more þan it or ony part of holy writt; & for [herfore X.] þei willen not be conuyct of here pride & ypocrisie & forsake here coueitise & lustis of here bely & here propre wille. Þerfore þei wilen raþere renne to helle fullire, [fulbere AA.] & drawe alle men after hem heedly bi distroiynge of cristene feiþ, þan to come to cristis clene religion wiþ fredam of þe gospel þat is ordeyned of god of endeles wisdom wiþ-outen errour of ony synful man; for þei mosten þan knoweleche here falsenesse & ypocrisie, bi þe whiche þei disceyueden cristene men fro þe bigyngne of here nouelries til þis tyme. but luciferis pride & coueitise of worldly muk & of heiȝ astatis and [of X.] worldly worschipe may not suffre þis mekenes, as men dreden ful sore, for old enuye of sathanas & hard rotynge in synne.
Capitulum 2m.
See we now hou þei bryngen in þe first cursed ground, þat þe chirche is of more autorite & credence þan is þe gospel. Þei seyn þat nychodeme & many moo writen þe gospellis of cristis lif & his techynge, & þe chirche putte hem awey & approued þes foure gospellis of matheu, mark, luk & ion. Þan þe chirche myȝte as wel haue putt out þes foure & approued þe toþere gospelleris; siþ it was in free wille & power of þe [page 211] chirche to reproue & dampne whiche þei wolden & approue & accepte whiche hem lykede; & þerfore men schulden bileue more to þe chirche þan to [omitted AA.] ony [our X.] gospel. ¶First þes fercastynge heretikis vnderstonden bi þe chirche þe pope of rome & his cardynalis, & þe multitude of worldly clerkis assentynge to his symonye & worldly lordischipe aboue alle kyngis & emperours of þis world; for ellis it were not to here purpos to magnyfye þe chirche as þei now don. Þanne trewe men seyn þat þe clergie þat first was kunnynge & holy of lif was stirid bi þe holy gost to take þes gospellis & charge not cristene peple wiþ mo; siþ þes ben ynowe &
