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
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
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,
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
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
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,
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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