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Boethius on Fame - Old English Aerobics\nThe Consolation of Philosophy of Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (d. ca. 525) had several extraordinary English translators during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, when it was a standard school text and arguably the most influential philosophical work: King Alfred the Great, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Queen Elizabeth I. Alfred’s translation is one of several that he undertook as part of his programme of educational reform (see ‘King Alfred’s Preface to Gregory’s Pastoral Care’). By the time he translated Boethius, Alfred had sufficient confidence in his powers as a writer (which were considerable) that he felt free to alter his original in various ways, revising, interpreting, and adding his own reflections. The present selection is an excellent example of Alfred’s treatment of Boethius, combining material from Boethius with his own reflections on kingship. You may wish to consult either the Latin text or one of the numerous available translations to spot the passages that he added or altered.\nBoethius wrote the Consolation in alternating sections of prose and poetry. Two versions of King Alfred’s translation survive (see textual note), one of which renders the poetic passages (the ‘metres’) as prose, while the other renders them as alliterative verse. Alfred is clearly responsible for the prose translation, and the verse is based on the prose rather than on the original Latin text. There is disagreement among scholars as to whether the verse translation is by Alfred. Here we print the verse rather than the prose metre.\nAlfred renders the allegorical figure Philosophia as Wīsdōm ‘Wisdom’ or Ġesceādwīsnes ‘Reason’; the figure which in the source is understood to be Boethius himself is here allegorized as Mōd ‘Mind’. The present selection, corresponding to Book II, Prose vii and Metre vii of the source, follows the discourse of Philosophia/Wīsdōm on temporal power, which closes with a metre on the disastrous reign of Nero.\nThe standard edition of King Alfred’s Boethius is Godden and Irvine 2009; the metres have been edited separately in Krapp and Dobbie 1931, vol. 5, and, with commentary and glossary, in Griffiths 1994.\n Ðā se Wīsdōm ðā þis lēoð āsungen hæfde, ðā ġesūgode hē, ond þā andswarode þæt Mōd ond þus cwæð:  'Ēalā, Ġesceādwīsnes, hwæt, þū wāst þæt mē nǣfre sēo ġītsung ond sēo ġemǣġð þisses eorðlican anwealdes forwel ne līcode, ne iċ ealles forswīðe ne ġirnde þisses eorðlican rīċes, būton tōla iċ wilnode þēah ond andweorces tō þām weorce þe mē beboden was tō wyrċanne, þæt was þæt iċ unfracoðlīċe ond ġerisenlīċe meahte stēoran ond reċċan þone anwald þe mē befæst wæs.  Hwæt, þū wāst þæt nān mon ne mæġ nǣnne cræft cȳðan ne nǣnne anweald reċċan ne stīoran būtan tōlum ond andweorce; þæt bið ǣlċes cræftes andweorc þæt mon þone cræft būton wyrċan ne mæġ.  