¶ O þou gouerno{ur} gouernyng alle þinges by certeyne ende. why refusest þou oonly to gouerne þe werkes of men by dewe manere. [Sidenote: Why should fickle fortune be allowed to work such mighty changes in the world?] ¶ Whi suffrest þ{o}u þat slidyng 528 fortune turneþ to grete vtter chaungynges of þinges. so þat anoious peyne þat scholde duelly punissh{e} felouns punissitȝ innocentȝ. [Sidenote: The wicked are prosperous, while the righteous are in adversity.] ¶ And folk of wikked[e] man{er}es sitten in heiȝe chaiers. {and} anoienge folk 532 treden {and} þat vnryȝtfully in þe nekkes of holy men. [[pg 23]] ¶ And vertue clere {and} schynyng naturely is hid in dirke dirkenesses. {and} þe ryȝtful man beriþ þe blame {and} þe peyne of þe felowne. ¶ Ne þe forsweryng ne 536 þe fraude couered {and} kembd wiþ a fals colo{ur} ne a-noyeþ not to schrewes. ¶ Þe whiche schrewes whan hem lyst to vsen her strengþe þei reioisen hem to putte{n} vndir hem þe souerayne kynges. whiche þ{a}t 540 poeple wiþ[outen] noumbre dreden. [Sidenote: O thou that bindest the disagreeing elements, look upon this wretched earth, and, as thou dost govern the spacious heavens, so let the earth be firmly bound.] ¶ O þou what so euer þou be þat knyttes[t] alle bondes of þinges loke on þise wrecched[e] erþes. we men þat ben nat a foule party but a faire party of so grete a werke we 544 ben turmentid in þe see of fortune. ¶ Þou gouerno{ur} wiþdraw {and} restreyne þe rauyssinge flodes {and} fastne {and} forme þise erþes stable wiþ þilke [bonde] wiþ whiche þou gouernest þe heuene þat is so large. 548 [Linenotes: 527 _refusest þou_--refowsestow 529 _to----þinges_--so grete entrechaunginges of thynges 531 _punissitȝ_--punysshe _wikked[e]_--wykkede 532 _heiȝe_--heer{e} 533 _in_--oon 534 {and}--omitted 536 _Ne þe forsweryng_--Ne forswerynge 537 _kembd_--MS. kembde, C. kembd 541 _wiþ[outen]_--withhowtyn 542 _knyttes[t]_--knyttest 543 _wrecched[e]_--wrecchede 544 _a_ (2)--omitted 545 _þe_--this 546 _wiþdraw_--MS. wiþdrawe, C. withdrawh _þe_--thei 547 _forme_--ferme [_bonde_]--from C. _wiþ_--by] [Headnote: PHILOSOPHY CONSOLES BOETHIUS,] HIC UBI CONTINUATO DOLORE. [Sidenote: [The fyfthe p{ro}se.]] [Sidenote: Philosophy consoles Boethius.] ++Whan I hadde wiþ a continuel sorwe sobbed or broken out þise þinges sche wiþ hir chere peisible {and} no þi{n}g amoeued. wiþ my compleyntes seide þ{us}. whan I say þe q{uod} sche sorweful {and} wepyng I wist[e] 552 on-one þat þou were a wrecche {and} exiled. but I wist[e] neuer how fer þine exile was: ȝif þi tale ne hadde schewed it to me. but certys al be þou fer fro þi contre.