And tellë men þus apertly
Þey mow nat holdë [holde hem.] fro foly,
Line 12388
And sey þey mowe nat lyuë chaste, [folio 82b]
But nedly hym [hem.] behoueþ do waste.
Y seye, as þe holy man seys,
He lyeþ apertely on alle weys;
Line 12392
For ȝyf þat he wulde do now folye
wyþ a womman yn lecherye,
And ȝyf a-noþer, hyt myȝt se,
At þat tyme he wulde late be;
Line 12396
He ne letteþ for Goddes comaundement, [Harl. omits these two lines.]
But for hym þat þere ys present. [Harl. omits these two lines.]
Alle þo þat sey 'hem byhoueþ nedely,'
Þey acoupe God of here folye.
Line 12400
why shulde he þat [þan.] þyng forbede,
Þat nedely moste be do yn dede?
hyt were foly, comaunde a þyng
Þat myȝt nat ȝyue no warantyng.
Line 12404
yn twey þynges, wykkedly þey sey,
Þat on God here blame alle leye;
Lyers algate þey are strong;
Line 12407
A-noþer, þey hepe on God here wrong;
wykkedly þey synne on þese maners,
Þey make hym wers þan ben [be.] here peres.
That þou make nat þy synne lytyl to ['to' omitted.] seme.
Make nat þy synne, lytyl to seme;
Line 12411
Telle smale and grete, ȝyf þou God queme.
Ȝyt þer ys an enchesun
ys kalled 'dymynucyun':
On englys, hyt ys to mene,
To make þy synne lytyl to ['to' omitted.] seme;
Line 12416
Hyt ys to mene also anoþer þyng,
