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those who deliberately malign worthy people.
Then they say that it is not good to know such matters.
But if they knew the way of it, they would consider
it a very notable and right work of nature, and without
any semblance or kind of evil. But when they do not know the thing,
what they say about it is as much or more wrong than right. Certainly,
for someone who knows astronomy there is nothing in this
world that one cannot know well by investigation through reason,
and one could do many things that would seem like miracles to
people who do not know about this science. I am not saying that
someone who knows a lot about this cannot do evil. For
there is no science so good that one can derive nothing
malicious from it. God never made a gospel so good that
it cannot be turned to lies by one who has the desire to.
And there is nothing so true that one cannot comment on it in
such a way that it leads to damnation for the one who wants
to be able to do evil, even though he has no mastery except
in doing evil. Every man has the power to compel himself
to do good or to do evil, whichever he wants, as someone
who has free liberty of the one or the other. If he gives himself

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Marie Richards

original ms. Folio 110v
Walters ms. Folio 115v
BL Royal MS 19 A IX fols 129r-130r
Caxton, ed. Prior, pp 160-161
Gossuin, ed. Prior, 186