Thanne may men by this ordre wel discerne
That thilke Moevere stable is and eterne.
Wel may men knowe, but it be a fool,
That every part dirryveth from his hool,
For nature hath nat taken his bigynnyng
Of no partie or cantel of a thyng,
But of a thyng that parfit is and stable,
Descendynge so til it be corrumpable.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Theseus says that because of the order in creation and the universe, we can discern that the First Mover or God is an unchanging and eternal being. All things take their existence from God, who is perfect and stable. Natural things descend from the First Mover and become "corrumpable" (corruptible), or open to decay and death.