Þæt bið þonne cyninges andweorc ond his tōl mid tō rīcsianne þæt hē hæbbe his lond full monnad: hē sceal habban ġebedmen ond ferdmen ond weorcmen.  Hwæt, þū wāst þætte būtan þissum tōlum nān cyning his cræft ne mæġ cȳðan.  Þæt is ēac his ondweorc þæt hē habban sceal tō ðǣm tōlum, þām þrim ġefērscipum, bīwiste.  Þæt is þonne heora bīwist: land tō būgianne ond ġifa ond wǣpnu ond mete ond ealu ond clāþas ond ġehwæt þæs ðe þā þrē ġefērscipas behōfiġen.  Ne mæġ hē būtan þisum þās tōl ġehealdan ne būton þisum tōlum nān þāra þinga wyrċan þe him beboden is tō wyrċenne.\n 'For þȳ iċ wilnode andweorces þone anweald mid tō reċċenne, þæt mīne cræftas ond anweald ne wurden forġitene ond forholene, for þām ǣlċ cræft ond ǣlċ anweald bið sōna forealdod ond forsugod ġif hē bið būton wīsdōme.  For ðǣm ne mæġ nōn mon nǣnne cræft bringan būton wīsdōme, for ðǣm þe swā hwæt swā þurh dysiġ ġedōn bið, ne mæġ hit mon nǣfre tō cræfte ġerēċċan.  Þæt is nū hraðost tō secganne þæt iċ wilnode weorðfullīċe tō libbanne þā hwīle þe iċ lifde, ond æfter mīnum līfe þǣm monnum tō lǣfanne þe æfter mē wǣren mīn ġemyndiġ on gōdum weorcum.'\n Ðā ðis þā ġesprecen was, þā ġesūgode þæt Mōd, ond sēo Ġesceādwīsnes ongon sprecan ond þus cwæþ:  'Ēalā, Mōd, ēalā, ān yfel is swīðe swīðe tō anscunianne: þæt is þæt þætte swīðe singallīċe ond swīðe hefiġlīċe beswīcð ealra þāra monna mōd þe bēoð on heora ġecynde ġecorene, ond þēah ne bēoð tō þām hrōfe þonne ġīt cumen fulfremedra mæġena; þæt is þonne wilnung lēases ġilpes ond unryhtes anwealdes ond unġemetliċes hlīsan gōdra weorca ofer eall folc.  For þon wilnigað moniġe woruldmen anwealdes þē hīe woldon habban gōdne hlīsan, þēah hī his unwyrðe sīen; ġe furðum se ealra forcūþesta wilnað þæs ilcan.  Ac se þe wile wīslīċe ond ġeornlīċe æfter þām hlīsan spyrian, þonne onġit hē swīðe hræðe hū lȳtel hē bið, ond hū lǣne, ond hū tēdre, ond hū bedǣled ǣlċes gōdes.\n Ġif þū nū ġeornlīċe smēaġan wilt ond witan wilt ymb ealre þisse eorðan ymbhwyrft from ēasteweardum ðisses middanġeardes oð westeweardne, ond from sūðeweardum oð norðeweardne, swā swā þū liornodest on þǣre bēċ þe Astralogium hātte, ðonne meaht þū onġetan þæt hē is eal wið þone heofon tō metanne swilċe ān lȳtlu price on brādum brede, oðþe rondbēag on scelde, æfter wīsra monna dōme.  Hū ne wāst þū þæt ðū leornodest on Ptolomeus bōcum, se tōwrāt ealles þises middanġeardes ġemet on ānre bēċ?  Þǣr þū meaht on ġesēon þæt eall moncynn ond ealle nētenu ne notiġað furðum nāwer nēah fēorðan dǣles þisse eorðan, ðæs þe men ġefaran magan, for þǣm þe hȳ hit ne magon eall ġebūgian, sum for hǣte, sum for ċile; ond þone mǣstan dǣl his hæfð sǣ oferseten.  Dō nū of ðām fēorðan dǣle an þīnum mōde eall þæt sēo sǣ his ofseten hæfð, ond eal þā sceard þe hīo him on ġenumen hæfð, ond eall þæt his fennas ond mōras ġenumen habbað, ond eall þæt on eallum þīodum wēstes liġeð.  Þonne meaht þū onġitan þætte þæs ealles nis monnum þonne māre lǣfed tō būgianne, būton swelċe ōn lȳtel cafertūn.  