[6-text p 617] And therfore the loue of euery thinge / that is not bisette in god / ne don principally for godis sake / al-though a man loue it lasse than god / yit is it venial synne / [367] And dedly synne is / whan the loue of any thinge [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 279a] weyeth in the herte of a man / as meche as the loue of god or more / [368] Dedly synne as seith seint Austyne [¶ Austyno] is whan a man turneth his herte from god / whic[h]e that is verry souereyne bounte / that may nat chaunge / & yevith his herte to a thinge that may chaunge / & flitte ‖ [369] And certes that is euery thinge saue only god of heuen ‖ ffor sothe is / if that a man yeve his loue / the whiche that he owith al to god / with al his herte / vn-to a creature / certes as meche of his loue as he yevith [. . . .] to that creature / so meche he birevith from god / [370] & ther|fore doth he synne / ffor he that is dettour to god / ne yeldeth nought al his dette to god / that is to seine al the loue of his herte /
[371] Now sithen that a man vnderstondeth generally whiche is venial synne ‖ Than is it couenable to tellen of special sinnes whiche that many a man perauenture demeth hem no synnes / ne shriven hem nat of the same thinges / & yit natheles thei ben synnes / [372] sothely as these clerkes writen / this [is] [[a word (is?) erased here.]] to seine / that euery tyme that a man eteth or drinketh more than [¶ nota bene] sufficeth to the sustenaunce of his body / in certeine he doth synne / [373] And eke whan he speketh more than hit nedith / it is sinne ‖ Eke whan he herkeneth nought mekely the compleynte of the pore ‖ [374] Eke whan he is in hele of body & wol nought faste / whan other men faste withouten cause resonable ‖ Eke whan he slepeth more than him nedith ‖ or whan he cometh bi thilke encheson late to chirche / or to other good werkes of charite / [375] Eke whan he vsith his wiff / withouten souereyne desire of engendrure to the honour of god / or for thentent to yelde to his wiff the the (sic) dette of his body / [376] Eke whan he wol nought visite the sike / or prisoners whan he may ‖
