dronkenesse, so þes foolis, bi here pride, coueitise & oþere synnys, ben vnable to conseyue [conceyue AA.] þe heiȝe trewþis of goddis word; & þerfore þei seyn þat it is fals, for þei han not witt ne grace to traueile aboute trewe vnderstondynge þer-of for worldly occupacion & ydelnesse.
Capitulum 3m.
Now see whi meyntenynge of lesyngis is brouȝt in. god seiþ þat no þing plesiþ to a fool but folie; so no þing plesiþ comynly to a false man but falsnesse; & for þes worldly prelatis & newe pharisees ben groundid in lesyngis, þerfore þei comenden lesyngis & meyntenen hem. for prelatis comen in þe staat of cristis apostlis to lyue in pouert, mekenesse & traueyle of þe gospel as þei deden, but þei ben turned to coueitise, worldly lordischipis, pride, ydelnesse & vanyte, & turnen cristis lif and ["in" in both MS.] techynge vpsodom. Also newe religious ben brouȝt in-to þe chirche to reise up cristis mekenesse, pouert & penaunce, & to ben a bok of þis pouert & dispisynge of þe world to alle men to loken on, & þei ben turned to ypocrisie, pride, coueitise, glotonye & slouþe & bisynes [lesyngis AA.] of þe world more þan oþere worldly men, & ben fals bokis ful of synne & heresie; þat, as ierome & anseml [sic in both MS.] witnessen, here croune, here tonsure, here abitis ben ful of lesyngis & þei ben but feyned & peyntid men of religion, & not only lesyngmongeris but pure lesyngis. & siþ god seyþ in þe sauter þat alle þat speken lesyngis schullen ben lost, hou [Psalm v. 6.] moche more schullen þei ben lost þat ben pure lesyngis. Þe secunde tyme, crist seiþ to þe iewis, ȝif ȝe weren [John viii. 39.] abrahamus children ȝe schulden do werkis of abraham; & þer-fore seiþ austyn wiþ oþere seyntis þat þou art his soone whoos werkis þou dost. Þan siþ þe fend is fadir of lesyngis, as crist seiþ, þes worldly clerkis, & namely feyned religious, comenden lesyngis, for to witnesse in word & dede þat þei ben
