Part 65

and oþer bestes gladen hem to diggen her traas or her stappes i{n} þe erþe wiþ hir goynge or wiþ her feet. or to gone eyþe 4964 by þe grene feldes or [elles] to walken vnder þe wodes.

{and} al be it so þ{a}t þou seest þat þei alle discorden by [[pg 171]] dyuerse formes. algate hir{e} [faces] enclinig heuieþ hir{e} dulle wittes.

Onlyche þe lynage of man heueþ heyest hys 4968 heyȝe heued {and} stondeþ lyȝt wiþ hys vpryȝt body {and} byholdeþ þe erþe vndir hym.

but-ȝif þou erþely man wexest yuel oute of þi witte. þis figure amonesteþ þe þ{a}t axest þe heuene wiþ þi ryȝt visage. {and} hast areised 4972 þi forhede to beren vp on heye þi corage so þat þi þouȝt ne be nat yheuied ne put lowe vndir foot. sen þat þi body is so heye areised.

PR{O}SA VLTI{M}A.

QUONIA{M} IGITUR UTI PAULO ANTE.

++ÞEr-fore þan as I haue shewed a litel her byforne þat 4976 al þinge þat is ywist nis nat knowen by hys nature p{ro}pre. but by þe nature of he{m} þat comp{re}henden it. ¶ Lat vs loke now in as moche as it is leueful to vs. as who seiþ lat vs loken now as we mowen whiche þ{a}t þe 4980 estat is of þe deuyne substaunce so þat we mowen knowen what his science is.

þe comune iugement of alle creatures resonables þan is þis þat god is eterne. lat vs considere þa{n} what is et{er}nite. For certys þat shal 4984 shewen vs to-gidre þe deuyne nature {and} þe deuyne science

¶ Eternite þan is p{er}fit possessiou{n} {and} al togidre of lijf interminable {and} þat sheweþ more clerely by þe co{m}parisou{n} or collac{i}ou{n} of temp{or}el þinges. 4988

for al þing þat lyueþ in tyme it is p{re}sent {and} p{ro}cediþ fro preteritȝ in to fut{ur}es. þat is to sein. fro tyme passed in to tyme comynge.

ne þer nis no þing establissed i{n} tyme þat may enbracen to-gidre al þe space of hys lijf. 4992

for certys ȝit ne haþ it nat taken þe tyme of þe morwe. {and} it haþ lost þat of ȝister-day. and certys in þe lijf of þis day ȝe ne lyuen no more but ryȝt as in þis moeueable [[pg 172]] {and} t{ra}nsitorie moment.

þan þilke þinge þat suffriþ 4996 temp{or}el condic{i}ou{n}. aþough{e} þat bygan neuer to be. ne þough{e} it neu{er}e cese forto be. as aristotle demde of þe worlde. and al þouȝ þat þe lif of it be strecchid wiþ infinite of tyme.

ȝit al*gates nis it no 5000 swiche þing þat men myȝten trowen by ryȝt þat it is eterne. for al þouȝ þat it comp{re}hende {and} embrace þe space of life infinite. ȝit algates ne braceþ it nat þe space of þe lif alto-gidre. for it ne haþ nat þe fut{ur}es 5004 þat ne ben nat ȝit. ne it ne haþ no lenger þe p{re}t{er}itȝ þat ben ydon or ypassed.

but þilke þing þan þat haþ {and} co{m}prehendiþ to-gidre alle þe plente of þe lif i{n}terminable. to whom þere ne failiþ nat of þe fut{ur}e. 5008 {and} to whom þer nis nat of þe p{re}t{er}it escapid nor ypassed. þilk same is ywitnessed or yproued by ryȝt to ben eterne. and it byhoueþ by necessite þat þilke þinge be alwey p{re}sent to hym self {and} co{m}potent. as 5012 who seiþ alwey p{re}sent to hym self {and} so myȝty þat al by ryȝt at hys plesaunce. {and} þ{a}t he haue al p{re}sent þe infinit of þe moeuable tyme.

