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Yyf hyt be soth that thou cones saye. Thou lyfed not two yer in oure thede; Thou cowthes never God nauther plese ne pray, Ne never nawther Pater ne Crede- And quen mad on the fyrst day ! I may not traw, so God me spede, That God wolde wrythe so wrange away. Of countes, damysel, par ma fay, Wer fayr in heven to halde asstate, Other elles a lady of lasse aray. Bot a quene ! - hit is to dere a date.' 'Ther is no date of hys godnesse,' Then sayde to me that worthy wyghte, 'For al is trawthe that he con dresse, And he may do nothynk bot ryght. As Mathew meles in your messe, In sothfol gospel of God almyght, In sample he can ful graythely gesse, And lyknes hit to heven lyghte: "My regne," he says, "is lyk on hyght To a lorde that hade a vyne, I wate. Ot tyme of yere the terme was tyght, To labor vyne was dere the date.' |
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If all that you have said is true; You lived not two years in our land, How to please God you never know, Nor Creed nor prayers could understand; Made queen upon the first day too! I cannot credit this command; It is not something God would do; A countess, not a maid like you, Might well some station here display, Or lady lacking retinue, But queen ? And in a single day !' 'No day God's goodness e'er restrains,' Then said that worthy maid to me, 'For all is true that He ordains, Nothing but right will he decree, As Matthew in the Mass explains. In God's great gospel men can see A parable which there contains The likeness of His kingdom free. "My reign," He said, 'may likened be To a certain lord of vineyards, say; The season was in harmony, For harvest 'twas the fittest day.
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'That grace is too noble in action if what you say is true. You lived not two years in our land. You never knew how to please God or pray to Him, nor did you know Paternoster and Creed. And made queen on the first day! I cannot believe that God would blunder so badly. A countess, by my faith, might well hold such rank in heaven or even a lady of lower status. But a queen! It is too high a rank.' 'There is no limit to His goodness,' then said that worthy maid to me. 'for all is true that He ordains and he can do nothing but right. As Saint Matthew says in your Mass, in the true gospel of Almighty God, in a parable he most aptly discerns, and likens it to heaven bright. "My kingdom on high," he said, "is Iike a lord that had a vineyard, say. The right time of the year had come, and the season ripe to harvest the vines.'
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