That they dyscorden in them selfe n so Ther conscience repreueth them alway And often tyme hyt falleth that they do Som dede that when the tyme ys ouer go Them self they demeth in ther awne thought That better had that dede ben vnwroght ¶ Thys purueyaunce yf ye hyt vnderstode Hyt worcheth here a wonder to your hert By bad men the bad he maketh good And fro ther vyces wonderly conuert For when the foules fele them felfen smert when other wrecches hathe them harmed sore Hyt falleth that they hateth them ther fore ¶ And whyle they coueyt vn to sâ—che men To be vnleke that vseth suche vnryght To frute of vertu they resorteth than For only thys ys thyng of goddes myght Ryght as hyt leketh hym hyt ys but lyght That bad thyng ys good as he deuyseth when good effectes of the bad a ryseth ¶ For why in ordre al thyng embraceth And what that fleteth fro thys ordynance In to another ordre than hyt passeth For in the realme of certen purueyaunce That myghty god hath in hys gouernaunce Ther may no thyng be done vncertenly Ne but hyt haue a skyleful cause why ¶ For vn to man in sothe hyt langeth not To know al hys wonderful engyne As of the workes wyche that ben y wroght So by the hye purueyaunce dyuyne Ne them wyth wordes fully dyffyne No creature hathe that habylyte But only thys suffyseth hyt to se ¶ That god the fyrst founder of nature Al thyng to good desposeth he dresseth So fer forthe that in euery creature The lekenesse of hym self he empresseth And for to kepen thys loo he represseth Al wycked thynges fro hys gouernaunce A voydyng hyt by fatal ordynaunce ¶ For why yf thou marke wel in thy mynde The purueyaunce that al thyng desposeth Ther ys no thyng that thou shalt bad fynd Thogh so be that thy wyttes so supposeth For euery thyng wythyn hyt self encloseth Som maner cause of good hyt ys no drede wher of som other goodes shal procede ¶ But yet whyler I saw the wexen faynt As for the wyghtes of my questyon Thys long processe hathe the sore atteynt Som swete thyng of delectation Thou askest for a recreation Haue tast of thys strenger shalt thou be Than hegher to ascende after me MetruÌ„ vj. Capitulum xj Si vis celsi iura tonaÌ„tis Phia Philosophia loquitur TOo yf thou wylt behold ententyfly wyth al the clere myghtes of thy mend The lawes of our souereyn god on hey Vp in to heuen thou must thy wyttes send There euery thyng doth kepe hys cours of kende The sterres wyth a ryghtuous allyaunce They kepeth there ther olde gouernauuce ¶ And loo the bryght sonne hyt ys no doute The cold mone letteth neuer a dele And Vrsa wyche that meueth rounde a boute The pole artyke ryght as hyt were a whele Her olde cours she kepeth wonder wele Thogh other sterres meue in to the west To a byden ther a boue she leketh best ¶ And Hesperus the eue sterre clere Loo sheweth hym self before the derke nyght And the lustey sterre Lucifer He bryngeth by este a geyn the day lyght Thys perdurable cours they kepeth ryght Thus al dyscord by enterchaunged loue Loo ys exyled from the heuen a boue ¶ Thys same accorde of loue by stoundes mete Attempereth eke the fyghtyng elementes That drouth may accorde wyth the wete That hete colde may haue conuenyence And though they kepe ther kendly resistence The lyght fyre yet algates vp asceudeth And the heuy erthe contrary way descendeth ¶ And by causes of the self reson Swete floures spryngeth lustely In the fayre fyrst somer season And so the hote somer suyngly Maketh the corn to rypen hastely And so autumpnus bryngeth forth hys blede Lusty frutes folkes for to fede ¶ Thys same attemperaunce hyt ys no nay The wynter so be dweth wyth the rayn Al leuyng thyng hyt norysseth soth to say And efte wyth deth retorneth downe a geyn The whyles sytteth the maker souereyn welle grounde both lorde kyng ys he Law