Is þæt þonne fordysliċ ġeswinc þæt ġē winnað ēowre worulde tō ðon þæt ġē wilniað ēowerne hlīsan unġemetlīċe tō brǣdanne ofer swelċne cafertūn swelċe þæt is ðætte men būgiað þisse worulde -- ful nēah swilċe ān price for þæt ōðer.  Ac hwæt rūmedliċes oððe miċelliċes oððe weorðfulliċes hæfð se ēower ġilp þe ġē þǣr būgiað on þām fīftan dǣle healfum londes ond unlondes, mid sǣ, mid fænne, mid ealle, swā hit is ġenerwed.  Tō hwon wilniġe ġē þonne tō unġemetlīċe þæt ġē ēowerne naman tōbrǣden ofer þone tēoðan dǣl, nū his māre nis mid sǣ, mid fænne, mid ealle?\n Ġeðenċað ēac þæt on ðisum lȳtlan pearroce þe wē ǣr ymb sprǣcon būgiað swīðe manega þēoda ond swīðe mislica ond swīðe unġelica, ǣġþer ġe on sprǣċe ġe on þēawum ġe on eallum sidum ealra þāra þēoda þe ġē nū wilniað swīðe unġemetlīċe þæt ġē scylen ēowerne naman ofer tōbrǣdan.  Þæt ġē nǣfre ġedōn ne magon, for ðon hiora sprǣċ is tōdǣled on twā ond on hundseofontiġ, ond ǣlċ þāra sprǣċa is tōdǣled on manega þīoda, ond þā sint tōleġena ond tōdǣlda mid sǣ ond mid wudum ond mid muntum ond mid fennum ond mid manegum ond mid mislicum wēstenum ond unġefērum londum, þæt hit furðum ċēpemen ne ġefarað.  Ac hū mag ðǣr þonne synderlīċe ānes rīċes monnes nama cuman, þonne þǣr mon furðum þǣre burge naman ne ġehērð ne þǣre þēode þe hē on hāmfæst bið?  Þȳ iċ nāt hwelċe dysiġe ġē ġirnað þæt ġē woldon ēowerne naman tōbrǣdan ġeond ealle eorþan; þæt ġē nǣfre ġedōn ne magon, ne furðum nāwer nēah.\n Hwæt, þū wāst hū miċel Rōmāna rīċe wæs on Marcuses dagum þæs heretogan, se wæs ōðre naman hāten Tullius ond þriddan Cicero.  Hwæt, hē cȳðde on sumre his bōca ðætte þā ġēt Rōmāna nama ne cōme ofer þā muntas þā wē hātað Caucaseas, ne ðā Sciððeas þe on ōðre healfe þāra munta būgiað furðum þǣre burge naman ne þæs folces ne ġehērdon, ac þā hē cōm ǣrest tō Parðum, ond wæs þǣr swīðe nīwe; ac hē wæs þēah þǣrymbūtan manegum folce swīðe eġeful.  Hū ne onġite ġē nū hū nearo se ēower hlīsa bīon wile þe ġē þǣr ymb swincað ond unrihtlīċe tioliað tō ġebrǣdanne?  Hwæt wēnstū hū miċelne hlīsan ond hū miċelne weorðscipe ān Rōmānisc man mæġe habban on þām lande þǣr mon furðum ðǣre burge naman ne ġehērde, ne ealles ðæs folces hlīsa ne cōm?\n Þēah nū hwelċ mon unġemetlīċe ond unġedafenlīċe wilniġe þæt hē scyle his hlīsan tōbrǣdan ofer ealle eorþan, hē ne mæġ þæt forðbringan, for þām þe þāra ðēoda þēawas sint swīðe unġelīċe ond hiora ġesetenessa swīðe mislica, swā ðætte þæt on ōðrum lande betst līcode, þætte þæt bið hwīlum on ðǣm ōðrum tǣlwyrðlicosð, ond ēac miċles wītes wyrðe.  For ðǣm ne mæġ nān mon habban ġeliċ lof on ǣlċum londe, for þon ðe on ǣlċum londe ne līcað þæt on ōðrum līcað.  For ðȳ sceolde ǣlċ mon bīon on ðǣm wel ġehealden þæt hē on his āgnum earde līcode.  Þēah hē nū māran wilniġe, hē ne mæġ furðum þæt forðbringan, for þǣm þe seldhwonne bið þætte āuht monegum monnum ānes hwæt liciġe.  For þȳ wyrð oft gōdes monnes lof āleġen inne in þǣre ilcan þēode þe hē on hāmfæst bið, ond ēac for þām þe hit oft swīðe sārlīċe ġebyrede þurh þā heardsǣlþa þāra wrītera ðæt hī for heora slǣwðe ond for ġīmelēste ond ēac for reċċelēste forlēton unwriten þāra monna ðēawas ond hiora dǣda, þe on hiora dagum formǣroste ond weorðġeornuste wǣron.  