if sum remedie be devisid, take, and vsid, wherbi refreinyng and lett mai be mad to this perel now rehercid. But so it is, that for to dyuyse, take, and vse stabili oon schap of outward habit, (namelich such a schap which is rather foul than gay, and which schulde rather lette fro glorie than tice into glorie,) and for to dyvise, take, and vse stabili oon colour of clooth in outward habit is a ful noble re|medie and a refreynyng aȝens the seid natural freel|nes, bi whiche religiose persoones myȝten and wolden ellis breke forth into nyce fyndingis of dyuerse schappis in her outward aray and into gay and riche blasing colour, and so ther yn synne bi manye wijsis. Therfore it is resonable, alloweable, and profitable for cause of such refreynyng, that in ech such reli|gioun the religiose persoones haue her outward ha|bitis stabilid to hem in oon maner of sumwhat foul or vnfair schap and in oon maner of poor and symple colour, and that thei be bounde forto holde hem stabili and vnchaungeabili therto. And thus miche is ynouȝ for iustifiyng of the firste gouernaunce.
xiij. CHAPITER.
INTO the iustifiyng of the ije. gouernaunce y pro|cede bi iiij. causis, of whiche the firste is this: It is alloweable, profitable, and procurable bi therto strecching meenis, that lordis and ladies, whanne thei schulen come to citees, be loggid out fro the myche entermeting of the world in suche placis where the world schal be myche holde out of her siȝt and out of her cumpenying, that he ȝeue not to hem occa|siouns of yuel; and where thei mowen haue redi at siȝt and speche cumpenying with religiose persoones forto aske of hem counseil and exortacioun into good and perfit lyuyng; and where thei mowen heere
