libro di

Boezio, nel quale captivo e discacciato consolato s’avea.”]

[Footnote I-3: Printed at Ghent, 1485.]

[Footnote I-4: By Reynier de Seinct Trudon, printed at Bruges, 1477.]

[Footnote I-5: An old version of the 11th cent., printed by Graff, and a modern one printed at Nuremberg, 1473.]

[Footnote I-6: By Jean de Méung, printed at Paris, 1494.]

[Footnote I-7: By Varchi, printed at Florence, 1551; Parma, 1798.]

I. LOVE.

Wost thou nat wel the olde clerkes sawe, That who schal yeve a lover eny lawe, Love is a grettere lawe, by my pan, Then may be yeve to (of) eny erthly man?

(_Knightes Tale, Aldine Series_, vol. ii. p. 36, 37.)

But what is he þat may ȝeue a lawe to loueres. loue is a gretter lawe and a strengere to hym self þan any lawe þat men may ȝeuen.

(_Chaucer’s Prose Translation_, p. 108.)

_Quis legem det amantibus? Major lex amor est sibi._

(Boeth., lib. iii. met. 12.)

II. A DRUNKEN MAN.

A dronke man wot wel he hath an hous, But he not[I-8] which the righte wey is thider.

(_Knightes Tale_, vol. ii. p. 39.)

_Ryȝt as a dronke man not nat[I-9] by whiche paþe he may retourne home to hys house._

(Chaucer’s Trans., p. 67.)

_Sed velut ebrius, domum quo tramite revertatur, ignorat._

(Boeth., lib. iii. pr. 2.)

[Footnote I-8: The Harl. MS. reads _not nat_, to the confusion of the metre.]

[Footnote I-9: = ne wot nat = knows not.]

III. THE CHAIN OF LOVE.

The firste moevere of the cause above, Whan he first made the fayre cheyne of love, Gret was theffect, and heigh was his entente; Wel wist he why, and what therof he mente; _For with that faire cheyne of love he bond The fyr, the watir, the eyr, and eek the lond In certeyn boundes, that they may not flee._

(_Knightes Tale_, p. 92.)

That þe world with stable feith / varieth acordable chaungynges // þat the contraryos qualite of elementȝ holden amonge hem self aliaunce perdurable / þat phebus the sonne with his goldene chariet / bryngeth forth the rosene day / þat the mone hath commaundement ouer the nyhtes // whiche nyhtes hesperus the eue sterre hat[h] browt // þat þe se gredy to flowen constreyneth with a certeyn ende hise floodes / so þat it is nat l[e]ueful to strechche hise brode termes or bowndes vp-on the erthes // þat is to seyn to couere alle the erthe // Al this a-cordaunce of thinges is bownden with looue / þat gouerneth erthe and see / and [he] hath also commaundementȝ to the heuenes / and yif this looue slakede the brydelis / alle thinges þat now louen hem to-gederes / wolden maken a batayle contynuely and stryuen to fordoon the fasoun of this worlde / the which they now leden in acordable feith by fayre moeuynges // this looue halt to-gideres poeples / ioygned with an hooly bond / and knytteth sacrement of maryages of chaste looues // And loue enditeth lawes to trewe felawes // O weleful weere mankynde / yif thilke loue þat gouerneth heuene gouerned yowre corages /.

(_Chaucer’s Boethius_, bk. ii. met. 8.)

Quod mundus stabili fide Concordes variat vices, Quod pugnantia semina Fœdus perpetuum tenent, Quod Phœbus roseum diem Curru provehit aureo, Ut quas duxerit Hesperus Phœbe noctibus imperet, Ut fluctus avidum mare Certo fine coerceat, Ne terris liceat vagis Latos tundere terminos; _Hanc rerum seriem ligat, Terras ac pelagus regens, Et cœlo imperitans amor._ Hic si fræna remiserit, Quicquid nunc amat invicem, Bellum continuo geret: Et quam nunc socia fide Pulcris motibus incitant, Certent solvere machinam. Hic sancto populos quoque Junctos fœdere continet, Hic et conjugii sacrum Castis nectit amoribus, Hic fidis etiam sua Dictat jura sodalibus. O felix hominum genus, Si vestros animos amor, Quo cælum regitur, regat.

(_Boeth._, lib. ii. met. 8.)

Love, that of erth and se hath governaunce! Love, that his hestes hath in hevene hye! Love, that with an holsom alliaunce Halt peples joyned, as hym liste hem gye! Love, that knetteth law and compaignye, And couples doth in vertu for to dwelle!

(_Troylus & Cryseyde_, st. 243, vol. iv. p. 296.)

That, that the world with faith, which that is stable Dyverseth so, his stoundes concordynge;-- That elementz, that ben so discordable, Holden a bond, perpetualy durynge;-- That Phebus mot his rosy carte forth brynge, And that the mone hath lordschip overe the nyghte;-- Al this doth Love, ay heryed be his myght!

