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Þis is a noþer poynt, þat þe pope, cardinalis, bischopis, and oþer prelats be neþe, are disciplis of anticrist, and sellars of merit. I wot what I haue rehersid þe wordis of doctors þat spekin on þis
mater. Crist seid to þe Jewis, ȝe ben of þe fader þe fend, and wel do þe desir of ȝor fader, for he was manslear fro þe biginning. And so to þe propos, Whas doctrine any folowiþ, his disciple he is. And Crist seiþ, he þat is not wiþ me, he is aȝenis me. And soþly my [Matt. xijo.] warks a cordyn not to þe warks of Sathanas, for I a cord in no þing wiþ him, but al vtterly we are contrari; for I mak beningne wyl saue sowlis; he prowd, enuious, couetous, to tyn hem; I gedre to gidre vertuys wiþ my preching; he scateriþ and departiþ fro þe vnite of þe kirk. Þis seiþ þe glose. Þerfor who þat vsiþ swilk werks [Glose.] is disciple of anticrist, and anticrist. For Jon seiþ in his epistle, [1 Jo. iio.] Sonnis is it þo last hour, and as ȝe han herd for anticrist comiþ, now are many anticristis maade, werfor we wot þat is it þe last hour. Ilk spirit þat vndoþ Ihu Crist is not of God, and þis is anticrist, [Ibid. iuo.] of wom ȝe han herde þat he comiþ, and now he is in þe world. Wer þe glose; os Austeyn seiþ: Ilk man axe her his conciens weþer [Austeyn.] he be anticrist. Ilk one contrary to Crist is anticrist, and þe tung a lone is not to be axid, but þe lif. Poul seiþ, Þei witness hem to [Tit. io.] know God, but in dedis þey denay. Als many as þe kirk haþ for sworn men, fraudars, misdoars, sortylogers, spousbrekars, drunk|unsum men, vsurers, and who euer is contrari to þe doctrin, and to þe word of God, he is anticrist. If þu luf synnis, be [þu] wiþ in, be þu wiþ out, and if þu be contrari to Crist, be þu wiþ in, be þu wiþ out, þu art anticrist, be þu wiþ in, be þu wiþ out, þu art caff. Þis seiþ Austeyn. And þus seiþ Lincoln, in a sermoun: Þe [Lincolne.] office of prelacy passiþ alle oþer in charge, syn þe principale and þe finale wark of Crist þat he cam for in to þis world is þe quiking of soulis; and þe proper wark of Sathanas, and moost entent of him, [who] is a manslear fro þe biginning, as [is?] sleyng and mortifying of sowlis: werfor scheperds, clepid þe persoun of þe verrey schep|herd Ihu Crist, nouȝt schewing þe gospel, þof þei ekid not oþer malice ouer, þey are anticrists, and Sathanas transfigurid in to an aungel of liȝt; þeuys priuey and opun slears and traytors of þe schep,
makyng þe hous of prayors a den of þeuis. Also þey ȝekun al kynd of brekyng of law, þat now þer is not opun what þing þe Lord hem a towere. And þat I passe ouer schortly, wiþ al kynd of syn, felony, and abhominacoun, and new aduencouns. And in þer aduencouns þey are filid as þe prophet seiþ to God, and to þe court of heuen are þey moost abominable, and hateful maade; for bi hem þe nam of God is blasfemid in alle folk. Wen þe lesynd of þe herd is a bok of þe schepe, and þei are opunly maistris of alle iuelis; how are þey not heretyks? namly sin, þe word of dede, is more effectuos in werkyng þen þe word of þe mouþ. And wen þei of þer office are gederers of euerlastyng lif, how euen þey are þus misusing þis generatif strengþe, are þei not, a cordantly to þe wordis of þe prophets, werr, and abhominabler þan carnal sodomits? namly wan þe misusing of þe better vertu is werr, and more abho|minable. And þus þeis scheperds are, of office, liȝt and sun of þe