wyse Iuge of equyte ¶ The reynes of the world he hath in hand So makyng hyt to meuen to go A restyng efte he maketh hyt to stande For thyng that fletteh euer to fro But yf that he enstabelysshe hyt so Compellyng hyt to meuen in to rounde Hyt must nedes faylen fro hys grounde ¶ And fro the ordre wyche they now obserue Thys loue comen to euery creature Coueyteth them to kepen conserue The ende of good that ground ys of nature For in other wyse may they not endure But loue retorne them in to vnyte Of god on hye that caused them to be Prosa vij CapituluÌ„ xiij Iam ne igitur vides Phia Philosophia loquitur ANd seyst thou not ê™ she what sueth here Vpon al that we haue rehersed now Boeê° Boecius I asked what phia ê™ she yt ys ful That al fortune ys good boeê° y asked how clere Phia Philosophia Ful sone ê™ she that shal I shew the now Thou vnderstandest wel that thys ys sothe That euery fortune Iustey ys or lothe ¶ Yet ben they geuen for an exercyse Of vertu to the good or elles thus As for a guerdonyng vn to the wyse Or they ben geuen to the vycyous To punyshe them that ben malycyous Or to correct them of ther mysdede Thys ys the very cause hyt ys no drede ¶ And al that euer ys Just profytable wylt thou not hold hyt good Boeê° Boecius I sayd yes For why hyt sueth ryght as resonable To that ye haue rehersed here y wys Of purueyance desteny er thys Ful fermely your sentence ys y knytte But saeth me one thyng yf yow leketh yet ¶ As ye haue put be fore a lytel er Acounteth fortune now in thys degre ye sayden that a rude comyner Can not beleue ne wyl hyt not se Phia Philosophia And wherto shal I speke of that ê™ she Boeê° ê™ I thys speche of men ys vsed wyde That euel fortune to som men doth betyde ¶ Phia Philosophia And wylt thou ê™ she that we negh nere Vn to the comen vsed speche than Lest them seme that I go to ferre A bouen al the comen vse of man Boeê° Boecius As leketh yow ê™ I Phia Philosophia she began Demest thou not good that causeth good to encresse Boeê° Boecius yes ê™ I for sothe I may Iuge no lesse ¶ Phia Philosophia Now al that vertu ys enforced by Other that correcteth any dede Doth hyt not profyten Boecius yes ê™ I Phia Philosophia Than ys hyt good ê™ she wythouten drede Boecius In sothe ê™ I thys must I grauÌ„ten nede Phia Philosophia But thys ê™ she to them dothe aperteyn That grounded ben in vertu the sothe to seyn ¶ That taketh bateyl wyth suche auentures whythstandyng them wyth myghty pacience Or hyt perteyneth to tho creatures That haue ledde ther lyffe in insolence And so
thes bore may be vnderstand the vyce of the flesshe vvyche vvasteth foule a maÌ„ hys substance Thes vyces Hercules the myghty chaceth and hunteth in vvyl to destroy them But thys bore torneth and assayleth Hercules For hyt chaunceth ofte that a ful myghty man in vertues that pursueth hateth al vyces ys assayled repted vvyth the synne of the flesshe perauenture ys marked fallyng theryn But one vycyous dede beryueth not the habyte of vertu but maâ—â—â—h a man more vvare and dylygent for to kepe hym self and so at laste he ouercometh hys flesshe and sleyth thys bore of luste and lekyng ¶ The xii labour vvas thys after the fable of Duyde Athlas the myghty geaunt in the geauntes batayl fyghtyng a genst the goddes aboue bare heuen vpon hys shulder And vvhen that he savve Hercules come to hym after hys other labours he vvas vvery of fyghtyng also of thys burden prayd hym to helpe hym to bere heuen And he toke and bare hyt myghtely vvherby he deserued to be made a fayr sterre in heuen The truthe vvas thys Athlas vvas a cheffe astronomer vvherefore he vvas sayd that he bare heuen the connynge of heuenly thynges But vvhen Athlas dyed vvych deth ys a rest and a refresshyng to the vertuous Hercules toke heuen vpon hys shulder