaten, but reasons that ben bestowed within compasse: there nis not why thou shouldest meruaylen, sith thou hast learned by the sentence of Plato, * That needes the wordes mote been cosins to the things of which they speaken.