On free will, omniscience, and baptised penguins

In his book Penguin Island, Anatole France tells the story of a bunch of penguins that get baptised accidently by a near-blind saint who mistakes them for humans. Hilarity ensues - as does a Heavenly debate about their fate. G-d makes the decision to turn them into human beings, and makes the following statement:

However, my foreknowledge must not be allowed to interfere with their free will. So as not to limit human freedom, I hereby assume ignorance of what I know, I wind tightly over my eyes the veils which I have seen through, and in my blind clairvoyance, I allow myself to be surprised by what I have foreseen.

What eloquence!