The Hengwrt ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

. ¶ Inuidia.

[484] After pryde / wol I speke / of the foule synne of Enuye / which þat is / as by the word of the philosophre Sorwe of oother mannes prosperitee / and after the word of Seint Augustyn / it is sorwe of oother mennes wele / and ioye of oother mennes harm [485] ¶ This foule synne / is platly agayns the holy goost al be it so þat euery synne / is agayn the holy goost yet nathelees for as muche as bountee aperteneth proprely to holy goost & enuye cometh proprely of malice / ther fore is proprely agayns the bountee of the holy goost [486] ¶ Now hath malice .ij. speces / that is to seyn / hardnesse of herte in wikkednesse / or ellis the flessh of a man is so blynd [folio 249a] þat he considereth nat þat he is in synne / or rekketh nat þat he is in synne / which is / the hardnesse of the deuel [487] ¶ That other spece of Enuye / is whan þat a man werreyeth trouthe / whan he woot þat it is trouthe / & eek whan he werreyeth / the grace þat god hath yeue to his

[6-text p 628] neighebore / & al this / is by enuye / [488] Certes / thanne is enuye / the worste synne þat is / for soothly / alle othere synnes / ben som tyme / agayns o special vertu / [489] but certes / enuye is agayns alle vertues / & agayns alle goodnesses / for it is sory of alle the bountees of his neighebore / & in this manere / it is dyuers from alle othere synnes / [490] for wel vnnethe / is ther any synne / þat it ne hath / som delit in hym self / saue oonly enuye / þat euere hath in hym self / angwissh & sorwe [491] ¶ The speces of Enuye ben thise ¶ Ther is [The speces of E[nuye].] first sorwe of oother mennes goodnesse and of hire pros|peritee / and prosperitee / is kyndely matere of Ioye / thanne is Enuye / a synne agayns kynde [492] ¶ The seconde spece of Enuye / is Ioye of oother mannes harm / and that is proprely lyk to the deuel that euere reioyseth hym of mannes harm [493] ¶ Of thise .ij. speces comth [Bakbitynge] bakbitynge / and this synne of bakbitynge / or detraccion / hath certeyn speces / as thus ‖ Som man preiseth his neighebore / by a wikked entente / [494] for he maketh alwey a wikked knotte atte laste ende / alwey he maketh a .but. at the laste ende / þat is digne of moore blame / than worth is al the preisynge [495] ¶ The Seconde spece is / þat if a man be good / & dooth / or seith a thyng to good entente / the bakbitere wol turne al thilke goodnesse vp so down / to his shrewede entente [496] ¶ The thridde / is to amenuse / the bountee of his neighe|bore [497] ¶ The ferthe spece of bakbitynge / is this ‖ that if men speke goodnesse of a man / thanne wol the bakbitere seyn / par fey / swich a man / is yet bet than he in despreisynge / of hym þat men preise [498] ¶ The fifthe spece is / for to consente gladly / and herkne gladly / the harm þat men speke of oother folk / this synne is ful greet & ay encreseth / after the wikked entente of the bakbitere [499] ¶ After bakbitynge comth grucchynge or Murmuracion / and som tyme / it spryngeth [Grucchynge.] of Inpacience agayns god / & som tyme agayns man

[6-text p 629] [500] ¶ Agayns god is it whan a man gruccheth agayn the pyne of helle / or agayns pouerte / or los of catel / or agayn reyn / or tempest or ellis gruccheth / þat shrewes han prosperitee / or ellis / for þat goode men han ad|uersitee / [501] and alle thise thynges / sholde men suffre paciently / for they comen by the rightful Iugement & ordinance [folio 249b] of god [502] ¶ Som tyme / cometh grucchynge of Auarice / as Iudas grucched agayns the Magdeleyne / whan she enoynte the heued of oure lord Ihu crist with hire precious oynement ‖ [503] this manere of murmure is swich as whan men grucchen of goodnesses þat hem selue doon or þat othere folk doon / of hire owene catel [504] ¶ Som tyme comth Murmure of pryde / as whan Symon the pharisee / grucched agayn the Magdeleyne / whan she approched to Ihu crist & weepe at his feet for hire synnes ‖ [505] And som tyme / it sourdeth of Enuye / whan men discoueren a mannes harm þat was pryuee / or bereth hym on hand thyng þat is fals / [506] ¶ Murmur eek is ofte amonges seruantz / þat grucchen / whan hire souereyns bidden hem to doon leueful thynges / [507] and for as muche as they dar nat openly with seye the comandementz of hire souereyns / yet wol they seyn harm & grucche & murmure pryuely for verray despit/ [508] whyche wordes / men clepe the deueles pater noster / though so be / þat the deuel ne hadde neuere pater noster/ but þat lewed folk / yeuen it swich a name [509] ¶ Som tyme it comth of Ire / or pryuee hate / þat norisseth rancour in herte / as afterward I shal declare [510] ¶ Thanne comth eek bitternesse of [[Bitt]ernesse.] herte / thurgh which bitternesse / euery good dede of his neighebore semeth to hym bitter/ and vnsauoury [511] ¶ Thanne comth discord / þat vnbyndeth alle manere [[Dis]corde.] of frendshipe ¶ Thanne comth scornynge of [[Sco]rnynge] . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] his neighe|bore al do he neuer so wel [512] ¶ Thanne comth accusynge / as whan man seketh occasion to anoyen his [[Ac]cusinge]

[6-text p 630] neighebore / which þat is lyk the craft of the deuel / þat wayteth bothe nyght & day to accusen vs alle / [513] ¶ Thanne comth Malignitee / thurgh which a man [[M]alignite.] anoyeth his neighebore pryuely if he may / [514] and if he nat ne may / algate / his wikked wil ne shal nat wante / as for to brennen his hous pryuely / or enpoysone / or sleen hise bestes & semblable thynges /