is leeful and which is not? Certis not in al Holi Scripture. Also, thouȝ Holi Scripture bidde that a man be iust to his neiȝbour, and resoun techith as fulli the same, ȝit what riȝtwisnes is and whiche ben hise spicis, muste be founden in doom of resoun and not in Holi Scripture; and whanne eny plee is bi|twix man and man, and euereither party trowith to haue riȝt, the iugement muste be had in the doom of resoun in the court bi the iuge, and not bi Holi Scripture. And so forth y myȝte make induccioun of ech gouernaunce longing to Goddis lawe weelnyȝ. Wherfore the secunde premisse of the ije. principal argument for his ije. party is trewe.
Confirmacioun to this ije. principal argument is this: Euery thing groundid hangeth and is dependent of his ground, so that he mai not be withoute his ground; but so it is, that al the leernyng and kunnyng which Holi Scripture ȝeueth upon eny of the scid gouer|nauncis, vertues, deedis, or treuthis, and al the other deel of kunnyng upon hem which Scripture ȝeueth not, hangeth not of Holi Scripture, neither requirith and askith Holi Scripture forto so ȝeue. Forwhi al this kunnyng myȝte be had bi labour in doom of resoun, thouȝ no biholding therto were maad into Holi Scripture, or thouȝ Scripture were distroied and brent, as summen ["If this be trewe . . . . . . it folewith that forto seie this whiche summe doctouris com|ounli holden with the Maistir of Stories (i.e. Petrus Comestor), that Esdras by inspiracioun wrote without eny copi alle the fiue bokis of Moyses and alle the othere bokis of stories and of prophecies in to hise daies, is not but a feynyd thing." Pecock's Book of Faith, p. xxiii. (Wharton); but the notion is as old as Tertul|lian (de Cult. Fæm., lib. I. c. 3): "Perinde potuit abolefactam eam violentia cataclysmi in spiritu rursus reformare; quemadmodum et Hierosolymis Babylonia ex|pugnatione deletis, omne instru|mentum Judaicæ litteraturæ per Esdram constat restauratam."] trowen that it so was, with al the writing of the Oold Testament in the tyme of trans|migracioun into Babilony, as it is now bifore schewid;
