confessid trowe as bileeue þat al his synne is forȝyuen be-for god, as þe confessour telleþ hym. and ȝitt it may falle þat boþe þise shulen ben dampned for her foly; for ofte þe confessid is not contrite & turneþ aȝeyne to his synne; and siche treting [tretee MM.] ȝyueþ occasioun þat þei boþe ben disceyued; and þe man þat is confessed weneþ þat god doiþ him wrong if he haue euer more peyne for his synne þenne þe prest enioyneþ. and þus synne myȝt be bouȝt for money, as who byȝe an ox or a kowe; and so riche men haden occasioun to drede not for to synne, whenne þei myȝten for a lytle moneye be þus assoyled of alle her synnes; and pore men myȝten dispeire, for þei haden not to byȝe þus synne. Such many errours fallen & fewe men speken aȝeynes hem.
But ȝitt þe feend feyneþ here a lesynge to excuse prestis [Cm 6m MM.] hise seruauntis; he seiþ þat alle men shulden beleue þat what man þat his prest assoyleþ, what ever penaunce he enioyneþ, he is assoiled be-fore god; and þus popes & prelates kepen to hem silf assoylyng, in which lyþe wynnyng; and þus who|euer aȝeyne seye þis is pursued as an heretike, & þus by hise olde [omitted CC.] wiles he knyttiþ to-gidre men to helpe popis & cardinales, bischopes & freres to crie þis as bileeue; & freris mouen lordis & ladies to defend þis lawe by strengþe, and bi þis gile þei leden lordis as a man lediþ a prisoner; & cristis secte is made pore, & þise foure ben enhaunsed hiȝe; so þat, but if crist helpe his secte, þe foure new wolen brynge [page 131b] it a-down; and þei foure ben knyttid to-gidre in þis confessioun þat her maister haþ tauȝt, as if oon seid to anoþur, "helpe me here, & I shul helpe þee." a þus a frere þat is a confessour to kyng or to a duke is ympe or pere to a bishop, by þe feyning of þis confessioun, for þei seien he lediþ his soule eeuen to heuen by goddis lawe. and qwenes, duchesses, and oþer ladies han confessours of grete name, for as þise ladies ben felowes to lordis, so her confessours ben felowis to oþur. and þus þise lordis þat shulden be free, ben oft made þral bi ygnoraunce
