Page 259

C.xxi.

Jaiant et eult chascun son hostel aussi grant comme
nul roy eult oncques et boiz et rivieres fours et molins
champaignes jardins preis et vignobles chascun alen-
tour de son chastel pour son vivre. Et en eult a si grant
foison que chascun en peust tenir. Cent maismes pour
lui servir et chascun de celles maismes en tenist vingt
aultres et eult grant pourpris en leur manoir Si por-
roient ilz tous moult plentureusement chevir dedens
le firmament. Et ancores en demouroit il plus de wit
que tous ne pourprendroient pour eulx esbatre se ilz
voloient. Si povons bien savoir que nostre seigneur est
bien puissant et est d'un treshault affaire quant il
sceut creer de neant tant noble chose comme est le ciel
et le soleil et toutes les aultres choses qui sont ou
ciel en l'air sur la terre et en la mer Tel seigneur et
tel maistre doit bien estre dieu qui scet fair tant
nobles choses dont nous avons vraie congnoissan-
che si le devons parfaitement amer Et bien poeut
chascun penser que che de dessus est poult gentil
et moult noble quant che qui est dessoubz est si soub-
til. Car che qui est dessus est plus grant cent mil tantz

121

giant and each had a house as big as any king has
ever had, and each of them had around his castle
forests and rivers, ovens and mills,
fields, gardens, pastures and vineyards, for his
livelihood, and if each had the largest harvest that
anyone could have, a hundred retainers (see note) to serve
him and each of these retainers having twenty
others below him and having a very large manor --
all this could be fully contained within the firmament,
and there would still be enough empty space that
anyone could take some of it to enjoy themselves there, if they
wished. And so we can know well that Our Lord is
very powerful and that it was a very important matter
when he created (see note) from nothing such a noble thing
as the sky and the sun and all the other things that
are in heaven, in the air, on the earth, and it the sea.
Such a lord and such a master should indeed be God,
who makes such noble things, of which we
have a true knowledge, and we should perfectly love Him.
And one may well thing that that which is above is very pleasant
and very noble, when that which is below is so thin,
for that which is above is a thousand times more

C.xxi.

Jaiant et eult chascun son hostel aussi grant comme
nul roy eult oncques et boiz et rivieres fours et molins
champaignes jardins preis et vignobles chascun alen-
tour de son chastel pour son vivre. Et en eult a si grant
foison que chascun en peust tenir. Cent maismes pour
lui servir et chascun de celles maismes en tenist vingt
aultres et eult grant pourpris en leur manoir Si por-
roient ilz tous moult plentureusement chevir dedens
le firmament. Et ancores en demouroit il plus de wit
que tous ne pourprendroient pour eulx esbatre se ilz
voloient. Si povons bien savoir que nostre seigneur est
bien puissant et est d'un treshault affaire quant il
sceut creer de neant tant noble chose comme est le ciel
et le soleil et toutes les aultres choses qui sont ou
ciel en l'air sur la terre et en la mer Tel seigneur et
tel maistre doit bien estre dieu qui scet fair tant
nobles choses dont nous avons vraie congnoissan-
che si le devons parfaitement amer Et bien poeut
chascun penser que che de dessus est poult gentil
et moult noble quant che qui est dessoubz est si soub-
til. Car che qui est dessus est plus grant cent mil tantz

121

giant and each had a house as big as any king has
ever had, and each of them had around his castle
forests and rivers, ovens and mills,
fields, gardens, pastures and vineyards, for his
livelihood, and if each had the largest harvest that
anyone could have, a hundred retainers (see note) to serve
him and each of these retainers having twenty
others below him and having a very large manor --
all this could be fully contained within the firmament,
and there would still be enough empty space that
anyone could take some of it to enjoy themselves there, if they
wished. And so we can know well that Our Lord is
very powerful and that it was a very important matter
when he created (see note) from nothing such a noble thing
as the sky and the sun and all the other things that
are in heaven, in the air, on the earth, and it the sea.
Such a lord and such a master should indeed be God,
who knows to make such noble things, of which we
have a true knowledge, and we should perfectly love Him.