commandement. Non furtum facies.

28 Why be ye so hardy to graunt by letters of fraternite to men and women, that they shall haue part and merite of all your good dedes, and ye witen neuer whether god be apaid with your dedes, because of your sinne. MarginaliaWorkes of supererogation.Also ye wyten neuer whether that mā or woman be in state to be saued or damned, then shall he haue no merite in heuyn for his owne dedes ne for none other mans. And all were it so, that he should haue part of your good dedes: yet shuld ye haue no more thē God would geue hym after that he were woorthy: and so much shall eche man haue of Gods yeft without your limitation. MarginaliaGod is the limiter of meede and reward, & not the Frier.But if ye will say that ye bene Gods fellowes, and that he may not do without your assent, then be ye blasphemers to God.

29 What betokeneth that ye haue ordeined, that whē such one as ye haue made your brother or sister, and hath a letter of your seale, that letter mought be brought in your holy Chapter, and there be rad, or els ye wyll not pray for hym. And but ye willen praye specially for all other that were not made your brethren or sistren? MarginaliaFryers wyll not pray but for them that be of their fraternitie.then were ye not in right charite: for that ought to be commen and namely in ghostly things.

30 Frere, what charite is this to ouercharge the people by mighty begging vnder color of preching, or praying, or masses singing? sith holy write biddeth not thus, but euen the contrary: for all such ghostly dedes shuld be done freely as God yeueth them freely.

31 Frere, what charite is this to be guile children or they commen to discretion, and bynde hem to your orders that byn not grounded in gods law, agaynst her frendes will: sithen by this folly bene many Apostataes both in will and dede, MarginaliaFriers doe make Apostataes.and many bene Apostataes in her will, duryng all her lyfe that would gladly be discharged if they wist how and so many bene Apostataes, that shoulden in other states haue byn true men.

32 Frere, what charite is this to make so many freres in euery countrey to the charge of the people: sith persons & vicars alone, ye secular pristes alone, ye monkes and Chanons alone, with bishops aboue them: were inough to the church to do priests office. And to adde mo then inough, is a foule error and great charge to the people, and this is openly against gods will that ordeyned all thinges to be done in weight, number and measure. And Christ himselfe was apayd with xij. Apostles and a few disciples to preach and do priestes office to all the whole world, than was it better do than it is now at this tyme, by a thousand dele: MarginaliaThe number of friers are superfluous & as necessary as ten fingers on one hand.and right so as foure fingers with a thombe in a mans hande helpeth a man to worch, and double number of fingers in one hande should let hym more: & so the more number that there were passing the measure of gods ordinaunce, the more were a mā letted to worke. Right so (as it semeth) it is of these newe orders, that ben added to the church without ground of holy write, and Gods ordinance.

33 Frere, what charite is this to lie to the people and say that ye follow Christ in pouertie more than other mē done, MarginaliaSee so fast the Frier foloweth Christ in his pouerty.and yet in curious and costly howsing, and fine and precious clothing, and delicious and likyng feeding, and in treasure and iewels and rich ornaments, freres passen Lordes and other rich worldly men: and sonest they shold bring her cause about (be it neuer so costly) though Gods law be put abacke.

34 Frere, what charite is this to gather vp the bokes of holy write and put hem in treasory, MarginaliaFriers are the letters of preaching the Gospell.and so emprison them from secular priests and curates, and by this cautell let hem to preach the gospell freely to the people without worldly mede, and also to defaine good priests of heresie and lyen on hem openly for to let hem to shew gods law by the holy gospell to the christen people.

35 Frere, what charitie is this to fayne so much holines in your bodely clothyng (that ye clepe your habite) that many blynd fooles desiren to die therin more than in an other: MarginaliaWhat holynes is in a friers coat.and also that a frere that leuith his habite late founden of men, may not be assoyled till he take it agayne, but is Apostata as ye seyne, and cursed of God and mā both. The Frere beleueth, truth, and patience, chastite, mekenesse, & sobriete: yet for the more part of his lyfe, he may soone be assoyled of hys prior, and if he bryng home to his house much good by yeare. MarginaliaThe stouter beggar the nobler fryer.(be it neuer so falsely begged and pilled of the poore & nedy people in courtes about) he shall be hold a noble Freere, O Lord whether this be charitie?

