TR3.1758 “Thăt, thát thĕ sé, thăt grédy̆ ís tŏ flówĕn,
TR3.1759 Cŏnstréynĕth tó ă cértĕyn éndĕ só
TR3.1760 Hĭs flódĕs thát sŏ fíersly̆ théy nĕ grówĕn
TR3.1761 Tŏ drénchĕn érthe ănd ál fŏr éverĕ mó;
TR3.1762 Ănd íf thăt Lóve ăught léte hĭs brídĕl gó,
TR3.1763 Ăl thát nŏw lóveth ăsóndrĕ shóldĕ lépĕ,
TR3.1764 Ănd lóst wĕre ál thăt Lóve hălt nów tŏ-hépĕ.

Line Information

• Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
• English translation (Windeatt: 1998) (Windeatt: 1998): … that the sea, ever eager to flood, restrains its waters within a fixed limit so that they do not increase so violently as to drown the earth and everything for evermore — Love does all this, ever praised be its powers! And if Love ever let go its bridle, all that now loves would fly apart, and everything would be lost that Love now holds together!
• Japanese translation (Sasamoto: 2012) (Sasamoto: 2012): しきりに満ちようとする海は、定まる境を出ないゆえ、猛々しく流れる潮は大地やすべてを浸すことは永遠にない。いやしくも＜愛の神＞がその手綱をゆるめるなら、今愛し合うものはすべてばらばらに飛んで行き、＜愛の神＞が今結びつけているすべてのものは失われる。
• Chinese translation (Fang: 1956) (Fang: 1956): 海水堆涌起浪涛，却有其限度，并不无情地沉没大陆，或浸蚀着一切；假使情爱松弛了它的韁辔，情意相投的人们就会离散，爱的结合就会破裂。

Word Information

• Etymology: OF
• Addresser: Troilus
• Addressee: N/A
• Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
• Counterpart in its source (Fil): N/A
• Noun(s) (NPs) modified: boundary (ende = limit)
• Attributive/ Predicative: attributive

Information in Previous Studies

• OED: Not quoted
• MED: (Quoted) 1. (b) fixed, determined (bounds, limit, measure) (s.v. certain, adj.)

• Commented in other previous works:
• Windeatt (2003: 195): Constreyneth to a certeyn ende so: So confines within a fixed limit
• Fisher (1989: 475): Constreyneth to a certeyn ende: confines to a certain boundary
• Benson (1987: 537): Constreyneth to a certeyn ende: restrains within a fixed limit
• Davis et al. (1979): Not quoted
• Donaldson (1975): N/A
• Baugh (1963): N/A

Possible Definitions

fixed, determined

Comments from the Editor

In the counterpart of Fil, Troiolo sings a song to Love—which is partly based on Bo 2.m8—but Chaucer uses part of it (3.74–79) as the proem of Book III (3.1–38). Therefore, when writing Troilus’s song, Chaucer turns to Boethius again and borrows words from other sections of 2.m8.