The Drye Tree Answereth
Capitulo Octauo
`Thenne answerd the drye
tree and sayd in this wyse: "Certes", quod
she, "I put neyther vpon the ne vpon the fruyt
no maner of blame, ne that ony other shold restablysshe and restoren this
spoillynge but only the synful heyres of Adam, and
successours by descent of his first trespas, yf they
had power therto. For nought only they owen this
restitucion, but also they owen ouer this for to
payen amendys to whome was the trespas of
disobeisaunce ageynst, whoos Commaundement he brake.
But what amendys myght be so grete that it shold be
suffysaunta by reson as for soo grete trespas?
For soth it is, the surfet
thatb was so huge, that bothe man and woman
haue therby left theyr sowles banysshed oute of
Paradys in to the pryson of Helle.
[62r] "Now is it soo, that by reson
nought only suffyseth the restorynge of my fruyte of
whiche I was despoylled, but
there nedeth to be done therfore double
satisfaction, soo that the amendys must be payed to
God, whiche amendys must ben in value and in
gretenes and also suffysaunt as he hym seluen is, to
whome the trespaas was done. And also thylke that
God fourmed to his ymage and very resemblaunce, of
hym seluen predestyned to saluacion, must be bought
and raunsond in this maner wyse, soo that the prys
be of euen valewe or better than ben they that ben
in pryson.
"For soth it is, that this wycked tyraunt that
holdeth them in ward, is so ouerthwart, that he nele
noo thynge abaten of the prys,
ne he coueteth ne asketh nought at al that this
grene tree shold restablysshe me of my despoylled
fruyte. For .leuer is hym the
prysoners than ony other payment. And also he may
nought asken of ryght no thynge of this tree neyther
of her fruyte, for they ben bothe withouten ony
tatche of synne or mysdede.
"But I aske hit in as moche that both tree and
fruyte ben comen of Adam, as his veray heyres by
descendentc of his fyrst innocence, in whiche
he was fourmed at his fyrst begynnynge. And to this
appel only apperteyneth the
power and the effect of al this restitucion, and
also of the ful satisfaction, in as moche as there
is none that maye be worthy ne peregal in value, but only
that same, whiche that is so suffysaunt, that,
though the trespas had ben a thousand part gretter,
he suffysed fully for to make amendys. And soo maye
none other, wherfore, in a moche as apperteyneth
to my restitucion, that owe to be restablysshed
of my despoylled fruyte, I
aske this forsayd.
As touchyng the satisfaction of the trespas, I may
well suffre yow deuysen in youre best".
