The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.

ȝit þe fend blyndiþ many curatis þat wenen þat wenen þat þei ben not holdun to residense bi leeue of þe pope or of þer bischop or of seculere lordis bi priuylegie, & þus þei taken fruytis of þer chirchis & seruen not þer puple þerfore. but heere trewe men shulden knowe þat neþer pope ne oþer man haþ power to kepe a man in his benefiss & to do nouȝt þerfore; for god wole not do þis dede but axiþ due seruyss for þis offiss. & as an ymage is not þe man al ȝif it be lik to hym, so siche leeue of a persoun makiþ hym not herde but wolf to god; & ȝif an herde haue bullis of þe pope þat he dispensiþ heere wiþ hym, alle siche bullis excusen not bifore þe iugement of god; but þey accusen more þe pope to take part of mennus dampnyng þat tristen so myche in þe popis bullis more þan in lawe or skile of god. & bi þe same skile bischops leeue, þat is of a persoun, excusiþ hem not bifore god, but te[lliþ] [Illegible from the margin being rubbed.] hou þey bien & sillen þer peyne; þis chaffere pas[siþ] [Illegible from the margin being rubbed.] symonye, for it is more nyȝ to wrong to ȝyue a man leeue for money to serue not god but to serue þe fend. For certis no man may haue þis power, [page 8] ȝe not anticrist hym silf. & as anentis seculer lordis, as kyngis & prinsis & oþere lordis, men shulden sharply telle to hem þat þei han no power aȝenus god, but þei moten nedis for siche dedis þat men clepen priuelegies dampne hem silf, wiþ þes persouns þat þey letten fro goddis offiss. & wolde god þat trewe prestis wolden telle sharply þis perel to lordis; for man myȝte not more opynly bicome traytour to his god þan to drawe his knyȝtes fro his seruyss, & bringe in fendis & sle his soulis. but ȝit þe fend haþ founden cautels to bringe in vikeris in persouns stede, & bi colour of siche vikeris he seiþ þat propring of chirchis is leeueful, & noun residense is excusid bi siche a viker þat holdiþ his stede. Heere men þenken þat it were good to haue a viker þat were nedy to take bodily almes of men whanne þe persoun trauelide