Ond þēah hī nū eall hiora līf ond hira dǣda āwriten hæfden, swā swā hī sceoldon ġif hī dohten, hū ne forealdodon þā ġewritu þēah ond losodon þonēcan þe hit wǣre, swā some swā þā wrīteras dydon, ond ēac þā ðe hī ymb writon?  Ond ēow þinċð þēah þæt ġē hæbben ēċe āre ġif ġē mæġen on ealre ēowerre worulde ġeearniġan þæt ġē hæbben gōdne hlīsan æfter ēowrum dagum.\n Ġif þū nū ġetelest þā hwīla þisses andweardan līfes ond þisses hwīlendlican wið þæs unġeendodan līfes hwīla, hwæt bið hit þonne?  Tele nū þā lenġe þǣre hwīle þe þū þīn ēage on beprēwan mæġe wið tēn ðūsend wintra; þonne habbað þā hwīla hwæthwugu onlīċes, þēah hit lȳtel sīe, þæt is þonne þæt heora ǣġþer hæfð ende.  Tele nū þonne þæt tēn þūsend ġēara, ġe ēac mā ġif þū wille, wið þæt ēċe ond þæt unġeendode līf.  Þonne ne findst þū þǣr nāuht anlīċes, forðām þæt tēn ðūsend ġēara, þēah hit lang ðinċe, āscortaþ, ond þæs ōðres nǣfre ne cymð nān ende.  For þǣm hit nis nō tō metanne þæt ġeendodlīċe wið ðæt unġeendodlīċe.  Þēah þū nū telle from þises middanġeardes fruman oð ðone ende, ond mete þonne þā ġēar wið þæt ðe nǣnne ende næfð, þonne ne bið þǣr nāuht anlīċes.  Swā bið ēac se hlīsa þāra formǣrra monna; þēah hē hwīlum lang sīe, ond fela ġēara þurhwuniġe, hē bið þēah swīðe scort tō metanne wið ðone þe nǣfre ne ġeendað.  Ond ġē ne reċċað ðēah hweðer ġē āuht tō gōde dōn wið ǣnegum ōþrum þingum būton wið þām lȳtlan lofe þæs folces, ond wið þǣm scortan hlīsan þe wē ǣr ymb sprǣcon.  Earniað þæs ond forsīoð þā cræftas ēoweres inġeðonces ond ēowres andġietes ond ēowre ġesceādwīsnesse, ond woldon habban ēowerra gōdena weorca mēde æt fremdra monna cwiddunge.  Wilniað þǣrtō þǣre mēde þe ġē tō Gode sceolden.\n Hwæt, þū ġehērdest þætte ġiōdagum ġelomp þæt ān swīðe wīs mon ond swīðe rīċe ongan fandian ānes ūðwitan ond hine bismrode for ðǣm hē hine swā orgellīċe ūp āhōf ond bodode þæs þæt hē ūðwita wǣre.  Ne cȳðde hē hit mid nǣnum cræftum, ac mid lēasum ond ofermōdlicum ġelpe.  Þā wolde se wīsa mon his fandian hwæðer hē swā wīs wǣre swā hē self wēnde þæt hē wǣre.  Ongon hine þā hyspan ond hearmcwidian.  Þā ġehērde se ūðwita swīðe ġeþyldelīċe þæs wīsan monnes word sume hwīle, ac siððan hē his hispinge ġehēred hæfde, þā scylde hē onġēan swīðe unġeþyldelīċe, þēah hē ǣr līċette þæt hē ūðwita wǣre; ahsode hine þā eft hwæðer him þūhte þæt hē ūþwita wǣre þe nǣre.  Ðā andswarode se wīsa mon him ond cwæð, "iċ wolde cweþan þæt þū ūðwita wǣre, ġif þū ġeðyldiġ wǣre ond ġesūgian meahte."  Hū langsum wæs him se hlīsa þe hē ǣr mid lēasungum wilnode?  Hū ne forbærst hē þā þǣrrihte for ðǣm ānum andwyrde?  Hwæt forstōd þonne þǣm betstum monnum þe ǣr ūs wǣron þæt hī swā swīðe wilnodon þæs īdelan ġelpes ond þæs hlīsan æfter heora dēaþe, oððe hwæt forstent hit þǣm þe nū sindon?  Þȳ wǣre ǣlċum men māre þearf þæt hē wilnode gōdra cræfta þonne lēases hlīsan.  