“Thou riddlest, Jack,” said Isoult.
“Tell me, dear heart,” he answered, “doth God or Satan rule the world?”
“God ruleth the world, without doubt,” said she, “but if Satan spake sooth unto our Lord, he hath the power of the glory of it.”
“Did Satan ever speak sooth, thinkest?” he replied smiling somewhat bitterly. “Howbeit to leave that point,—doth God, or doth Satan, mete out the lives of God’s people, and give them what is best for them?”
“God doth, assuredly,” said she.
“Well said,” answered he. “Then (according unto this doctrine) when God giveth His child a draught of bitter physic, he may with safety take and drink it; but when He holdeth forth a cup of sugared succades (sweetmeats), that must needs be refused. Is it so?”
“Jack!” wonderingly cried Isoult.
“There be that think so,” he made answer, “but I had scarce accounted my Lady Frances one ere now. Set the thing afore her in that light. This is the self spring whence cometh all the monasteries and nunneries, and anchorites’ cells in all the world. Is God the author of darkness, and not of light? Doth He create evil, and not good? Tell her, when the Lord holdeth forth an honeycomb, He would have her eat it, as assuredly as, when He giveth a cup of gall into her hand, He meaneth she should drink it. And methinks it can scarce be more joyful to Him to watch her drink the gall than eat the honeycomb.”
The last words were uttered very tenderly.
When Isoult told Frances what John had said, the tears rose to her eyes.