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Among hem, that ben holden wife, The papacie fo desguise

Upon divers election,

Whiche ftant after thaffection

Of fondry londes al aboute.

But whan god wol, it shal were oute,

For trouth mot stonde ate laste.

But yet they argumenten faste
pope and his eftate,

Upon the
Wherof they fallen in great debate.
This clerk faith ye, that other nay,
And thus they drive forth the day,
And eche of hem him felf amendeth
Of worldes good, but none entendeth
To that, which comun profite were.
They fain, that god is mighty there
And shal ordeine, what he wille,
There make they none other skille,
Where is the perill of the feith.
But every clerke his herte leith
To kepe his worlde in speciall
And of the cause generall,
Whiche unto holy chirche longeth,
Is none of hem that underfongeth
To shapen any refiftence.

And thus the right hath no defence,
But there I love, there I holde.
Lo, thus to-broke is Criftes folde,
Wherof the flock withoute guide
Devoured is on every fide

In lacke of hem, that ben unware
Shepherdes, which here wit beware
Upon the worlde in other halve.
The sharpe pricke in stede of salve
They usen now, wherof the hele
They hurte of that they shulden hele.
And what sheep, that is full of wulle
Upon his backe, they toose and pulle,
While ther is any thinge to pile.
And though there be none other skile
But onely for they wolde winne
They leve nought, whan they beginne
Upon here acte to procede,

Whiche is no good fhepherdes dede.
And upon this alfo men fain

That fro the leefe, whiche is pleine, Into the breres they forcacche

Here orf, for that they wolden lacche With fuch dureffe and fo bereve

That shal

upon the thornes leve Of wulle, whiche the brere hath tore, Wherof the sheep ben al to-tore, Of that the herdes make hem lefe. Lo, how they feignen chalk for chefe, For though they speke and teche wel, They don hem felf therof no dele. For if the wolf come in the wey, Their goftly staf is then awey,

Wherof they shulde her flock defende. But if the pouer sheep offende

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In any thing, though it be lite,
They ben al redy for to fmite,
And thus howe ever that they tale
The strokes falle upon the smale,
And upon other that bene greate
Hem lacketh herte for to beate,
So that under the clerkes lawe
Men seen the merel al misdrawe.
I wol nought fay in generall,
For there ben fomme in speciall,

In whome that al vertue dwelleth,

Qui vocantur a deo And tho ben, as thapostel telleth,

tanquam Aaron.

That god of his election

Hath cleped to perfection
In the maner as Aaron was.
They be nothinge in thilke cas
Of Simon, which the foldes gate
Hath lete and goth in other gate,

But they gone in the righte weie.
There bene alfo fomme as men faie,
That folwen Simon ate heles

Whose carte goth upon wheles
Of covetife and worldes pride,
And holy chirche goth befide,
Whiche fheweth outwarde a vifage
Of that is nought in the corage.

For if men loke in holy chirche

Betwene the worde and that they wirche,

There is a ful great difference.

They prechen us in audience,

That noman shall his foule empeire,
For al is but a chery feire

This worldes good, fo as they telle.
Alfo they fain there is an helle,
Whiche unto mannes finne is due,
And bidden us therfore escheue
That wicked is and do the good.
Who that her wordes understood
It thenketh they wolden do the fame.
But yet betwene ernest and game
Ful oft it torneth other wife.
With holy tales they devise,
How meritory is thilke dede
Of charite to clothe and fede

The

pouer folke and for to parte The worldes good, but they departe Ne thenken nought fro that they have. Alfo they fain good is to fave

With

penaunce and with abftinence

Of chastite the continence.

But pleinly for to fpeke of that
I not how thilke body fat,
Which they with deinte metes kepe
And lein it fofte for to flepe,
Whan it hath elles of his wille,
With chastite shall stonde stille.
And netheles I can nought fay
In aunter if that I miffay

Touchend of this, how ever it stonde,
I here and wol nought understonde

De statu plebis ut dicunt fecundum

For therof have I nought to done.
But he that made first the mone,
The highe god of his goodneffe,
If ther be cause, he it redresse.
But what as any man can accufe,
This may refon of trouthe excufe.
The vice of hem that ben ungood
Is no reproef unto the good.
For every man his owne werkes
Shall beare, and thus as of the clerkes
The good men ben to commende,
And all these other god amende,
For they ben to the worldes eye
The mirrour of enfamplarie

To reulen and to taken hede
Betwene the men and the godhede

Vulgaris populus regali lege fubactus
Dum jacet, ut mitis equa fubibit onus.
Si caput extollat et lex fua frena relaxet,
Ut fibi velle jubet, tygridis inftar habet.
Ignis, aqua dominans duo funt pietate carentes,
Ira tamen plebis eft violenta magis.

Now for to fpeke of the comune

accidencia mutabi- It is to drede of that fortune,

lis.

Whiche hath befalle in fondry londes.

But often for defaute of bondes

Al fodeinlich er it be wift

A tonne, whan his lie arist,
To-breketh and renneth al aboute,
Whiche elles fholde nought gone oute.

And eke ful ofte a litel fcar

Upon a banke, er men be ware,

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