Hwæt hæfð hē æt þām hlīsan æfter þæs līċhoman ġedāle ond þǣre sāwle?  Hū ne witon wē þæt ealle men līċhomlīċe sweltað, ond þēah sīo sāwl bið libbende?  Ac sīo sāwl færð swīðe frīolīċe tō hefonum siððan hīo ontīġed bið ond of þǣm carcerne þæs līċhoman onlēsed bið.  Hēo forsihð þonne eall ðās eorðlican þing ond fæġnað þæs þæt hīo mōt brūcan þæs heofonlican siððan hīo bið ābrogden from ðǣm eorðlican.  Þonne þæt mōd him selfum ġewita bið Godes willan.\n Ðā se Wīsdōm þā þis spel āreaht hæfde, ðā ongan hē ġyddian ond ðus singende cwæð:\n Ġif nū hæleða hwone hlīsan lyste,\nunnytne ġelp āgan wille,\nþonne iċ hine wolde wordum biddan\nþæt hē hine ǣġhwonon ūtan ymbeþōhte,\nsweotole ymbsāwe sūð, ēast and west,\nhū wīdġil sint wolcnum ymbūtan\nheofones hwealfe.  Hiġesnotrum mæġ\nēaðe ðinċan þæt þēos eorðe sīe\neall for ðæt ōðer uniġmet lȳtel,\nþēah hīo unwīsum wīdġel þinċe,\non stede strongliċ stēorlēasum men.\n Þēah mæġ þone wīsan on ġewitlocan\nþǣre ġitsunge ġelpes scamian\nðonne hine þæs hlīsan heardost lysteð,\nand hē þēah ne mæġ þone tōbrēdan\nofer ðās nearowan nǣniġe ðinga\neorðan scēatas: is ðæt unnet ġelp!\n Ēala, ofermōdan, hwī ēow ā lyste\nmid ēowrum swīran selfra willum\nþæt swǣre ġioc symle underlūtan?\n Hwȳ ġē ymb ðæt unnet ealniġ swincen,\nþæt ġē þone hlīsan habban tiliað\nofer ðīoda mā þonne ēow þearf sīe?\n Þēah ēow nū ġesǣle þæt ēow sūð oððe norð\nþā ȳtmestan eorðbūende\non moniġ ðīodisc miċlum herien,\nðēah hwā æðele sīe eorlġebyrdum,\nwelum ġeweorðad, and on wlenċum ðīo,\nduguðum dīore, dēað þæs ne scrīfeð\nþonne him rūm forlǣt rodora Waldend,\nac hē þone welegan wǣdlum ġelīċe\nefnmǣrne ġedēð ǣlċes þinges.\n Hwǣr sint nū þæs wīsan Wēlandes bān\nþæs goldsmiðes, þe wæs ġeō mǣrost?\n For þȳ iċ cwæð 'þæs wīsan Wēlandes bān'\nfor ðȳ ǣngum ne mæġ eorðbūendra\nse cræft losian þe him Crist onlǣnð.\n Ne mæġ mon ǣfre þȳ ēð ǣnne wræċċan\nhis cræftes beniman þe mon onċerran mæġ\nsunnan onswīfan and ðisne swiftan rodor\nof his rihtryne rinca ǣniġ.\n Hwā wāt nū þæs wīsan Wēlandes bān,\non hwelċum hī hlǣwa hrūsan þeċċen?\n Hwǣr is nū se rīċa Rōmāna wita\nand se aroda þe wē ymb sprecað,\nhiora heretoga, se ġehāten wæs\nmid þǣm burgwarum Brūtus nemned?\n Hwǣr is ēac se wīsa and se weorðġeorna\nand se fæstrǣda folces hyrde,\nse wæs ūðwita ǣlċes þinges\ncēne and cræftiġ, ðǣm wæs Cāton nama?\n Hī wǣron ġefyrn forðġewitene;\nnāt nǣniġ mon hwǣr hī nū sindon.\n Hwæt is hiora here būton se hlīsa ān?\n Se is ēac tō lȳtel swelċra lārīowa,\nfor ðǣm þā magorincas māran wyrðe\nwǣron on worulde.  Ac hit is wyrse nū\nþæt ġeond þās eorðan ǣġhwǣr sindon\nhiora ġelīcan hwōn ymbsprǣċe,\nsume openlīċe ealle forġitene,\nþæt hī se hlīsa hīwcūðe ne mæġ\nforemǣre weras forð ġebrenġan.\n Þēah ġē nū wēnen and wilniġen\nþæt ġē lange tīd libban mōten,\nhwæt īow ǣfre þȳ bet bīo oððe þinċe?\n For ðǣm þe nāne forlēt, þēah hit lang ðinċe,\ndēað æfter dogorrīme, þonne hē hæfð Drihtnes lēafe,\nhwæt þonne hæbbe hæleþa ǣniġ,\nguma æt þǣm ġilpe, ġif hine ġegrīpan mōt\nse ēċa dēað æfter þissum?