The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.

ix. CHAPITER.

ALSO thus: Whanne Crist bifore his passioun, whilis he prechid, hadde reuokid the religioun of the ceri|monies and iudicialis sett to the lawe of kinde, and vsid of the Iewis, (and it was leeful and sufficient ynouȝ to ech Iew and to ech other man being bifore hethen forto thanne lyue after the lawe of kinde oonli withoute the seid religiosite bifore vsid of the Iewis;) ȝit Crist afterward in tyme, that is to seie, after his resurreccioun, settid the lawe of hise sacramentis to the seid lawe of kinde; for whi thanne he ordeyned and bade in comaundement baptym to be receyued, as it is open, Matheu the laste chapiter, and Mark the laste chapiter. And sithen these sacramentis, whiche Crist settid so to the lawe of kinde and ordeynede hem to be vsid of Cristen men, is a religioun, as mai

be proued bi the descripcioun of religioun ȝouun and putt bifore in the [viij^e.] chapiter of this present v^e. partie, and also mai be proued bi this that the sacramentis, which God made and ȝaue ouer the lawe of kinde to the Iewis, was a religioun, as is now bifore proued in this present chapiter; and therfore bi lijk skile thes sacramentis, whiche God ȝeueth now ouer the lawe of kinde to Cristen men, ben a reli|gioun;—it folewith that the hool lawe now assigned to Cristen men, mad of the lawe of kinde and of Cristis sacramentis, is a religiose lijf to hem: ȝhe, and folewith ferther that euen as it was sufferable and alloweable of God, that men lyuyng in the oold time vnder the hool lawe of Iewis founden other religiosite than the religiosite which God assigned immediatli to hem, and settiden thilk religiosite so bi hem founde to the al hool lawe of kinde and of religioun, which God to hem assigned, as is bifore schewid in the next chapiter of the sones of Ionadab the sone of Recab; so for lijk skile of resoun no man mai weerne, denye, or seie nay, but that men now lyuyng vndir the lawe of Cristen men mowen fynde other religioun or othere religiositees than the religioun or religiosite of the sacramentis, which Crist hath assigned immediatli to hem, and mowen sette thilk religiosite so bi hem founde to al the hool lawe of kinde and of religioun, that is to seie, of Cristis sacramentis; (which hool lawe of kinde and of hise sacramentis Crist hath to hem immediatli assigned;) namelich sithen the Apostlis and the disciplis of the Apostlis (whiche disciplis weren hiȝe in wisdom and in auctorite and in fame in the daies of the Apostlis for to reule and gouerne

and teche) suffriden and allowiden weel and receyueden such now seid religiosite foundun of newe bi men forto entre and to be sett and ioyned with the al hool lawe of Crist thanne rennyng and mad of lawe of kinde and of Cristis sacramentis. Forwhi Dynys, which was turned into Cristen feith bi Poul the Apostle, (as Dynys seith him silf in his ,) and was homeli conuersant with Peter and Iames and alle the othere Apostlis, as he seith in his book Of Goddis names, the iij^e. chapiter, declarith that in hise daies and bi the avise of hiȝe statis in the chirche in tho daies was vsid a certein fourme bi him silf forto ordeyne hem whiche wolden be monkis, and an other fourme bi him silf forto ordeyne hem which wolden be preestis, and another fourme bi him silf for to ordeyne hem whiche schulden be bischopis, and this couthe not so soone haue be doon withoute the avise and the consent therto ȝouun of the Apostlis. Wher|fore folewith that bothe bi the Apostlis and bi the worthi wise men conuertid into the feith of the Apos|tlis the religioun of a certein monkehode founde bi mennys witt and deuocioun entrid thanne, and was sett to the al hool lawe of Cristen men maad of the lawe of kinde and of Cristis sacramentis; to which man sett into monkhode, as Dynys there declarith, longith forto leue such seculer habit as he bifore werid, and forto be schorne other wise in his heed, and forto haue hiȝer consideratijf and contemplatijf

occupaciouns than the othere comoun peple of the layfe han.

