þer of, for temporal price, in entent of chaunging to gidre þe toon for þe toþer, as it semiþ bi holy writt, and bi þe lawe, for Symon [Act. uiijo.] Magus seyng þe apostil ȝeuing þe Holy Goost bi leying vpon his handis, offrid him money to bye þe gostly power, þat þei schuld tak þe Holy Goost þat he schuld putt hands to; but Peter seid to him, þi money be wiþ þe in to perdicoun, for þu gessest to haue þe gift of God for money. And in þe lawe it is seid, þat Symon wold haue bout þe Holi Gost in þat entent, þat of selling of synnis þat schuld be do bi him, he schuld wyn money. And þus of him it takiþ þe name of symonye. And þerfor þei þat sellen gostly þings, and þei þat bien hem, so folowing Symon are callid Symon|ients. And þus seiþ Parisiensis in his bok; Prestis singing for [Parisiensis.] money sellen Crist, and are werrer þan Judas in þeis fiue points. Judas sold him onis dedly, and not glorified, for þritty penies, wen he trowid him not God, but a deadly man walking in ȝerþe; and after, he repentid, and browt aȝen þe penis. But þei selle him vndeadly, and glorified, and ofte and for lesse price, wan þei trowen him God, regning in heuen vndedly, and til þey cum to penaunce þei restore not þe money. Þus he seiþ. And Jerom seiþ þus; [Jerom.] Als oft of men are seid singing for menis fauor, and temporel wynning, or hope of ani temporel profet, soþly Crist is sold and be trayd, and wen þe body and blod of Crist is tretid wiþ foul hands, and polutid conciens, Crist is trayd and crucified. And Ambrose [Ambrose.] seiþ; He [þat] ȝetiþ and drynkiþ þis sacrament wiþ out deuocoun, or oþerwise þan it is ordeynid of þe Lord, synging messe, or dwelling in lust of synning, he schal be gilty of body and of blod of Crist, and schal ȝeue peynis for deþ of Crist, as if he had slayn him, and he schal draw spott of good þing iuel tane. Þis seiþ he, and more afterword.
XV. The pope, car|dinalis, bischopis, and other prelatis are disciplis of anticrist.
Þis is a noþer poynt, þat þe pope, cardinalis, bischopis, and oþer prelats be neþe, are disciplis of anticrist, and sellars of merit. I wot what I haue rehersid þe wordis of doctors þat spekin on þis
