and mennys comaundementis and mennys tradiciouns. Wherfore, generali to speke and withoute eny excep|cioun, thei ben vnleeful and not to be vsid concur|rentli with his comoun lawe of Cristenhode. And so this argument gooth not oonli aȝens politik lawis maad bi men, but also aȝens statis aboue preesthode and aȝens religiose lawis maad bi men.
The firste premisse of this argument is sure ynouȝ, and that the ije. premysse is trewe y argue thus: It is writun Math. xve. capitulum., in the bigynnyng thus: Thanne the [the is wrongly cancelled by a later hand, which perhaps intended to cancel it before Pharisees, where it is wanting in some MSS. (but not in Forshall and Madden's text) of Wiclif's later version, from which this citation is taken.] scribis and the Pharisees camen to him fro Ierusalem and seiden, Whi breken thi discipulis the tradiciouns of eldre men, for thei waischen not her hondis whanne thei eten breed? He answerid and seide to hem, Whi breken ȝe the comaunde|ment of God for ȝoure tradicioun? For God seide, 'Honoure thou thi fadir and thi modir,' and, 'He 'that cursith fadir or modir die he bi deeth;' but ȝe seien, 'Who euer seith to fadir or modir, What 'euer ȝift is of me, it schal profite to thee,' and he hath not worschipid his fadir or his modir;—and ȝe han mad the comaundement of God voide for ȝoure tradicioun. Ipocritis, Isaie the prophet pro|phecied weel of ȝou and seide, 'This peple honourith 'me with lippis, but her herte is fer fro me; and 'thei worschipen me with oute cause, teching the 'doctrinys and maundementis of men.' And whanne the peplis weren clepid to gidre to him, he seide to hem, Heere ȝe and vndirstonde ȝe; that thing that entrith into the mouth defoulith not a man, but that thing that cometh out of the mouth defoulith a man. And sumwhat after there thus: Vnderstonde ȝe not