Ferthermore that Holi Scripture of the Newe Tes|tament witnessith and allowith religioun of mannys deuising forto mowe be sett to the lawe foundid bi Crist to Cristen men, y may also proue thus: Holi Scripture of the Newe Testament witnessith and al|lowith this: If a manys riȝt iȝe sclaundre him (that is to seie, violentli and ferseli and as it were vnaȝen|stondeabli bringith him into synne and lettith fro the more good to be doon,) that he "pulle him out and caste him awey;" and if his riȝt hond or his riȝt foot sclaundre him, (that is to seie, so as is seid violentli and feersli bringe him to synne and lett fro the more good to be doon,) that he "kutte of thilk hond and foot," as it is writun [Math. v^e. capitulum.]. And sithen this Scripture now alleggid meeneth not of a mannys bodili membris, but of a mannys kun|nyngis, purposis, and deedis, signified bi likenes in parabolik speche to the iȝe, the hond, and the foot, that thouȝ thei be riȝt, (that is to seie, alloweable as bi the comoun lawe of God,) ȝit if thei in the maner now seid sclaundre the hauer and the doer of hem, he mai iustli and vertuoseli leue hem, so that thei be not bede vndir comaundement of Goddis lawe. And the skile of this gouernaunce is sett forth in the same place of Scripture there thus, "It is better to thee forto entre sureli into lijf with oon iȝe, oon foot, and oon hond," (that is to seie, with the lasse good kunnyng, the lasse gode wilnyngis, and purposis, and with the fewer gode dedis,) "than forto be aboute to haue mo" good kunnyngis, mo gode purposis, and mo gode deedis, "and" (therbi and bi occasioun of hem) "falle doun into helle." And thus doon reli|giose

persoones, and for this eende religiouns weren founde and foundid. For whi, bi cause that to manye persoones for her freelnes the homeli and free cum|penying with the world and with the fleisch grantid bi Goddis comoun lawe was to hem ouer contagiose and in the now seid maner sclaundring; therfore thei kuttiden hem awey with reulis and statutis and obser|uauncis of religions now had and vsid in the chirche. Wherfore the now alleggid Holi Scripture of the Newe Testament sufficientli allowith religions fyndable bi men to be mowe leeffulli had and sett to the lawe ȝouun bi Crist, ȝhe, and also the seid now alleggid Holi Scripture sufficientli allowith and confermeth alle thilk same religiouns, whiche now ben in the chirche; namelich with this that it is bifore proued noon of hem herwith to haue eny obseruaunce, rite, or statute, or vow, but vndir such vndirstonding that it schal obeie to ech comaundement of Goddis lawe thanne being and not stonde aȝens eny such comaunde|ment of Goddis lawe.

If eny man wolde be so nyce forto seie and holde, that it is leeful to haue and vse in the clergie and laife the deedis and gouernaunce of religioun with oute bond, (vndir fredom to leue hem whanne euere a man wole,) and it is not leeful forto haue hem and vse hem in boond; certis thanne muste ech such man seie and holde, that it is not leeful eny man or womman forto vowe eny deede to which he is not bifore bound; for if it be leeful forto so vowe oon such deede, bi lijk skile it is leeful for to vowe ij. or iij., iiij. or v., and so forth; and ȝit that it is leeful a widowe for to vowe chastite, it is open bi Poul, i^e. Thim. v^e. capitulum, And therfore this cavillacioun now rehercid is not worth.

Notes

• A space is left in the MS. for the number.
• a is interlineated in a later hand.
• folewe, MS. (first hand), the correction being incomplete.
• the religiosite, MS. (first hand).
• with al, MS. (first hand).
• A space left for the reference. St. Luke states the fact here alluded to (Acts xvii. 34), and more than one martyrology affirms that St. Paul baptized him (see Pseudo|Dionys. Areop. Op. tom. ii. p. 268); but there seems to be no allusion to this in the works of the pseudo|Areopagite, unless it be a vague one in De Div. nom. c. 3. Op. tom, i. p. 537.
• Op. tom. i. p. 539.
• silf is added in the margin by a late hand.
• See his book De Eccl. Hier. passim. Op. tom. i. pp. 387, 363, &c.
• allowith and approueth, MS. (first hand) twice.
• allowith and approueth, MS. (first hand) twice.
• A space left in the MS. for the reference.
• allowith and approueth, MS. (first hand).
• to not, MS.
• to is interlineated in a later hand.