book that God so ordeyned, or at the leest he wolde it so be ordeyned, and as it is proued that in the tyme of the Apostlis it was so sett forth in vce and executing. Forwhi if eny man schulde haue had power forto be iuge in his owne cause anentis his neiȝbour, it hadde be waast forto haue mad bothe in the clergie and in the layfe suche now seid iugis; and alle men witen weel that neither God neither the Apostlis wolden ordeyne eny waast ordinaunce, or consente to eny waast ordinaunce bi othere to be mad. Also surist experience schewith bi this that bifallith weel nyȝ in ech day bifore iugis bitwixe parties pleding, how myche and how manye and grete innumerable wrongis schulden be doon, holden, and menteyned for riȝtis and vnwrongingis, and how many therbi folewingli perpetual strifis and debatis and fiȝtingis and othere passing grete myschefis schulden be multiplied, if men schulden be iugis in her owne causis and querelis, whiche fallen bitwixe hem and her neiȝboris. And therfore thei ouȝten not so be in eny wise. And so for a ful greet good and nede God willid to be ordeyned bothe in the clergijs side and in the lay parties side iugis louȝer and hiȝer up into the hiȝest, that if the louȝer iuge procede not riȝtli, that the parti iugid amys of him mai com|pleyne to the hiȝer iuge; and so eftsoone fro the hiȝer, if nede be, into tyme to come to the hiȝest; and if he there at the presence of the hiȝest iuge suffre wrong, take he it aworth in pacience as a thing irremediable bi man, and God schal therfore him quyte.
The ije. trouthe is this: Among temporal godis, whiche men ben woned for to paie to othere men, summe ben to be paied as fynding or helping to the receyuers, that the receyuers, foundun and holpun bi the temporal godis of hem receyued, do and wirche and execute summe certein officis or summe certein deedis, to come into whiche thei ben sett and ordeyned,
