owene. ¶ Also falsse laweieris maken lordis & oþere men to meyntenen false causis & do wrongis to here neiȝeboris, whanne þe lordis wenen þat it is soþ, & so priuely maken lordis [Some pages are wanting here in AA. containing all the rest of the tract except six lines at the end.] dampnable for here wrong meyntenynge.
But of laweiris of þe consistorie or chapitris is more synne & ypocrisie to schewe. for þei tarien men in here courtis þouȝ þe riȝt neuere so pleyn, þat men ben ful [weary] of here peyneful lif so þei ben hurlid abouten; for ȝif a trewe man be falsly sclaundride & come among hem it is liȝttere to make a fyn for moche money þan to purge hym, be it neuere so opyn knowen; for ellis he schal be hurlid fro contre to contre, fro day to day, þat he schal be cotumax & cursed, & þanne stonde at here wille, or ellis for traueile & cost be ful [weary] of his lif. ¶ And þouȝ a man be neuere so cursed, ȝif he wole paie an annuel rente to þes lawieris & to [page 163] þe cursed court or to bischopis almes, he schal baþe hym in his synne as longe as he wole þus paie; & ȝif þere be ony good bischop þat wole chace þe fendis of lecherie or vsurie & siche moo, anoon coueitous laweieris wiþ here gnackis & iapis, delaies, excusacions & fals appelis, letten þe bischop to ponysche þis synne. & cursed|nesse of þis synne regneþ forþ bi a ȝeer, hauynge þe apel in þe heiȝere court, & sumtyme as long as þis cursed man lyueþ; & also whanne a trewe prest wolde bi goode conscience & bi forme of þe gospel distroie synne, þan lawieris maken procees bi sotilte & cauyllacions of lawe cyuyle, þat is moche heþene mennus lawe, & not accepten the forme of þe gospel, as ȝif þe gospel were not so good as paynymes lawe. & þus þei seyn þe gospel is not ynowȝ to reule holy chirche by, but synful mennus lawis ful of errour ben more nedful þan þe gospel þer-to. & þus þei seyn in dede þat crist was a fool & out of charite; for siþ he tauȝte not þe beste lawe for to reule cristene mennys soulis bi, as þei seyn, he was out of charite; for he myȝtte & coude ȝeue þe beste, & siþ he demyd þat þe gospel was þe beste, & it is not þe beste as þei seyn,
