Sire, we þenken on þat þis gilour [gylour. E.] saide whan he was on lyve, þat he shulde ryse after þre daies; þerfore commaunde his sepulcre to be kept til þe þridde day, lest his disciplis comen and stelen his body, and feynen to þe peple þat he is risen fro deþ; and so þe laste errour shal be worse þan was þe former. And þes pagyn playen þei þat hiden þe treuþe of Goddis lawe. And Pilat seide to hem, ȝour silf have þe kepyng; goþ forþ and kepiþ it as ye can, for þis is not myn office. And þus seyn þes two folk to princes of þe world, þat þes heretikes ben fals men aȝens holy religioun, and þei casten to distrye lordshipis and rewmes; and þerfore com|aunden hem to be dede or lette hem to speke. But lordis seien aȝen þat þei shulde knowe þe lawe þat holy Chirche haþ, to punishe siche heretikes; and þerfore þei shulden go forþ and punishe hem bi þer lawe. And bi siche execucioun of fals prelatis and freris, is Goddis lawe quenchid and Antecristis arerid. But God wolde þat þese lordis passiden Pilat in þis point, and knewen þe treuþe of Goddis lawe in þer modir tunge, and have þes two folk suspect, for þer cursid lyvynge and hydyng of Goddis law fro knowyng of seculers. For bi þis cautel of þe fend ben many trewe men quenchid. For þei wolen juge for heretikes al þat speken aȝens hem, ȝhe, ȝif þei tellen Goddis lawe, and shewe synnes of þes two folke. And þei wenten forþ, and kepten wiþ knyȝtis þe sepulcre of Crist, markynge þe stoon þat was putt at þe dore in siȝt of þe keper, to marke þer diligence. And þus done oure heye preestis and oure newe religiouse. Þei dredden hem þat Goddis law shal quyken after þis, and herfore þei maken statutis, stable as a stoon; and þei geten graunt of knyȝtis to confermen hem. And þis þei marken wel, wiþ witnesse of lordis, lest þat treuþe of Goddis law, hid in þe sepulcre, brest out to knowyng of þe comoun peple. O Crist! þi lawe is hid ȝit; whan wilt þou sende þin aungel to remove þe stone, and shewe þi treuþe to þi folk? Wel Y wote þat knyȝtis tooken gold in þis case, to helpe þat þi lawe be hid, and þin ordenaunce ceesse, but wel Y wote þat it shal be knowen at þe day of dome, or bifore whan þe likeþ aȝen al þi enemyes.
Here shulden men marke þe passioun of Crist, and prynten in þer herte sumwhat to shewe it, for it was most wilful
