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Capitulum 21m.
Prelatis also setten more pris bi here owen tradicions, maade for to meyntene here pride & worldly wynnynge, þan bi þe gospel of ihū crist; for þei studien faste & techen here owene constitucions, & ponyschen men [more X.] sore ȝif þei don ouȝt aȝenst hem or kunnen hem not, but þei studien litel or nouȝt cristis gospel & lesse techen it, & recken lest þouȝ men kunnen not þe gospel ne kepen it not; but faste þei techen þe nede & þe auauntage & trewþe of here owen lawis, & seyn þat [page 91] holy writt is hard, not so nedful as here owen lawes, but it is false to þe lettere, & men wityþ neuere what it meneþ. & þus þei seyn in dede þat newe lawes, maade in tyme þat sathanas is vnbounden of worldly prelatis ful of coueitise symonye & heresie, ben betere & trewere þan lawe of þe gospel, maad & tauȝt of ihū crist god & man; & on þis ypocrite manere þei seyn preuely þat fonnyd worldly here|tikes ben wiser & trewere þan þe holy gost, þan crist & his apostlis; ȝee þat þes worldly clerkis ben wise & trewe & in grete charite, & god þe trinyte & ihū crist & his apostlis ben foolis, false & out of charite; [& X. AA.] siþ þes worldly moldwarpis ful of symonye & heresie maken so open lawis so profitable & so trewe, & god wiþ his helperis makeþ derke lawis vnprofitable and vntrewe.