Capitulum 16m.
Ȝit religious possessioners ben groundid & holden forþ bi blasphemye & heresie; for þei ben groundid on þis, þat statutis maad of a synful fool ben betere in here dom þan þe lawis þat crist ordeynede for prestis & clerkis, for ellis þei wittyngly forsoken [forsaken X.] þe betre & token [taken X.] þe worse & helden [holden X.] it forth, & weren out of charite. And ȝif þei meyn|tenen an errour aȝenst charite þei ben heretikis; & ȝif þei seyn þat here reulis ben betre þan cristis reulis ȝouen to prestis & clerkis, þei blasphemen aȝenst god, & so at þe begynnynge þei ben blasphemys on alle sides or at þe leste knowen not cristene bileue; & in holdynge forþ comynly þei ben blasphemys, for þei letten a prest to lyue & teche as crist comaundid in þe gospel, & þei letten a cristene man to serue his god in þe beste manere. For ȝif a prest of her feyned ordre wole lyue poreli & iustly & goo freli aboute & teche frely goddis lawes, þei holden him apostata & prisonen hym, & holden hym cursed for þis prestis lif comaundid, ensaumplid of crist & his apostlis; & so ȝif a cristene man wole forsake a wickid worldly couent ful of pride, ypocrisie, coueitise & symonye, after snybbynge as crist techeþ in þe gospel, þei pursuen him [hem X.] as apostata & cursed man, for he doþ as crist & his apostelis techen; & þis is cursed blasphemye of god. & ne were þis prison & sclaundrynge fewe goode men or none schulden dwelle amonge suche couentis for drede of consentynge to [consenynte of X.] here synnes.