{a}t alle thinges tenden {and} hyen /
that thing moste ben the souereyn good of alle goodes / P /.
that thing moste ben the souereyn good of alle goodes / P /.
Chaucer - Boethius
// but q{uod} she
thilke thyng ? {a}t desiret? to be {and} to dwellyn p{er}durablely / he
desireth to ben oon // For yif ? {a}t that oon weer{e} destroied //
certes beinge ne shulde ther non dwellyn to no wiht // that is sot?
q{uod} I. // Thanne q{uod} she desirin alle thinges oon // . I. assente
q{uod} . I. // {and} I haue shewyd q{uod} she that thilke same oon is
thilke that is good // B // ye forsothe q{uod} I. // Alle thinges thanne
q{uod} she requyren good // And thilke good thanne [? ow] maist descryuen
ryht thus // Good is thilke thing ? {a}t euery wyht desireth // Ther ne
may be thowht q{uod} . I. no moor{e} verray thing / for either alle
thinges ben referred {and} browht to nowht / {and} floteryn w{i}t{h}
owte gou{er}nour despoiled of oon / as of hir propre heued / or elles
yif ther be any thinge / to which ?
{a}t alle thinges tenden {and} hyen /
that thing moste ben the souereyn good of alle goodes / P /. thanne
seyde she thus // O my norry q{uod} she I haue gret gladnesse of the //
For thow hast fichched in thin herte the myddel sothtfastnesse // that
is to seyn the prykke // but this thing hath ben descouered to the / in
that thow seydyst ? {a}t thow wystest nat a lytel her by-forn // what was
th{a}t q{uod} I. // That thow ne wystest nat q{uod} she whych was the
ende of thinges // and Certes that is the thing ? {a}t eu{er}y wiht
desireth // and for as mochel as we han gaderid / {and} co{m}p{re}hendyd
that good is thilke thing that is desired of alle / thanne moten we
nedes confessun / that good is the fyn of alle thinges.
QUISQUIS P{RO}FUNDA MENTE.
[Sidenote: [The . 11. Met{ru}m. ]]
++WHo so that sekith sot? by a deep thoght And coueyteth nat to ben
deseyuyd by no mys-weyes // lat hym rollen {and} trenden w{i}t{h} Inne
hym self / the Lyht of his inward syhte // And lat hym gader{e} ayein
enclynynge in to a compas the longe moeuynges of hys thowhtes / And lat
hym techen his corage that he hath enclosed {and} hyd / in his tresors /
al ? {a}t he compaseth or sekith fro w{i}t{h} owte // And thanne thilke
thing that the blake cloude of errour whilom hadde y-couered / shal
lyhten more clerly tha{n}ne pheb{us} hym self ne shyneth // Glosa // who
so wole seken the dep[e] grounde / of soth in his thowht / {and} wol nat
be deceyuyd by false p{ro}posiciou{n}s / that goon amys fro the trouthe
// lat hym wel examine / {and} rolle w{i}t{h} inne hym self the natur{e}
{and} the p{ro}pretes of the thing // and lat hym yit eft sones examine
{and} rollen his thowhtes by good deliberaciou{n} or that he deme // and
lat hym techen his sowle that it hat by naturel pryncyplis kyndeliche
y-hyd w{i}t{h} in it self alle the trowthe the whiche he ymagynith to
ben in thinges w{i}t{h} owte // And thanne alle the dyrknesse of his
mysknowynge shal seen more euydently to [? e] syhte of his vndyrstondynge
thanne the sonne ne semyth to [? e] syhte w{i}t{h} owte forth / For
certes the body bryngynge the weyhte of foryetynge / ne hath nat chasyd
owt of yowr{e} thowhte al the clernesse of yowre knowyng // For
certeynly the seed of sooth haldith {and} clyueth w{i}t{h} in yowr{e}
corage / {and} it is a-waked {and} excited by the wynde {and} by the
blastes of doctryne // For wher{e} for elles demen ye of yowr{e} owne
wyl the ryhtes whan ye ben axed // but yif so wer{e} ? {a}t the
noryssynges of resou{n} ne lyuede . I.
