How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #10
"O myghty God, if that it be thy wille,
Sith thou art rightful juge, how may it be
That thou wolt suffren innocentz to spille,
And wikked folk regnen in prosperitee?" (813-816)
The Constable expresses dismay at what he perceives as the lack of logic in what God ordains. If God is a just judge, shouldn't people be rewarded for virtue and punished for sin? It seems unfair to the Constable that people have little to no control over their fate in this world.
Quote #11
But nathelees, she taketh in good entente
The wyl of Crist, and knelynge on the stronde,
She seyde, "Lord, ay welcome be thy sonde!
He that me kepte fro the false blame,
While I was on the lond amonges yow,
He kan me kepe from harm and eek fro shame
In salte see, al though I se noght how." (824-830)
Custance's faith in God's protection is heartening, don't you think? At the same time, though, it implies that everything is in the hands of God, which denies human beings the ability to control their own fates.
Quote #12
But litel while it lasteth, I yow heete,
Joye of this world, for tyme wol nat abyde;
Fro day to nyght it changeth as the tyde. (1132-1134)
This passage compares happiness to the tides. In so doing, it suggests that joy is inevitable but, like the sea, is uncontrollable. Happiness arrives and takes its leave at the hands of mysterious forces beyond our control.