Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Boethius and Troilus

Who-so it be that is cleer of vertu, sad, and wel ordinat of

livinge, that hath put under foot the proude werdes and looketh

upright up-on either fortune, he may holde his chere undiscomfited.

The rage ne the manaces of the see, commoevinge or

chasinge upward hete fro the botme, ne shal not moeve that

man; ne the unstable mountaigne that highte Vesevus, that

wrytheth out through his brokene chiminees smokinge fyres. Ne

the wey of thonder-light, that is wont to smyten heye toures, ne

shal nat moeve that man. Wher-to thanne, o wrecches, drede ye

tirauntes that ben wode and felonous with-oute any strengthe?

Hope after no-thing, ne drede nat; and so shaltow desarmen

the ire of thilke unmighty tiraunt. But who-so that, quakinge,

dredeth or desireth thing that nis nat stable of his right, that

man that so doth hath cast awey his sheld and is remoeved fro

his place, and enlaceth him in the cheyne with the which he may

ben drawen.

'Felestow,' quod she, 'thise thinges, and entren they aught in

thy corage? Artow lyke an asse to the harpe? Why wepestow,

why spillestow teres? Yif thou abydest after help of thy leche,

thee bihoveth discovere thy wounde.'

Tho I, that hadde gadered strengthe in my corage, answerede

and seide: 'And nedeth it yit,' quod I, 'of rehersinge or of

amonicioun; and sheweth it nat y-nough by him-self the sharpnesse

of Fortune, that wexeth wood ayeins me? Ne moeveth it

nat thee to seen the face or the manere of this place (i. prisoun)?

Is this the librarie whiche that thou haddest chosen for a right

certein sete to thee in myn hous, ther-as thou desputedest ofte

with me of the sciences of thinges touchinge divinitee and touchinge

mankinde? Was thanne myn habite swich as it is now?

Was than my face or my chere swiche as now (quasi diceret, non),

whan I soughte with thee secrets of nature, whan thou enformedest

my maneres and the resoun of alle my lyf to the ensaumple of

the ordre of hevene? Is nat this the guerdoun that I referre to

thee, to whom I have be obeisaunt? Certes, thou confermedest,

by the mouth of Plato, this sentence, that is to seyn, that comune

thinges or comunalitees weren blisful, yif they that hadden studied

al fully to wisdom governeden thilke thinges, or elles yif it so

bifille that the governoures of comunalitees studieden to geten

wisdom.

Thou seidest eek, by the mouth of the same Plato, that it was

a necessarie cause, wyse men to taken and desire the governaunce

of comune thinges, for that the governements of citees, y-left

in the handes of felonous tormentours citizenes, ne sholde nat

bringe in pestilence and destruccioun to gode folk. And therfor

I, folwinge thilke auctoritee (sc. Platonis), desired to putten forth

in execucioun and in acte of comune administracioun thilke

thinges that I hadde lerned of thee among my secree resting-whyles.

Thou, and god that putte thee in the thoughtes of wyse

folk, ben knowinge with me, that no-thing ne broughte me to

maistrie or dignitee, but the comune studie of alle goodnesse.

And ther-of comth it that bi-twixen wikked folk and me han ben

grevous discordes, that ne mighten ben relesed by preyeres; for

this libertee hath the freedom of conscience, that the wratthe of

more mighty folk hath alwey ben despysed of me for savacioun of

right.

How ofte have I resisted and withstonde thilke man that highte

Conigaste, that made alwey assautes ayeins the prospre fortunes of

pore feble folk? How ofte eek have I put of or cast out him,

Trigwille, provost of the kinges hous, bothe of the wronges that he

hadde bigunne to don, and eek fully performed? How ofte have

I covered and defended by the auctoritee of me, put ayeins perils—

that is to seyn, put myn auctoritee in peril for—the wrecched

pore folk, that the covetyse of straungeres unpunished tourmenteden

alwey with miseyses and grevaunces out of noumbre? Never man

ne drow me yit fro right to wronge. Whan I say the fortunes and

the richesses of the poeple of the provinces ben harmed or

amenused, outher by privee ravynes or by comune tributes or

cariages, as sory was I as they that suffreden the harm.

