Prose 1. 5. forbrak, broke off, interrupted: 'abrupi.'

14. so as, seeing that, since: 'cÙm.'

25. alle thinges may, is omnipotent: 'potentis omnia.'

27. an enbasshinge ... ende: 'infiniti stuporis.'

30. right ordenee, well ordered: 'dispositissima domo.'

32. heried, praised. This resembles the language of St. Paul; 2 Tim. ii. 20.

41. cesen, cause to cease: 'sopitis querelis.'

45. alle thinges, all things being treated of: 'decursis omnibus.'

47. fetheres, wings; 'pennas.' The A. S. pl. fethera sometimes means wings.

50. sledes, sleds, i.e. sledges: 'uehiculis.' The Vulgate version of 1 Chron. xx. 3 has: 'et fecit super eos tribulas, et trahas, et ferrata carpenta transire.' Wycliffe translates trahas by sledis (later version, sleddis).

Metre 1. 2-5. Quoted in Ho. Fame, 973-8.

5. fyr, fire. In the old astronomy, the region of air was supposed to be surrounded by a region of fire, which Boethius here says was caused by the swift motion of the ether: 'Quique agili motu calet aetheris Transcendit ignis uerticem.' Beyond this region were the planetary spheres, viz. those of the moon, Mercury, Venus, the sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. This explains the allusion to the passage of Thought (Imagination) through 'the houses that bear the stars' (i.e. planets), in Latin astriferas domos, and so, past the sun, to the seventh sphere of Saturn. After this, Thought soars to the eighth sphere, called the Sphere of the Fixed Stars (denoted below by 'the circle of the stars' or 'the firmament'); and after 'wending on the back of it,' i.e. getting beyond it, reaches the primum mobile, where 'the lord of kings holds the sceptre of his might.'

9. Saturnus, the planet Saturn; which Chaucer rightly gives as the sense of 'senis.'

and he y-maked, i.e. and he (Thought) becomes a knight. I hesitate to insert is after he, because all the authorities omit it; in fact, the phrase and he y-maked seems to be equivalent to 'he being made.' I do not understand what is meant by 'Miles corusci sideris,' unless it means that Boethius imagines Thought to become a companion of Mars, and thus to be made a soldier, in the service of that bright planet.

15. images of sterres, i.e. constellations, which were fancifully supposed to represent various objects.

18. worshipful light. MS. A has dredefulle clerenesse. Both are translations of 'uerendi luminis.'

22. swifte cart: 'uolucrem currum.' Cart is sometimes used for car or chariot.

25. but now, &c. These words are supposed to be spoken by Boethius, when he remembers all the truth. 'Haec dices, memini, patria est mihi.'

26. heer wol I fastne my degree: 'hic sistam gradum.' The sense is rather, 'here will I [or, let me] fix my step,' or 'plant my foot'; i.e. remain. Cf. 'Siste gradum,' i.e. stop; Verg. Aen. vi. 465.

27. But yif:

Prose 2. 1. owh, an exclamation; 'Papae.'

13. fey, the faith, the certainty: 'fides.' sentence, opinion.

31. And in that: 'Quod uero quisque potest.' may, can do.

38. lad, led; studies, desires: 'quae diuersis studiis agitur.'

71. Yif that: 'Etsi coniecto, inquam, quid uelis.'

84. knit forth: 'Contexe, inquam, cetera.'

93. shewinge, evident; is open and shewinge: 'patet.'

97. Iugement. Evidently meant to translate iudicium. But Chaucer misread his text, which has indicium. 'Idque, ut medici sperare solent, indicium est erectae iam resistentisque naturae.'

103. ledeth hem, i.e. leads them to: 'qui ne ad hoc quidem peruenire queunt, ad quod eos naturalis ducit, ac pene compellit, intentio.'

104. And what: 'Et quid? si hoc tam magno ac pene inuicto praeeuntis naturae desererentur auxilio?'

112. Ne shrewes: 'Neque enim leuia aut ludicra praemia petunt, quae consequi atque obtinere non possunt.'

120. laye, might lie (subjunctive): 'quo nihil ulterius peruium iaceret incessui.'

137. for to ben, even to exist. So below, ben frequently means 'to exist,' as appears from the argument.

151. mowen, have power to act: 'possunt.'

161. understonde, mayest understand: 'ut intelligas.'

187. Plato, viz. in the Gorgias and Alcibiades I, where many of the arguments here used may be found.

Metre 2. The subject of this metre is from Plato, De Republica, x. Chaucer's translation begins with the 7th line of the Latin.

