similitude to the everlasting presence, significacion of tyme passed than of tyme temporal present, and so more in accordaunce. In this maner what thing, of these that ben don thorow free arbitrement, or els as necessary, holy writ pronounceth, after eternitè he speketh; in whiche presence is everlasting sothe and nothing but 190 sothe immovable; nat after tyme, in whiche naught alway ben your willes and your actes. And right as, while they be nat, it is nat nedeful hem to be, so ofte it is nat nedeful that somtyme they shulde be.' 'As how?' quod I; 'for yet I must be lerned by some 195 ensample.' 'Of love,' quod she, 'wol I now ensample make, sithen I knowe the heed-knotte in that yelke. Lo! somtyme thou wrytest no art, ne art than in no wil to wryte. And right as while thou wrytest nat or els wolt nat wryte, it is nat nedeful thee to wryte 200 or els wilne to wryte. And for to make thee knowe utterly that thinges ben otherwise in the everlastinge presence than in temporal tyme, see now, my good child: for somthing is in the everlastinge presence, than in temporal tyme it was nat; in +eterne tyme, in eterne presence shal it nat be. Than no reson 205 defendeth, that somthing ne may be in tyme temporal moving, that in eterne is immovable. Forsothe, it is no more contrary ne revers for to be movable in tyme temporel, and [im]movable in eternitè, than nat to be in any tyme and to be alway in eternitè; and to have be or els to come in tyme temporel, and 210 nat have be ne nought comming to be in eternitè. Yet never-the-later, I say nat somthing to be never in tyme temporel, that ever is [in] eternitè; but al-only in som tyme nat to be. For I saye nat thy love to-morne in no tyme to be, but to-day alone I deny it to be; and yet, never-the-later, it is alway in eternitè.' 215 'A! so,' quod I, 'it semeth to me, that comming thing or els passed here in your temporal tyme to be, in eternitè ever now and present oweth nat to be demed; and yet foloweth nat thilke thing, that was or els shal be, in no maner ther to ben passed or els comming; than utterly shul we deny for there without 220 ceesing it is, in his present maner.'