Part 10

1 Postea paulisper[C-2] conticuit. 2 Hec cum superba. 3 Uellem autem pauca. 4 Si quantas rapidis. 5 His igitur si {et} pro se. 6 Cum primo polo. 7 Tunc ego uera inq{ua}m. 8 Contraq{ue}. 9 Quisq{ui}s ualet p{er}hennem cantus. 10 Set cum racionu{m} iam in te. 11 Felix i{n} miru{m} iam prior etas. 12 Quid au{tem} de dignitatib{us}. 13 Nouim{us} quantos dederat. 14 Tu{m} ego scis inq{ua}m. 15 Quicu{n}q{ue} solam mente. 16 Set ne me inexorabile. 17 Q{uo}d mu{n}dus stabile fide.

EXPLICIT LIBER S{E}C{UN}DUS.

LIBER TERCIUS.

1 Iam tantu{m} illa. 2 Qui serere ingeniu{m}. 3 Tunc defixo paululu{m}. 4 Quantas reru{m} flectat. 5 Uos quoq{ue} terrena a{n}i{m}alia. 6 Qua{m}uis fluenter diues. 7 Set dignitatib{us}. 8 Qua{m}uis se tirio. 9 An uero regna. 10 Qui se ualet esse potentem. 11 Gloria uero q{uam} fallax. 12 Omne hominu{m} genus in terris. 13 Quid au{tem} de corporib{us}. 14 Habet hoc uoluptas. 15 Nichil igit{ur} dubiu{m} est. 16 Heu q{ue} miseros tramite. 17 Hacten{us} me{n}dacio forma{m}. 18 O qui p{er}petua. 19 Q{uonia}m igit{ur} qui scit. 20 Nunc omnes pariter. 21 Assencior inq{ua}m cuncta. 22 Quisq{ue} profunda. 23 Tunc ego platoni inq{ua}m. 24 Felix qui poterit.

EXPLICIT LIBER T{ER}CIUS.

LIBER QUARTUS.

1 Hec cum philosophia. 2 Sunt eteni{m} penne. 3 Tunc ego pape inq{uam}. 4 Quos uides sedere celsos. 5 Uides ne igitur quanto. 6 Ula naricij ducis. 7 Tunc ego fateor inq{ua}m. 8 Quid tantos iuuat. 9 Huic ego uideo inq{ua}m. 10 Si quis arcturi[C-3] sydera. 11 Ita est inq{ua}m. 12 Si uis celsi iura. 13 Iam ne igit{ur} uides. 14 Bella bis quinis.

EXPLICIT LIBER QUARTUS.

INCIPIT LIBER QUINTUS.

1 Dixerat orac{i}onis q{ue} cursu{m}. 2 Rupis achemenie. 3 Animaduerto inq{ua}m. 4 Puro claru{m} lumine. 5 Tamen ego en inq{ua}m. 6 Que nam discors. 7 Tamen illa uetus. 8 Quonda{m} porticus attulit. 9 Quod si i{n} corporib{us}. 10 Qua{m} uarijs figuris. 11 Quonia{m} igit{ur} uti paulo ante.

EXPLICIT LIBER QUI{N}TUS {ET} ULTIMUS.

*LIBER PRIMUS.

INCIPIT LIBER BOICII DE CO{N}SOLAC{I}O{N}E PHILOSOPHIE.

Car{m}i{n}a qui q{u}onda{m} studio flore{n}te p{er}egi.

++Allas I wepyng am constreined to bygynne vers of sorouful matere. ¶ Þat whilom in florysching studie made delitable ditees. For loo rendyng muses of poetes enditen to me þinges to be writen. and drery 4 v{er}s of wrecchednes weten my face wiþ v{er}ray teers. ¶ At þe leest no drede ne myȝt ouer-come þo muses. þat þei ne were{n} felawes {and} folweden my wey. þat is to seyne when I was exiled.

þei þat weren glorie of 8 my youȝth whilom weleful {and} grene co{n}forten now þe sorouful werdes of me olde man.

for elde is comen vnwarly vpon me hasted by þe harmes þat I haue. {and} sorou haþ comau{n}ded his age to be in me. ¶ Heeres 12 hore ben schad ouertymelyche vpon myne heued. and þe slak skyn trembleþ vpon myn emty body.

þilk deeþ of men is welful þat ne comeþ not in ȝeres þat ben swete (.i. mirie.) but comeþ to wrecches often 16 yclepid.

¶ Allas allas wiþ how deef an eere deeþ cruel to{ur}neþ awey fro wrecches {and} naieþ to closen wepyng eyen.

¶ While fortune vnfeiþful fauored me 20 wiþ lyȝte goodes (.s. temp{or}els.) þe sorouful houre þat is to seyne þe deeþ had almost dreynt myne heued. ¶ But now for fortune clowdy haþ chaunged hir disceyuable chere to me warde. myn vnpitouse lijf draweþ 24 a long vnagreable dwellynges in me.

¶ O ȝe my frendes what or wherto auaunted ȝe me to be weleful: [[pg 5]] for he þat haþ fallen stood not i{n} stedfast degree.

HIC DUM MECUM TACITUS.

++IN þe mene while þat I stille recorded þise þinges 28 wiþ my self. {and} markede my wepli compleynte wiþ office of poyntel. I saw stondyng aboue þe heyȝt of my heued a woman of ful greet reuerence by semblaunt hir eyen brennyng {and} clere seing ouer þe comune 32 myȝt of men. wiþ a lijfly colo{ur} {and} wiþ swiche vigoure {and} strenkeþ þat it ne myȝt not be emptid. ¶ Al were it so þat sche was ful of so greet age. þat men ne wolde not trowe i{n} no manere þat sche were of oure 36 elde.

þe stature of hir was of a doutous iugement. for su{m}tyme sche constreyned {and} schronk hir selue{n} lyche to þe comune mesure of men. {and} su{m}tyme it semed þat sche touched þe heuene wiþ þe heyȝte 40 of hir heued. and when sche hef hir heued heyer sche p{er}ced þe selue heuene. so þat þe syȝt of men lokyng was i{n} ydel.

¶ Hir cloþes weren maked of ryȝt delye þredes {and} subtil crafte of p{er}durable matere. þe wyche 44 cloþes sche hadde wouen wiþ hir owen hondes: as I knew wel aftir by hir selfe. declaryng {and} schewyng to me þe beaute. þe wiche cloþes a derkenes of a forleten and dispised elde had duskid {and} dirkid as 48 it is wo{n}t to dirken by-smoked ymages.

¶ In þe neþerest hem or bordure of þese cloþes me{n} redden [[pg 6]] ywouen in swiche a gregkysche .P. þat signifieþ þe lijf actif. And abouen þ{a}t l{ett}re in þe heyȝest bordure 52 a grekysche T. þat signifieþ þe lijf contemplatif.

¶ And by-twene þese two l{ett}res þere weren seien degrees nobly wrouȝt in manere of laddres. By wyche degrees men myȝt clymbe fro þe neþemast l{ett}re 56 to þe ouermast.

¶ Naþeles hondes of su{m} men hadde korue þ{a}t cloþe by vyolence {and} by strenkeþ. ¶ And eueryche man of hem hadde born away syche peces as he myȝte geet.