seie De profundis for his soul. Now, thouȝ it so had be that this bischop hadde not intendid this to be doon for him into this eende, that his greet benefeting whiche he dide to London schulde be had and con|tynued in mynde of the citezeins; but that he en|tendid oonli this, that preiers ther bi schulden ȝeerli be mad the sikirer for his soul, (as dout is to me, whether he entendid these bothe effectes or the oon of hem oonli:) ȝit treuthe is, that if the seid bischop wolde haue ordeyned xx. thousand bokis to be writun of his seid benefeting, and wolde haue ordeyned hem be [to be, MS. (first hand).] spred abrode in dyuerse placis of the cite, and forto haue be cheyned in tho dyuerse placis of the cite, that of the peple who so wolde myȝte rede ther in the seid benefeting, thilk multitude of bokis schulden not haue contynued so myche and so weel into this day the mynde of thilk bischopis benefeting, as the seid solempne ȝeerli goyng bi ij. tymes in ech ȝeer (doon bi the meir and aldir men of Londoun) hath do and schal do in ech ȝeer to come. Wherfore needis it is trewe, that writing mai not conteyne and comprehende in him al the avail which the siȝt and the biholding of the iȝen mai ȝeue and is redi forto ȝeue. And so bi al this, what is now seid, answerid, and proued aȝens the firste argument, it is open that the firste argument procedith not into his entent.
xij. CHAPITER.
FOR answere to the ije. argument it is to wite that bischopis and othere preestis and clerkis ben not bounde more or ferther for to preche or in other wise teche her peple vndir hem, than that therwith tho same bischopis and othere clerkis attende to hem silf