12. tyrannyes. This reading (in C ed.) gives the sense better than the reading tyrauntis (in A); although the latter is quite literal.

Prose 3. 7. stadie, race-course: 'in stadio'; which Chaucer explains by 'furlong.'

10. purposed, equivalent to proposed; 'praemium commune propositum.'

14. For which thing: 'quare probos mores sua praemia non relinquunt.'

25, 26. so as, whereas. for men, because men.

27. part-les, without his share of: 'praemii ... expertem.'

35. no day: 'quod nullus deterat dies.'

39. undepartable, inseparable: 'inseparabili poena.'

49. may it semen: 'possuntne sibi supplicii expertes uideri, quos omnium malorum extrema nequitia non afficit modÒ, verumetiam uehementer inficit?'

70. under, beneath, below: 'infra hominis meritum.'

Metre 3. 1. aryvede, cause to arrive, drove: 'appulit.'

the sailes: 'Vela Neritii ducis;' Chaucer inserts Ulixes, i.e. Ulysses. The phrase is from Ovid: 'Dux quoque Neritius,' i.e. Ulysses; Fasti, iv. 69. Neritos was a mountain of Ithaca, the island of Ulysses. MS. C. reads Naricii, which accounts for the form Narice.

3. Circes, Circe, as in Ho. Fame, 1272; inserted by Chaucer.

7. that oon of hem: 'Hunc apri facies tegit.'—'One of them, his face is covered,' &c.

9. Marmorike: 'Marmaricus leo.' This refers to the country of Barca, on the N. African coast, to the W. of Egypt.

13. But al-be-it: 'Sed licet uariis modis Numen Arcadis alitis Obsitum miserans ducens Peste soluerit hospitis.' Arcas ales, the winged Arcadian, i.e. Mercury, because born on the Arcadian mountain Cyllene.

16. algates, at any rate; by this, already.

19. akornes of okes; this is not tautology, for an acorn was, originally, any fruit of the field, as the etymology (from acre) shews.

23. over-light, too light, too feeble: 'O leuem nimium manum, Nec potentia gramina, Membra quae ualeant licet, Corda uertere non ualent.'

32. for vyces: 'Dira, quae penitus meant, Nec nocentia corpori Mentis uulnere saeuiunt.'

Prose 4. 2. ne I ne see nat: 'nec iniuria dici uideo uitiosos, tametsi humani corporis speciem seruent, in belluas tamen animorum qualitate mutari.' Chaucer's 'as by right' should rather be 'as by wrong.' It means 'I do not see that it is wrongly said.'

4, 5. But I nolde, but I would rather that it were not so with regard to evil men: 'eis licere noluissem.'

18. to mowen don, to be able to do: 'potuisse.'

22. three, i.e. the triple misfortune of wishing to do evil, of being able to do it, and of doing it.

26. thilke unselinesse: 'hoc infortunio'; i.e. the ability to sin.

28. So shullen: 'Carebunt, inquit, ocius, quÀm uel tu forsitan uelis, uel illi sese existiment esse carituros.'

30. For ther: 'Neque enim est aliquid in tam breuibus uitae metis ita serum, quod exspectare longum immortalis praesertim animus putet.'

39. by the outtereste: 'eorum malitiam ... mors extrema finiret.'

42. ben perdurable, i.e. to exist eternally: 'infinitam liquet esse miseriam, quam constat esse aeternam.'

51. ther is not why, there is no reason why.

54. but of the thinges: 'sed ex his, quae sumpta sunt, aeque est necessarium.'

64. but I understande: 'sed alio quodam modo infeliciores esse improbos arbitror impunitos, tametsi nulla ratio correctionis, nullus respectus habeatur exempli.' Thus 'non ensaumple of lokinge' is wrong; it should rather be 'non lokinge of ensaumple,' i.e. no regard to the example thus set.

90. which defaute: 'quam iniquitatis merito malum esse confessus es.' Hence 'for the deserte of felonye' means 'when we consider what wickedness deserves.'

102. to leten, to leave: 'nullane animarum supplicia ... relinquis?'

132. briddes, i.e. owls. See Parl. Foules, 599.

142. right as thou: 'ueluti si uicibus sordidam humum caelumque respicias, cunctis extra cessantibus, ipsa cernendi ratione nunc coeno nunc sideribus interesse uidearis.'

153. Wrong. It should rather run: 'sholde we wene that we were blinde?' Lat. 'num uidentes eadem caecos putaremus?'

193. in al, altogether: 'tota,' sc. opera defensorum.

