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Caplm .li.
DIues. Me lyste now more to wepe than ony thynge more to speke. For I wende tyll to now that the Englysshe nacyon had worshypped god passynge all y• other nacyons. But now I see well that it is not so. For moche of my nacyon is entryked and blente with suche fan∣tasyes many mo than I can tell. And so they forfete hyghely ayenst the fyr¦ste cōmaundement that ought moost for to be charged. For that techeth vs how that we sholde worshyp our god aboue all thynge. And ther is neyther bysshopp ne prelate ne curate ne pre∣choure that wyll speke ayenst the vy∣ces and errours that ben so hyghe a∣yenst goddes worshyppe. And so by mysuse & sleuthe of men of holy chir∣che vyce is take for vertue / and errour for treuthe / the fende is worshypped & god is despysed. Neuerthelesse as men saye / god is in no londe so well ser∣ued in holy chirche / ne so moche wor∣shyped in holy chirche as he is in this londe. For so many fayre chirches ne so good araye in chirches / ne so fayre seruyce as men saye is in none other londes as it is in this londe. ¶Pau¦per. As saynt Gregorye sayth in his Omelye / god taketh more hede to a mannes herte than to his gyfte / and more to his deuocyon than to his de∣de. He taketh no grete hede sayth he how moche a man or woman gyueth or offreth in holy chirche / but he ta∣keth hede of how moche deuocōn & of what herte he gyueth & offreth. And so a poore man or woman hath some tyme more thanke for the gyfte of an halfpeny / than some riche man hath for the gyfte of .xx. shelynges. Yf the makynge of chirches and the ourna¦mentes and the seruyce in this londe were done pryncypally for deuocyon / and for the worshyp of god. I trowe this londe passed all other londes in worshyppynge of god & holy chirche. But I drede me that men do it mo∣re for pompe and pryde of this worl∣de to haue a name and worshyp ther∣by in the contree / or for enuye that o∣ne towne hath ayenst an other / not for deuocōn / but for the worshyp and the name that they see them haue by araye and ournamentes in holy chir∣che / or ellys by slygh couetyse of men of holy chirche. ¶Diues. What fan∣tasye haste thou that men do it not for deuocyon. ¶Pauper. For the peo¦ple now a dayes is full vndeuoute to god and to holy chirche / and they lo∣ue but full lytyll men of holy chirche and they ben lothe for to come in ho∣ly chirche whan they be bounde to co∣me thyder / and full lothe to here god∣des seruyce. Late they come and soone they go awaye. Yf they ben there a ly¦tyll whyle theym thynketh full longe They haue leuer to go to the tauer∣ne than to holy chirche. Leuer to here a songe of Robynhode / or of some ry∣baudrye / than for to here masse or ma¦tynes / or ony other of goddes seruyce or ony worde of god. And sythen that the people hath so lytyll deuocyon to god and to holy chirche. I can not see that they do suche coste in holy chir∣che