Part 2

For, indeed, the echoes of Boethius, Boethius, rang out loud from every corner of European Literature. An Alfred awoke them in England, a Chaucer, a Caxton would not let them die; an Elizabeth revived them among the glorious music of her reign.[I-1] To us, though far off, they come with a sweet sound. ‘The angelic’ Thomas Aquinas commented on him, and many others followed the saint’s steps. Dante read him, though, strange to say, he speaks of the Consolation as ‘a book not known by many.’[I-2] Belgium had her translations--both Flemish[I-3] and French[I-4]; Germany hers,[I-5] France hers,[I-6] Italy hers.[I-7] The Latin editors are too numerous to be catalogued here, and manuscripts abound in all our great libraries.

No philosopher was so bone of the bone and flesh of the flesh of Middle-age writers as Boethius. Take up what writer you will, and you find not only the sentiments, but the very words of the distinguished old Roman. And surely we who read him in Chaucer’s tongue, will not refuse to say that his full-circling meed of glory was other than deserved. Nor can we marvel that at the end of our great poet’s life, he was glad that he had swelled the chorus of Boethius’ praise; and ‘of the translacioun of Boece de Consolacioun,’ thanked ‘oure Lord Ihesu Crist and his moder, and alle the seintes in heuen.’

The impression made by Boethius on Chaucer was evidently very deep. Not only did he translate him directly, as in the present work, but he read his beloved original over and over again, as witness the following list, incomplete of course, of passages from Chaucer’s poems translated more or less literally from the De Consolatione:

I. LOVE.

Wost thou nat wel the olde clerkes sawe, That who schal yeve a lover eny lawe, Love is a grettere lawe, by my pan, Then may be yeve to (of) eny erthly man?

(Knightes Tale, Aldine Series, vol. ii. p. 36, 37.)

But what is he þat may ȝeue a lawe to loueres. loue is a gretter lawe and a strengere to hym self þan any lawe þat men may ȝeuen.

(Chaucer’s Prose Translation, p. 108.)

Quis legem det amantibus? Major lex amor est sibi.

(Boeth., lib. iii. met. 12.)

II. A DRUNKEN MAN.

A dronke man wot wel he hath an hous, But he not[I-8] which the righte wey is thider.

(Knightes Tale, vol. ii. p. 39.)

Ryȝt as a dronke man not nat[I-9] by whiche paþe he may retourne home to hys house.

(Chaucer’s Trans., p. 67.)

Sed velut ebrius, domum quo tramite revertatur, ignorat.

(Boeth., lib. iii. pr. 2.)

III. THE CHAIN OF LOVE.

The firste moevere of the cause above, Whan he first made the fayre cheyne of love, Gret was theffect, and heigh was his entente; Wel wist he why, and what therof he mente; For with that faire cheyne of love he bond The fyr, the watir, the eyr, and eek the lond In certeyn boundes, that they may not flee.

(Knightes Tale, p. 92.)

That þe world with stable feith / varieth acordable chaungynges // þat the contraryos qualite of elementȝ holden amonge hem self aliaunce perdurable / þat phebus the sonne with his goldene chariet / bryngeth forth the rosene day / þat the mone hath commaundement ouer the nyhtes // whiche nyhtes hesperus the eue sterre hat browt // þat þe se gredy to flowen constreyneth with a certeyn ende hise floodes / so þat it is nat lueful to strechche hise brode termes or bowndes vp-on the erthes // þat is to seyn to couere alle the erthe // Al this a-cordaunce of thinges is bownden with looue / þat gouerneth erthe and see / and hath also commaundementȝ to the heuenes / and yif this looue slakede the brydelis / alle thinges þat now louen hem to-gederes / wolden maken a batayle contynuely and stryuen to fordoon the fasoun of this worlde / the which they now leden in acordable feith by fayre moeuynges // this looue halt to-gideres poeples / ioygned with an hooly bond / and knytteth sacrement of maryages of chaste looues // And loue enditeth lawes to trewe felawes // O weleful weere mankynde / yif thilke loue þat gouerneth heuene gouerned yowre corages /.

(Chaucer’s Boethius, bk. ii. met. 8.)

Quod mundus stabili fide Concordes variat vices, Quod pugnantia semina Fœdus perpetuum tenent, Quod Phœbus roseum diem Curru provehit aureo, Ut quas duxerit Hesperus Phœbe noctibus imperet, Ut fluctus avidum mare Certo fine coerceat, Ne terris liceat vagis Latos tundere terminos; Hanc rerum seriem ligat, Terras ac pelagus regens, Et cœlo imperitans amor. Hic si fræna remiserit, Quicquid nunc amat invicem, Bellum continuo geret: Et quam nunc socia fide Pulcris motibus incitant, Certent solvere machinam. Hic sancto populos quoque Junctos fœdere continet, Hic et conjugii sacrum Castis nectit amoribus, Hic fidis etiam sua Dictat jura sodalibus. O felix hominum genus, Si vestros animos amor, Quo cælum regitur, regat.

(Boeth., lib. ii. met. 8.)

Love, that of erth and se hath governaunce! Love, that his hestes hath in hevene hye! Love, that with an holsom alliaunce Halt peples joyned, as hym liste hem gye! Love, that knetteth law and compaignye, And couples doth in vertu for to dwelle!

(Troylus & Cryseyde, st. 243, vol. iv. p. 296.)

That, that the world with faith, which that is stable Dyverseth so, his stoundes concordynge;-- That elementz, that ben so discordable, Holden a bond, perpetualy durynge;-- That Phebus mot his rosy carte forth brynge, And that the mone hath lordschip overe the nyghte;-- Al this doth Love, ay heryed be his myght!

That, that the se, that gredy is to flowen, Constreyneth to a certeyn ende so Hise flodes, that so fiersly they ne growen To drenchen erth and alle for everemo; And if that Love aught lete his brydel go, Al that now loveth asonder sholde lepe, And lost were al that Love halt now to kepe.