fol. 2r

Ne to .Alecto. ne to .Megare.
Bisechen after crafte. of eloquence.
But pray .[th]at god. of his benignite
my spirit enspyre; with his Influence.
¶ So [th]at in shenship and confusioun.
of alle [th]is foule worldly wretchidnesse
he helpe me in [th]is ocupacioun.
In honoure . of [th]at sovereyn blisfulnesse.
And eke . in reverence . of youre worthynesse.
[th]is simple werke as for an observuanuance
I shall bigynne. aftre my symplenesse.
In wille to do .yow. servyce. and plesaunce.
Explicit p[re]facio & incipit p[ro]log[us] sup[er] libru[m] Boecii
The while [th]at Rome was regned in his flor[er]s[?]
and of [th]e worlde helde all [th]e monarchye.
She was gov[er]ned [th]an by Emperoures.
and was renou[n]ied. of wonder high nobleye.
til pryde had sette her hertes upon hye.
[th]anne ganne [th]ei. for to usen cruelte.
and regne bi rigoure and by tyrannye
In sore oppressioun of [th]e comunalte
¶ For right as poverty[?] causeth sobrenesse.
and ffeblesse enforseth continence.
Right so prosp[er]ite and sikrenesse.
[th]e modre is of vice and necligence.
And power also causeth insolence
and often honoure chaungeth gode [th]ewes
[th]er is no more p[er]ilous pestilence.
[th]an high estates yoven un to schrewes
¶ Of whiche was Nero one [th]e pr[i]ncipall
[th]at suche maner of tyrannye biganne.