Geoffrey Chaucer

“ Boethius is puzzled by the consideration of God's Predestination and man's Free-will (pr. 3) . Men are too eager to inquire into the unknown (met. 3) . Philosophy replies to Boethius on the subjects of Predestination, Necessity, and the nature of true Knowledge (pr. 4) ; on the impressions received by the mind (met. 4) ; and on the powers of Sense and Imagination (pr. 5) . Beasts look downward to the earth, but man is upright, and looks up to heaven (met. 5) . This world is not eternal, but only God is such; whose prescience is not subject to necessity, nor altered by human intentions. ”

“ Virtue is its own reward; so that the wicked should excite our pity (pr. 4) . Here follows {xiv}a poem on the folly of war (met. 4) . Boethius inquires why the good suffer (pr. 5) . Philosophy reminds him that the motions of the stars are inexplicable to one who does not understand astronomy (met. 5) . She explains the difference between Providence and Destiny (pr. 6) . In all nature we see concord, due to controlling Love (met. 6) . All fortune is good; for punishment is beneficial (pr. 7) . The labours of Hercules afford us an example of endurance (met. 7) . ”

“ Stewart's Essay so well expresses the state of the case, that I do not hesitate to quote it at length. 'Given (he says) a man who is sufficiently conversant with a language to read it fluently without paying too much heed to the precise value of participle and preposition, who has the wit and the sagacity to grasp the meaning of his author, but not the intimate knowledge of his style and manner necessary to a right appreciation of either, and—especially if he set himself to write in an uncongenial and unfamiliar form—he will assuredly produce just such a result as Chaucer has done. ”

“ Book II. Philosophy enlarges on the wiles of Fortune (pr. 1) , and addresses him in Fortune's name, asserting that her mutability is natural and to be expected (pr. 2) . Adversity is transient (pr. 3) , and Boethius has still much to be thankful for (pr. 4) . Riches only bring anxieties, and cannot confer happiness (pr. 5) ; they were unknown in the Golden Age (met. 5) . Neither does happiness consist in honours and power (pr. 6) . The power of Nero only taught him cruelty (met. 6) . Fame is but vanity (pr. 7) , and is ended by death (met. 7) . Adversity is beneficial (pr. 8) . ”

“ Two pages have been reproduced by the autotype process for the Chaucer Society; viz. leaf 1, recto, containing stanzas 1-5, and leaf 42, verso, containing stanzas 249-251 of Book II, and stanza 1 of Book III. This is a beautifully written MS., and one of the best; but it is disappointing to find that it might easily have been much better. The scribe had a still better copy before him, which he has frequently treated with supreme carelessness; but it is some consolation to find that his mistakes are so obvious that they can easily be corrected. ”

“ The unity of soul and body is necessary to existence, and the love of life is instinctive (pr. 11) . Error is dispersed by the light of Truth (met. 11) . God governs the world, and is all-sufficient, whilst evil has no true existence (pr. 12) . The book ends with the story of Orpheus (met. 12) .
Book IV. This book opens with a discussion of the existence of evil, and the system of rewards and punishments (pr. 1) . Boethius describes the flight of Imagination through the planetary spheres till it reaches heaven itself (met. 1) . ”

“ It is to be regretted that Chaucer did not do for all the Metra of the "Consolation" what he did for the fifth of the second book. A solitary gem like "The Former Age" makes us long for a whole set [32] . Sometimes, whether unconsciously or of set purpose, it is difficult to decide, his prose slips into verse:—
It lyketh me to shewe, by subtil song,
With slakke and délitáble soun of strenges (Bk. iii. met. 2. 1) .
Whan Fortune, with a proud right hand (Bk. ii. met. 1. 1) [33] .'
The reader should also consult Ten Brink's History of English Literature, Book iv. ”

“ Thanne, yif it so be that thou art mighty
over thy-self, that is to seyn, by tranquillitee of thy sowle, than hast
100 thou thing in thy power that thou noldest never lesen, ne Fortune
ne may nat beneme it thee. And that thou mayst knowe that
blisfulnesse ne may nat standen in thinges that ben fortunous
and temporel, now understonde and gader it to-gidere thus:
Yif blisfulnesse be the sovereyn good of nature that liveth by
105 resoun, ne thilke thing nis nat sovereyn good that may be taken
awey in any wyse, (for more worthy thing and more digne is
thilke thing that may nat ben taken awey) ”

“ But
certes, to the harmes that I have, ther bitydeth yit this
encrees of harm, that the gessinge and the Iugement of moche
folk ne looken no-thing to the desertes of thinges, but only
to the aventure of fortune; and iugen that only swiche thinges
205 ben purveyed of god, whiche that temporel welefulnesse commendeth.
Glose. As thus: that, yif a wight have prosperitee, he is a
good man and worthy to han that prosperitee; and who-so hath
adversitee, he is a wikked man, and god hath forsake him, and
210 he is worthy to han that adversitee. ”

“ For right as science ne may nat ben medled
with falsnesse (as who seyth, that yif I wot a thing, it ne may nat
be false that I ne wot it) , right so thilke thing that is conceived by
science ne may nat ben non other weys than as it is conceived.
80 For that is the cause why that science wanteth lesing (as who
seyth, why that witinge ne receiveth nat lesinge of that it wot) ; for
it bihoveth, by necessitee, that every thing be right as science
comprehendeth it to be. What shal I thanne seyn? In whiche
manere knoweth god biforn the thinges to comen, yif they ne be
85 nat certein? ”

“ For yif thou wene that god have received thilke
good out of him-self, thou mayst wene that he that yaf thilke
good to god be more worthy than is god. But I am bi-knowen
and confesse, and that right dignely, that god is right worthy
60 aboven alle thinges; and, yif so be that this good be in him
by nature, but that it is dyvers fro him by weninge resoun,
sin we speke of god prince of alle thinges: feigne who-so
feigne may, who was he that hath conioigned thise dyverse
thinges to-gider? And eek, at the laste, see wel that a thing ”

