Between Two Fires Quotes
"In these days the Lord God had turned His face from the business of men."
"For man’s sake that we were cast down, for we would not bend our knee to him."
"The disease was ruthless here; it had killed so many farmers that there was no bread even in this fertile valley."
"The sickness, which they called the Great Death, passed mysteriously but surely from one to the other."
"Our old enemy sleeps; if we do not seize this hour, we will come to the End of Days as He has written them."
"Let us break the roof of Hell with our fists and murder the seed of Adam."
"If God wanted order and goodness in the world, He shouldn’t have made things quite so hard on us."
"Our Lord also said to render unto Caesar what was Caesar’s. My sword belongs to my seigneur."
"He was so good. Why would God kill good priests?"
"The plague kills everything. Only the priests who won’t visit the sick have a chance of living."
"God forgives us the oaths we make in ignorance."
"You’re in my home," the priest said, looking down at him. "You’ve been hurt."
"You’re in no condition to sin, except perhaps unclean thoughts."
"It floated downriver like an old empty sock, leaving its awful guts behind it."
"If we won’t have her, you won’t either! Fuck her," she said, and smashed the Virgin’s arm from her body.
"What have you done with her?" Thomas said, and sat up heavily.
"We must stay here. If God wants our friend to live, He will bestow that grace upon him wherever he is."
"He who wants the plague, come and take this mule."
"Yet will he leave you in peace if you will put your weapons down and turn from your sin."
"I see it," she said quietly. "I know what’s at your elbow."
"God is gone from us, or never was at all; let us do as we will, and take pleasure as we may, for all is lost."
"But, if it’s no trouble, ask the Lord to send me a little wine along with His love. I promise to be grateful for both."
"And God had stopped the fountain of His love."
"You’re nobody. You’re anybody you want to be. It’s just a dream."
"That’s the beauty of being nude in a river; you’re nobody. You’re anybody you want to be. It’s just a dream."
"If devils hide in beer, is that why you drink so much wine?"
"I find it very pretty. If the player is skillful. It takes more training to master the lute, don’t you agree?"
"I’m the only priest I know without an acknowledged mistress in his village."
"Everyone lies at confession. Around the edges, at least."
"Perhaps you should tell one now to instruct me in how these things are properly done."
"Come in," the boy said, so quietly that Père Matthieu convinced himself he had not heard it.
"Sweet heavens, which seemed such a ridiculous oath to attach to the mess in her lap that she laughed even harder."
"God starves babies sometimes, and they don’t swear at all."
"There are no bad babies, They don’t know any better."
"This pestilence cooked away pretense and showed people’s souls, as surely as it eventually showed their bones."
"No singing? Maybe you’ll dance us a merry brawl, then? The priest and I grow bored with watching this mule’s ass sway."
"But who was he to judge anyone, or propose any remedy for sin?"
"He was just an old bugger who would sell his last possession for a barrel of good wine. Or any wine."
"Wait till one of you starves, then eat that one."
"For the first time, Thomas allowed himself to think they might just get to Avignon, and that whatever the girl had come to do might just get done."
"Big-arms, whose Christian name was Guillaume, had argued against it, but now it was happening."
"The oarsmen had their daggers out and were creeping toward Thomas as if toward a sleeping bear."
"Thomas had been dreaming of his wife; she was crying, pounding the heel of her hand against the table and shaking with something between remorse and outrage."
"Thomas cut the man’s arm off just below the elbow."
"Thomas watched this for a moment, then wiped his sword."
"We have famine, too," Thomas rejoined, "on top of war and pestilence. How are we so wicked as to deserve all of this?"
"The river shone with phosphorescence; it would have been impossible to count the number of them moving about in the river."
"Thomas, kicking one of the swimmers out of the way, grabbed the priest’s belt, hauling him the last yards to the shore."
"The island bobbed and shifted and moved south as the abomination in its middle dragged its prizes down the Rhône and to the sea."
"She still told herself she would never lie beneath a man who did not love a song."
"His wife was smarter than he would ever be and prettier than he thought wives were made."
"If you covet Sir Thomas’s land, fight him for it. To the death."
"Try me on this and you will think men lucky who sleep under roofs, let alone in towers."
"They’re not singing, and they’re not humming, and they’re not talking. Have you ever seen wine treaders tread in silence?"
"You’re like me, small and beautiful and captive. We can neither one of us leave this place."
"These are just our bodies! You can only reach our bodies!"
"The marketplace had more cats than people in it."
"I hate to pronounce the word, but I think you can guess it."
"You have only one task, and that is to live. See that you do it."
"What are you? Two things, I think. But soon I’ll be just one."
"He wanted men to look into his eyes, which were powerful instruments of persuasion, benevolence, or, more rarely, blame."
"God made earthly pleasures, too, which may be enjoyed without sin."
"Better to let the popes build them fine churches than to be burned on humble pyres."
"If these were the hysterics of a deceived people, they will wish for the Devil."
"And as for sounds of pleasure, castle walls treat the ears capriciously."
"He looked at the painting again and saw that he had been mistaken; it was not as it had been."
"He tried twice before he managed to empty them."
"No. But there’s one here. And more are coming."
"Maybe we won’t think so. The war is coming with them."
"Forget Hell and love one another. That is all He wants of you."
"Love is always harder. Love means weathering blows for another’s sake and not counting them."