techynge of holy writt & deuocioun in preiere & þinkynge of heuenely swettenesse; & þei chesen raþere to lyue vnder synguler obedience & profession maad to worldly foolis þan to lyue bi forne of þe gospel in þat fredom þat crist ȝaf to prestis. & þerfore þei ben many times nedid & bi ypocrisie disceyued to leue goddis hestis vndon & to performe þe wrongful biddynge of anticrist; & bi þis feyned obedience is strif & enuye brouȝt in and pride & worldly lordischipe meyntened in dede men; & þus þei risen fro vertue to synne, fro mekenes to pride, fro wilful pouert to coueitise & lordischipe, fro grete penaunce & gostly traueile to glotonye & ydelnesse.
Capitulum 9m.
Þes seculer lordischipis in clerkis bryngen [brengynne X.] in symonye, coueytise & glotonye & ydolatrie, þat is worschipynge of false goddis; for bi cause of þis lordischipis men comen to grete prelacies & oþere degres of þe chirche bi money & worldly fauour & pledynge & fiȝttynge, where þei schulden come to hem bi mekenesse and holy lif & bisy traueile in studiynge & techynge of goddis lawe; & feyned religious possessioners comen to þes ordris for sikernesse of worldly welfare & pride & eise of body, where þe schulden come to hem to be dede to þe world & to lyuen in penaunce & [of X.] streit pouert as cristis apostlis, & þus þei suen þis holy staat of pouert & penaunce for worldly richesse & wombe ioie. And herfore þei ben ful of symonye & heresie, as reson & lawe techen, & þei wasten moche good in ryot & glotonye & pledynde & meyntenynge of wrongis aȝenst pore gentil men & comunes. And siþ al þes wastid goodis ben pore mennus liflode, as ierom & lawe techen, & he þat defraudeþ pore men þer-of is a man of blood spilid, þes possessioners ben mansleeris & irreguler & cursed of god; & siþ coueitise & glotonye ben seruage of maunmetrie, as poul seiþ, þes possessioners honouren false goddis. for þes [Colossians iii. 5.] skillis & many mo þe angel seyd ful soþe whanne þe chirche
