hadde endewid richeli the clergie of the chirche in hise daies, and hadde bede that aftir his passing out of this lijf men schulden make suche endewingis. But Christ not so endewid his chirche in hise daies, nei|ther bede the clergie aftir hise daies in this lijf forto be richeli endewid. Forwhi therof is no mensioun in al the Newe Testament. Wherfore such riche en|dewing of the clergie is not profitable to the clergie, neither to the other partie of the chirche.
The first premisse of this argument muste needis be grauntid, as it wolde seeme. Forwhi [Perhaps sithen should be in|serted.] Crist loued his chirche and the clergie therof more than eny creature of this world can loue the chirche and the clergie; and the proof of loue is execucioun of werk and of deede; it seemeth folewe, that sithen othere persoones for loue which thei hadden to the clergie endewiden the clergie, miche rather Crist for loue wolde haue endewid the clergie, or wolde haue mad special ordinaunce therfore bi deede, or at the leest bi word, if he hadde knowe that such riche endew|ing hadde be to his clergie necessarie or profitable. And so the firste premysse of this ije. argument semeth to be trewe. The ije. premysse of the argu|ment is also openli trewe. Wherfore the conclusioun concludid bi tho ij. premyssis in the same argument is also trewe.
The iije. is this: Seint Ierom in writing the lijf of Malk the monk seith, that sithen the chirche wexid in dignitees, he decrecid in vertues. ["Scribere disposui . . . . . ab adventu Salvatoris usque ad nos|tram ætatem, id est, ab apostolis usque ad nostri temporis fæcem, quomodo et per quos Christi ecclesia nata sit et adulta, persecutionibus creverit, et martyriis coronata sit; et postquam ad Christianos principes venerit, potentia quidem et divitiis major sed virtutibus minor facta sit." S. Hieron. Vit. Malch. Mon. (Op. tom. ii. p. 41. Ed. Vallars.)] And an other cronicler seith in sentence thus: Eer the clergie of the
