þe whiche resou{n} {and} cause of difficulte I shal assaie at þe laste to shewen {and} to speden. [Sidenote: [* fol. 36 _b_.]] ¶ whan I haue *firste [yspendyd / {and}] ansewered to þo resou{n}s by whiche þ{o}u 4668 art ymoeued. [Sidenote: I ask, then, why you do not approve the reasoning of such as think--that Prescience does not obstruct the liberty of the will, because it is not the necessitating cause of future events?] ¶ For I axe whi þ{o}u wenest þat þilk[e] resou{n}s of hem þat assoilen þis questiou{n} ne ben nat spedeful ynouȝ ne sufficient þe whiche soluc{i}ou{n} or þe whiche resou{n} for þat it demiþ þat þe p{re}science nis nat 4672 cause of necessite to þinges to comen. þan ne weneþ it nat þat fredom of wille be distourbed or ylett by p{re}science. [Linenotes: 4653 _deuided[e]_--deuynede _booke_--book 4654 _moeued[e]_--moeuede 4655 _souȝt_--I-sowht 4656 _long[e]_--longe _haþ_--MS. haþe 4657 _yspedd_--MS. yspedde, C. Isped _fermely_--MS. feruently, C. fermely 4658 _derkenesse_--dirknesse [_of this_]--from C. 4662-3 [_myhten----men_]--from C. 4663 _myȝte_--myhten 4667 _firste_--fyrst 4668 [_yspendyd and_]--from C. _þo_--the _whiche_--which 4669 _art_--MS. arte _þilk[e]_--thilke 4671 _spedeful_--spedful 4672 _whiche_--which 4674 _wille_--wyl] [Headnote: NECESSITY AND PRESCIENCE.] [Sidenote: Do you draw an argument of the necessity of future events, from any other topic than this,--that those things which are foreknown must of necessity happen?] for ne drawest þou nat argumentes from ellys where of þe necessite of þinges to comen. As who seiþ 4676 any oþer wey þan þus. but þat þilke þinge[s] þat þe p{re}scie{n}ce woot byforn [ne] mowen nat vnbitide. þat is to seyn þat þei moten bitide. [Sidenote: If divine prescience imposes no necessity upon future things, must not the issue of things be voluntary, and man’s will free and unconstrained?] ¶ But þan yif þat p{re}science ne putteþ no necessite to þinges to comen. as þou þi self 4680 hast confessed it {and} byknowen a litel herbyforn{e}. ¶ what [[pg 162]] cause [or what] is it. as who seiþ þere may no cause be. by whiche þat þe endes (exitus) uoluntarie of þinges myȝten be constreyned to certeyne bitydyng. [Sidenote: For argument sake let us suppose there is no prescience, would, then, the events which proceed from free-will alone be under the power of necessity?]