The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.

Þes proude possessioners ben rotid in lesyngis aȝenst crist & his trewþe, for as seynt bernard & anselme seyn monkis & chanons ben bounden to þe same lif þat pore men of ierusalem helden after sendynge doun of þe holy gost. And þei selden [senden X.] her possessions & putten þe pris to alle cristene in comyn conuertid & þer was no nedy man amongis hem. For it was ȝouen to eche man as [omitted X.] it was nede, & non of hem seide þat ony þing was his owene; but alle þingis weren in comune to hem. but monkis & chanons appropren alle þingis to hem self & not to comunete of cristene men; & þes possessioners seyn in word þat alle þingis ben comune, but in dede þei han proprete & stryuen & pleden þerfore; ȝit seynt ierom & anselm seyn þat þe croune of clerkis crieþ [treith (?), may be creith X.] pouert, & here cloþinge crieþ honeste, holynesse & forsakynge of þe world, & helles here signes ben false & þei ben lesyng|mongeris & lesynge in it-self. but now þei ben riche & proude & coueitouse & ful of enuye & glotonye, & ben þe fendis children for þei louen þus lesyngis, as seynt ambrose seiþ, & þus þei disceyuen þe peple bi ypocrisie.

Possessioners holden þat religion þat crist made lesse perfit þan is religioun founden of a synful man, for þei holden a reule maade not of seyntis but of here owene worldly hedis more perfit þan religion of presthod þat crist [omitted X.] made in his fredom; for þei holden here owene tradicions more perfit þan reulis þat crist made in þe gospel. for ȝif reulis of presthod maad in þe gospel were more perfit þan þe reules of newe monkis, it were laweful for a prest to leue here reules & gon to reulis of presthod as crist made hym in þe gospel, for it is laweful to passe fro þe lasse perfit to þe more perfit, but monkis wolen not suffre for no reson, but þei