haue]
[Headnote:
THE WILL IS SUPERIOR TO INSTINCT.
[Headnote:
THE WILL IS SUPERIOR TO INSTINCT.
Chaucer - Boethius
{a}t natur{e} hateth {and} dredeth ful sore //
[Sidenote: And, on the contrary, we see that concupiscence (by
which alone the human race is perpetuated) is often restrained by
the will. ]
And som tyme
we seeth the contrarye / as thus that the wil of a wight / 2788
destorbeth {and} constreyneth ? {a}t ? {a}t natur{e} desireth / and
requereth al-wey // that is to sein the werk of gen{er}aciou{n} /
by the whiche gen{er}aciou{n} only / dwelleth {and} is sustenyd
the longe durablete of mortal thinges //
[Sidenote: Self-love possessed by every creature is not the
product of volition, but proceeds from a natural impression or
intention of nature. ]
And thus 2792
this charite and this Loue ? {a}t eu{er}y thing hath to hym
self ne comth nat of the moeuynge of the sowle / but of
the entenciou{n} of natur{e} //
[Sidenote: Providence has implanted in all created things an
instinct, for the purpose of self-preservation, by which they
desire to prolong existence to its utmost limits. ]
For the puruyance of god
hat yeuen to thinges ? {a}t ben creat of hym / this ? {a}t is 2796
a ful gret cause / to lyuen {and} to duren / for which they
desiren naturelly hyr lyf as longe as eu{er} they mowen //
[Linenotes:
2774 [_fleeth_]--from H.
2775 _weleful_--H. wilfull{e}
2779 _slepyt_--H. slepe{n}
2788 _seeth_--H. seen)
_wil_--H. will{e}
2792 _And_--H. as
2796 _hat_--H.
haue]
[Headnote:
THE WILL IS SUPERIOR TO INSTINCT. ]
[Sidenote: Doubt not, therefore, that everything which exists
desires existence and avoids dissolution. ]
For w[h]ych thou maist nat drede by no manere / that
alle the thinges / that ben anywher{e} / that they ne requeren 2800
naturelly / the ferme stablenesse of p{er}durable
dwellynge / and ek the eschuynge of destruccyou{n} //
[Sidenote: _B. _ You have made those things perfectly plain and
intelligible, which before were obscure and doubtful. ]
B //
now confesse I. wel q{uod} I. that I. see wel now certeynly /
w{i}t{h} owte dowtes / the thinges that whylom semeden 2804
vncerteyn to me /
[Sidenote: _P. _ That which desires to subsist desires also to
retain its unity for if this be taken away it cannot continue to
exist. ]
P. // but q{uod} she thilke thyng ? {a}t
desiret? to be {and} to dwellyn p{er}durablely / he desireth
to ben oon // For yif ? {a}t that oon weer{e} destroied // certes
beinge ne shulde ther non dwellyn to no wiht //
[Sidenote: _B. _ That is very true! ]
that 2808
is sot?
[Sidenote: And, on the contrary, we see that concupiscence (by
which alone the human race is perpetuated) is often restrained by
the will. ]
And som tyme
we seeth the contrarye / as thus that the wil of a wight / 2788
destorbeth {and} constreyneth ? {a}t ? {a}t natur{e} desireth / and
requereth al-wey // that is to sein the werk of gen{er}aciou{n} /
by the whiche gen{er}aciou{n} only / dwelleth {and} is sustenyd
the longe durablete of mortal thinges //
[Sidenote: Self-love possessed by every creature is not the
product of volition, but proceeds from a natural impression or
intention of nature. ]
And thus 2792
this charite and this Loue ? {a}t eu{er}y thing hath to hym
self ne comth nat of the moeuynge of the sowle / but of
the entenciou{n} of natur{e} //
[Sidenote: Providence has implanted in all created things an
instinct, for the purpose of self-preservation, by which they
desire to prolong existence to its utmost limits. ]
For the puruyance of god
hat yeuen to thinges ? {a}t ben creat of hym / this ? {a}t is 2796
a ful gret cause / to lyuen {and} to duren / for which they
desiren naturelly hyr lyf as longe as eu{er} they mowen //
[Linenotes:
2774 [_fleeth_]--from H.
2775 _weleful_--H. wilfull{e}
2779 _slepyt_--H. slepe{n}
2788 _seeth_--H. seen)
_wil_--H. will{e}
2792 _And_--H. as
2796 _hat_--H.
haue]
[Headnote:
THE WILL IS SUPERIOR TO INSTINCT. ]
[Sidenote: Doubt not, therefore, that everything which exists
desires existence and avoids dissolution. ]
For w[h]ych thou maist nat drede by no manere / that
alle the thinges / that ben anywher{e} / that they ne requeren 2800
naturelly / the ferme stablenesse of p{er}durable
dwellynge / and ek the eschuynge of destruccyou{n} //
[Sidenote: _B. _ You have made those things perfectly plain and
intelligible, which before were obscure and doubtful. ]
B //
now confesse I. wel q{uod} I. that I. see wel now certeynly /
w{i}t{h} owte dowtes / the thinges that whylom semeden 2804
vncerteyn to me /
[Sidenote: _P. _ That which desires to subsist desires also to
retain its unity for if this be taken away it cannot continue to
exist. ]
P. // but q{uod} she thilke thyng ? {a}t
desiret? to be {and} to dwellyn p{er}durablely / he desireth
to ben oon // For yif ? {a}t that oon weer{e} destroied // certes
beinge ne shulde ther non dwellyn to no wiht //
[Sidenote: _B. _ That is very true! ]
that 2808
is sot?
