nought ynough the precious persone of Crist, but ye dismembre him more. And if so be that the lawe compelle yow to swere, thanne reule yow after the lawe of God in youre swering, as saiith Jeremie, c°. iiij to. Thou shalt kepe thre condiciouns, thou shalt swere in trouthe, in doom, and in rightwisnes. This is to sayn, thou shalt swere soth; for every lesyng is agayns Crist; for Crist is verray trouthe. And think wel this, that every gret swerer, not compellid lawfully to swere, the wounde shal not depart fro his hous, whil he useth such unleful sweringe. Thou shalt eek swere in doom, whan thou art constreined by thy domesman to witnesse the trouthe. Eek thou shalt not swere for envye, nor for favour, nor for meede, but onely for rightwisnesse, and for declaring of it to the worship of God, and helping of thin evencristen. And therfore every man that takith Goddes name idly, or falsly swerith with his mouth, or elles takith on him the name of Crist, and callith himself a cristen man, and lyveth agaynst Cristes lyvyng and his teching, alle thay take Goddes name idly. Loke eek what saith seint Peter, Act. c°. iiij^to. Non est aliud nomen sub cælo, etc,; There is noon other name, saith seint Peter, under heven yeven to no men, in which thay may be saved, that is to sayn, but in the name of Jhesu Crist. Tak heede eek how precious is the name of Crist, as saith seint Poule, ad Philippenses ij°. In nomine Jhesu, etc. that in the name of Jhesu every knee of hevenly creatures, or erthely, or of helle, shulde bowe; for it is so hihe and so worshipfulle, that the cursed fende in helle sholde tremble to heeren it named. Thanne semeth it, that men that sweren so horribly by his blessed name, that thay despise it more boldely than dede the cursed Jewes, or elles the devel, that tremblith whan he heerith his name.

Now certis, since that swering (but if it be lawfully doon) is so hihly forbidden, moche wors is forswering falsely, and yit needeles.

What say we eek of hem that delite them in swering, and holden it a gentry or manly dede to swere grete othis? And what of them that of verray usage cease nought to swere grete othis, al be the cause not worth a strawe? Certes this is horrible synne. Sweryng sodeynly without avysement is eek a gret synne. But let us now go to thilke horrible sweryng of adjuracioun and conjuraciouns, as doon these false enchauntours or nigromanciens in basines ful of water, or in a bright swerd, in a cercle, or in a fyr, or in the shulder bon of a sheep; I can not sayn, but that thay doon cursedly and damnably agains Christ, and the faith of holy chirche.

What saye we of them that bilieven on divinailes, as by flight or by nois of briddes or of bestes, or by sort, by geomancie, by dremes, by creaking of dores or crakking of howses, by gnawyng of rattis, and such maner wrecchidnes? Certis, al this thing is forbidden by God and holy chirche, for whiche thay ben accursed, til thay come to amendement, that on such filthe set there bileeve. Charmes for woundes or malady of men or of bestes, if thay take eny effect, it may be paradventure that God suffreth hit, for folk shulde yeve the more faith and reverence to his name.

Now wol I speke of lesynge, whiche generally is fals signifiaunce of word, in entent to deceyven his evencristen. Som lesyng is, of whiche ther cometh no avauntage to no wight; and som lesyng torneth to the ease or profit of som man, and to damage of another man. Another lesyng is, for to save his lif or his catel. Another lesyng cometh of delit for to lye, in which delit thay wolle forge a long tale, and paynte it with alle circumstaunces, wher as the ground of the tale i fals. Som lesyng cometh, for he wolde susteyne his word. Som lesyng cometh of rechelesnes withoute avisement, and semblable thinges.

Let us now touche the vice of flaterie, which cometh not gladly, but for drede, or for coveitise. Flaterie is generally wrongful preysing. Flaterers ben the develes nurses, that norisshen his children with mylk of flattery. For sothe Salamon saith, that flaterie is worse than detraccioun; for som tyme detraccioun makith an high man be the more humble, for he dredith detraccioun, but certes flaterie makith a man to enhaunsen his hert and his countenaunce. Flaterers ben the develes enchauntours, for thay make man to wene of himself that he is like to that he is nought like. Thay ben like Judas, that bitraied God; and thise flaterers bitrayen a man to selle him to his enemy, that is the devel. Flaterers ben the develes chapeleyns, that singen ay Placebo. I rekene flaterie in the vices of ire; for ofte tyme if oon man be wroth with another, thanne wol he flatere som man to mayntene him in his quarrel.