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Prelatis also robben þe pore lige men of þe king bi fals extorisions taken bi colour of holy correccion, & ȝeuen men leue to dwellen in synne fro ȝer to ȝer, fro seuene ȝer to seuene ȝer, & comunly al here lif, ȝif þei paien bi ȝere twenti shillyngis or more or lesse, and þus bi sutilte of sathanas þei han [page 71] founde newe peynes orible & schameful to make men paye a gret raunson, to ȝeue gold & baþe hem in lustis of synne as swyn in feen. And men seyn þat summe bischopis
getiþ in o yer two þousand mark or poundis; & ȝif he laste twenty ȝeer bischop wiþ þis robberie, It wole come to sixti þousand mark þat he robbiþ of þe kingis lige men. ¶ And þus þes wickede prelatis sillen cristene mennus soulis to sathanas for money, for whiche soulis crist schedde his precious herte blod vpon þe cros. And here-fore þei ben worse þan iudas for many skillis, for þei sillen crist in a manere as iudas dide wiþ more dispit & more stynkynge coueitise, & ȝit þei hiren lordis to meyntene hem in þis cursednesse, & ȝeue pore mennus goodis to hem for þis ende, & hiren also iurrouris & oþere gentil men of contre to forswere hem wyttyngly on þe bok & not to putten hem vp for extorsioneris & þeues; & whanne þei schulden be principal dukis in crist oost to fiȝtte & teche oþere men bi here ensaumple to fyȝtte aȝenst synnes, as false traitouris þei turnen þe bak & techene cristene men to offre hem redy to þe deuelys sacrifice. a pore man þei constreynem to synne bi manas, chydyng & losse of catel & sclaundrynge, but ȝif he wolen consente to hem & fauoure hem in here wrong lif; & ȝif he wol do so, þanne he is an holy sone, & haþ ȝiftis & worldly frendischipe & fauour & anticristis false blissyng & goddis trewe curs. And þei flatren lordis whanne þei meyntenen þes anticristis prelatis to robbe here tenauntis, & seyn þei worschipen þanne god & holy chirche, & ȝeuen lordis grete ȝiftis of gold & iuelis & pardons, & licence to synge in oratories & oþere veyn þingis, and ȝif lordis wolen distroie þes synnes of robberie & sathanas marchaundise, þanne anticristis prelatis wolen sclaundren hem, curse hem, & entirdite hem & here londis. [here lordis X.] And þus alle men ben conquerid to þe fend almost, & þus þes cursed pilatis not prelatis ben verray anticristis, procuratours of sathanas, & traitours of ihū crist & his peple.