grievous end by a great crime; this was that, in addition to innumerable other ill deeds, he had Pope John put to death. At that time there was a certain consul 'heretoga, as we say who was named Boethius; he was exceeding wise in knowledge of books and in the ways of the world. He observed the manifold wrongs which King Theodoric was committing against Christianity and against the Roman senators. Then he recalled the favors and the ancient rights which they had had under the Caesars, their former lords; and he began to meditate and to ponder within himself how he could take the kingdom from the unrighteous king, and bring it under the control of orthodox and righteous men. Then he secretly sent letters to the emperor at Constantinople, the chief city of the Greeks and their royal seat, because the emperor was of the family of their former lords. In these they besought him to help them to their Christian faith and their former rights. When the cruel King Theodoric learned this, he gave orders to cast him into prison, and there keep him in ward. Now when it came to pass that this excellent man fell into such distress, he was troubled in spirit by so much the more as his mind had been the more accustomed to worldly prosperity; and in prison he took no thought of comfort, but fell down prone upon the ground and prostrated himself in anguish and despair, and began to bewail; and he sang thus.

3. OF TRUE RICHES (7)

'All true riches and true honor are mine own servants, and wheresoever I am, they are with me. .. My servants are wisdom and skill and true riches. My delight was always with these servants; with them I encompass the whole heaven, and I bring the lowest to the highest, and

the highest to the lowest; that is, I bring humility to heaven and heavenly grace to the humble. But when I ascend with my servants, then we scorn this tempestuous world, like as the eagle when in stormy weather he mounts above the clouds, so that the tempest can not harm him.'

4. THE GOLDEN AGE (15)

When Reason had uttered this speech, he began to sing, and spoke thus: 'Oh, how blessed was the former age of this world, when to every man there seemed enough in the fruits of the earth. There were no costly dwellings nor diverse sweetmeats nor drinks, nor did they desire rich garments, for as yet these things were not, nor were they seen or heard of. They cared not for luxury, but very temperately followed nature. They always ate but once in the day, and that toward evening. They ate the fruit of

1 This passage is the chief source of Chaucer's poem, The Former Age, of which the first stanza runs:

A blisful lyf, a paisible and a sweet
Ledden the peples in the former age;

They helde hem payed of fruites that they ete,
Which that the feldes yave hem by usage;
They ne were nat forpampred with outrage;
Unknowen was the quern and eek the melle;
They eten mast, hawes, and swich pounage,
And dronken water of the colde welle.

Chaucer's prose version is: 'Blisful was the first age of men. They helden hem apayed with the metes that the trewe feldes broughten forth. They ne distroyede nor deceivede nat hemself with outrage. They weren wont lightly to slaken hir hunger at even with acornes of okes. They ne coude nat medly the yifte of Bachus to the cleer hony.' These all repose upon the Latin lines:

Felix nimium prior ætas
Contenta fidelibus arvis,
Nec inerti perdita luxu,
Facili quæ sera solebat

Jejunia solvere glande.

Non Bacchica munera norant
Liquido confundere melle.

trees and plants; they drank no unmixed wine, nor did they know how to mingle any liquid with honey; they did not care for silken garments of diverse hues. They always slept out in the shade of the trees; they drank the water of pure springs. No merchant had seen island or coast, nor yet had any man heard of a fleet of ships, nor even speech about battle. The earth was not yet defiled with the blood of the murdered; there was not even a man wounded. Men of evil will were not yet seen; they had no honor, and no man loved them. Alas that our age can not become such! But now man's greed is as flaming as the fire in hell, which is in the mountain of Ætna, on the island of Sicily. That mountain is ever burning with brimstone; it consumes all the places round about. Alas, what that first miser was who began to delve in the earth for gold and gems, and found the perilous treasure which before was hidden and covered by the earth!'

5. OF WORLDLY POWER (16)

When Wisdom had sung this song, he began again to speak, and said thus: What more can I say of the honor and power of this world? For power ye would exalt yourselves to heaven, if ye could. That is because ye remember not nor understand the heavenly power and honor; it is your own, and thence ye came. Lo, now, if your riches and your power, which indeed ye call honor, came to the worst of men, and to him who is of all most unworthy (as recently it did to this same Theodoric, and formerly to the Emperor Nero, and often also to many like them), will he not do as they did and still do, destroy and lay waste all the regions which are subject to him or anywhere near, just as the fiery flame does the dry field of heath, or again as

the burning brimstone consumes the mount which we call Etna, which is in the island of Sicily, or like unto the great flood which was of yore in the days of Noah? I think that thou mayst recall that of old, in the days of Tarquin, your forefathers, the Roman senators, first banished the royal title from the city of Rome because of the pride of that haughty king. And again, likewise on account of their pride, they would have driven out the consuls who previously had banished him (but they could not); because the later power of the consuls pleased the Roman senators still less than the former power of the kings. If, then, it ever happens, as it very seldom does, that power and honor come to a good and wise man, what is there estimable except the goodness and honor of the good king himself, and not at all of the power? Because power is never good unless he is good who has it; therefore it is the good of the man, not of the power, if power is good. Hence it is that no one by reason of his authority attains to virtue and excellence, but by reason of his virtue and excellence attains to authority and power. No man is better for his power, but because of his virtue he is good, if he is good, and because of his virtue he is worthy of power, if he is worthy of it. Learn therefore wisdom, and when ye have learned, do not despise it. For verily I say unto you that ye may thereby attain to power, though ye do not desire it. Ye have no need to be anxious for power, nor to press toward it. If ye are wise and good, it will follow you, though ye do not desire it.'1

1 Cf. Lowell, Hebe 25-28:

Coy Hebe flies from those that woo,

And shuns the hands would seize upon her;

Follow thy life, and she will sue

To pour for thee the cup of honor.

6. A KING'S IDEAL (17)

When Wisdom had sung this song, he was silent, and the Mind answered and spoke thus: Behold, Reason, thou knowest that covetousness and the glory of earthly power were never pleasing to me, nor did I at all desire this earthly authority; but I wished tools and material for the work which was enjoined on me to do; that was, virtuously and fittingly to wield and exercise the power which was entrusted to me. Now thou knowest that no one can manifest any skill nor exercise or wield any power without tools and material; that is, the material of each craft without which it can not be exercised. The material of the king, and the tools with which to rule, are a well-peopled land; he ought to have men for prayer, men for war, and men for labor. Lo, thou knowest that without these tools no king can manifest his skill. This also is his materialto have, in addition to these tools, provision for these three classes. Now their provision is this: land to dwell in, and gifts and weapons and meat and ale and raiment, and whatsoever these three classes require. Without these he can not preserve his tools, nor without his tools do any of those things which are enjoined on him to do. Therefore I desired material with which to exercise power, that my skill and power should not be forgotten and lost sight of. For every kind of skill and power quickly grows old, and is passed over in silence, if it is devoid of wisdom; because no one can manifest any skill without wisdom, since whatsoever is done foolishly can never be accounted as skill. Now to speak most briefly, this it is that I have desired to live worthily while I lived, and after my life to leave to the men who should follow me my memory in good deeds.'