divers knowledges. No. For God's sight
preventeth all that is to come and recalleth and draweth it to the
presence of His own knowledge; neither doth He vary, as thou imaginest,
now knowing one thing and now another, but in one instant without moving
preventeth and comprehendeth thy mutations. Which presence of
comprehending and seeing all things, God hath not by the event of future
things but by His own simplicity. By which that doubt is also resolved
which thou didst put a little before, that it is an unworthy thing that
our future actions should be said to cause the knowledge of God. For
this force of the divine knowledge comprehending all things with a
present notion appointeth to everything its measure and receiveth
nothing from ensuing accidents. All which being so, the free-will of
mortal men remaineth unviolated, neither are the laws unjust which
propose punishments and rewards to our wills, which are free from all
necessity. There remaineth also a beholder of all things which is God,
who foreseeth all things, and the eternity of His vision, which is
always present, concurreth with the future quality of our actions,
distributing rewards to the good and punishments to the evil. Neither do
we in vain put our hope in God or pray to Him; for if we do this well
and as we ought, we shall not lose our labour or be without effect.
Wherefore fly vices, embrace virtues, possess your minds with worthy
hopes, offer up humble prayers to your highest Prince. There is, if you
will not dissemble, a great necessity of doing well imposed upon you,
since you live in the sight of your Judge, who beholdeth all things."

SYMMACHI VERSVS

Fortunae et uirtutis opus, Seuerine Boethi,
E patria pulsus non tua per scelera,
Tandem ignotus habes qui te colat, ut tua uirtus
Vt tua fortuna promeruitque [Greek: sophos].
Post obitum dant fata locum, post fata superstes
Vxoris propriae te quoque fama colit.

EPIGRAM BY SYMMACHUS[177]

Boethius! model of all weal and worth,
Unjustly from thy country driven forth,
Thy fame, unfamed at last, yet one shall praise,
One voice the cry of approbation raise;
What life denied, through death kind heaven giveth;
Thine honour in thy wife's for ever liveth.

[177] This epigram was found by Barth in a Merseburg codex, and first
printed in his _Adversaria_ (1624). If genuine (and the faithful
reproduction the error SYMMACHIVS for