Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae"Boethius
ReligionComparative
Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae"
Boethius
Happiness; Philosophy and religion
þan [ne] dowtest þou nat q{uo}d she þat 3688
þilke folk þat ben worþi of to{ur}ment þat þei ne ben
wrecches.
[Sidenote: _B._ I admit it.]
It accordeþ wel q{uo}d I.
[Sidenote: _P._ If you were a judge, upon whom would you inflict
punishment? upon the wrong-doer, or upon the injured?]
yif þou were þan
q{uo}d she yset a Iuge or a knower of þinges. wheþer
trowest þou þ{a}t men sholde to{ur}ment[e] hym þat haþ 3692
don þe wronge. or hym þat haþ suffred þe wronge.
[Sidenote: _B._ I should not hesitate to punish the offender as a
satisfaction to the sufferer.]
I ne doute nat q{uo}d I. þat I nolde don suffissaunt satisfacc{i}ou{n}
to hym þat had[de] suffred þe wrong by þe
sorwe of hym þat had[de] don þe wronge.
[Sidenote: _P._ Then you would deem the injuring person more
unhappy than he who had been wronged?]
¶ þan 3696
semeþ it q{uo}d she þat þe doar of wrong is more wrecche
þan he þat haþ suffred þe wrong.
[Sidenote: _B._ That follows naturally.]
þat folweþ wel q{uo}d [I].
[Sidenote: _P._ From this then, and other reasons of like nature,
it seems that vice makes men miserable, and an injury done to any
man is the misery of the doer, and not of the sufferer.]
þan q{uo}d she by þise causes {and} by oþer causes
þat ben enforced by þe same roate þat filþe or synne by 3700
þe p{ro}pre nature of it makeþ men wretches. {and} it
sheweþ wel þat þe wrong þat me{n} don nis nat þe
wrecchenesse of hym þat receyueþ þe wrong. but þe
wrecchednesse of hym þat doþ þe wronge
[Sidenote: But our advocates think differently--they try to obtain
pity for those that have suffered cruelty and oppression;]
¶ but certys 3704
q{uo}d she þise orato{ur}s or aduocatȝ don al þe contrarie
for þei enforcen hem to co{m}moeue þe iuges to han pite
of he{m} þat han suffred {and} resceyued þe þinges þat ben
greuous {and} aspre.
[Sidenote: but the juster pity is really due to the oppressors,
who ought, therefore, to be led to judgment as the sick are to the
physician, not by angry but by merciful and kind accusers, so
that, by the physic of chastisement, they may be cured of their
vices.]
{and} ȝitte men sholden more ryȝtfully 3708
han pitee on hem þat don þe greuaunces {and} þe
wronges. þe whiche shrewes it were a more couenable
þing þat þe accuso{ur}s or aduocatȝ not wroþe but pitous
{and} debonaire ladden þe shrewes þat han don wro{n}g to 3712
þe Iugement. ryȝt as men leden seke folk to þe leche.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account