The moralyte may be thus The batayl of geauntes ys the enforsynge of goostly myghtes a genst the goddes a boue that ys a genst natural inclination to vyces vvyche ys caused by constellations But a genst thes inclinations he may fyght best that hathe connyng of astronomy For to serche the myghtes of the planetes for certen tymes and knovveth also hovv thes vycious inclinations becaused But at last he must leue the labour of astronomy compelled by age vvhen al hys passyons ben cessed and then Hercules taketh heuen vpon hys shulder and geueth hym holly to heuenly contemplation And so he deserueth by thys labour specyally to be made a cytesen of heuen ¶ Loo thus must euery myghty man that vvyl de seruen heuen Fyrst lothe and abhorre the monstres of synne bothe in hym self and also in other and at last leuyng al outvvard occupation geue hym holly to serue god in prayer and contemplation and so many he be syker of al that he desyreth ¶ To vvhom so euer the moralyte of thes fables be plefauÌ„t or vnlusty vvere ye vvel that they lacketh al in som thynges lytteral truthe But a fable lackyng lytteral truthe vnexponed ys noght elles but a lesyng And as holy scripture saeth al that euer doth or speketh lesyng shal be parteners of the pytte of helle Vvher fore after my symple connynge I haue moralysed theÌ„ in my maner leuyng the correction to other that ben clerkes and more connyng in that science For syth hyt aperteneth not to holy vvryt euery man vvythout offence may say that hym semeth most lekely to truthe Explicit Liber quartus Sequitur Liber Quintus Boetij de coÌ„solatone Phie Philosophie WHen she had sayd she gan her selfe n hye To other thynges treted for to be your noble exhortation ê™ I Ful worthy hyt ys of hye auctoryte But yet whyle er as I remembre me ye dyd speke of dyuyne prescience How hard hyt ys I haue experyence ¶ And al belapped wyth demaundes fele Encomberous to any mannes wyt Ful daungerous ys that mater wyth to dele But now I pray yow that ye say me yet yf happe be ought what maner thyng ys hyt Phia Philosophia I spede me ê™ she for to pay my dette Of thynges that whyle er I the behete ¶ And for to set the in a redy way So that thou myght retorne in to thy land Thys mater that thou askest sothe to say Though hyt be good to know vnderstand Loo yet thys purpose that we haue on hand Somwhat hyt ys impertynent ther to And furdermore hyt ys to drede also ¶ Lest of thy wayes that thou faynt fayle As for thy Iorney that ys ouergone And lest thou suffyse not to thy traueyle To that thou hast hereafter for to done Boeê° Boecius Then drede ye not ê™ I let me alone For thys shal be ryght as a tyme of rest To hyre of thyng that me delyteth best ¶ And namely syth your processe al a boute By dysputation so formally Concluded ys hyt may not ben in doute Of that ye wyl enducen suyngly Phia Philosophia Ryght as thou wylt ê™ she ryght so wyl I And she be gan to declare in thys wyse what euer he be ê™ she that wyl deuyse ¶ That happe ys suche a thyng that shold be fal wythouten cause or skyle of gouernaunce Than say I thus that happe ys nought at al But an Idel name of no vaylaunce Syth god hath set al thyng in ordynaunce Now shold there any place then be To worken thynges in vncertente ¶ For truâ—y nogh thys sentence hath be holde Loo that ther may no thyng be don of nought Thys sentence reuoked neuer faders olde Of one begynner al thyng must be wroght yet thys was not the conceyt of ther thoght Tho al thyng haue a maker pryncypal They dyd mene of subiect materyal ¶ For that they put as for a fundament And that hath euer reson of nature Than wyl hyt suen clere and consequent Thys may wel perceyue euery creature yf any thyng were don by aduenture wythouten causes wher of to procede Than must hyt come of