Glossa. Whan that Theodoric, the king of Gothes, in a dere

yere, hadde hise gerneres ful of corn, and comaundede that no man

ne sholde byen no corn til his corn were sold, and that at a grevous

dere prys, Boece withstood that ordinaunce, and over-com it, knowinge

al this the king him-self.

Textus. Whan it was in the soure hungry tyme, ther was

establisshed or cryed grevous and inplitable coempcioun, that men

sayen wel it sholde greetly turmenten and endamagen al the

province of Campaigne, I took stryf ayeins the provost of the pretorie

for comune profit. And, the king knowinge of it, I overcom

it, so that the coempcioun ne was not axed ne took effect.

[Glossa.] Coempcioun, that is to seyn, comune achat or bying

to-gidere, that were establisshed up-on the poeple by swiche a manere

imposicioun, as who-so boughte a busshel corn, he moste yeve the king

the fifte part.

[Textus.] Paulin, a counseiller of Rome, the richesses of the

whiche Paulin the houndes of the palays, that is to seyn, the officeres,

wolden han devoured by hope and covetise, yit drow I him out of

the Iowes (sc. faucibus) of hem that gapeden. And for as moche

as the peyne of the accusacioun aiuged biforn ne sholde nat

sodeinly henten ne punisshen wrongfully Albin, a counseiller of

Rome, I putte me ayeins the hates and indignaciouns of the

accusor Ciprian. Is it nat thanne y-nough y-seyn, that I have

purchased grete discordes ayeins my-self? But I oughte be the

more assured ayeins alle othre folk (s. Romayns), that for the love

of rightwisnesse I ne reserved never no-thing to my-self to hem-ward

of the kinges halle, sc. officers, by the whiche I were the more

siker. But thorugh tho same accusers accusinge, I am condempned.

Of the noumbir of the whiche accusers oon Basilius,

that whylom was chased out of the kinges service, is now compelled

in accusinge of my name, for nede of foreine moneye.

Also Opilion and Gaudencius han accused me, al be it so that the

Iustice regal hadde whylom demed hem bothe to go in-to exil for

hir trecheryes and fraudes withoute noumbir. To whiche Iugement

they nolden nat obeye, but defendeden hem by the sikernesse

of holy houses, that is to seyn, fledden into seintuaries; and

whan this was aperceived to the king, he comaundede, that but

they voidede the citee of Ravenne by certein day assigned, that

men sholde merken hem on the forheved with an hoot yren and

chasen hem out of the toune. Now what thing, semeth thee,

mighte ben lykned to this crueltee? For certes, thilke same day

was received the accusinge of my name by thilke same accusers.

What may ben seid her-to? (quasi diceret, nichil). Hath my

studie and my cunninge deserved thus; or elles the forseide dampnacioun

of me, made that hem rightful accusers or no? (quasi

diceret, non). Was not Fortune ashamed of this? Certes, al

hadde nat Fortune ben ashamed that innocence was accused, yit

oughte she han had shame of the filthe of myne accusours.

But, axestow in somme, of what gilt I am accused, men seyn

that I wolde save the companye of the senatours. And desirest

thou to heren in what manere? I am accused that I sholde han

destourbed the accuser to beren lettres, by whiche he sholde han

maked the senatoures gilty ayeins the kinges real maiestee. O

maistresse, what demestow of this? Shal I forsake this blame,

that I ne be no shame to thee? (quasi diceret, non). Certes, I have

wold it, that is to seyn, the savacioun of the senat, ne I shal never

leten to wilne it, and that I confesse and am aknowe; but the

entente of the accuser to be destourbed shal cese. For shal I

clepe it thanne a felonie or a sinne that I have desired the

savacioun of the ordre of the senat? (quasi diceret, dubito quid).

And certes yit hadde thilke same senat don by me, thorugh hir

decrets and hir Iugements, as though it were a sinne or a felonie;

that is to seyn, to wilne the savacioun of hem (sc. senatus). But

folye, that lyeth alwey to him-self, may not chaunge the merite

of thinges. Ne I trowe nat, by the Iugement of Socrates, that

it were leveful to me to hyde the sothe, ne assente to lesinges.

