ei
coueiten
[than
yif they myhte nat complyssen ?
yif they myhte nat complyssen ?
Chaucer - Boethius
ten nat anoyen or don harme to goode men.
?
Certys 3528
a gret p{ar}ty of ? e peyne to shrewes shulde ben allegged
{and} releued.
[Sidenote: The wicked are more unhappy when they have accomplished
their evil designs than when they fail to do so. ]
? For al be it so ? {a}t ? is ne seme nat
credible ? ing p{er}auent{ur}e to so{m}me folk ? it mot it
nedes be ? at shrewes ben more wrecches {and} vnsely. 3532
whan ? ei may don {and} p{er}forme ? at ?
ei coueiten [than
yif they myhte nat complyssen ? {a}t they coueyten].
[Sidenote: If it is a miserable thing to will evil, it is a
greater unhappiness to have the power to execute it, without which
power the wicked desires would languish without effect. ]
? For
yif so be ? at it be wrecchednesse to wilne to don yuel[;]
? an is it more wrecchednesse to mowen don yuel. 3536
wi? oute whiche moeuyng ? e wrecched wille sholde
languisshe wi? oute effecte.
[Sidenote: Since, then, each of these three things (_i. e. _ the
will, the power, and the accomplishment of evil) hath its misery,
therefore a threefold wretchedness afflicts those who both will,
can, and do commit sin. ]
? ?
a gret p{ar}ty of ? e peyne to shrewes shulde ben allegged
{and} releued.
[Sidenote: The wicked are more unhappy when they have accomplished
their evil designs than when they fail to do so. ]
? For al be it so ? {a}t ? is ne seme nat
credible ? ing p{er}auent{ur}e to so{m}me folk ? it mot it
nedes be ? at shrewes ben more wrecches {and} vnsely. 3532
whan ? ei may don {and} p{er}forme ? at ?
ei coueiten [than
yif they myhte nat complyssen ? {a}t they coueyten].
[Sidenote: If it is a miserable thing to will evil, it is a
greater unhappiness to have the power to execute it, without which
power the wicked desires would languish without effect. ]
? For
yif so be ? at it be wrecchednesse to wilne to don yuel[;]
? an is it more wrecchednesse to mowen don yuel. 3536
wi? oute whiche moeuyng ? e wrecched wille sholde
languisshe wi? oute effecte.
[Sidenote: Since, then, each of these three things (_i. e. _ the
will, the power, and the accomplishment of evil) hath its misery,
therefore a threefold wretchedness afflicts those who both will,
can, and do commit sin. ]
? ?