nought hyt ys no drede ¶ But syth thys may not be in no maner Than happe may not be called sykerly Suche as we dyffyned haue whyle er Boecius what ys ther than no maner thyng ê™ I That chaunce or happe ys called skylefully Or suche a thyng ther ys to folkeÌ„ vnknowe wher to thes name belangeth as ye trowe ¶ Phia Philosophia yes myne Aristoteles ê™ she In hys boke of physyke naturel Breffely he sheweth what thyng hyt shold be Ful nye the truthe dyffyneth he hyt ful wel Boeê° Boecius And how ê™ I phia Lo thys ys euery dele ê™ she that wryteth Aristoteles Of thys mater hyt ys no les ¶ As often as ther ys a worke y wroght As for a certen purpos of entent And then of other causes vnbethoght Betydeth other wyse then was be ment Loo happe thys may be called verament As yf hyt lust a man to delffe hys lande And hydde theryn a somme of golde he founde ¶ Of suche a thyng men demeth sykerly Loo that a soden aduenture hyt ys yet came hyt not of no thyng pardey But propre causes were be forn y wysse The concours of wych causeth thys But for hyt fel vnware vnbethought Hyt semeth folke that happe â—ut hath y wroght ¶ For but the telyer had dolue hys ground And eke the hyder put hyt in that stede Thou mayst wel seyn the gold had not be found As in that maner wyse hyt ys no drede Thes causes ben of aduenturous dede when that they mete ben assembled
so wythouten certen purpos to be do ¶ For he that dalf he that hyd hyt there Purposed not thou mayst suppose hyt wel That gold to haue ben found in that maner Neuer one of them bethoght hyt neuer a dele But ryght as I haue sayd hyt so befel That in the same place where thes hyt hyd That other dalf found as hyt betyde ¶ Now then in short to make an ende of al And to make a fynal dyffynytion Loo hap ys suche a thyng that doth befalle No thyng purposed of entention Of dyuers causes metyng in to one In thynges that for somwhat were y wroght But vn to that that ys be falle noght ¶ But thys vnescheuable ordynaunce wyche that the wel hed procedeth fro Of the hye dyuyne purueyaunce wythouten wyche ther may no thyng be do That maketh thes causes to concurren so That al thyng desposeth kendly In propre place tymes certenly Metrum j. CapituluÌ„ ij Rupis achimenie scopulis Phia Philosophia loquitur TIgris and Eufrates spryngeth bothe Out of a cragge rocke of Ermeny Out of one wel hed to say the sothe wher men ben wont to fyghten wonderly In flyght they harmeth them that sueth nye Ther sharpe dartes in ther brest fyxyng So when they fleyth ther foes moste noyng ¶ Thes ryuers bothe ben dysioyned sone And renneth in to dyuers stremes grete And after that they fallen in to one where that they in a nother place mete The shyppes than stockes that ther flete In ether of thes stremes doune a long Hyt happeth that they mete euer a mong ¶ Thys water thus ImpLyeth 〈◊〉 Thus medelyng many chaunces fortunel But of that shevey erthe hyt so behappeth The wych thys water sueth wete hyt wel That fletyng ordre ruleth euery dele Ryght so ys happe vnruled as demeth ye But neuertheles hyt hath a law of certente Prosia ij CapitulnÌ„ iij. Animaduerto inquam Boecius loquitur TO thys ê™ I ful wel acorde I can And that ye say I may hyt wel beleuen But in the ordre of thes causes than The wych so suyngly to gedres cleueu Thys wold I se yf ye coude shew or preuen yf in out choys ys any lyberte Other elles that thys cheyn of destyne ¶ Constreyneth al the mouyug of our wyt Phia Philosophia ê™ she in sothe then were hyt al a mysse That wyl I shew clerely preuen hyt For why no kend that resonable ys whythouten lyberte may ben y wysse For al that kendly reson vsen may May demen dyscern hyt ys no nay ¶ And by hym self he knoweth kendly what thyng ys to desyre what to fleen And what thyng that he demeth verely That