Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae"

Note 1 — INTRODUCTION.

Geoffrey Chaucer translation

Other translations are by John Walton of Osney, in verse, in 1410 (Reg. MS. 18, A 13), first printed at Tavistock in 1525, and to be edited some time or other for the E.E.T.S. An anonymous prose version in the Bodleian. George Coluile, alias Coldewel, 1556; J. T. 1609; H. Conningesbye, 1664; Lord Preston, 1695, 1712; W. Causton, 1730; Redpath, 1785; R. Duncan, 1789; anon. 1792 (Lowndes).

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.”

3 Printed at Ghent, 1485.

4 By Reynier de Seinct Trudon, printed at Bruges, 1477.

5 An old version of the 11th cent., printed by Graff, and a modern one printed at Nuremberg, 1473.

6 By Jean de Méung, printed at Paris, 1494.

7 By Varchi, printed at Florence, 1551; Parma, 1798.

8 The Harl. MS. reads not nat, to the confusion of the metre.

9 = ne wot nat = knows not.

10 Cf. Dante, Inferno, V. 121.

Nessun maggior dolore Che recordarsi del tempo felice Nella miseria; e ciò sa ’l tuo Dottore.

11 See pages 39, 50, 61, 94, 111, 133, 149, 153, 159.

12 In the Canterbury Tales we find participles in -yngë.

13 It is nearly always thilkë in the Canterbury Tales.

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