Lorde, whether it be any nede the maystres beren witnesse to thy teachinge, that it is trewe and good? Or, Lorde, whether maye any maystre mowe by his estate of maystrye, that thou hast forboden, drawe any man from hys synne rather then an other man that is nat a maystre, ne wole be non, for it ys forboden hym in thy gospell? Lorde, thou sendest no maystres to prech the puple, and thou knowlegist in the gospell to thy Fadur, that he hath yhid hys wisdome frow wise men and redye men, and schewed it to litle childern. And, Lorde, Maystres of the law hylden thy techinge folye, and seiden that thou wouldest destroye the puple with thy techinge. Trulych, Lorde, so these maystres seggeth now; for they haue y written many bokes azeyns thy techinge that is treweth, and so the prophesie of Hieremie ys fulfilled, when he sayeth: Trulich the false poyntiz of the maysters of the law hath ywrouzte lesinge. And now ys the tyme ycome that Saynte Poule speaketh of there he sayeth, Tyme schall come whan man schulle not susteine holsome techinge. But they schullen gadre to hope maystres with hutchinge eares, and from treweth they schullen turnen a waye her heringe, and turnen her to tales that mastres have y maked to schowen her maystrye and her wisdome.

And, Lorde, a man schall leue more a mannes werkes than hys wordes, and the dede scheweth well of these maysters, that they desyren more maystrye for her own worschupe than for profite of the puple. For, when they be maystres, they ne prechen not so oft as they did before. And, zif they prechen, communlych it ys before rych men there as they mowen bere worschupe and also profite of her prechinge. But before pore men they prechen but seldem, when they ben maystres: And so by her workes we may sene that they ben false glosers.

And, Lorde, me thinketh that whoso wole kepen thyne hestes hym nedeth no gloses: But thilke that clepen her selfe Christen men, and lyuen azeynst thy techinge and thyne hestes, nedelych they mote glose thyne hestes after her lyuinge, other else men schulden openlych y know her ypocrisie and falsheed.

But, Lorde, thou saist that there nys nothinge yhid that it schall not be schewed some tyme. And, Lorde, y blessed mote thou be. For some what thou schewest us nowe of our myscheues that we ben fallen in thorowy the wisdome of maystres that haue by sleyzthes y lad vs a waye from the and thy techinge, that thou that were mayster of heuen tauzt vs for loue, when thou were here some tyme to hele of oure soules withouten errour or heresye. But maystres of the worldes wisdome, and her founder, haue ydamned it for heresye and for

erroure.

O Lord, me thinketh it ys a gret pride thus to reproue thy wisdome and thy techinge. And, Lorde, me thinketh that this Nabugodonosor kynge of Babylon, that thus hath reproued thy techinge and thine hestes, and commaundeth on all wise to kepen hys hestes, maken thy puple heryen hym as a God on erth, and maketh hem his thralles and his seruauntes.

But, Lorde, we lewed men knowen no God but the, and we with thyne helpe and thy grace forsaken Nabugodonosor and hys lawes. For he, in his prowd estate, wole haue all men onder hym, and he nele

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be vnder no man. He ondoth thy lawes that thou ordenest to be kept, and maketh his awne Lawes as hym lyketh, and so he maketh hym kynge abouen all other kynges of the erth, and maketh men to worschupen hym as a God, and thy gret sacryfice he hath ydone awaye.

O Lorde, here ys thy commaundemente of mekenes mischeflych to broken, and thy blessed commaundement of porenesse ys also to broken and yhid from thy Puple. Lorde, Zacharie thy prophete sayth, that thou that schuldest ben oure kynge schuldest ben a pore man, and so thou were; for thou saidest thy selfe, foxes haue dennes, and briddes of heuen nestes, and mannes sone hath nat where to legge hys heed on. And thou saidest, yblessed ben pore men in spirite, for the kyngedome of heuen ys hern. And woo to rych men, for they han her comforte in this worlde And thou bade thy disciples to ben ware of all couetyse, for thou saidest, in the abundance of a mannes hauynge ne ys nat his lyflode. And so thou techist that thilke that han more than her nedeth to her lyuinge lyuen in couetyse. Also thou saist that, but zif a man forsake all thinges that he oweth, he ne maye not ben thy disciple. Lorde, thou saist also that thy worde that ys ysowe in rych mennes hartes bringeth forth no fruite. For rychesse and the businesse of this worlde maketh it withouten fruite.

