not be idols of nacouns; for þe createris of God are maad in to hate, and foundingis to þe soul of men, and to fot trappis in to feet of vnwyse men. For þe multitude browȝt to bi þe spice of þe warke, now þei ȝeue to hold os God þat bi forn was honored as a man. And þis haþ ben þe desseit of mannis lif; for men deser|uing oiþer to affeccoun, oiþer to kyngis, þey han ȝeuen þe incom|municable name to trees and to stonis; and it sufficied hem not han errid about þe sciens of God, but lyuing in bateyl of vnkun|ning, þus many and gret iuel þey calle pees; forsoþ oiþer sacrify|ing þer sonis, or making merk sacrifices, or hauing warks ful of wodnes, þey kepe noiþer clene lif, ne wedding, but on sleþ an oþer bi enemy [? envy], and vowtrand, or doing a vowtri, drying, and al oþer mengid to gidre, blud, mansleyng, þeft, feyning, corrupcoun, vnfeiþfulnes, trouby, periury, noys, wasting of þe goodis of God, filyng of soulis, chaunging of berþe, vnstedfastnes of wedding, vnkynd lechery, and vnchastite, Þe worschiping of cursid idols is þe bikynning, cause, and ende of all iuel; for wil þey joyen, oiþer þei wax wode, or prophecyen fals þingis, or lyuen vniustly, or for sweren hem sone. Wil þei trist in þe idol þat is wiþ out soule, swering iuel, þey wen hem not be noyed; þer for boþ schal cum worþly to hem, for iuel þei felid of God, tenting to idols. And vniustly þei sware in idol, dispicing riȝtfulnes.
But þu sey aȝen, þat þes, and oþer swilk, are seid of idols þat vnfeiþful men worschipid as þer god, and in wilk þei worschipid deuel, and þat forgid to þe liknes of no þing; for þe apostil seiþ, An idol is no þing in þe world; þey are not seid of ymagis brout [1 Cor. uiijo.] in bi þe kirk. For þe decre seiþ, Cristun men callen not worscipful [Decre.] ymagis goddis, ne seruen not to hem as to goddis, ne put not hope of help in hem, ne abidiþ not in hem þe dome of help to cum, but þei worschip hem to þe memory and record of raþer men, but þei serue not hem wiþ Goddis worschip, ne any creature; þus seiþ þe decre. Forsoþ þe decre seiþ wel, acording holi writ, þat cristun
