thing oonli remembrith, stirith, and exortith, or bid|dith or counseilith men forto kepe certein gouer|nauncis, vertues, and treuthis groundith not as in that tho gouernauncis, vertues, and treuthis. Forwhi as in that he presupposith tho gouernauncis, vertues, and trouthis to be bifore knowen of tho same men, and ellis in waast he schulde so speke to tho men of hem not bifore knowen; and ther fore as in that he not hem groundith. But so it is that Holi Scripture dooth not ellis aboute the moral vertues and gouer|nauncis and treuthis of Goddis moral lawe and seruice bifore seid in the firste conclusioun, saue oonli this, that he remembrith, or exortith, or biddith, or counseilith men upon tho vertues and gouernauncis and forto vse hem, and forto flee the contrarie vicis of hem, as ech man mai se bi reding where euere he wole where men|sioun is mad of eny moral vertu in the Oold Testa|ment or of the Newe. For he biddith a man to be meke, and he techith not bifore what mekenes is. He biddith a man to be pacient, and ȝit he not bifore techith what pacience is. And so forth of ech vertu of Goddis lawe. Wherfore no such seid gouernaunce or vertu or trouthe is to be seid groundid in Holi Scrip|ture, no more than it ouȝte be seid if a bischop wolde sende a pistle or a lettre to peple of his diocise, and ther yn wolde remembre hem, exorte hem, and stire hem, and bidde hem or counseile hem forto kepe cer|teyn moral vertues of lawe of kinde, that therfore tho moral vertues and pointis of lawe of kinde writen in thilk epistle weren groundid in thilk epistle of the bischope; for noon other wise vpon such seid vertues Poul wrote in hise epistlis, neither Petir, neither Iame, neither Iohun, neither Iudas wroten in her epistlis and writingis.
Confirmacioun to this argument mai be this: If the King of Ynglond dwellid in Gascony, and wolde sende a noble longe letter or epistle into Englond,