O Lorde, here ben many blessed techinges to tech men to ben pore and love porenesse. But, Lorde, harme ys, pore men and porenesse ben yhated, and rych men ben yloued and honoured. And, zif a man be a pore man, men holden hym a man with out grace, and, zif a man desyreth porenesse, men holden hym a fole. And, zif a man be a rich man, men clepen hym a gracyous man, and thilke that ben bysie in getinge of rychesse ben yholde wise men and redye : But, Lorde, these rych men sayen that that it ys both leful and medefull to hem to gadre rychesse to geder. For they ne gadreth it not for her selfe, but for other men that ben nedy, and, Lorde, her werkes schowen the treweth. For, zif a pore nedy man wolde borowen of her rychesse, he nole leue hym none of hys good, but zif he mowe be seker to haue it againe by a certeyn daye.

But, Lorde, thou bede that a man schulde lene and not hoping zeldinge azeyne of hym that he leneth to: and thy fadur of heuen wole quyte hym hys mede. And, zif a pore axe a rych man any good, the rych man wole zeue hym but a litell and zet it schalbe litell worth. And, Lorde, me thinketh that here ys litell loue and charite, both to God and oure brethern.

For, Lorde, thou techest in thy gospell that what men do to thy seruauntes they done to the. A Lorde, zif a pore man axe good for thy loue, men zeueth hym a litle of the worst. For these rych men ordeynen both breed and ale for goddes men of the worst that they haue. O Lorde, syth all they good that men haue cometh of the: how dare any man zeue the of the worste, and kepe to hym selfe the best? How mowe soch men saye that they gaderen rychesse for others nede as well as her selfe, syth her workes ben contrary to her wordes? and that ys no gret treweth.

And be ze seker these goods that rych men han they ben gods goodes ytake to youre kepinge, to loke how ze wolen by setten to the worshupe of God. And, Lorde, thou saist in the gospell, that who so is trewe

in litell, he ys trewe in that thinge that is more. And who that ys falsé in a little thinge, who wole taken hym to warde thinges of a gretter value? And therfore be ye ware that han Gods goodes to kepe. Spende ye thilke trulych to the worchupe of God, lest ze lesen the blisse of heuen for the vntrewe dispendinge of Gods goods in this worlde.

O Lorde, these rych men seggen that they done moch for thy loue. For many pore laborers ben yiounde by hem, that schulden fare febelich, ne were not they and her redinesse for soth; me thinketh that pore laborers zeueth to these rych men more then they zeuen hem azeyn warde. For the pore man mote gone to hys laboure in colde and in hete, and in wete and drye, and spende hys flesh and hys bloude in the rych mennes workes apon Gods ground to fynde the rych man in ese, and in lykynge, and in good fare of mete and of drinke, and of clothinge. Here ys a gret zifte of the pore man. For he zeueth his awn body. But what zeueth the rych man hym azeynwarde? certes febele mete, and febele drinke, and febele clothinge. What ever they seggen soch be her workes, and here ys litell love. And who soever loketh wel a boute, all the worlde fareth thus as we seggen. And all men stodyeth on every syde, how they maye wexe rych. And everych man almest ys a schamed to ben holden a pore man.

And, Lorde, I trowe, for thou were a pore man, men taken litell regarde to the, and to thy techinge. But, Lorde, thou come to zeue vs a new testamente of loue, and therefore it was semelych that thou came in porenesse to proue who wolde loue the and kepen thyne hestes. For, zif thou haddist ycome in forme of a rych man and of a Lorde, men woulde, rather for thy drede then for thy loue, haue ykepte thyne bestes. And so, Lorde, now thou mizte well ysee which louen the as they schulde in kepynge thyne hestes. For who that loueth the in thy porenesse and in thy lowenesse, nedes he mote loue the in thy lordschupe and thy hizenesse.