But certes, how so ever it be of this, I putte it to gessen or

preisen to the Iugement of thee and of wyse folk. Of whiche

thing al the ordinaunce and the sothe, for as moche as folk that

ben to comen after our dayes shullen knowen it, I have put it

in scripture and in remembraunce. For touching the lettres falsly

maked, by whiche lettres I am accused to han hoped the fredom

of Rome, what aperteneth me to speke ther-of? Of whiche

lettres the fraude hadde ben shewed apertly, yif I hadde had

libertee for to han used and ben at the confessioun of myne

accusours, the whiche thing in alle nedes hath greet strengthe.

For what other fredom may men hopen? Certes, I wolde that

som other fredom mighte ben hoped. I wolde thanne han

answered by the wordes of a man that highte Canius; for whan

he was accused by Gaius Cesar, Germeynes sone, that he

(Canius) was knowinge and consentinge of a coniuracioun

y-maked ayeins him (sc. Gaius), this Canius answerede thus:

"Yif I hadde wist it, thou haddest nat wist it." In which thing

sorwe hath nat so dulled my wit, that I pleyne only that shrewede

folk aparailen felonies ayeins vertu; but I wondre greetly how

that they may performe thinges that they hadde hoped for to

don. For-why, to wilne shrewednesse, that comth peraventure

of oure defaute; but it is lyk a monstre and a mervaille, how

that, in the present sighte of god, may ben acheved and performed

swiche thinges as every felonous man hath conceived in his

thought ayeins innocents. For which thing oon of thy famileres

nat unskilfully axed thus: "Yif god is, whennes comen wikkede

thinges? And yif god ne is, whennes comen gode thinges?"

But al hadde it ben leveful that felonous folk, that now desiren

the blood and the deeth of alle gode men and eek of alle the

senat, han wilned to gon destroyen me, whom they han seyen

alwey batailen and defenden gode men and eek al the senat,

yit had I nat desserved of the faderes, that is to seyn, of the

senatoures, that they sholden wilne my destruccioun.

Thou remembrest wel, as I gesse, that whan I wolde doon or

seyen any thing, thou thyself, alwey present, rewledest me. At

the city of Verone, whan that the king, gredy of comune slaughter,

caste him to transporten up al the ordre of the senat the gilt of

his real maiestee, of the whiche gilt that Albin was accused, with

how gret sikernesse of peril to me defendede I al the senat!

Thou wost wel that I seye sooth, ne I ne avauntede me never

in preysinge of my-self. For alwey, whan any wight receiveth

precious renoun in avauntinge him-self of his werkes, he amenuseth

the secree of his conscience. But now thou mayst wel seen to

what ende I am comen for myne innocence; I receive peyne

of fals felonye for guerdon of verray vertu. And what open

confessioun of felonye hadde ever Iuges so acordaunt in crueltee,

that is to seyn, as myn accusinge hath, that either errour of mannes

wit or elles condicioun of Fortune, that is uncertein to alle mortal

folk, ne submittede some of hem, that is to seyn, that it ne enclynede

som Iuge to han pitee or compassioun? For al-thogh I hadde ben

accused that I wolde brenne holy houses, and strangle preestes

with wikkede swerde, or that I hadde greythed deeth to al gode

men, algates the sentence sholde han punisshed me, present,

confessed, or convict. But now I am remewed fro the citee of

Rome almost fyve hundred thousand pas, I am with-oute defence

dampned to proscripcioun and to the deeth, for the studie and

bountees that I have doon to the senat. But O, wel ben they

worthy of merite (as who seith, nay), ther mighte never yit non

of hem be convict of swiche a blame as myne is! Of whiche

trespas, myne accusours sayen ful wel the dignitee; the whiche

dignitee, for they wolden derken it with medeling of som felonye,

they baren me on hand, and lyeden, that I hadde polut and

defouled my conscience with sacrilege, for coveitise of dignitee.

And certes, thou thy-self, that are plaunted in me, chacedest

out of the sege of my corage al coveitise of mortal thinges; ne

sacrilege hadde no leve to han a place in me biforn thyne eyen.

For thou droppedest every day in myne eres and in my thought

thilke comaundement of Pictagoras, that is to seyn, men shal

serve to godde, and not to goddes. Ne it was nat convenient,

ne no nede, to taken help of the foulest spirites; I, that thou

hast ordeined and set in swiche excellence that thou makedest

me lyk to god. And over this, the right clene secree chaumbre

of myne hous, that is to seyn, my wyf, and the companye of

myn honest freendes, and my wyves fader, as wel holy as worthy

to ben reverenced thorugh his owne dedes, defenden me from

alle suspecioun of swich blame. But O malice! For they that

accusen me taken of thee, Philosophie, feith of so gret blame!