That, that the se, that gredy is to flowen, Constreyneth to a certeyn ende so Hise flodes, that so fiersly they ne growen To drenchen erth and alle for everemo; And if that Love aught lete his brydel go, Al that now loveth asonder sholde lepe, And lost were al that Love halt now to kepe.

(_Ibid._ st. 244, 245.)

IV. MUTABILITY DIRECTED AND LIMITED BY AN IMMUTABLE AND DIVINE INTELLIGENCE.

That same prynce and moevere eek, quod he, Hath stabled, in this wrecched world adoun, Certeyn dayes and duracioun To alle that er engendrid in this place, Over the whiche day they may nat pace, Al mowe they yit wel here dayes abregge; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Than may men wel by this ordre discerne That thilke moevere stabul is and eterne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And therfore of his wyse purveaunce He hath so wel biset his ordenaunce, That spices of thinges and progressiouns Schullen endure by successiouns And nat eterne be, withoute any lye.

(_Knightes Tale_, vol. ii. p. 92, 93.)

Þe engendrynge of alle þinges quod she and alle þe progressiouns of muuable nature. and alle þat moeueþ in any manere takiþ hys causes. hys ordre. and hys formes. of þe stablenesse of þe deuyne þouȝt [and thilke deuyne thowht] þat is yset and put in þe toure. þat is to seyne in þe heyȝt of þe simplicite of god. stablisiþ many manere gyses to þinges þat ben to don.

(_Chaucer’s Boethius_, bk. iv. pr. 6, p. 134.)

V. THE PART IS DERIVED FROM THE WHOLE, THE IMPERFECT FROM THE PERFECT.

Wel may men knowe, but it be a fool, That every partye dyryveth from his hool. For nature hath nat take his bygynnyng Of no partye ne cantel of a thing, But of a thing that parfyt is and stable, Descendyng so, til it be corumpable.

(_Knightes Tale_, vol. ii. p. 92.)

For al þing þat is cleped inperfit . is proued inperfit by þe amenusynge of perfeccioun . or of þing þat is perfit . and her-of comeþ it . þat in euery þing general . yif þat . þat men seen any þing þat is inperfit . certys in þilke general þer mot ben somme þing þat is perfit. For yif so be þat perfeccioun is don awey . men may nat þinke nor seye fro whennes þilke þing is þat is cleped inperfit . For þe nature of þinges ne token nat her bygynnyng of þinges amenused and inperfit . but it procediþ of þingus þat ben al hool . and absolut . and descendeþ so doune in-to outerest þinges and in-to þingus empty and wiþ-oute fruyt . but as I haue shewed a litel her byforne . þat yif þer be a blisfulnesse þat be frele and vein and inperfit . þer may no man doute . þat þer nys som blisfulnesse þat is sad stedfast and perfit.’

(bk. iii. pr. 10, p. 89.)

Omne enim quod imperfectum esse dicitur, id deminutione perfecti imperfectum esse perhibetur. Quo fit ut si in quolibet genere imperfectum quid esse videatur, in eo perfectum quoque aliquod esse necesse sit. Etenim perfectione sublata, unde illud, quod imperfectum perhibetur, extiterit, ne fingi quidem potest. _Neque enim ab diminutis inconsummatisque natura rerum cepit exordium, sed ab integris absolutisque procedens in hæc extrema atque effœta dilabitur._ Quod si, uti paulo ante monstravimus, est quædam boni fragilis imperfecta felicitas, esse aliquam solidam perfectamque non potest dubitari.

(_Boeth._, lib. iii. pr. 10.)

VI. GENTILITY.

For gentilnesse nys but renomé Of thin auncestres, for her heigh bounté Which is a straunge thing to thy persone.

(_The Wyf of Bathes Tale_, vol. ii. p. 241.)

For if þe name of gentilesse be referred to renoun and clernesse of linage. þan is gentil name but a foreine þing.

(_Chaucer’s Boethius_, p. 78.)

_Quæ_ [nobilitas], _si ad claritudinem refertur, aliena est._

(_Boethius_, lib. iii. pr. 6.)

VII. NERO’S CRUELTY.

No teer out of his eyen for that sighte Ne cam; but sayde, a fair womman was sche. Gret wonder is how that he couthe or mighte Be domesman on hir dede beauté.

(_The Monkes Tale_, vol. iii. p. 217.)

Ne no tere ne wette his face, but he was so hard-herted þat he myȝte ben domesman or iuge of hire dede beauté.

(_Chaucer’s Boethius_, p. 55.)

Ora non tinxit lacrymis, sed esse Censor extincti potuit decoris.

(_Boethius_, lib. ii. met. 6.)

VIII. PREDESTINATION AND FREE-WILL.

In ‘Troylus and Cryseyde’ we find the following long passage taken from Boethius, book v . prose 2, 3.