'O,' quod she, 'hold now thy pees. I have founden to many 25 that han ben to me unkynde, that trewly I wol suffre every wight in that wyse to have disese; and who that continueth to the ende wel and trewly, hem wol I helpen, and as for oon of myne in-to blisse [don] to wende. As [in] marcial doing in Grece, who was y-crowned? By god, nat the strongest; but he that rathest 30 com and lengest abood and continued in the journey, and spared nat to traveyle as long as the play leste. But thilke person, that profred him now to my service, [and] therin is a while, and anon voideth and [is] redy to another; and so now oon he thinketh and now another; and in-to water entreth and anon respireth: 35 such oon list me nat in-to perfit blisse of my service bringe. A tree ofte set in dyvers places wol nat by kynde endure to bringe forth frutes. Loke now, I pray thee, how myne olde servauntes of tyme passed continued in her service, and folowe thou after their steppes; and than might thou not fayle, in case thou worche 40 in this wyse.' 'Certes,' quod I, 'it is nothing lich, this world, to tyme passed; eke this countrè hath oon maner, and another countrè hath another. And so may nat a man alway putte to his eye the salve that he heled with his hele. For this is sothe: betwixe 45 two thinges liche, ofte dyversitè is required.' 'Now,' quod she, 'that is sothe; dyversitè of nation, dyversitè of lawe, as was maked by many resons; for that dyversitè cometh in by the contrarious malice of wicked people, that han envyous hertes ayenst other. But trewly, my lawe to my servauntes ever hath 50 ben in general, whiche may nat fayle. For right as mannes +lawe that is ordained by many determinacions, may nat be knowe for good or badde, til assay of the people han proved it and [founden] to what ende it draweth; and than it sheweth the necessitè therof, or els the impossibilitè: right so the lawe of my servauntes 55 so wel hath ben proved in general, that hitherto hath it not fayled.