so doon, or ouȝte haue be so doon. And so for con|tinuaunce of it what was doon, or for continuaunce of it which hath be so weel suffrid and allowid, as thouȝ it had be so ordeyned and doon, and ouȝte be now so ordeyned to be doon, (ne were that alle wijse men taken it as for doon, or as thouȝ it had be doon,) it is to be holde that the louȝer curatis, as persouns and vikers of paraschenis, ben stabili endewid in her riȝt forto aske and haue tithis and offringis and othere paymentis, how stabili a perpetual chauntry preest is endewid; so that his riȝt and benefice of lijflode hangith not upon the beneuolence of his paraschens.
And certis ferther forto seie, it were neuere wijs policie and reule, that the reulers lijflode schulde hange upon her wittis and willis, whiche schulden be bi him reulid or conceilid or detectid; and that bothe for it is to presume, that for the more parti her wittis and willis schulden be infirmer than ben hise, and also for freelnes thei wolden grucche ofter than thei schulden aȝens hise correpciouns and reulingis, as experience ofte in suche maters schewith. And therfore this present viije. trouthe and it what he presupposith is to be holde for trewe, and namelich to be vsid as for trewe; thouȝ special writingis of eldist ordinauncis of men in the Newe Testament kun not be founde, that so it was in eny tyme doon.
The ixe. trouthe is this: Alle the peple of the lay parti, whiche wolden compleyne or holde hem wrongid of preestis or othere clerkis for the deedis not doon bi tho preestis or clerkis, into whiche deedis to be doon tho preestis and clerkis receyueden her fynding of the same peple in lay party, stoonden in caas of the firste trouthe, as it is open ynouȝ to se; and therfore thei mowe not eny punysching or eny re|streyne sette to preestis or clerkis for the vndoing of