worthy ys desyred for to be That thyng loo seketh desyreth he And what he Iugeth worthy to be forsake That wyl he leue that other take ¶ Then euery thyng that reson hath certen Of wyl nel hath lyberte ther to But al y leke in sothe wyl I not sayn For dyuyne substances standeth not so The Iugement ys wonder clere of tho Ther wyl ys incorrupt ther myght ys prest And spedy to al that them leketh best ¶ But moste in fredom ys the soule of man when he ys set in contemplation And fully fyxen al hys thoughtes can In hye dyuyne speculation And lesse yf that hys occupation In wordly thyng dystracteth ought hys mynde And lesse when flesly boundes doth hym bynde ¶ But when a man ys geuen vn to vyce Than ys he vtterly bound thralle When he hath set hys reson at no pryse And wylfully hath lete hyt fro hym falle Hys lyberte ys then lest of alle When that hys syght in wordly wrecchednesse Is cast fro lyght of souereyn sothfastnesse ¶ He begenneth then to wexe derke dulle Of that foule cloude of Ignorance Of foule affections than he shal be ful Encombred wyth the vyce of inconstance That trobeleth hym wyth anguysshe greuance To wych when he consenteth in hys wyt In seruage then hym selfe n hath he knytte ¶ In maner of hys propre lyberte A caytyf ys becommen in conscience But neuer the later he that al may se As by hys hye eternal prescience Al thyng gouernyng by hys excellence He hyreth seyth wel euery thought dede And so he wyl desposen for ther mede MetruÌ„ ij Puro claruÌ„ lumie Phia Philosophia THe noble poet hony mouthe Omere Loo of the sonne syngeth on thys wyse And sayth for al hys bryght bemes clere The see ne lande yet may he not suffyse To persen thorugh so may we not deuyse Of hym that hath thys wyde world y wroght The heuy erthe hym wythstandeth noght ¶ Fro fer hye al thyng he seyth a none He ys not let by cloudes of the nyght For al that ys was or shal be done At ones ys hyt al beforn hys syght Syth he alone wyth hys bemes bryght So al thynges may behald se We may wel sayn a very sonne ys he Prosa iij. CapituluÌ„ v. Tum ego en inquaÌ„ Boecius loquitur I sayd then a gretter doute now Confoundeth me then dyd be fore y wysse Phia Philosophia Of what ê™ she art thou in doute now Now ryght in sothe coniect I what hyt ys Boecius full hugely ê™ I repugneth thys That god may knowen al thyng er hyt be And that our wyl may stande at lyberte ¶ Syth god be forn seyth al that shal be do And hys syght loo may be deceyued nought Of very fo rs then nede hyt must be so That prescience hath seyn that ys to be wroght And not only worke but wylle thoght Of euery wyght he knoweth plenerly Than ys no fredom in our arbytry ¶ For why ther may be nother thoght ne dede That pnrueyaunce beforn ne seyth hyt al He fayleth not ther of hyt ys no drede But al that euer he wote betyden shal Al that he seyth beforn hyt must befalle And yf hyt may be torned other wyse Hyt was not seyn be fore at my deuyse ¶ Than shal thys be no very prescience But as an vncerten opynyon But sykerly thys were a foule offence Of god to felen that conclusyon And somme men supposeth that thys questyon May ben assoyled thus as they beleue But ther resons can I not apprene ¶ Loo thus they sayn a thyng that shal betyde Betydeth not for god prouydeth so But god that thyng to commen doth prouyde And seyth beforn al thyng that shal be do And thus a geynward sholde the causes go That god foreseyth thys thyng that shal be wroght But of nede hyt shal vetyde nought ¶ They sayn also that thyng that shal befalle In goddes syght prouyded ys hyt nede Loo thys aunswere assoyleth nought at al Thys doutful questyon hyt ys no drede Only to thys entente hyt doth procede Loo of ij dyuers thynges to enquere wych of them the cause of other were ¶ Whether that the prescience of god