thilke thyng ? {a}t desiret? to be {and} to dwellyn p{er}durablely / he
desireth to ben oon // For yif ? {a}t that oon weer{e} destroied //
certes beinge ne shulde ther non dwellyn to no wiht // that is sot?
q{uod} I. // Thanne q{uod} she desirin alle thinges oon // . I. assente
q{uod} . I. // {and} I haue shewyd q{uod} she that thilke same oon is
thilke that is good // B // ye forsothe q{uod} I. // Alle thinges thanne
q{uod} she requyren good // And thilke good thanne [? ow] maist descryuen
ryht thus // Good is thilke thing ? {a}t euery wyht desireth // Ther ne
may be thowht q{uod} . I. no moor{e} verray thing / for either alle
thinges ben referred {and} browht to nowht / {and} floteryn w{i}t{h}
owte gou{er}nour despoiled of oon / as of hir propre heued / or elles
yif ther be any thinge / to which ?
{a}t alle thinges tenden {and} hyen /
that thing moste ben the souereyn good of alle goodes / P /. thanne
seyde she thus // O my norry q{uod} she I haue gret gladnesse of the //
For thow hast fichched in thin herte the myddel sothtfastnesse // that
is to seyn the prykke // but this thing hath ben descouered to the / in
that thow seydyst ? {a}t thow wystest nat a lytel her by-forn // what was
th{a}t q{uod} I. // That thow ne wystest nat q{uod} she whych was the
ende of thinges // and Certes that is the thing ? {a}t eu{er}y wiht
desireth // and for as mochel as we han gaderid / {and} co{m}p{re}hendyd
that good is thilke thing that is desired of alle / thanne moten we
nedes confessun / that good is the fyn of alle thinges.
QUISQUIS P{RO}FUNDA MENTE.
[Sidenote: [The . 11. Met{ru}m. ]]
++WHo so that sekith sot? by a deep thoght And coueyteth nat to ben
deseyuyd by no mys-weyes // lat hym rollen {and} trenden w{i}t{h} Inne
hym self / the Lyht of his inward syhte // And lat hym gader{e} ayein
enclynynge in to a compas the longe moeuynges of hys thowhtes / And lat
hym techen his corage that he hath enclosed {and} hyd / in his tresors /
al ? {a}t he compaseth or sekith fro w{i}t{h} owte // And thanne thilke
thing that the blake cloude of errour whilom hadde y-couered / shal
lyhten more clerly tha{n}ne pheb{us} hym self ne shyneth // Glosa // who
so wole seken the dep[e] grounde / of soth in his thowht / {and} wol nat
be deceyuyd by false p{ro}posiciou{n}s / that goon amys fro the trouthe
// lat hym wel examine / {and} rolle w{i}t{h} inne hym self the natur{e}
{and} the p{ro}pretes of the thing // and lat hym yit eft sones examine
{and} rollen his thowhtes by good deliberaciou{n} or that he deme // and
lat hym techen his sowle that it hat by naturel pryncyplis kyndeliche
y-hyd w{i}t{h} in it self alle the trowthe the whiche he ymagynith to
ben in thinges w{i}t{h} owte // And thanne alle the dyrknesse of his
mysknowynge shal seen more euydently to [? e] syhte of his vndyrstondynge
thanne the sonne ne semyth to [? e] syhte w{i}t{h} owte forth / For
certes the body bryngynge the weyhte of foryetynge / ne hath nat chasyd
owt of yowr{e} thowhte al the clernesse of yowre knowyng // For
certeynly the seed of sooth haldith {and} clyueth w{i}t{h} in yowr{e}
corage / {and} it is a-waked {and} excited by the wynde {and} by the
blastes of doctryne // For wher{e} for elles demen ye of yowr{e} owne
wyl the ryhtes whan ye ben axed // but yif so wer{e} ? {a}t the
noryssynges of resou{n} ne lyuede . I.
