Cap. IV.
þe disciple axiþ. Woot god alle þinges?
þe maistir answeriþ. ȝe, in so moche [myche U.] pat alle þinges passed & now present & þo þat ben to come also redy [U, S. 162] he woot hem, as if [þo U.] þei were leid [lede U.] to fore him. & eer [erþe U.] he maid [made to U.] þe world [J, fol. 2r] noum∣bre [þe noumber U.] of alle aungels & men, her þewis, willynges, seiynges, [seyyngis, þingis U.] deedes, & þouȝtes, [pouȝt U.] as þei weren alle present bifore him, he knowiþ al.
þe disciple axith. What maner wise spekeþ god to aungels or to men?
þe maistir answereþ. To aungels bi diuyne breþing, to men forsoþe bi aungels.
þe disciple axiþ. So as god is wiþoute bigynnyng, is [für is it it is U.] it not to [for to U.] bileeue þat, bifore þe world was maid, [made U.] he had a solitarie lijf?
þe maister answereþ. It is writun: þat [þat f. U.] þat was [is U.] in him was lijf [Joan. I, 3, 4], in whom it semeþ euery [eche U.] creature euere [Für euere to haue ben to haue be euermore U.] to haue ben inuysible in predestinacioun of god, which aftirwarde uysible to him creatour [U, S. 163] schewiþ [schewid U.] apertly in makynge; as as carpenter þat wole bilde an hous, firste he treteþ in his witt how he wole dispose alle þinges to a certeyn [serten U.] schap, which schap aftirwarde riseþ to [into U.] a bilding þat stood first in a deepe in witt. þerfore god is seide noon elder þan his crea∣tures, not of tyme, but of dignytee.