so seide? Certis his tunge was not the key of heuen or of erthe, neither had power to make eny thing to be trewe or fals, or other wise to be than he couthe fynde bifore it to be trewe or fals in doom of resoun or in Holi Scripture. Whi therfore schulen we ouer miche weie and apprise his seiyng? First y schal schewe ful likeli that hise wordis were not trewe; and thanne next y schal schewe vnsoilabili that, thouȝ tho wordis weren trewe, ȝit out of hem folewith not that the endewing of the clergie with riche pos|sessiouns is yuel and vnleeful.
First that tho wordis weren not trewe, it semeth herbi. How euer kunnyng and weel leerned preestis and prelatis a this [athis, MS.] side of the Apostlis weren to gidere in [in is interlineated, perhaps by a later hand.] eny tyme in the clergie of [So the original scribe, rightly: but a later hand has made an erasure and changed of into or.] the chirche bifore his endewing in riche possessiouns, so kunnyng and weel leerned preestis and prelatis han ben to gidere sithen and aftir that the chirche was endewid bi vnmouable possessions; ȝhe, and myche kun|nynger and better leerned; and also therwith mo suche han be [ben, MS. (first hand).] sithen. For, who euer can schewe that bifore the daies of Hillari, Ambrose, Ierom, and Aus|tyn, and Gregori weren in the Latyn chirche so worthi techers with holi lyuyng to gidere as thei weren and as her successouris weren, y schal ȝeue to him myn arme.
Ferthermore, how euer goostli almysful preestis and prelatis in preching and in writing profitable bokis weren to gidere in eny tyme bifore the seid endew|ing, so almysful in the seid goostli almes han ben to gidere sithen [sithen is interlineated in a later (?) hand.] ; ȝhe, and miche more almysful, bi
