[6-text p 652] seint Paule / Ad Ephecios / v.to that an auarious man is [¶ Poule] thral to ydolatrie /
[749] what difference is bitwixe an ydolastre / & an auarous man / But that an ydolastre perauenture ne hath but oon mavmet or two / And the auarous man hath many / ffor certis euery floreyne or noble in his cofre is his Mavmet / [750] And certis the synne of Mavmetrie is the first thing / that god defendith in the ten commaund|ementes / as berith witnesse in Exodi co (blank) [751] thow [¶ Exodi co.] shalt haue no fals godis / bifore me / ne thow shalt make to the no grave thinge / thus is than an auarous man that loueth his tresour biforne god / An ydolastre [752] thorugh his synne of avarice / & of couetise / comen these harde lord-shippes / thorugh whiche men ben distroyed / bi tallages Custumes & cariages / more than here duete or reson is / and eke take thei / of here bonde|men amersementes / whiche myghte more resonably be [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 294b] cleped extorcions than mercymentes / [753] of whic[h]e mercimentes & raunsons of bondemen / some lordis Stewardes seyne that hit is rightful / for-asmeche as a Cherle hath no temporel thing / that hit ne is here lordes as thei seie / [754] But certis thes lordes don wronge / that thei bireve here bonde folke thinges / that thei neuer gaff hem / Augusti[n]us de Ciuitate dei libro nono / [755] [¶ Austyne] sothe is that the condicion of thraldom / & the first cause of thraldom is for synne / Genesis quinto / [¶ Genesis quinto]
[756] thus may ye se that the gilte deservith thraldom / but nat nature / [757] wherfore these lordes ne shulde nat meche glorifie hem in here lord-shippes / sithen that bi naturel condicion thei ben lordis ouer thrallis / but for that / that thraldom cam first bi deserte of synne / [758] And ferther ouer there as the lawe seith / that temporal goodes of bonde folke / ben the goodes of here lordshippes / ye that is to vnderstonde / the goodes of the Emperour to defenden hem in here right / but nat for to robben hem ne reven hem / [759] And therfor