But, Lorde, the worlde ys turned vpse downe, and men louen pore men but a litell, ne porenesse nother; but men ben aschamed of porenesse, and therfore, Lorde, I trowe, that thou art a pore kynge; and therfore I trowe, that he, that clepeth hym selfe thy viker on erth, hath forsake porenesse, as he hath ydo the remenaunte of thy law, and ys by come arych man and a Lorde, and maketh hys tresoure apon the erth, that thou forbedest in the gospell; and, for his rizt and his rychesse, he wole plete, and fezte, and curse; and yet, Lorde, he wole segge, that he forsaketh all thinges, that he oweth, as thy trewe disciple mote done, after thy techinge in the gospell.

But, Lorde, thou ne tauztest not a man to forsaken hys goodes, and pleten for hem, and fezten, and cursen; and, Lorde, he taketh on hym power to assoylen a man of all maner thinges, but zif it be of dette. Trewlych, Lorde, me thinketh, he knoweth litell of charite; for, who, that beth in charite, possesseth thy Goodes in comune, and nat in propre, at hys nezboures nede.

And than schall there none of hem seggen, thys ys myne, but, it is goodes, that God graunteth to vs to spenden to hys worschupe; and so, zif any of hem boroweth a porcion of thilke goodes, and dispendeth

hem to Gods worschupe, God ys apayed of this spendinge, and aloweth hym for hys trew doinge; and, zif God ys apayed of the dispendinge, that ys the principall Lorde of thilke goodes, how darre any of his seruauntes axen there of acountes, other chalengen it for dette? certen, of one thinge I am in certen: that these that charge so moch dette of worldly catell, they knowen litell of Christes law of charite; for, zif ych am a bayly of Gods goodes in the worlde, and zif I se my brother in nede, ych am yholden by charite to parte with hym of these goodes to his nede; and, zif he spendeth hem well, to the worschupe of God, I mote be well apayed, as thouzych my selfe had spendid hem to the worschupe of God: and, zif the principall Lorde ys wel lpayed of my brothers doinge, and the dispendinge of hys goodes, how maye I segge, for schame, that my brother ys dettoure to me of the goodes that I toke hym to spenden in gods worschupe at hys nede? and, zif my brother spendeth amys the goodes that I take hym, ich am dyscharged of my delyueraunce of the goodes, zif I take hym in charite thilke goodes at his nede; and ych am yholden to ben sory of hys yvell dispendinge, ne I maye not axen the goodes, that I toke hym to his nede, in forme of dette; for, at hys nede, they weren hys, as well as myne. And thus ys my brother yholde to done to me, zif he seiz me in nede; and, zif we ben in charite, lytell schulde we chargen of dette, and ne we schulde not axen so dettes, as men that knowen not God; and than be we pore in forsakynge ali thinges that we owen: for, zif we ben in charite, we wolen nother fyzte, nor curse, ne plete for oure goodes with oure brethern.

O Lorde, thus thou tauztest thy seruauntes to lyuen, and so they lyueden, while they hadden good schepherdes, that fedden thy scheepe, and ne robbed hem not of her lyfelode, as Peter thy good schepherde and thy other apostles: but, Lorde, he that clepeth hymselfe thy viker vp on erth, and successoure to Peter, he robbeth thy puple of her bodylich lyfelode, for he ordeneth proude schepherdis to lyuen in ese by the tenth partye of pore mennes traucyll; and he zeueth hem leue to lyuen where hem lyketh; and, zif men ne wolen not wilfullych zeuen hem these tythinges, they wolen hauen hem azeynst her will, by maystrye and by cursinge, to maken hem rych.

