moche ypocrise; for þei traueilen nyȝt & day, bi watir & lond in cold, & in hete, bi false sotiltis and cautelis & grete sweri[n]ges nedles & false, for to gete muche drit or muk of þis world, to gete riche wyues, & purchase londis & rentis, & dewelle in pore mennus dette after þat þei han desceyued hem in byynge of here catel; & ȝit ben so bisi in þouȝt & speche in goyng and rydyng abouten þis muk þat vnneþe may þei onys þenke on god & han mynde of here false robberie þat þei vsen bi false wettes & mesures to amende hem. ȝif alle here bisinesse & loue goo þus wrongly to þe world & nouȝt or to litel to heuene and heuenely þingis, þei failen foule of holy lif; & ȝit holden hem self holy & coueiten to ben holden holy of oþer men, & ben wode ȝif men speken treuly aȝenst here cursed synnes; but certes þis is ypocrisie.
Capitulum 10m.
Generaly ypocrisie regneþ among alle statis of cristen men; for whanne men ben cristened þei forsaken þe deuyl, al his pride & al his werkis, þat ben werkis of synne; and ȝit þei turnen to synne as an hound to his spuyng and here-wiþ holden hem goode cristen men. but summe don verrey penaunce for þes synnes, & summe dwelle euere stille þer-inne & rennen to helle, as crist seiþ in þe gospel & in þe bok of iob; & many men don bodily penaunce, as fastynge and goynge barfote, but þei fasten not fro pride ne enuye ne coueitise, but preien for wrongful vengaunce of oþere enemyes aȝenst charite, and þis is foule ypocrisie to make men holden hem holy whanne þei stynken bifore god for old endured synne. For god seiþ be ysaye þat a [Isaiah lviii. 5.] man to turmente his hed and peyne his bodi only is not þat fast þe whiche god chees, 1but þis is þe fast þat god ches; 1 [1_1 omitted X.] a man to breke þe bondis of synne & do werkis of mercy to poore men & nedi. ¶ But vpon þe text of þis gospel bi ordre of seynt matheu Ion with þe gildene
