til Noe sayde that his sone Chanaan shulde be thral of his bretheren for his synne. What say we thanne of them that rob and doon extorciouns to holy chirche? Certis, the swerdes that men yeven first to a knight whan he is newe dubbyd, signifieth faith, and that he shulde defende holy chirche, and not robbe hit ne pill hit; and who so doth ys traitour to Crist. And as seith seint Austin, thay ben the develes wolves, that stranglen the sheep of Jhesu Crist, and doon wors than wolves; for sothely, whan the wulf hath ful his wombe, he stintith to strangle sheep; but sothly, the pilours and the destroyers of the goodes of holy chirche ne doon nought so, for thai stinte never to pile. Now as I have sayd, sith so is, that synne was first cause of thraldom, thanne is it thus, that ilke tyme that al this world was in synne, thanne was al this world in thraldom, and in subjeccioun; but certis, sith the tyme of grace com, God ordeynede that somme folk shulde be more high in estaate and in degre, and somme folkes more lowe, and that everich shulde be served in there estate and in degree. And therfore in somme contrees where thay ben thralles, whan thay have turned them to the faith, thay make there thralles free out of thraldom. And therfor certis the lord oweth to his man, that the man owith to the lord. The pope callith himself servaunt of servaunts of God. But for as moche as thestaat of holy chirche mighte not have ben, nor the commune profit mighte nought have ben kepte, nor pees nor reste in erthe, but-if God had ordeyned som man of heiher degre, and some men of lower, therfore was soveraignté ordeyned to kepe, and to mayntene, and defende their underlynges or their subjectis in resoun, as ferforth as it lith in their power, and not to destroye nor confounde them. Wherfore I say, that thilke lordes that be like wolves, that devouren the possessioun or the catel of pore folk wrongfully withoute mercy or mesure, thay shul receyve by the same mesure that thay han mesured to pover folk the mercy of Jhesu Crist, but-if it be amendid. Now cometh deceit bitwixe marchaunt and marchaunt. And thou shalt understonde that marchaundise is in tuo maneres, that oon is bodily and that other is gostly; that oon is honest and lawful, and that other is dishonest and unlawful. Of thilke bodily marchaundise that is honest and leful is this, that where as God hath ordeyned that a regne of a cuntre is suffisaunt to himself, thanne is it honest and leful that of the abundaunce of this contre the men helpe another cuntre that is more needy; and therfore ther moote be marchauntz to bringe fro that oon cuntre to that other their marchaundise. That other marchaundise, that men hauntyn with fraude, and treccherie, and deceit, with lesynges and fals othis, is cursed and damnable. Spirituel marchaundize is proprely symonie, that is entent and desire to buy thing spirituel, that is, thing that apperteyneth to the seintuarie of God, and to the cure of the soule. This desire, if so be that a man do his diligence to parforme it, al be it that his desir take noon effect, yit is it to him a dedly synne; and if he be ordrid, he is irreguler. Certis, symonye is called from Symon Magus, that wolde have bought for temporel catel the gifte that God had given by the holy gost to seint Petir and to thapostlis; and therfor understonde, that bothe he that sellith and he that buyeth thinges spiritueles be cleped symonials, be it by catel, be it by procurement, or by fleisshly prayere of his frendes, either of fleisshly frendes or spirituel frendes; fleisshly in tuo maneres, as by kyndrede or other frendes. Sothely, if thay praye for him that is not worthy and able, it he take the benefice it is symonie; and if he be worthy and able, it is non. That other maner is, whan man, or woman, prayen for folk to avaunce them oonly for wikked fleisshly affeccioun that thay have unto the persone, and that is foul symonye. But certis, in services, for whiche men geven thinges spirituels unto their servauntes, it must be understonde, that the service must be honest, and ellis not, and eek that it be withoute bargaynynge, and that the persone be able. For, as saith seint Damase, alle the synne of this world, compared with this synne, is a thing of nought, for it is the gretteste synne that may be after the synne of Lucifer and of Antecrist; for by this synne God forlosith the chirche and the soule, that he boughte with his precious blood, by them that geven chirches to them that be not digne, for thay putten in theves, that stelen the soules of Jhesu Crist, and destroyen his patrimoigne. By suche undigne prestis and curates have ignorant men lasse reverence of the sacrament of holy chirche; and suche geveres of chirches putten out the children of Crist, and putten into the chirche the develes oune sones; thay sellen soules (that is the lambes they shulde kepe) to the wolf that stranglith them; and therfore shul thay never have part of the pasture of lambes, that is, the blisse of heven.

Now cometh hazardrie with his appertenaunce, as tables and rafles, of whiche cometh deceit, fals othis, chidynges, and alle raveynes, blasphemyng, and deneying of God and hate of his neighebors, wast of goodes, myspendinge of tyme, and som tyme manslaughter. Certes, hazardours may not be withoute gret synne, whil they haunte that craft. Of avarice cometh eek lesynges, thefte, and fals witnesse and