“ Nature refuseth that contrarious thinges
ben y-ioigned. And so, as I am in certein that right wikked folk
60 han dignitees ofte tyme, than sheweth it wel that dignitees and
powers ne ben nat goode of hir owne kinde; sin that they suffren
hem-self to cleven or ioinen hem to shrewes. And certes, the
same thing may I most digneliche iugen and seyn of alle the
yiftes of fortune that most plentevously comen to shrewes; of
65 the whiche yiftes, I trowe that it oughte ben considered, that no
man douteth that he nis strong in whom he seeth strengthe ”

“ O verray cause of hele and of gladnesse,
Y-heried be thy might and thy goodnesse!
2. In hevene and helle, in erthe and salte see
Is felt thy might, if that I wel descerne;
10 As man, brid, best, fish, herbe and grene tree
Thee fele in tymes with vapour eterne.
God loveth, and to love wol nought werne;
And in this world no lyves creature,
With-outen love, is worth, or may endure.
15 3. Ye Ioves first to thilke effectes glade,
Thorugh which that thinges liven alle and be,
Comeveden, and amorous him made
On mortal thing, and as yow list, ay ye
Yeve him in love ese or adversitee ”

“ For of Fortunes sharp adversitee, &c.—B. ii. ”

“ For certes, it nedeth nat
to seye, that blisfulnesse be [nat] anguissous ne drery, ne subgit to
grevaunces ne to sorwes, sin that in right litel thinges folk seken
to have and to usen that may delyten hem. Certes, thise ben
80 the thinges that men wolen and desiren to geten. And for this
cause desiren they richesses, dignitees, regnes, glorie, and delices.
For therby wenen they to han suffisaunce, honour, power, renoun,
and gladnesse. Than is it good, that men seken thus by so many
diverse studies. In whiche desyr it may lightly ben shewed how
85 gret is the strengthe of nature ”

“ The whole question of the various early romances that relate to Troy is well considered in a work entitled 'Testi Inediti di Storia Trojana, preceduti da uno studio sulla Leggenda Trojana in Italia, per Egidio Gorra; Torino, 1887'; where various authorities are cited, and specimens of several texts are given. At p. 136 are given the very lines of Benoît's Roman (ll. 795-6) where Guido found a reference to the columns of Hercules:—
'Et les bonnes ilec ficha
Ou Alixandre les trova.' ”

“ And
15 therfor, yif that thilke thing that thou haddest for most precious
in al thy richesse of fortune be kept to thee yit, by the grace of
god, unwemmed and undefouled, mayst thou thanne pleyne
rightfully upon the meschef of Fortune, sin thou hast yit thy
beste thinges? Certes, yit liveth in good point thilke precious
20 honour of mankinde, Symacus, thy wyves fader, which that is
a man maked alle of sapience and of vertu; the whiche man
thou woldest byen redely with the prys of thyn owne lyf. He
biwayleth the wronges that men don to thee, and nat for him-self ”

“ The result is that, in all difficulties, the first authority to be consulted is the Latin text in this particular MS.; for we are easily led to conclude that it was intentionally designed to preserve both Chaucer's translation and the original text. It does not follow that it is always perfect; for it can only be a copy of the Latin, and the scribe may err. In writing recte for recta (see note on p. xxxviii) , he has certainly committed an error by a slip of the pen. ”

“ Now is it cleer and certein thanne, that
blisfulnesse is a parfit estat by the congregacioun of alle goodes;
the whiche blisfulnesse, as I have seyd, alle mortal folk enforcen
15 hem to geten by diverse weyes. For-why the coveitise of verray
good is naturelly y-plaunted in the hertes of men; but the miswandringe
errour mis-ledeth hem in-to false goodes. Of the
whiche men, som of hem wenen that sovereyn good be to liven
with-oute nede of any thing, and travaylen hem to be haboundaunt
20 of richesses. ”

“ Eek wostow how it fareth of som servyse?
As plaunte a tre or herbe, in sondry wyse,
965 And on the morwe pulle it up as blyve,
No wonder is, though it may never thryve.
139. And sith that god of love hath thee bistowed
In place digne un-to thy worthinesse,
Stond faste, for to good port hastow rowed;
970 And of thy-self, for any hevinesse,
Hope alwey wel; for, but-if drerinesse
Or over-haste our bothe labour shende,
I hope of this to maken a good ende.
140. And wostow why I am the lasse a-fered
975 Of this matere with my nece trete? ”

“ Quod Troilus, 'for al that ever ye conne,
She nil to noon swich wrecche as I be wonne.'
{178}112. Quod Pandarus, 'allas! what may this be,
That thou despeyred art thus causelees?
780 What? liveth not thy lady? benedicite!
How wostow so that thou art gracelees?
Swich yvel is not alwey botelees.
Why, put not impossible thus thy cure,
Sin thing to come is ofte in aventure. ”

“ For som of hem waxen in feeldes, and som
in mountaignes, and othre waxen in mareys, and othre cleven
on roches, and somme waxen plentivous in sondes; and yif
that any wight enforce him to beren hem in-to othre places,
they wexen drye. For nature yeveth to every thing that that
80 is convenient to him, and travaileth that they ne dye nat, as
longe as they han power to dwellen and to liven. What woltow
seyn of this, that they drawen alle hir norisshinges by hir rotes,
right as they hadden hir mouthes y-plounged with-in the erthes,
and sheden by hir maryes hir wode and hir bark? ”

“ It is nought good a sleping hound to wake,
765 Ne yeve a wight a cause to devyne; ”