They regarded
man as placed between good and evil; the choice lay in his own hand. An
extraordinary poem by Peire Cardinal--not by any means a
heretic--breathes this spirit. He confronts God not with the customary
humility, but as one power confronts the other. "I will write a new
poem, and on the day of the Last Judgment I will read it to Him who has
created me from nothing. If He should condemn me to everlasting
damnation, I will say to Him: Lord, have mercy on me, for I have always
striven against the wicked world," (the troubadour here alludes to his
many polemic poems) "and save me from the torments of hell. The heavenly
host will marvel at my speech. And I shall say to God that He sins
against His creatures if he delivers them into the hands of the devil.
Rather let Him drive away the devils, for then He will win more souls
and all the world will be blessed.... I will not despair of Thee and
therefore Thou must forgive my sins and save my soul and my heart. If I
had not been born I should not have sinned.
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