wherfore som men trowe{n} wrongefully þat whan þei heren þat it semid 5016 to plato þat þis worlde ne had neuer bygynnynge of tyme. ne þat it neu{er}e shal haue faylynge. þei wenen i{n} þis man{er}e þat þis worlde ben maked coet{er}ne wiþ his makere. as who seiþ. þei wenen þat þis worlde {and} 5020 god ben maked to-gidre eterne. and it is a wrongful wenynge.

for oþer þing is it to ben yladd by lif interminable as plato graunted to þe worlde. {and} oþer þing is it to embracen to-gidre alle þe p{re}sence to þe lif 5024 interminable. þe whiche þing it is clere {and} manifest þat it is p{ro}pre to þe deuine þouȝt. [[pg 173]]

ne it ne sholde nat semen to vs þat god is elder þan þinges þat ben ymaked by quantite of tyme. but raþer by þe p{ro}prete of hys 5028 symple nature.

for þis ilke infinit moeuyng of temp{or}el þinges folwiþ þis p{re}sentarie estat of þe lijf i{n}moeueable.

{and} so as it ne may nat contrefeten it ne feyne{n} it ne ben euene lyke to it. for þe inmoeueablete. þat is 5032 to seyn þat is i{n} þe eternite of god. ¶ it faileþ {and} falleþ in to moeuynge fro þe simplicite of p{re}sence of god. {and} disencresiþ to þe infinite quantite of fut{ur}e {and} of p{re}terit.

{and} so as it ne may nat han togidre 5036 al þe plente of þe lif. algates ȝitte for as moche as it ne cesiþ neuere forto ben in som manere it semeþ somde to vs þat it folwiþ {and} resembliþ þilke þing þ{a}t it ne may nat attayne to. ne fulfille. {and} byndeþ it 5040 self to som manere p{re}sence of þis litel {and} swifte moment. þe whiche p{re}sence of þis lytele {and} swifte moment. for þat it bereþ a manere ymage or lykenesse of þe ay dwellynge p{re}sence of god. it graunteþ to 5044 swiche manere þinges as it bitidiþ to þat it semeþ hem þat þise þinges han ben {and} ben

{and} for [þ{a}t] þe p{re}sence of swiche litel moment ne may nat dwelle þer-for rauyssid {and} took þe infinit wey of tyme. þat 5048 is to seyn by successiou{n}. {and} by þis man{er}e it is ydon. for þat it sholde continue þe lif in goynge of þe whiche lif it ne myȝt nat embrace þe plente in dwellynge.

{and} for þi yif we willen putte worþi name to þinges 5052 {and} folwen plato. lat vs seyn þa{n} soþely þat god is et{er}ne. {and} þat þe worlde is p{er}petuel.

þan syn þat euery iugeme{n}t knoweþ {and} comp{re}hendiþ by hys owen nature þinges þat ben subiect vnto hym. þere is soþely 5056 al-wey to god an et{er}ne {and} p{re}sentarie estat. {and} þe science of hym þat ouer-passeþ alle temp{or}el moem{en}t [[pg 174]] dwelliþ in þe symplicite of hys p{re}sence {and} embraceþ {and} considereþ alle þe infinit spaces of tymes 5060 p{re}teritȝ {and} fut{ur}es {and} lokeþ in þis symple knowynge alle þinges of p{re}t{er}it ryȝt as þei weren ydoon p{re}sently ryȝt now

¶ yif þou wolt þan þenke {and} avise{n} þe p{re}science by whiche it knoweþ al þi{n}ges *þou ne 5064 shalt nat demen it as p{re}science of þinges to comen.

but þou shalt deme{n} more ryȝtfully þat it is science of presence or of instaunce þat neuer ne fayleþ.

for whiche it nis nat ycleped p{ro}uidence but it sholde raþer 5068 be cleped purueaunce þat is establissed ful fer fro ryȝt lowe þinges. {and} byholdeþ from a-fer alle þinges ryȝt as it were fro þe heye heyȝte of þinges.

whi axest þou þan or why disputest þou þan þat þilke þinges ben don by 5072 necessite whiche þat ben yseyen {and} yknowen by þe deuyne syȝt. syn þat for soþe men ne maken nat þilke þi{n}ges necessarie. whiche þat þe seen be ydoon in hir{e} syȝt.