197, 8. at any clifte: 'aliqua rimula.'

sawen, if they should perceive: 'uiderent.'

200. right for: 'compensatione adipiscendae probitatis.' Hence for to geten hem means 'of obtaining for themselves.'

205. y-leten, left: 'nullus prorsus odio locus relinquatur.'

Metre 4. 1. What delyteth you, Why does it delight you? 'Quid tantos iuuat excitare motus?'

Lines 8-10 are put interrogatively in the Latin text.

9. and wilnen: 'Alternisque uolunt perire telis.'

10. But the resoun: 'Non est iusta satis saeuitiae ratio.'

Prose 5. 9. y-shad, shed, spread abroad: 'transfunditur.'

20. hepeth: 'Nunc stuporem meum Deus rector exaggerat.'

Metre 5. The Latin text begins thus:—

1. sterres of Arcture, the stars of the constellation Arcturus. Arcturus was (as here) another name for BoÖtes, though it properly meant the brightest star in that constellation. It is at no great distance from the north pole, and so appears to revolve round it. The passage, which is somewhat obscure, seems to refer to the manner of the rising and setting of BoÖtes; and the argument is, that a person ignorant of astronomy, must be puzzled to understand the laws that rule the motions of the sky.

3. the sterre, the constellation. Chaucer uses sterre in this sense in several passages; see Kn. Tale, A 2059, 2061, and the notes.

8. the fulle mone. This alludes to an eclipse of the moon, as appears from below.

9. infect: 'Infecta metis noctis opacae.'

confuse, confounded, overcome; the light of the moon disappears in a full eclipse, rendering the stars brighter.

11. The comune errour: 'Commouet gentes publicus error.' The people who do not understand an eclipse, are excited by it; they bring out basins, and beat them with a loud din, to frighten away the spirit that is preying on the moon. Chaucer calls them Corybantes, but these were the priests of Cybele. Still, they celebrated her rites to the sound of noisy music; and he may have been thinking of a passage in Ovid, Fasti, iv. 207-14. C. adds a gloss: 'i. vulgaris error, quo putatur luna incantari.'

12. thikke strokes, frequent strokes. The word resembles thilke in C., because lk is not unfrequently written for kk in the fifteenth century, to the confusion of some editors; see my paper on Ghost-words, in the Philol. Soc. Trans. 1886, p. 370.

18. by quakinge flodes: 'frementi ... fluctu.'

23. alle thinges: 'Cuncta, quae rara prouehit aetas.'

24. troubly errour: 'nubilus error.'

Prose 6. 9. laven it, to exhaust the subject: 'cui uix exhausti quidquam satis sit.' As to lave, see note to Bk. iii. Met. 12-16.

13. Ydre, Hydra; see note below to Met. 7. The form is due to hydrae (MS. hydre) in the Latin text.

Ne ther ... ende: 'nec ullus fuerit modus.' Manere is not the sense of modus here; it rather means ende or 'limit.'

14. but-yif: 'nisi quis eas uiuacissimo mentis igne coËrceat.'

24, 5. But althogh: 'QuÒd si te musici carminis oblectamenta delectant, hanc oportet paullisper differas uoluptatem, dum nexas sibi ordine contexo rationes.' This is said, because this 'Prose' is of unusual length. For sibi, another reading is tibi; hence Chaucer's 'weve to thee resouns.'

30. muable, mutable, changeable: 'mutabilium naturarum.' Cf. Kn. Tale, A 2994-3015.

33. in the tour: 'Haec in suae simplicitatis arce composita, multiplicem rebus gerendis modum statuit.'

48. but destinee: 'fatum uero singula digerit in motum, locis, formis, ac temporibus distributa.'

59. and ledeth: 'et quod simpliciter praesentarieque prospexit, per temporales ordines ducit.' Cf. Troilus, i. 1065-9.

67. by some sowle; glossed 'anima mundi.' This idea is from Plato, De Legibus, bk. x: ????? d? d??????sa? ?a? ???????sa? ?? ?pas? t??? p??t? ?????????? ?? ?? ?a? t?? ???a??? ?????? d????e?? f??a?; (896 D).

68. by the celestial, &c.; alluding to the old astrology.

81. a same centre; i.e. concentric circles, as on a target.

87. and yif ther be: 'si quid uero illi se medio connectat et societ, in simplicitatem cogitur, diffundique ac diffluere cessat.'

