Shal be holde for a lechour;
Line 7620
Euene peynë shul þey bere,
Þe toon þe touþer shal answere.
Ȝyt sey men yn þe oldë lawe,
Þat, of a þefe and hys felawe,
Line 7624
O dome shul þey boþë haue,
Þe toon ne toþer [ne þe touþer.] shul men nat saue;
And ȝyt men sey, as men gos,
As foule ys he þat halt, as he þat fos. [flos.]
Anoþer spyce eke he forbedeþ,
Line 7629
Þat many one ful lytyl dredeþ:
To suffre a lechour or lechours
To hauntë foly yn here hous.
Line 7632
Þe prophete spekeþ ful euyl of þo;
Þey shul haue part of peyne and wo;
And þus seyþ þe prophete Osee,
As moche defouled as hordam [hordom.] shal be.
A-noþer spyce, þat mochë dereþ,
Line 7637
hauntë þey þat erandes bereþ
To do a lechour for to spede,
Or ȝyuen conseyl to do þe dede,
Line 7640
Or susteyne one with maystry:
Swych men are castel of lechery.
Þus seyþ þe prophete seynt Danyel;
And holy wryt wytnesseþ hyt wel. [weel.]
Line 7644
what sey ȝe of þese lordynges
Þat a-vowe [auowe.] here men to do swych þyngys?
Þat men dur nat hem [nat hem O, nat H.] chastyse
with holy cherche, ne oþer wyse.
Line 7648
Swych men areysen baner
Aȝens holy cherches power,
And hem self are castel and toure [folio 51a:2]
For to manteynë þe lechoure.
Line 7652
who so a-voweþ a ['a' omitted.] man to do euyl,
he ys no sybber þan þe deuyl;