world, liȝtning and quickning it; but aȝenword, wan þei mak and ȝetten out for liȝt þickest derknes, and so lifly ȝet corrumping cold and blakning, opunly are traytors of þis world. But wo is þe formar and original cause, wel, and biginning of þis þus gret iuel, I drede ungly to sey, tremel and quake. Neuerþeles I dar not hold it stille, þat I falle not in to þis woo þat þe prophet seiþ, Woo to [Isa. ujo.] me for I haue be stille, for I am a man pollutid in lippis. Þe cause, welle, and biginning of þis iuel is þe court of Rome; not only for it scateriþ not his þings, and purgiþ not his abhomina|couns, wen it a lone myth, þis moost and heiast is haldun þer to; but þus mikil þe more þat it silf bi his prouisiouns, dispensacouns, and ȝeuing of pastoral curis, ordeyniþ in þe een of þe sun, swilk as are towchid bifore, hyrdis, ȝa traytors of þis world, þat it peruey to þe temporal lif of sum man, it haþ be taken to þe deuowring or swelluing of alle bestis of þe feld, þat is to al þe fendis to ay lasting deþ many þowȝandis; for þe wilk lest of alle to be quicknid ȝend|lesly, þe Son of God wold be condempnid to fowlist deþ; for [he]
þat ȝeuiþ þe cur of sowlis til an vnmiȝty, or vnkunning, or not weling to kepe, is gilty of alle þoo, þof ani schape; as he þat ȝeuiþ þe gouerning of a schip til an vnwitti, vnkunning, or not willing goueren it, is gilty of þe schip and alle þings content þer in; and he þat lettiþ not silk ȝeuing wen he is holden a may, is strenid bi þe same gilt. A how bitter luf and vauncing ganging and koward, þat he reys his luf at a moment a boue a veyn þing, and kast him|silf down in to þe vtterist murkenes. Þis seiþ he. Also þus seiþ Odo: Prelats not preching are raþer Pilats þan prelatis, spoilars [Odo.] not biholdars, herodians of Heroud, not heyris of Crist, prelats wiþ þer stafis and oþer ornaments are statuit ymagis, ful of kaff, wiþ a bow to sley þe fowlis, and as a nap in þe rof, so a sole in þe heyre of honoris. If I were, he seiþ, of þe noumbre of bischoppis, I were of þe noumbre of men to be dampnid. Þis seiþ he. Þe gospel seiþ, þat Ihu cam in to þe coostis of Cesarie of Philip, and [Matt. xvio.] he axid his disciplis, seying, Wham sey men to be þe sone of man? And þei seid, Sum Jon baptist, sum Hely, sum Jeremie, or oon of þe prophetis; þan he seid to hem, Wham sey ȝe me to be? Peter ansuerid and seid, Þu art Crist, þo sone of quik God. Ihu an|suerid and seid to him, Blessid be þu Peter, dowue sone, for flesch nor blod schewid not þis to þe, but my Fadre. And I sey to þe, þu art Peter, and on þis ston I schal bigge my kirk, and þe ȝats of helle schal not be miȝty aȝen þe; and I schal ȝeue to þe keys of þe kyndom of heuen, and what þing þu bindest up on ȝerþ schal be bounden in heuen, and what þu lowsist vp on ȝerþe, schal be lowsid in heuen. And þan he bad hem þei schuld not sey to ani man þat he was Crist. And he be gan to schew to hem þat it be houid him to go to Jerusalem, and þole many þings of þe olde men, scribis, and princis of prestis, and to be slayn, and rise aȝen þe þrid day. And Peter tok him be side, and be gan to blam him, and seid, Lord, God schild þis fro þe, þis schal not be to þe, be merciful to þisilf. And he turnid and seid to Peter, Go o bak