93. laus, loose; from Icel. lauss. Also spelt loos, los. it axeth: 'quantÒ illum rerum cardinem uicinius petit.' Thus it axeth is due to 'petit,' i.e. seeks, tends to.

97. Thanne right swich: 'Igitur uti est ad intellectum ratiocinatio; ad id quod est, id quod gignitur; ad aeternitatem tempus; ad puncti medium circulus: ita est fati series mobilis ad prouidentiae stabilem simplicitatem.'

108. whan they passen: 'cÙm ... proficiscantur.' Thus whan should rather be so as, i.e. whereas, because.

112. unable to ben ybowed: 'indeclinabilem caussarum ordinem promat.'

114. sholden fleten: 'res ... temerÈ fluituras.'

For which it is: 'Quo fit.'

116. natheles: 'nihilominus tamen suus modus ad bonum dirigens cuncta disponat.'

121. ne the ordre: 'ne dum ordo de summi boni cardine proficiscens, a suo quoquam deflectat exordio.' MS. C. has 'deflectatur.'

123. 'Quae uero, inquies, potest ulla iniquior esse confusio.' For 'iniquior,' MS. C. has the extraordinary reading 'inquiescior,' which Chaucer seems to have tried to translate.

138. Ne it ne is nat: 'Non enim dissimile est miraculum nescienti.'

145. hele of corages: 'animorum salus.'

148. lecher, i.e. leech-er, healer: 'medicator mentium Deus.'

151. leneth hem, gives them: 'quod conuenire nouit, accommodat.' Printed leueth in Dr. Furnivall's print of MS. C., but leneth in Morris's edition of MS. A. There is no doubt as to the right reading, because accommodare and lenen are both used in the sense 'to lend.'

154. for to constreine: 'ut pauca ... perstringam,' i.e. 'to touch lightly on a few things.' Chaucer has taken it too literally, but his paraphrase is nearly right.

157. right kepinge: 'aequi seruantissimum.'

159. my familer: 'familiaris noster Lucanus.' Alluding to the famous line:—'Victrix caussa deis placuit, sed uicta Catoni'; Pharsalia, i. 128.

168. with-holden, retain: 'retinere fortunam.'

176. by me, by my means, by my help: 'Nam ut quidam me quoque excellentior ait.' This looks like a slip on the part of Boethius himself, for the supposed speaker is Philosophy herself. The philosopher here alluded to still remains unknown. MS. C. has 'me quidem'; and 'me' is glossed by 'philosophus per me.'

177. in Grek. Some MSS. have: ??d??? ?e??? s?a d???e?? ????d???s?. There are various readings, but Chaucer had before him only the interpretation: 'Viri sacri corpus aedificauerunt uirtutes.' Such is the reading in MS. C.

179. taken, delivered, entrusted. 'Fit autem saepe, uti bonis summa rerum gerenda deferatur.'

182. remordeth: 'remordet,' i.e. plagues, troubles.

186. And other folk: 'Alii plus aequo metuunt, quod ferre possunt.'

201. of wikkede merite: 'eos male meritos omnes existimant.'

206. serven to shrewes: 'famulari saepe improbis.' I trowe: 'illud etiam dispensari credo.'

207, 8. overthrowinge to yvel: 'praeceps.'

209. egren him: 'eum ... exacerbare possit.'

219. shal be cause: 'ut exercitii bonis, et malis esset caussa supplicii.' Hence continuacion seems to mean 'endurance' or 'continuance.'

242. sin that: the original is in Greek, with (in MS. C.) the false gloss:—'fortissimus in mundo Deus omnia regit.' The Greek is—???a???? d? e ta?ta ?e?? ?? p??t' ????e?e??. From Homer, Il. xii. 176, with the change from ????e?sa? to ????e?e??.

247. with-holden, to retain, keep, maintain; 'retinere.'

253. ben outrageous or haboundant: 'abundare.' Hence outrageous is 'superfluous' or 'excessive.'

257. and whan: 'quo refectus, firmior in ulteriora contendas.'

Metre 6. 1. 'Si uis celsi iura tonantis Pura sollers cernere mente, Adspice summi culmina caeli'; &c.

5. cercle: 'Non Sol ... Gelidum Phoebes impedit axem.'

6. Ne the sterre: 'Nec quae summo uertice mundi Flectit rapidos Ursa meatus, Numquam occiduo lota profundo, Cetera cernens sidera mergi, Cupit Oceano tingere flammas.' Hence deyen is to dye, to dip.

