gold or siluer or othere metal koyned; and ȝit thei ben not weerned bi the same religioun forto telle such money with a stik holdun in her hond, neither forto kepe it in her cofris, neither thei ben weerned for to holde, bere, touche, and handle cuppis and dischis, knyfis and iewelis of siluer and of gold, how euer preciose and delectable to the siȝt tho iewelis ben.
And therfore aftir that fro the bigynnyng of the [ixe.] [A space left in the MS. for the number.] chapiter of this present ve. parti hidir to it is proued and stabilid, that it is leeful ynouȝ suche religiouns to be and to renne in vce with the comoun Cristen religioun, y schal now iustifie these here now rehercid thre gouernauncis so vniustli of the lay peple blamed; for y schal expresse and open how that ech of these thre now spokun gouernauncis mai be don and vsid vnder resonable and gode causis. And first into iustifiyng of the firste of these now rehercid gouernauncis, I procede bi iij. principal causis, of which the firste cause is this: Sithen it is sufficientli bifore [bifore is added in the margin by a later hand.] proued that such seid religiouns be in the chirche, it muste needis therwith [be] resonable, good, and profitable, that the religiose persoones of tho re|ligiouns haue a mark and a signe, wherbi thei mowen openli be knowe fro othere persoones being not in tho religiouns; riȝt as, sithen the ordris of dekenys and of preestis musten needis be, it is ful resonable and profitable that summe markis be had, wherbi de|kenys mowen openli be knowe fro preestis, and markis wherbi bothe dekenis and preestis mowen openli be knowe fro lay men. But so it is, that this open mark and signe may not be take sufficientli bi her persoones and her natural bodies, sithen her natural bodies ben like to the natural bodies of othere men. Wher fore
