seruyce & rentis fro wickid lordis; but ben chargid of god bi petir & poul to be þus suget to wickid lordis; & þerfore crist paiede for hym & his apostlis tribut to þe heþene [Matt. xvii. [27.]] emperour. & we reden not þat he or ony apostle paide tiþes to þe wickid heiȝe prestis after tyme þat he began to preche. ¶ Also lordis han power of mennus bodies & catel in resonable [Rom. xiii. [1-7.]] maner, & temperale swerd & worldly power bi goddis lawe to compelle men to do here seruyce & paie rentis, but bi þe gospel & cristis lif & his apostlis, prestis han not siche power to constreyne men to paie hem dymes, & principaly whanne þei don not here gostly office, but harmen here sugetis in fals techynge & euyl ensaumple of lif. but þouȝ þei deden wele here office & men wolden not paie dymes, þei schulden suffren mekely & not curse, as ihū crist dide. [Luke ix. [55.]]
See we now hou lordis schulden lyue in here astaat. first, þei [page 193] schulden knowe goddis lawe & studie it & meyntene it, & distroie wrong & meyntene pore men in here riȝt to lyue in reste, pees & charite, & suffre no [not X.] men vnder colour of hem to do extorcions, bete men, & holde pore men out of riȝt bi strengþe of lordischipis. ¶ For þus spekiþ holy writt in þe fifte [first AA.] bok of goddis lawe; "whanne þe kyng is ordeyned bi [Deut. xvii. [16.]] þe chesynge of god & of his peple, he schal not multiplie to hym self many hors, he schal not haue many wyues to drawe his herte to lustis, & he schal not haue oute of mesure grete weiȝttis of siluer & gold, but after þat he schal sitte in sege of his regne, he schal writte to him þe bok of goddis lawe in a volym, takynge ensaumplerie of prestis of þe kynrede of leuy, & haue it wiþ him, & he schal rede þat alle þe daies of his lif, þat he kunne drede þe lord his god & kepe his wordis, þe whiche ben comaundid in þe lawe, & his herte schal not be lift vp in-to pride vpon his breþeren, & he schal not croke in-to þe riȝtte side ne in-to þe left side, þat he & his children regne long tyme vpon Israel." ¶ Also kyngis & lordis schulde axe of god, bi gret desir & holy lif, wisdom of
