“Are you one of the Boni-Homines?” asked Philippa suddenly.
She was beginning to recognise their doctrines now.
“The family of God are one,” answered the Grey Lady, rather evasively. “He teacheth not different things to divers of His people, though He lead them by varying ways to the knowledge of the one truth.”
“But are you one of the Boni-Homines?” Philippa repeated.
“By birth—no.”
“No,” echoed Philippa, “I should think not, by birth. Your accent and your manners show you high-born; and they are low-born varlets—common people.”
“The common people,” answered the Grey Lady, “are usually those who hear Christ the most gladly. ‘Not many noble are called;’ yet, thank God, a few. But do you, then, count Archbishop Bradwardine, or Bishop Grosteste, or William de Edingdon, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England,—among the common people?”
“They were not among them?” exclaimed Philippa in contemptuous surprise.
“Trust me, but they were,—two of them at least; and the third preached their doctrines, though he went not out from them.”
“I could not have believed it!”