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
{and} al be it so þ{a}t þou seest þat þei
alle discorden by [[pg 171]]
dyuerse formes. algate hir{e} [faces] enclini[n]g heuieþ hir{e}
dulle wittes.
[Sidenote: Man alone doth raise aloft his noble head; light and
erect he spurns the earth.]
Onlyche þe lynage of man heueþ heyest hys 4968
heyȝe heued {and} stondeþ lyȝt wiþ hys vpryȝt body {and}
byholdeþ þe erþe vndir hym.
[Sidenote: Thou art admonished by this figure then, unless by
sense deceived, that whilst taught by thy lofty mien to look
above, thou shouldst elevate thy mind lest it sink below its
proper level.]
[and] but-ȝif þou erþely man
wexest yuel oute of þi witte. þis figure amonesteþ þe þ{a}t
axest þe heuene wiþ þi ryȝt[e] visage. {and} hast areised 4972
þi forhede to beren vp on heye þi corage so þat þi þouȝt
ne be nat yheuied ne put lowe vndir foot. sen þat þi
body is so heye areised.
[Linenotes:
4957 _somme_--som
4959 _forghe contynued_--forwh Ikonntynued
_addres_--nadris
4960 [_the_]--from C.
4963 _hem_--hem self
_stappes_--steppis
4964 _or to gone_--{and} to gon
_eyþe[r]_--eyther
4965 [_elles_]--from C.
4967 [_faces_]--from C.
_algate_--algates
_enclini[n]g_--enclynyd
4968 _Onlyche_--Oonly
_heyest_--heyeste
4970 _erþe_--erthes
4971 _oute_--owt
_witte_--wit
4972 _ryȝt[e]_--ryhte
_hast_--MS. haþe, C. hast
4973 _forhede_--foreheuyd
_on heye_--a heygh
4974 _foot sen_--foote syn]
[Headnote:
DEFINITION OF ETERNITY.]
PR{O}SA VLTI{M}A.
QUONIA{M} IGITUR UTI PAULO ANTE.
[Sidenote: [The 6^te p{ro}se {and} the laste.]]
[Sidenote: Since everything which is known is not, as I have
shown, perceived by its own inherent properties, but by the
faculties of those comprehending them, let us now examine the
disposition of the Divine nature.]
++ÞEr-fore þan as I haue shewed a litel her byforne þat 4976
al þinge þat is ywist nis nat knowen by hys nature
p{ro}pre. but by þe nature of he{m} þat comp{re}henden it.
¶ Lat vs loke now in as moche as it is leueful to vs. as
who seiþ lat vs loken now as we mowen whiche þ{a}t þe 4980
estat is of þe deuyne substaunce so þat we mowen [ek]
knowen what his science is.
[Sidenote: All rational creatures agree in affirming that God is
eternal.]
þe comune iugement of alle
creatures resonables þan is þis þat god is eterne. lat vs
considere þa{n} what is et{er}nite. For certys þat shal 4984
shewen vs to-gidre þe deuyne nature {and} þe deuyne
science
[Sidenote: And eternity is a full, total, and perfect possession
of a life which shall never end. This will appear more clearly
from a comparison with temporal things.]
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