And if thou drede nat a sooth to heere,
Thanne wol I shewe al openly, by right,
That thou hast maad a ful gret lesyng heere.
Thou seyst thy princes han thee yeven myght
Bothe for to sleen and for to quyken a wight;
Thou, that ne mayst but oonly lyf bireve,
Thou hast noon oother power ne no leve.
But thou mayst seyn thy princes han thee maked
Ministre of deeth; for if thou speke of mo,
Thou lyest, for thy power is ful naked.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Tale. Cecilia is dismissive of Almachius’s authority and claim to have been granted the power to slay and give life to a person. She brands him a liar. He can only take away life, she tells him, so he can say that his princes have made him Minister of death. If he speaks of more power, then he lies for his power is limited.