How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
Paraventure in thilke large book,
Which that men clepe the hevene, ywriten was
With sterres, whan that he his birthe took,
That he for love sholde han his deeth, allas! (190-193)
Here the narrator gives the first indications of his belief that the fate of man is fixed by powers beyond his control. The narrator expresses support for the precepts of astrology in his claim that whatever is written in the stars at the time of a person's birth, in this case, the Sultan's, predicts what's going to happen in the person's life.
Quote #2
For in the sterres clerer than is glas
Is writen, God woot, whoso koude it rede,
The deeth of every man, withouten drede. (194-196)
The expression "God woot" is a common throwaway phrase in medieval poetry. It's often used just to preserve the poetic rhythm. But here, in the context of fate being written in the stars, it takes on significance: God knows what our future will be. Maybe He's even the one who wrote it in the stars in the first place.
Quote #3
In sterres many a wynter therbiforn
Was writen the deeth of Ector, Achilles,
Of Pompei, Julius, er they were born,
The strif of Thebes, and of Ercules,
Of Sampson, Turns, and of Socrates
The deeth, but mennes wittes ben so dulle
Thatn o wight kan wel rede it atte fulle. (197-203)
The narrator apparently thinks that our inability to predict the future is due largely to our own failings ("mennes wittes ben so dulle"). It's not that the information isn't out there, it's just that most human beings are too short-sighted to see it. This theory goes along with a belief that God has filled the universe with messages and meanings that are accessible only to the morally upright. Again, it is the failings of man—not God being secretive—that lead to our ignorance.