'That thing,' quoth Love, 'hastely to thee neigh, god graunt of his grace and mercy! And this shal be my prayer, til thou be lykende in herte at thyne owne wil. But now to enforme thee in this mater (quod this lady) thou wost where I lefte; that was: love to be swete, and love swete to be swete, is not al oon for to 135 say. For a tree is nat alway by necessitè white. Somtyme, er it were white, it might have be nat white; and after tyme it is white, it may be nat white. But a white tree evermore nedeful is to be white; for neither toforn ne after it was white, might it be togider white and nat white. Also love, by necessitè, is nat 140 present as now in thee; for er it were present, it might have be that it shulde now nat have be; and yet it may be that it shal nat be present; but thy love present whiche to her, Margarite, thee hath bounde, nedeful is to be present. Trewly, som doing of accion, nat by necessitè, is comminge fer toforn it be; it may be 145 that it shal nat be comminge. Thing forsoth comming nedeful is to be comming; for it may nat be that comming shal nat be comming. And right as I have sayd of present and of future tymes, the same sentence in sothnesse is of the preterit, that is to say, tyme passed. For thing passed must nedes be passed; and 150 er it were, it might have nat be; wherfore it shulde nat have passed. Right so, whan love comming is said of love that is to come, nedeful is to be that is said; for thing comming never is nat comminge. And so, ofte, the same thing we sayn of the same; as whan we sayn "every man is a man," or "every lover is a lover," 155 so muste it be nedes. In no waye may he be man and no man togider. And if it be nat by necessitè, that is to say nedeful, al thing comming to be comming, than somthing comming is nat comminge, and that is impossible. Right as these termes "nedeful," "necessitè," and "necessary" betoken and signify thing nedes 160 to be, and it may nat otherwyse be, right [so] +this terme "impossible" signifyeth, that [a] thing is nat and by no way may it be. Than, thorow pert necessitè, al thing comming is comming; but that is by necessitè foloweth, with nothing to be constrayned. Lo! whan that "comming" is said of thinge, nat alway thing 165 thorow necessitè is, altho[ugh] it be comming. For if I say, "to-morowe love is comming in this Margarites herte," nat therfore thorow necessitè shal the ilke love be; yet it may be that it shal nat be, altho[ugh] it were comming. Neverthelater, somtyme it is soth that somthing be of necessitè, that is sayd "to come"; as 170 if I say, to-morowe +be comminge the rysinge of the sonne. If therfore with necessitè I pronounce comming of thing to come, in this maner love to-morne comminge in thyne Margarite to thee-ward, by necessitè is comminge; or els the rysing of the sonne