The Consolation of Philosophy

by Boethius

I that with youthful heat did verses write, Must now my woes in doleful tunes indite. My work is framed by Muses torn and rude, And my sad cheeks are with true tears bedewed: For these alone no terror could affray From being partners of my weary way. The art that was my young life’s joy and glory Becomes my solace now I’m old and sorry; Sorrow has filched my youth from me, the thief!

My days are numbered not by time but Grief.{1} Untimely hoary hairs cover my head,

sometime she seemed to touch the heavens with her head, and if she lifted it up to the highest, she pierced the very heavens, so that she could not be seen by the beholders;

she had woven with her own hands.

In the lower part of them was placed the Greek letter Π, and in the upper Θ,{2} and betwixt the two letters, in the manner of stairs, there were certain degrees made, by which there was a passage from the lower to the higher letter: this her garment had been cut by the violence of some, who had taken away such pieces as they could get. In her right hand she had certain books, and in her left hand she held a sceptre.

Rather get you gone, you Sirens pleasant even to destruction, and leave him to my Muses to be cured and healed.”

Then she coming nigher, sat down at my bed’s feet, and beholding my countenance sad with mourning, and cast upon the ground with grief, complained of the perturbation of my mind with these verses.

“But it is rather time,” saith she, “to apply remedies, than to make complaints.”

we had given thee such weapons as, if thou hadst not cast them away, would have made thee invincible.

says Lady Philosophy

I had rather it were shamefastness, but I perceive thou art become insensible.”

“There is no danger; he is in a lethargy, the common disease of deceived minds; he hath a little forgot himself, but he will easily remember himself again, if he be brought to know us first.

For the restoring of the day, Phoebus with fresh and sudden beams doth rise, Striking with light our wondering eyes.

I beheld my nurse Philosophy, in whose house I had remained from my youth, and I said: “O Mistress of all virtues, for what cause art thou come from heaven into this our solitary banishment?

Philosophy never thought it lawful to forsake the innocent in his trouble. Should I fear any accusations, as though this were any new matter? For dost thou think that this is the first time that Wisdom hath been exposed to danger by wicked men? Have we not in ancient times before our Plato’s age had oftentimes great conflicts with the rashness of folly? And while he lived, had not his master Socrates the victory of an unjust death in my presence, whose inheritance, when afterward the mob of Epicures, Stoics, and others (every one for his own sect) endeavoured to usurp, and as it were in part of their prey, sought to draw me to them, exclaiming and striving against them; they tore the garment which I had woven with my own hands, and having gotten some little pieces of it, thinking me to be wholly in their possession, departed. Some of whom, because certain signs of my apparel appeared upon them, were rashly supposed to be my familiar friends, and condemned accordingly through the error of the profane multitude.

And if at any time they assail us with great force, our captain retireth her band into a castle,{6} leaving them occupied in sacking unprofitable baggage. And from above we laugh them to scorn for seeking so greedily after most vile things, being safe from all their furious assault, and fortified with that defence which aspiring folly cannot prevail against.

If thou expectest to be cured, thou must discover thy wound.”

Plato: That commonwealths should be happy, if either the students of wisdom did govern them, or those which were appointed to govern them would give themselves to the study of wisdom.{9}

for the love I bear to justice I left myself no way by the means of courtiers to be safe.

folly, always deceiving herself, cannot change the deserts of things,

For the desire of doing evil may be attributed to our weakness, but that in the sight of God the wicked should be able to compass whatsoever they contrive against the innocent, is altogether monstrous.

the secret of a good conscience is in some sort diminished when by declaring what he hath done a man receiveth the reward of fame.

the last burden of adversity is that when they which are in misery are accused of any crime, they are thought to deserve whatsoever they suffer.

None from Thy laws are free, Nor can forsake their place ordained by Thee.

if thou rememberest of what country thou art, it is not governed as Athens was wont to be, by the multitude, but ‘one is its ruler, one its king,’{16} who desires to have abundance of citizens, and not to have them driven away. To be governed by whose authority, and to be subject to her laws, is the greatest freedom that can be.

Art thou ignorant of that most ancient law of thy city, by which it is decreed that he may not be banished that hath made choice of it for his dwelling-place;{17} for he that is within her fort or hold need not fear lest he deserve to be banished?

But whosoever ceaseth to desire to dwell in it, ceaseth likewise to deser...

In the end of thy bitter verse, thou desiredst that the earth might be governed by that peace which heaven enjoyeth. But because thou art turmoiled with the multitude of affections, grief and anger drawing thee to divers parts, in the plight thou art now, the more forcible remedies cannot be applied unto thee; wherefore, for a while, we will use the more easy,

perhaps the greatest, cause of thy sickness: thou hast forgotten what thou art.

Wherefore I have fully found out both the manner of thy disease and the means of thy recovery; for the confusion which thou art in, by the forgetfulness of thyself, is the cause why thou art so much grieved at thy exile and the loss of thy goods.

because thou art ignorant what is the end of things, thou thinkest that lewd and wicked ...

because thou hast forgotten by what means the world is governed, thou imaginest that these alternations of fortune do fall out without any guide, sufficient causes n...

We have the greatest nourisher of thy health, the true opinion of the government of the world, in that thou believest that it is not subject to the events of chance, but to divine reason. Wherefore fear nothing; ou...

it is manifest that the nature of minds is such that as often as they cast away true opinions th...

having removed the obscurity of deceitful affections, thou mayest behold the splendour of true light.

thou languishest with the affection of thy former fortune, and the change of that alone, as thou imaginest, hath overthrown so much of thy mind. I know the manifold illusions of that monster, exercising most alluring familiarity with them whom she meaneth to deceive,

But it is time for thee to take and taste some gentle and pleasant thing which being received may prepare thee for stronger potions. Wherefore let us use the sweetness of Rhetoric’s persuasions, which then only is well employed when it forsaketh not our ordinances; and with this, let Music, a little slave belonging to our house, chant sometime lighter and sometime sadder notes.

If thou thinkest that fortune hath altered her manner of proceeding toward thee, thou art in an error. This was alway her fashion; this is her nature.

Thou hast discovered the doubtful looks of this blind goddess.

If thou detestest her treachery, despise and cast her off, with her pernicious flattery.

For she hath forsaken thee, of whom no man can be secure.

And if she can neither be kept at our will, and maketh them miserable whom she at last leaveth, what else is fickle fortune but a token of future calamity?

For it is not sufficient to behold that which we have before our eyes; wisdom pondereth the event of things, and this mutability on both sides maketh the threats of fortune not to be feared, nor her flatterings to be desired.

Thou hast yielded thyself to fortune’s sway; thou must be content with the conditions of thy mistress.

if it beginneth to stay, it ceaseth to be fortune.

The pride of fickle fortune spareth none,

Thus doth she play, to make her power more known, Showing her slaves a marvel, when man’s state Is in one hour both downcast and fortunate.

Riches, honours, and the rest of that sort belong to me. They acknowledge me for their mistress, and themselves for my servants, they come with me, and when I go away they likewise depart.

I turn about my wheel with speed, and take a pleasure to turn things upside down.

He is not rich that fears and grieves,

pleasant rhetoric and music, delight only so long as they are heard.