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?
Chaucer - Boethius
T. 1609; H. Conningesbye, 1664; Lord Preston,
1695, 1712; W. Causton, 1730; Redpath, 1785; R. Duncan, 1789;
anon. 1792 (Lowndes).]
[Footnote I-2: Dante, in his _Convito_, says, "Misimi a legger
quello _non conosciuto da molti_ libro di Boezio, nel quale
captivo e discacciato consolato s'avea."]
[Footnote I-3: Printed at Ghent, 1485.]
[Footnote I-4: By Reynier de Seinct Trudon, printed at Bruges,
1477.]
[Footnote I-5: An old version of the 11th cent., printed by Graff,
and a modern one printed at Nuremberg, 1473.]
[Footnote I-6: By Jean de Meung, printed at Paris, 1494.]
[Footnote I-7: By Varchi, printed at Florence, 1551; Parma, 1798.]
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 ?at may ?eue a lawe to loueres. loue is a gretter
lawe and a strengere to hym self ?an any lawe ?at men may ?euen.
(_Chaucer's Prose Translation_, p. 108.)
_Quis legem det amantibus?
Major lex amor est sibi.
