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siþen ech seculer cristenman shulde willefuly chese his prelat, & loue hym bi goddis lawe as men louyden in þe firste staat, þat was staat of innocense, as alle men shulden haue louyd þanne, & men shulen loue in staat of blis, for þere shal loue be at þe fulle; herfore shulden men seke weyes to loue þat man þat shulde be pope. & among causis of loue þe mooste cause þat euere god ordeynede shulde be
good doyng of men; for bi þis cause god makiþ hym silf louyd, & hem more louyd þat more don good. þe good þat þe pope shulde do shulde be lore to come to heuene, & so þis pope mut kunne þis lore ouer oþere þat ben his sheep; & siþ þis lore is fully tauȝt in goddis lawe, as we bileuen, þis pope mut passingly kunne goddis lawe & resoun þer-of. but nou in þe reume of englond stryuen manye of þe sacrid oost. summe seyen þat þis oost fro þe tyme þat it be sacrid is verily goddis body & þer-wiþ breed, whit & round; & in þis weye stonden lewid men boþe more & lesse, & longe han don. oþere seyen þat þis oost is nouȝt or an accident, þe which þey kunnen not nemyn to men, but it is not goddis body. þis questioun shulden reumes sende to þe pope, to knowe his wit, what we shulden trowe of þis oost fro þe tyme þat it be sacrid; & here-ynne shulde he not feyne but teche bi þe gospel or bi resoun what men shulden bileue heere, or ellis he were no witty pope. & þes reumes shulden take no man to þer pope bifore þat tyme þat he hadde tauȝt hem wel heere by good ground of goddis lawe. For wel we witen þat he kan heere no skile but of cristis word; but crist, whanne he blesside þis breed, seyde þat "þis is my body"; & we bileuen þat crist liȝide neuere, but seyde euere soþ to greet witt. & ȝif foure sectis in þis lond seyen heere soþ of þe popis lawe, he haþ seyd many hundrid wynter þat þis oost is not goddis body, but accident wiþ-oute suget. & ȝif reumes leeuen þis lore & taken hem anticrist to pope, he may make hem to bileue what euere he wole bi litil & litil; for hooly chirche haþ bileuyd þis þousinde [page 27b] wynter & more to, þat þis oost is goddis body in foorme of breed, & wyn his blood. & trewe men shulden knowe heere þat þis poynt is not so hye þat ne þey may wite þe soþe, & knowe it betere þan oþere poyntis þat crist haþ tauȝt in oure bileue. heere may cristenmen soone wite which clerk or lord loueþ treuþe & haþ wille to stonde þerfore & suffere a magrey ȝif he shulde. & certis þat pope þat fayliþ heere oþer for kunnyng or for wille is vnhable to take to pope & lede his floc bi goddis
lawe. & what sect grucchiþ aȝenus þis is suspect of heresye, for what shulde it harme ony man þat þis treuþe were wel discussid: but it were good to cristenmen to laste in þer olde bileue, þat þis breed is goddis body & þis wyn is goddis blood, & not an vnknowun þing wiþ-oute resoun or autorite; for men shulden holde þer olde bileue but ȝif þe contrarye were wel tauȝte. & þus it were a blessid dede þat lordis wolden not ȝyue þer almes neþer to o prest ne oþer, bifore þey tauȝten bi good witnesse what þing were þis sacrid oost, boþe in his kynde & in figure, by maner þat þe gospel spekiþ. & þus ȝif god wolde fouche-saf, hooly chirche shulde be purgid of heresyes in þis mater, aboute which þey dispenden myche, as in prestis þat syngen masse; & certis it were ydolatrye to loute þus an accident. & no man durste seye til nou þat accident is goddis body, for þis newe word may haue no ground, & was not knowun þat þousinde ȝeer þat sathanas was boundun in helle, & ȝit he shameþ to seye þis gabbing.