Lorde, how maye any man segge, that sych schepherdes, that louen more the wole, than the scheep, and feden not thy scheep in body, ne in soule, ne ben such rauenours and theues? And, who maye segge, that the maintenoure of such schepherdes ne ys not a maintenoure of theues and robbers? how wole be assoyle schepherdes of her robbinge, with out restitucion of her goodes, that they robben thy scheep of azeinst her will? Lorde of all schepherdes, blessed mote thou be, for thou louedest more the scheep, than her wole; for thou fedest thy scheep both in body and in soule; and, for loue of thy scheep, thou toke thy deth to bring thy scheep out of wolues mouthes. And the most charge, that thou zoue to Peter, was, to fede thy scheep. And so he did trewelich, and toke the deeth for the and for thy scheep; for he come in to the folde of the scheep by the that were the dore: and so, I trowe, a fewe other did as he did, thouz they clepen hemselfe successours to Peter; for her workes schowen what they ben; for they

robben, and sleen, and distroyen. They robben thy scheep of the tenth parte of her traueyle, and feden hemselfe in ese. They sleen thy scheep, for they pyenen hem for hunger of her soule to the deth. They distroyen thy scheep; for with mizte and with sternschipe they rulen thy scheep, that, for drede, they ben disparpled a brode in mownteynes; and there the wilde beestes of the felde distroyeth hem, and deuoureth hem, for defaute of a good schepherde.

O Lorde, zif it be thy will, delyuer thy scheep oute of such schepherdes warde, that retcheth not of thy scheep, han they her wole to make hem selfe rich; for thy scheep ben in gret mischefe, and foule accumbred with her schepherdes.

But, for thy schepherdes wolden ben excused, they haue ygeten hem hyridmen to fede thy puple, and these comen in scheepes clothinge; but, dredeles, ther werkes schewen, that with in forth the ben but wolfes; for, han they her hyre, they ne retcheth but a litell how sorrilich thy scheep ben kepte. For, as they feggen hem sclfe, they ben but hyrid men, that han no charge of thy scheep: and, when they schulden feden thy scheep in the plentuous lesewe of thy techinge, they stonden betwene hem and her lesewe, so that thy scheep ne han but a sizte of thy lesewe, but eten they schallen not thereof: but they feden hem in a sorry sowre lesewe of lesinges and of talys, and so thy scheep fallen in to greuous sycknesse thorowz thys yuel lesewe. And, zif any scheep breke ouer in to thy lesewe to tasten the swetnes therof, anon these hyrid men dryue hym oute with houndes. And thus thy scheep, by these hyrid men, ben ykepte oute of her kyndlych lesewe, and ben yfed wyth sowre grasse and sorry baren lesewes; and zet they feden hem but seidem, and, when they han sorrilich fed hem, they taken gret hyre, and gone awaye from thy scheep, and letten hem a worth; and, for dreede lest thy scheep wolden in her absence go to thy swete lesewe, they haue enclosed it all aboute so stronglych, and so hize, ther maye no scheep comen there with in: but, zif it be a walisch leper of the mounteynes, that maye, with his longe legges, lepen ouer the wallys. For, thyrid men ben full certen, that zif thy scheep hadden ones tasted the sweetnesse of thy lesewe, they ne wold no more ben yfed of these hyrid men in her soure lesewes, and therfore these hyrid men kepen hem out of thy lesewe. For, hadden the scheep ones ytasted well of thy lesewe, they wolden, with oute a ledder, go thider to her mete, and than mote these hyrid men fechen hem a nother laboure to lyue by, than kepinge of scheepe. And they ben fell and war ynowe therof, and therfore they feden thy scheep with soure mete, that nauzte ys, and hiden from thy schepe the swetnesse of thy lesewe. And so, thouz these hy rid men gone in scheeps clothinge, in her workes they ben wolucs, that much harme done to thy scheep as we haue ytold.

O Lorde, they comen as schepe, for they seggen that they ben pore, and haue forsaken they worlde to lyuen parfetlych as thou tauztest in the gospell. Lorde, this ys scheeps clothinge. But, Lorde, thou ne tauztest not a man to forsaken the trauelouse liuynge in porenesse in the worlde, to lyuen in ese with rychesse by other mennes traueyle,