[6-text p 652] seint Paul ad Ephesios 5o. that an Auaricious man / is [Panlus ad Ephesios .5o.] the thraldom of ydolatrie
[749] ¶ What difference / is bitwixe an ydolastre / and [¶ Of the differ|ence bitwix an ydolastre and an auaricious man] an Auaricious man? but that an ydolastre per auenture / ne hath but o Mawmet or two / and the Auaricious man hath manye. ffor certes / euery floryn in his cofre is his Mawmet/. [750] And certes the synne of Mawmettrie is the firste thyng that God deffended in the ten comaund|mentz as bereth witnesse Exodi capitulo .20o [751] ¶ Thou [¶ Exodi capitulo. 20o] shalt haue no false goddes bifore me / ne thou shalt make to thee no graue thyng. thus is an Auaricious man that loueth his tresor biforn god an ydolastre / [752] thurgh this cursed synne of Auarice Of Coueitise comen thise [¶ Of Coueitise] harde lordshipes / thurgh whiche men been distreyned by taylages / custumes and cariages / moore than hire duetee or reson is / And eek they taken of hire bonde men Amercimentz. whic[h]e myghten moore resonably ben cleped extorcions than Amercimentz [753] ¶ Of whiche Amercimentz and raunsonynge of bondemen / somme lordes stywardes / seyn that it is rightful. for as muche as a cherl / hath no temporeel thyng that it ne is his lordes / as they seyn / [754] but certes thise lordshipes doon wrong that bireuen hire bonde folk. thynges that they neuere yaue hem /. Augustinus de civitate. libro. 9o. [755] [¶ Augustinus de civitate. libro. 9o.] ¶ Sooth is / þat the condicion of thraldom and the firste cause of thraldom is for synne genesis 9o. [¶ genesis .9o.]
[756] ¶ Thus may ye seen that the gilt disserueth thraldom / but nat nature /. [757] wherfore thise lordes ne sholde nat muche glorifien hem in hir lordshipes / sith that by natureel condicion they been nat lordes of thralles. but that thraldom comth first by the desert of synne [758] ¶ And forther ouer / ther as the lawe seith / that temporeel goodes of boonde folk. been the goodes of hir lordshipes. ye that is for to vnderstonde. the goodes of the Emperour / to deffenden hem in hir right. but nat for to robben hem ne reuen hem [759] ¶ And therfore
