[Sidenote: His library, his habit, and his countenance are all changed.] ¶ Is þis 256 þe librarie wyche þat þou haddest chosen for a ryȝt certeyne sege to þe i{n} myne house. ¶ Þere as þou desputest of[te] wiþ me of þe sciences of þinges touching diuinitee {and} touchyng mankynde. ¶ Was þan 260 myn habit swiche as it is now. was þan my face or [Interlinear: quasi d{ice}ret non.] my chere swiche as now. ¶ Whan I souȝt[e] wiþ þe secretys of nature. whan þou enfo{ur}medest my maners {and} þe resou{n} of al my lijf. to þe ensaumple of þe ordre 264 of heuene. [Sidenote: Is this, he asks, the reward of his fidelity?] [Interlinear: ironice] ¶ Is nat þis þe gerdou{n} þat I refere to þe to whom I haue be obeisaunt. ¶ Certis þou enfo{ur}medist by þe mouþe of plato þis sentence. [Sidenote: Plato (de Rep. v.) says that those Commonwealths are most happy that are governed by philosophers, or by those who study to be so.] þat is to seyne þat co{m}mune þinges or comunabletes weren 268 blysful yif þei þat haden studied al fully to wisdom [[pg 14]] gouerneden þilke þinges. [Sidenote: [* fol. 5 _b_.]] or ellys yif it so by-felle þat þe gouernours *of co{m}munalites studieden in grete wisdomes. [Linenotes: 247 _Felest þou_--Felistow _ouȝt_--awht 248 _art þou_--artow 249 _wepest þou_--wepistow _spillest þou_--spillestow 252 _answered[e]_--answerede 255 _woode_--wood 257 _wyche_--which 258 _myne house þere_--myn hows ther 259 _desputest of[te]_--desputedest ofte 260 _þan_--thanne 261 _it_ and _þan_--both omitted 261, 262 _swiche_--swich 262 _souȝt[e]_--sowhte 263 _secretys_--secretȝ _my_--MS. me, C. my 264 _al_--alle 265 _gerdoun_--gerdouns 266 _enfourmedist_--conformedest 267 _mouþe_--mowht 268 _comunabletes_--comunalitees 270 _by-felle_--byfille 271 _in grete wisdomes_--to geten wysdom] [Headnote: PHILOSOPHERS TO BE POLITICIANS.] [Sidenote: The same Plato urged philosophers to take upon them the management of public affairs, lest it should fall into the hands of unprincipled citizens.] ¶ Þou saidest eke by þe mouþe of þe same 272 plato þat it was a necessarie cause wyse men to taken {and} desire þe gou{er}nau{n}ce of comune þi{n}ges. for þat þe gou{er}nementes of comune citees y-left in þe hondes of felonous to{ur}mento{ur}s Citiȝenis ne scholde not brynge 276 inne pestile{n}ce {and} destrucc{i}ou{n} to goode folk. [Sidenote: Boethius declares that he desired to put in practice (in the management of public affairs) what he had learnt in his retirement.]