synne of siȝt is not þus oonli in lecherie of fleish, but it is also in coveitise of worldli goodis; as whanne þou seest erþeli þing, and coveitist to hav it, aȝens þe wille of þi God, þou synnest þanne in þi siȝte. And þus seiþ Seint Joon, þat in coveitise of iȝen is understonden al coveitise of oþer wittis aȝens resoun. Ne a man synneþ not in siȝt, al oonli on þes two maneres, but whanne he is idil in his siȝt, and aspieþ not his profit; as sum men loken to veyn plaies, and many siȝtis of worldli þingis, þe which profiten not to her soule, but raþer doiþ hem harm. And siȝt is þe first witt stoppid whanne a man slepiþ. Soþeli we shulden ever loke upon God, as we mai here seen him bi mirrour, in a derknes of þingis þat he haþ maad; ȝhe, boþe niȝt and dai, slepinge and wakinge, shulde we þus þenke on God and his lawe.
Þe secounde uttir witt is heeringe of man, þat is brouȝt many weies in to sleping of synne. For God haþ ȝovun us þis virtue for to heeren him, and so to heeren pees and charite þat he spekiþ in us; but men ben now redi to heeren of unpees, batailis, and strives, and chidingis of neiȝboris; and cause of sich heeringe is assent to siche þingis, for litil worldli wynning and lesyng of pees. And bi sich heeringe men mai knowe whos children þei ben. We shulden witen þat heeryng was graunted to man for to cunne his bileve, as Seint Poul seiþ; and so bileve is of heering, and heering is by Cristis word. And for þis, Crist wole þat men preche þe gospel; and for þis haþ kynde ordeyned þat heering shulde be in a sercle, bifore men, and bihinde men, and on [So E; oon, A.] ech side of men, as bileve is of treuþis, bifore us, and bihinde us. And to oure bileve shulde we shape oure heering. And þis is o defaute þat men have in heeringe, þat þei wolen gladli heere fablis, and falsehedis, and slaundris of her neiȝbouris, al ȝif þei knowen hem false. But al ȝif sich telleris ben moche for to blame, neþeles sich heereris ben hatid of God. For kynde haþ ȝovun to men to heeren voicis in þe eire, and not in erþe bineþen us, where voices comen not; in tokne þat we shulden ȝyve oure wittis to trowe þing þat mai be in eire, þat is aboven us, which
