Ne in ydel ne in veyn ne ben ther nat put in god hope and preyeres, that ne mowen nat ben unspeedful ne with-oute effect, whan they ben rightful.
For ne drawestow nat arguments from elles-where of the necessitee of thinges to-comen (as who seith, any other wey than thus) but that thilke thinges that the prescience wot biforn ne mowen nat unbityde?
Or elles they knowen ful wel whiche thinges that they oughten folwe, but lecherye and coveityse overthroweth hem mistorned; and certes, 130 so doth distemperaunce to feble men, that ne mowen nat wrastlen ayeins the vyces.
The whiche thinges, yif that any wight loketh wel in his thought the strengthe of that 40 oon and of that other, he shal lightly mowen seen, that thise two thinges ben dyverse.
But yif so be that thilke thinges ne mowen nat performen that they bi-heten, and that ther be defaute of manye goodes, sheweth it nat thanne cleerly that fals beautee of blisfulnesse is knowen and ateint in 15 thilke thinges?
Ne I ne proeve nat thilke same resoun, as who seyth, I ne alowe nat, or I ne preyse nat, thilke same resoun, by 20 which that som men wenen that they mowen assoilen and unknitten the knotte of this questioun.
Thanne shal men understonde that for three thinges a man and his wyf fleshlymowen assemble.
And thanne un to the Castel Emaus; and thanne unto Mounte Joye: and from thenne, pylgrymes mowen fyrste se un to Jerusalem.
Or elles men mowen gon from the Porte of Tyrye ryzt welle, and com not yn to Cypre; and aryve at som haven of Grece; and thanne comen men un to theis countrees, by weyes, that I have spoken of by fore.
Which that by lyne and free eleccioun Ben verray king, this song to you I sende; And ye, that mowenal our harm amende, 25 Have minde up-on my supplicacioun!
Ergo thorugh his breethmowen Men and beestes lyven, As holy writ witnesseth, Whan men seye hir graces.
For outlawes in the wode And under bank lotieth, And mowen ech man see, And good mark take Who is bihynde and who bifore, And who ben on horse For he halt hym hardier on horse Than he that is foote.
A litel misgoing in the ginning causeth mikil errour in the ende; wherfore of thilke blisse thou fayledest, for having of richesse; ne non of the other thinges thou nempnedest mowen nat make suche parfit blisse in love as I shal 30 shewe.
Drye and wete ben contrarie, and mowen not acorde, and yet this discordaunce is bounde to acorde by cloudes; for bothe elementes ben colde.
Ful many also there ben that in okes and in huge postes supposen love to ben grounded, as in strength and in might, whiche mowen not helpen their owne 30 wrecchidnesse, whan they ginne to falle.
Everything causinge yvels is badde and naughty; but 20 richesse in one causen misese, in another they mowen not evenly strecchen al about.
And right as everich hath thus singuler instrumentes by hemselfe, they han as wel dyvers aptes and dyvers maner usinges; and 60 thilke aptes mowen in wil ben cleped affeccions.
Water and fyr, that ben contrarious, mowen nat togider ben assembled; kynde wol nat suffre suche 60 contraries to joyne.
Moche folk at 50 ones mowennot togider moche therof have.
Ne no such craft of covetyse; He forbad it, by his sawe, Such governours mowen of god agryse; 360 For all his rules +ben rightwyse.
I woot wel þat þe soules of men ne mowen nat dien in no wise.
For yif so be þat it be wrecchednesse to wilne to don yuel[;] þan is it more wrecchednesse to mowen don yuel.
But for to mowen don yuel {and} 3344 felonye ne may nat ben referred to good.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "mowen" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
