The Consolation of Philosophy

than I have done, both in the one and the other. I can also protest that all the happiness and advantage I have in this will easily yield to the slightest effort of those who might wish to amuse themselves by translating Boethius An influential 6th-century philosopher whose work, "The Consolation of Philosophy," was a cornerstone of medieval thought for you. This undertaking well deserves the labor of a fine mind. Although the Greeks are modest enough in their esteem for Latin authors, Maximus Planudes A 14th-century Byzantine scholar who famously translated Latin classics into Greek translated this author into their language; and Jean de Meun A prominent 13th-century French poet best known for "The Romance of the Rose", the first of our Frenchmen who strove not to be a "Barbarian" In this context, "barbarian" refers to someone who lacks refinement in language or lacks knowledge of the classics, judged in his own time that this version was not a gift unworthy of Philip the Fair Philippe IV, King of France from 1285 to 1314, his Master.

Nonetheless, if anyone wishes to judge what I have contributed to this piece, I beg them to consider that it is not easy to succeed when following the designs of another, particularly in verse, where one does not have the freedom to climb to Heaven, to descend into the abyss, or to stroll through meadows to pluck stars, flowers, and diamonds, which serve as the grace and beauty of Poetry. A man who is tied up can only stretch as far as the end of his rope; his power is no greater than his chain, and his liberty goes no further than the limits he is given. This leads me to believe that everything that is rough in this work,