'Blythly, lady,' quod I, 'me list this mater entyrely to understande.'
'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.'