biddiþ; but al þes þat han chirchis aproprid faylen of þis trewe seruyss herfore, & þus þei ben vnhable to preye, but preyen aȝen þer oune hed. & to þis purpos spekiþ poul, þat [[2 Thess. iii. 10.]] þis man þat traueliþ not ete he not; for ȝif he dide, he eet as a priue þef mete of oþere pore men. siche sutiltees of priue resouns þat ben hid in goddis lawe shulden moue men on goddis syde to holde cristis ordenaunse in his boundis; for certis a priuey errour & an hid wole bringe in [page 7] a grettere errour, as o defaute þat is contynued wolle bringe in a more defaute. as defaute of keping of o pariȝs wole turne hem to þe fendis children, & þey wolen infecte cuntreys, & cuntreys wolen infecte reumes; & þus it falliþ to kyngis & bischops to stoppe þis errour for more perel.
Capitulum 11m.
but heere moueþ þe fend men to feyne falsly aȝenus treuþe. many men taken as bileue þat þei ben lordis of þer oune godis, & þanne it is leeueful to hem to do þer almes where euere þey wolen. but where shulden þey do þer almes but to ȝyue þer dymes & þer offeringis, & to siche curatis þat þe pope & bischops lymiten hem, for ellis myȝte a man be dampnyd wiþ-outen ony defaute of hym; for hou shulde a lewid man do but as his prelat techiþ hym?
Heere men seyn bi goddis lore þat ech man þat haþ dis|crecioun shulde be tauȝt wiþ-ynne bi god of grete articlis of bileue; but oon article of bileue next aftir þe hooly goost is to trowe hooly chirche þat is cristis spouse & oure modir. & þis is a foul errour to take þe spouse of þe fend & worchipe here as cristis spouse boþe in word & in dede. we may not ȝit wite for certeyn which persone is of cristis spouse of alle þe men þat wandren heere, but we may gesse & þat is ynow. As we gessen þat þis man þat holdiþ wel cristis lawe is a leme of hooly chirche, þe which chirche is oure modir, So we gessen of an-oþer man þat reuersiþ cristis lawe, þat he is a leme of þe fend & no part of hooly chirche; & we shulden
