[Sidenote: _P._ Is God omnipotent?] wenest þou q{uo}d she 2972 þat god ne is almyȝty. no man is in doute of it. [[pg 105]] [Sidenote: _B._ No one doubts it.] Certys q{uo}d I no wyȝt ne defendiþ it if he be in hys mynde. [Linenotes: 2941 _her_--hyr 2943 _realme_--Reaume _seme_--semen 2945 _þere_--ther 2947 _gone aȝeyne_--goon ayein 2948 _enforced[e]_--enforcede _myȝt[e]_--myhte _auayle_--auaylen 2949 _aȝeyns_--a-yenis 2951 _outerly_--owtrely _myȝt[e]_--myhte _auaylen_--MS. aualeyne, C. auaylen _hym_--hem _þere_--ther 2952 _wol_--wole _wiþstonde_--w{i}t{h}-stondyn _þis souereyne_--his sou{er}eyn 2955 _softly_--softtely 2957 _sommes_--somme [_the_]--from C. 2959 _last[e]_--laste 2960 _greet[e]_--grete 2960, 2963 _auȝten_--owhten 2961 _seyne_--seyn 2965 _of hem_--of it _herd_--MS. herde, C. herd 2967 _disposed[e]_--desposede 2968 _seyne distroied[e]_--seyn destroyede 2971 _swiche_--swych _some_--som 2972 _soþe_--soth _list_--liste 2973 _is_ (1)--be _man_--omitted _is_ (2)--nis 2974 _defendiþ_--dowteth] [Headnote: EVIL HAS NO EXISTENCE.] [Sidenote: _P._ If he is almighty, there are, then, no limits to his power?] but he q{uo}d she þat is al myȝty þere nis no þing þat he ne may do. [Sidenote: _B._ He can doubtless do all things.] þat is soþe q{uo}d I. [Sidenote: _P._ May God do evil?] May god done yuel 2976 q{uo}d she. [Sidenote: _B._ No.] nay for soþe q{uo}d. I. [Sidenote: _P._ Is evil nothing, since God, who is almighty, cannot do it?] ¶ þan is yuel no þing q{uo}d she. ¶ Syn þat he ne may not done yuel þat may done alle þinges. [Sidenote: _B._ Dost thou mock me or play with me, leading me with thy arguments into an inextricable labyrinth, and enclosing me in a wonderful circle of Divine Simplicity?] scornest þou me q{uo}d. I. or ellys pleyest þou or deceiuest þou me. þat hast so wouen me 2980 wiþ þi resou{n}s. þe house of didalus so entrelaced. þat it is vnable to ben vnlaced. þou þat oþer while entrest þere þou issest {and} oþer while issest þere þou entrest. ne fooldest þou nat to gidre by replicac{i}ou{n} of wordes a 2984 maner wondirful cercle or envirounynge of symplicite deuyne. [Sidenote: For thou didst first begin with happiness, and didst say that it was the sovereign good, and that it resided in God; then, that God was that _Good_ and the perfection of happiness; and, hence, thou didst infer that nobody could be happy unless he became likewise a God.]