For they trowen that I have had affinitee to malefice or enchauntement,

by-cause that I am replenisshed and fulfilled with thy

techinges, and enformed of thy maneres. And thus it suffiseth

not only, that thy reverence ne availe me not, but-yif that thou,

of thy free wille, rather be blemished with myn offencioun. 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

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

he is worthy to han that adversitee. This is the opinioun of some

folk.

And ther-of comth that good gessinge, first of alle thing, forsaketh

wrecches: certes, it greveth me to thinke right now the

dyverse sentences that the poeple seith of me. And thus moche

I seye, that the laste charge of contrarious fortune is this: that,

whan that any blame is leyd upon a caitif, men wenen that he

hath deserved that he suffreth. And I, that am put awey fro

gode men, and despoiled of dignitees, and defouled of my name

by gessinge, have suffred torment for my gode dedes. Certes,

me semeth that I see the felonous covines of wikked men

habounden in Ioye and in gladnesse. And I see that every

lorel shapeth him to finde out newe fraudes for to accuse gode

folk. And I see that gode men beth overthrowen for drede

of my peril; and every luxurious tourmentour dar doon alle

felonye unpunisshed and ben excited therto by yiftes; and

innocents ne ben not only despoiled of sikernesse but of defence;

and therfore me list to cryen to god in this wyse:—

O thou maker of the whele that bereth the sterres, which that

art y-fastned to thy perdurable chayer, and tornest the hevene

with a ravisshing sweigh, and constreinest the sterres to suffren

thy lawe; so that the mone som-tyme shyning with hir ful hornes,

meting with alle the bemes of the sonne hir brother, hydeth the

sterres that ben lesse; and somtyme, whan the mone, pale with

hir derke hornes, approcheth the sonne, leseth hir lightes; and

that the eve-sterre Hesperus, whiche that in the firste tyme of

the night bringeth forth hir colde arysinges, cometh eft ayein

hir used cours, and is pale by the morwe at the rysing of the

sonne, and is thanne cleped Lucifer. Thou restreinest the day

by shorter dwelling, in the tyme of colde winter that maketh

the leves to falle. Thou dividest the swifte tydes of the night,

whan the hote somer is comen. Thy might atempreth the

variaunts sesons of the yere; so that Zephirus the deboneir

wind bringeth ayein, in the first somer sesoun, the leves that

the wind that highte Boreas hath reft awey in autumpne, that

is to seyn, in the laste ende of somer; and the sedes that the

sterre that highte Arcturus saw, ben waxen heye cornes whan the

sterre Sirius eschaufeth hem. Ther nis no-thing unbounde from

his olde lawe, ne forleteth the werke of his propre estat.

O thou governour, governinge alle thinges by certein ende, why

refusestow only to governe the werkes of men by dewe manere?

Why suffrest thou that slydinge fortune torneth so grete entrechaunginges

of thinges, so that anoyous peyne, that sholde dewely

punisshe felouns, punissheth innocents? And folk of wikkede

maneres sitten in heye chayres, and anoyinge folk treden, and

that unrightfully, on the nekkes of holy men? And vertu cler-shyninge

naturelly is hid in derke derkenesses, and the rightful

man bereth the blame and the peyne of the feloun. Ne forsweringe

ne the fraude, covered and kembd with a fals colour,

ne anoyeth nat to shrewes; the whiche shrewes, whan hem list

to usen hir strengthe, they reioysen hem to putten under hem

the sovereyne kinges, whiche that poeple with-outen noumbre

dreden.

O thou, what so ever thou be that knittest alle bondes of

thinges, loke on thise wrecchede erthes; we men that ben nat

a foule party, but a fayr party of so grete a werk, we ben

tormented in this see of fortune. Thou governour, withdraw

and restreyne the ravisshinge flodes, and fastne and ferme thise

erthes stable with thilke bonde, with whiche thou governest the

hevene that is so large.'

