'O! a noble thing and clere is power, that is not founden mighty to kepe himselfe'; (p. 70, l. 20). 'O! a noble thing and a cleer thing is power, that is nat founden mighty to kepen it-self'; Ch. Boeth. bk. iii. pr. 5. 5-7. The Latin text is: 'O praeclara potentia quae nec ad conseruationem quidem sui satis efficax inuenitur.' I see no reason for supposing that the author anywhere troubled himself to consult the Latin original. Indeed, it is possible to correct errors in the text by help of Chaucer's version; see the last note on p. 461. § 12. We get the clearest idea of the author's method by observing his treatment of the House of Fame, 269-359. It is worth while to quote the whole passage:-- 'Lo! how a woman doth amis _To love_ him that unknowen is!... 270 Hit _is not_ al _gold_ that glareth;... Ther _may be under_ goodliheed Kevered _many_ a shrewed _vyce_; 275 _Therefore_ be _no wight_ so nyce, To take a love only for _chere_, For _speche_, or for frendly manere; For this shal every woman finde That som _man_, of his pure kinde, 280 Wol _shewen outward_ the faireste _Til he have_ caught that what him leste; And _thanne wol_ he _causes finde_, And swere how that she is unkinde, _Or fals_, or prevy, or double was ... 285 Therfor I wol seye a proverbe, That "he that fully knoweth th'erbe 290 May saufly leye hit to his yë" ... Allas! is every man thus trewe, That every yere wolde have a newe, ... As thus: of _oon_ he wolde _have fame_, 305 In magnifying of his name; Another _for frendship_, seith he; And yet ther shal the _thri de_ be, That shal be taken _for delyt_ ... _Allas, that ever_ hadde routhe 332 _Any woman_ on any man! Now see I wel, and telle can, We wrecched _women conne_ non art ... 335 How sore that _ye men_ conne _grone_, Anoon, as we have yow receyved, Certeinly we _ben deceyved_;... 340 For through you is my name _lorn_, And alle my actes _red and songe_ Over al this land on every tonge. 348 O wikke _Fame_!... Eek, thogh I mighte _duren ever_, _That_ I _have doon, rekever_ I _never_ ... 354 And that I shal thus juged be-- "Lo, right as she hath doon, now she Wol do eftsones, hardily."' 359 If the reader will now turn to p. 54, l. 45, and continue down to l. 81 on the next page, he will find the whole of this passage turned into prose, with numerous cunning alterations and a few insertions, yet including all such words as are printed above in italics! That is, he will find all except the proverb in ll. 290, 291; but this also is not far off; for it occurs over the leaf, on p. 56, at l. 115, and again at p. 22, ll. 44-45! Surely, this is nothing but book-making, and the art of it does not seem to be difficult.