Hou sathanas & his prestis & his feyned religious casten bi þre cursed heresies to distroie alle good lyuynge & mayntene [meyntenynge X.] alle manere of synne.
Capitulum primum.
As almyȝtty god in trinyte ordeyneþ men to come to þe blisse of heuene bi þre groundis, bi knowynge of þe trinyte bi sad feiþ, bi treue kepynge of goddis hestis, & bi perfit charite & endeles, so sathanas & his worldly clerkis & his feyned religious ful of sotil ypocrisie casten to distroie alle vertuous lif & iustise, & meyntene alle manere of synne bi þes þre cursed groundes. Þe first is þat holy writt is fals; þe secunde þat it [omitted X.] is lefful & medful to lie; þe þridde þat it is aȝenst charite to crie opynly aȝens prelatis synnes & oþer myȝtty mennys. for as þei seyn þis is bacbitynge or detraction & sclaundrynge, to brynge men out of deuocion to god & holy chirche, & make men of religion of euyl name where þei weren bifore holden goode & holy; & þis prechynge stireþ lordis & oþere men to wiþdrawe worldly goodis fro men of holy chirche, & so hyndriþ goddis seruyce & preieris for þe pees & maken [sic in both MSS.] discencion & enuye. for ȝif holy writt be fals men may haue noon autorite þer-bi to reproue synne & preise vertues & vertuous lif. & ȝif it be leffel & meritorie to leie, þan no man haþ ground to stire men fro synne bi grete peynes bihiȝte bi cristis word, ne stire men to vertues bi grete ioies of heuene. for siþ it is medful to lie, as þei seyn, crist vsed þis medful craft at þe fulle, & no man may þanne wite in whiche autorite he seide soþ & in whiche he leiȝede. & ȝif it be aȝenst charite to preche & crie openly aȝenst synne of prelatis & men of þe chirche & oþere myȝtty men, þan cristis lif & his techynge & his apostlis & prophetes in þe olde lawe & his comaundementis to his prophetis weren aȝenst charite,