Whan I hadde, with a continuel sorwe, sobbed or borken out

thise thinges, she with hir chere pesible, and no-thing amoeved

with my compleintes, seide thus: 'Whan I say thee,' quod she,

'sorweful and wepinge, I wiste anon that thou were a wrecche

and exiled; but I wiste never how fer thyne exile was, yif thy

tale ne hadde shewed it to me. But certes, al be thou fer fro thy

contree, thou nart nat put out of it; but thou hast failed of thy

weye and gon amis. And yif thou hast lever for to wene that

thou be put out of thy contree, than hast thou put out thy-self

rather than any other wight hath. For no wight but thy-self ne

mighte never han don that to thee. For yif thou remembre of

what contree thou art born, it nis nat governed by emperours, ne

by governement of multitude, as weren the contrees of hem of

Athenes; but oo lord and oo king, and that is god, that is lord of

thy contree, whiche that reioyseth him of the dwelling of hise

citezenes, and nat for to putte hem in exil; of the whiche lorde

it is a soverayne fredom to be governed by the brydel of him and

obeye to his Iustice. Hastow foryeten thilke right olde lawe of thy

citee, in the whiche citee it is ordeined and establisshed, that for

what wight that hath lever founden ther-in his sete or his hous than

elles-wher, he may nat be exiled by no right from that place? For

who-so that is contened in-with the palis and the clos of thilke citee,

ther nis no drede that he may deserve to ben exiled. But who-so

that leteth the wil for to enhabite there, he forleteth also to deserve

to ben citezein of thilke citee. So that I sey, that the face of this

place ne moveth me nat so mochel as thyne owne face. Ne I

axe nat rather the walles of thy librarie, aparayled and wrought

with yvory and with glas, than after the sete of thy thought. In

whiche I putte nat whylom bokes, but I putte that that maketh

bokes worthy of prys or precious, that is to seyn, the sentence of

my bokes. And certeinly of thy desertes, bistowed in comune

good, thou hast seid sooth, but after the multitude of thy gode

dedes, thou hast seid fewe; and of the honestee or of the falsnesse

of thinges that ben aposed ayeins thee, thou hast remembred

thinges that ben knowen to alle folk. And of the felonyes and

fraudes of thyne accusours, it semeth thee have y-touched it forsothe

rightfully and shortly, al mighten tho same thinges betere

and more plentivousely ben couth in the mouthe of the poeple

that knoweth al this.

Thou hast eek blamed gretly and compleined of the wrongful

dede of the senat. And thou hast sorwed for my blame, and thou

hast wopen for the damage of thy renoun that is apayred; and thy

laste sorwe eschaufede ayeins fortune, and compleinest that guerdouns

ne ben nat evenliche yolden to the desertes of folk. And

in the latere ende of thy wode Muse, thou preyedest that thilke

pees that governeth the hevene sholde governe the erthe. But

for that manye tribulaciouns of affecciouns han assailed thee, and

sorwe and ire and wepinge to-drawen thee dyversely; as thou art

now feble of thought, mightier remedies ne shullen nat yit touchen

thee, for whiche we wol usen somdel lighter medicines: so that

thilke passiouns that ben woxen harde in swellinge, by perturbaciouns

flowing in-to thy thought, mowen wexen esy and softe,

to receiven the strengthe of a more mighty and more egre

medicine, by an esier touchinge.

Whan that the hevy sterre of the Cancre eschaufeth by the

bemes of Phebus, that is to seyn, whan that Phebus the sonne is

in the signe of the Cancre, who-so yeveth thanne largely hise sedes

to the feldes that refusen to receiven hem, lat him gon, bigyled of

trust that he hadde to his corn, to acorns of okes. Yif thou wolt

gadre violettes, ne go thou not to the purpur wode whan the feld,

chirkinge, agryseth of colde by the felnesse of the winde that highte

Aquilon. Yif thou desirest or wolt usen grapes, ne seke thou nat,

with a glotonous hond, to streyne and presse the stalkes of the

vine in the ferst somer sesoun; for Bachus, the god of wyne, hath

rather yeven hise yiftes to autumpne, the later ende of somer.

God tokneth and assigneth the tymes, ablinge hem to hir

propres offices; ne he ne suffreth nat the stoundes whiche that

him-self hath devyded and constreyned to ben y-medled to-gidere.

And forthy he that forleteth certein ordinaunce of doinge by over-throwinge

wey, he ne hath no glade issue or ende of his werkes.