after me Sathanas, and þu art sclaunder to me, for þu sauerist not þing þat is of God, but of men. Now þan, weþer ani folowing Peter in þis office of prelacye, is blessiddar or perfitar þan Peter, þerfor if Peter after his blessing, and silk behiȝt, is seid of Crist Sathan, whi not þei þat are in to sclaunder to God, and lesser saueren þings þat are of God, and more þings þat are of men, syn þis is writun to our lore. And howe þe name of God is sclaundrid and blasfemid bi iuel prelatis and techers, it is opun oft in þe scripture. Poul seiþ, Þu þat prechist to not steyl, stelist? þu þat [Rom. ijo.] biddist do no lechery, dost lechery? þu þat wlatis idols, dost sacrilege? þu gloris in þe lawe, wnworscippist God be breging of þe lawe? þe name of God is blasfemid bi ȝow among þe folk. And after, þe prophete; Þei filid me to my peple for a lumpe of [Ezek. xiijo.] bred, and a handful of barly, þat þey slee sowl þat diȝe not, quiken sowl þat lyuen not, lying to my peple, trowing to lesing. And Parisiensis seiþ, Wan any auerous or couetous is canoniȝid in þe [Parisiens.] kirk, or maad cheef, þan may þe oþer chanouns of þe chirche sey, our moder haþ gotun to vs a moldewarp for a broþer. And wan a bacbitar is canoniȝid, þan haþ þat kirk gendrid a serpent. And wan an vndiscret is maad bischop in þe kirk, þan is an hornid asse born þer in. And Odo seiþ þus, Þey are byars and sellars in þe [Odo.] temple, þat wenun winning to be pite, and byen to selle þe derar. We se now alle þe lif of þe kirk bryn to defend dignite to mul|tipli possessiouns, al is ȝeuen to honor, no þing to holynesse; wer for it is seid, triacle is turnid in to venyn, and þis þat was foundun to remedie, is foundun to deþ. But and of þe riches of clerkis þat þei misuse, þe Lord bad þe sonis of Leuy þat þei schuld haue no part a mong þe sonis of Israel. But þei dispicing, folouun worldly wynning, þe auteris of Crist are maad þe bordis of chaungis bi couetous men, for messis þey syng for money, þei putt out for money, and swilk messis þey sing as þei hope moost wynning, in þey are sellars of dowuis, for þei selle spiritual þingis. And þof
þey crie not wiþ þe mowþ, neuerþeles in dedis þei sey wiþ Judas, Wat wil ȝe ȝeue me, and I gif him to ȝow? Þus crien monkis, and oþer religious, selling þer habits and suffragijs, and prestis singing for money; þe walle of þe kirk þat schuld be þe hird is brokin; swyn and houndis are gone and filun þe kirk; doumb doggis, prelats corrupt, þat may not bark, and onclen suyn, fyling oþer, lyfing bestly, are sett in þe kirk. What more abhominacoun of desolacoun in holi place þan þat a swyn do vpon þe holy vestiment, and sing Goddis holy office? houndis and woluis roryn þe psalmis, os were woluis criyng ilk to oþer; þe lioun of prid haþ lordid þe clergy, disposing al þing at his list; þe serpent of enuyȝe hissiþ, þat bakbitiþ to al and enflaumiþ þe grete; þe hound of wrechfulnes grenniþ wiþ his teþ; þe feldhasser of dyerynes laboriþ to swernes; þe wolue of rauyn opuniþ his chekis, þat multiplien messis and gospells for offring; þe bere of glotonie romist a bout, þat singiþ wiþ hie voys, for to fille þe wombe; þe swyn of vnclennes drowniþ himself in þe mig of lecherie; þe tood of gile hauing mani pursis schal minister to alle. And wen þe riche man dieþ, þe processioun of bestis is maad; þan in figeris was depeyntid in þe walle, and þe swyn and þe wolf and oþer bests berun þe cros and þe sergis, and ryngun þe bellis; sir Beringary þe bere syngiþ þe messe; þe lioun wiþ oþer bestis schal be best fed, but ȝer þe more þat þey þole, ai þe more schal þe fendis torment. Þis seiþ Odo.