lordis & curatis to lyue in synne & traiterie aȝenst god & his peple. & so aȝenst þe hire þat lordis ȝeuen here confessouris þei disceyuen hem in here soulis helþe, & meyntenen hem in cursed traiterie of god & his peple, & þus almost al þe world goþ [aboute has been inserted in X. but crossed out.] to helle for þis cursed symonye & false confes|sours. for comynly prelatis, lordis & curatis ben enuenymed wiþ þis heresie of symonye, & neuere don verey repentaunce & satisfaccion þer-fore; for whanne þei han a fat benefice geten by symonye þei forsaken it not, as þei ben bounden bi here owene lawe, but wittyngly vsen forþ þat symonye, & lyuen in riot, coueitise, pride, & don not here office neiþer in good ensaumple ne trewe techynge. & þus anticristis clerkis, enemyes of crist & his peple, bi money & flaterynge & fleschly loue gedrynge to hem ledynge of þe peple, & forbarre trewe prestis to teche hem goddis lawe; & þerfore þe blynde lediþ þe blynde & boþe partis rennen in-to synne, & ful many to helle. & it is huge wonder þat god of his riȝtwisnesse dis|troieþ not þe housis of prelatis & lordis & curatis, as sodom & gomor, for þis heresie, extorsions & oþere cursednesses þat þei haunten, & for drede of þis synne & many moo summe pore wrecchis resceyue no benefices in þis world.
Capitulum 2m.
Ȝit þouȝ pore prestis myȝtten frely geten presentacion of lordis to haue benefices wiþ cure of soulis, þei dreden for [of X.] myspendynge of poore mennus goodis; & þis is more drede þan [page 206] þe first as [omitted X.] anemtis here owene personys. for prestis owen to holde hem paied wiþ fode & hilynge, as seynt poul [1 Tim. vi. [8].] techiþ; & ȝif þei han more it is pore mennus goode, as here owene lawe & ierom & goddis lawe seyn, & þei ben kepers þer-of & procuratours of pore men. But for institucion & induccion he schal ȝeue moche of þis god þat is pore mennus to bischopis officers, archdekenes & officialis þat ben to riche,