10. Hesperus, the evening-star; Lucifer, the morning-star.

13. And thus: 'Sic aeternos reficit cursus Alternus amor; sic astrigeris Bellum discors exsulat oris. Haec concordia temperat aequis Elementa modis, ut pugnantia Vicibus cedant humida siccis'; &c.

20, 1. in the firste somer-sesoun warminge: 'uere tepenti.' This is not the only place where uer is translated somer-sesoun, a phrase used as applicable to May in P. Plowman, Prol. 1. Another name for 'spring' was Lent or Lenten.

24. and thilke: 'Eadem rapiens condit et aufert Obitu mergens orta supremo.'

29. And tho: 'Et quae motu concitat ire, Sistit retrahens, ac uaga firmat.'

31. For yif: 'Nam nisi rectos reuocans itus, Flexos iterum cogat in orbes, Quae nunc stabilis continet ordo, Dissepta suo fonte fatiscant.'

37. This is: 'Hic est cunctis communis amor Repetuntque boni fine teneri, Quia non aliter durare queunt, Nisi conuerso rursus amore Refluant caussae, quae dedit esse.'

Prose 7. 57. ne also it: 'ita uir sapiens molestÈ ferre non debet, quotiens in fortunae certamen adducitur.'

60. matere, material, source.

62. vertu. Boethius here derives uirtus from uires: 'quod suis uiribus nitens non superetur aduersis.'

64. Ne certes: 'Neque enim uos in prouectu positi uirtutis, diffluere deliciis, et emarcescere uoluptate uenistis; proelium cum omni fortuna nimis acre conseritis, ne uos aut tristis opprimat, aut iucunda corrumpat: firmis medium uiribus occupate.'

72. in your hand: 'In uestra enim situm est manu.'

Metre 7. 1. wreker, avenger; Attrides, Atrides, i.e. Agamemnon, son of Atreus. Chaucer derived the spelling Agamenon from a gloss in MS. C. Gower (C. A. ii. 344) has the same form.

2. recovered: 'Fratris amissos thalamos piauit.'

5. Menelaus, &c.; 'that was his brother Menelaus' wife.' The usual idiom; see note to Squieres Tale, E 209.

9. doughter, i.e. Iphigenia; Ovid, Met. xii. 27-38.

13. Itacus: 'Fleuit amissos Ithacus sodales.' The well-known story of Ulysses of Ithaca; from Homer, Od. ix.

15. empty; as if translating 'inani.' But the right reading is inmani (or immani); i.e. 'vast.' MS. C. 'inmani,' glossed 'magno.'

20. Hercules. See Monkes Tale, B 3285, and the notes. In the first note, this passage from Boethius is given at length.

21. Centaures, Centaurs; Hercules was present at the fight between the Centauri and Lapithae; Ovid, Met. xii. 541; ix. 191.

22. lyoun, the Nemean lion; Ovid, Met. ix. 197, 235; Her. ix. 61.

23. Arpyes, the Harpies; with reference to the destruction of the Stymphalian birds, who ate human flesh; Met. ix. 187. The gloss in the footnote—in the palude of lyrne (in the marsh of Lerna) is a mistake; it should refer to the Hydra mentioned below.

25. dragoun, the dragon in the garden of the Hesperides; Met. ix. 190. The 'golden metal' refers to the golden apples.

26. Cerberus; Ovid, Met. ix. 185.

27. unmeke, proud; see note to Monkes Tale, B 3293; and Ovid, Met. ix. 194-6. Note that hors (= horses) is plural.

29. Ydra, Hydra; Ovid, Met. ix. 192.

30. Achelous; see the story in Ovid, Met. ix. 1-97. Boethius imitates Ovid, l. 97, viz. 'Et lacerum cornu mediis caput abdidit undis.'

35. Antheus, Antaeus; Ovid, Met. ix. 184. For the story, see Lucan, Phars. iv. 590-660; Lucan refers to Lybia as the place of combat; l. 582.

36. Cacus; see the story in Ovid, Fasti, i. 543-86.

39. boor, the boar of Erymanthus; Ovid, Her. ix. 87. For scomes (lit. scums), Caxton and Thynne have vomes, for fomes (foams).

40. the whiche, 'which shoulders were fated to sustain (lit. thrust against) the high sphere of heaven.' Alluding to Hercules, when he took the place of Atlas.

45. nake, expose your unarmed backs (Lat. nudatis), like one who runs away. An unarmed man was usually said to be naked; as in Othello, v. 2. 258; 2 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 234; &c.