Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
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Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400
'Thou shalt,' quod she, 'understande that in heven is goddes
beinge; although he be over al by power, yet there is abydinge of
devyne persone; in whiche heven is everlastinge presence, withouten 55
any movable tyme. There * is nothing preterit ne passed,
there is nothing future ne comming; but al thinges togider in that
place ben present everlasting, without any meving. Wherfore, to
god, al thing is as now; and though a thing be nat, in kyndly
nature of thinges, as yet, and if it shulde be herafter, yet evermore 60
we shul saye, god it maketh be tyme present, and now; for no
future ne preterit in him may be founde. Wherfore his weting and
his before-weting is al oon in understanding. Than, if weting
and before-weting of god putteth in necessitè to al thinges whiche
he wot or before-wot; ne thing, after eternitè or els after any 65
tyme, he wol or doth of libertè, but al of necessitè: whiche thing
if thou wene it be ayenst reson, [than is] nat thorow necessitè to
be or nat to be, al thing that god wot or before-wot to be or nat
to be; and yet nothing defendeth any-thing to be wist or to be
before-wist of him in our willes or our doinges to be don, or els 70
comminge to be for free arbitrement. Whan thou hast these
declaracions wel understande, than shalt thou fynde it resonable
at prove, and that many thinges be nat thorow necessitè but
thorow libertè of wil, save necessitè of free wil, as I tofore said,
and, as me thinketh, al utterly declared.' 75
'Me thinketh, lady,' quod I, 'so I shulde you nat displese, and
evermore your reverence to kepe, that these thinges contraryen in
any understanding; for ye sayn, somtyme is thorow libertè of
wil, and also thorow necessitè. Of this have I yet no savour,
without better declaracion.' 80
'What wonder,' quod she, 'is there in these thinges, sithen al
day thou shalt see at thyne eye, in many thinges receyven in hem-selfe
revers, thorow dyvers resons, as thus:--I pray thee (quod
she) which thinges ben more revers than "comen" and "gon"?
For if I bidde thee "come to me," and thou come, after, whan 85
I bidde thee "go," and thou go, thou reversest fro thy first
comming.'
'That is soth,' quod I.
'And yet,' quod she, 'in thy first alone, by dyvers reson, was
ful reversinge to understande.' 90
'As how?' quod I.
'That shal I shewe thee,' quod she, 'by ensample of thinges
that have kyndly moving. Is there any-thing that meveth more
kyndly than doth the hevens eye, whiche I clepe the sonne?'
'Sothly,' quod I, 'me semeth it is most kyndly to move.' 95
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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