He preeveth folk al day, it is no drede,
And suffreth us, as for oure excercise,
With sharpe scourges of adversitee
Ful ofte to be bete in sondry wise;
Nat for to knowe oure wyl, for certes he,
Er we were born, knew al oure freletee;
And for oure beste is al his governaunce.
Lat us thanne lyve in vertuous suffraunce.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. The Clerk says that God tests people all the time and permits us for our own good to suffer the sharp scourges of adversity, often to be beaten in various ways. This is not to know our will, but all God’s governance is for our best, he adds. Let us then live in virtuous forbearance, the Clerk says. But the problem with equating God’s role with that of Walter is like saying that God is a cruel bully.