36 Freere, what charitie is this to prease vpon a riche man, MarginaliaWhy friers so much desire to haue rich men buryed in their frieries.and to entice hym to be buried among you from hys parish Church, and to such riche men geue letters of fraternite confirmed by your generall seale, and thereby to beare hym in hand that he shall haue part of all your mas-ses, mattens, prechings, fastinges, wakinges, and all other good deedes done by your brethren of your order (bothe whyles he liueth, and after that he is dead) and yet ye wyten neuer whether your deedes bee acceptable to God, ne whether that man that hath that letter be able by good liuyng to receyue any parte of your deedes: and yet, a poore man (that ye wyte well or supposen in certayne to haue no good of) ye ne geuen no such letters, though he be a better man to God than such a riche man: neuerthelesse this poore man doth not retche therof. MarginaliaFriers behestes are false deceates.For as men supposen suche letters and many other that freeres be hooten to men, be full false deceites of freres: out of all reason, and gods law and christen mens fayth.

37 Freere, what charitie is this: to be Confessours of Lordes and Ladies and to other mighty men, and not amend hem in her liuyng: but rather as it semeth, to be the bolder to pill her poore tenantes, and to liue in lechery, MarginaliaFriers desire to be Lordes & Ladies confessors.and there to dwell in your office of confessour for wynnyng of worldly goodes, and to be holde great by colour of suche ghostly offices: this semeth rather pryde of freeres than charite of God.

38 Frere, what charite is this to sayne, that who so liuith after your order, liueth most perfitely, and next followeth the state of Apostles in pouertie and penaunce: and yet the wisest and gretest clerkes of you, wend or send or procure to the court of Rome to be made Cardinals, or bishops, or the popes chapelaines, and to be assoyled of the vow of pouerty and obedience to your ministers in the which, (as ye sayne) standeth most perfection and merite of your orders: MarginaliaFryers and Pharisies say one & do an other.and thus ye faren as Phariseis that sayen one and do an other to the contrary.

Why name ye more the Patronc of your order in your Confiteor, when ye beginne masse: then other Saintes, Apostles or Martyrs, that holy Church holde more glorious, then hem? and clepe hem your Patrons and your auowries.

Frere, whether was S. Fraunces in makyng of his rule that he set thine order in, a foole and lyer, or els wyse and true? MarginaliaDilemmaIf ye sayne that he was not a foole, but wise, ne a lyar, but true: why shewe ye contrary by your doyng? whan by your suggestion to the Pope ye sayde, that your rule that Fraunces made was so harde, that ye myght not lyue to holde it, without declaration and dispensation of the Pope. And so, by your deede: ye lete your Patrone a foole that made a rule so harde, that no man may well kepe: and eke your dede proueth hym a lyar, wher he sayth in his rule, that he tooke and learned it of the holy ghost. For how might ye for shame pray the Pope vndoe that the holy ghost but, as when ye prayed him to dispence with the hardnes of your order.

Frere, which of the foure orders of friers is best to a man that knoweth not which is the best, but would fayne enter into the best, and none other? MarginaliaWhich is the best order of friers.If thou sayst that thine is the best, then sayest thou that none of the other is as good as thine: and in this eche Frere in the iij. other orders wolle say that thou liest, for in the selfe maner eche other frere woll say that his order is best. And thus to ech of the 4 orders bene the other three contrary in this point: in þ^e which if any saith sooth, that is one alone, for there may but one be the best of foure: so followeth it that if eche of these orders answered to this question as thou doest, three were false, & but one true: and yet no man should wite who that were. MarginaliaFriers neuer agree one with an other.And thus it seemeth, that that the most part of freeres, bin or should, be liers in this poynt and they should answer therto. If you say, that another order of the freres is better then thine, or as good: why tooke ye nat rather therto as to the better, when thou mightest haue chose at the beginnyng: And eke why shouldest thou be an Apostata to leaue thyne order, and take thee to that is better, and so why goest thou not from thine order into that?

Frere, is there anye perfiter rule of religion than Christ Gods sonne gaue in his Gospell to his brethren? Or then that religion, that Saint Iames in his Epistle maketh mention of? If you say yes, then puttest thou on Christ (that is the wisedome of God the father) vnkunnyng, vnpower, or euil will: for than he could not make hys rule so good as another did his. MarginaliaThe frier thinkes hys rule perfiter then Christes, because he leaueth one and foloweth the other. And so he had be vnkunning, that he might not make hys rule so good as an other mā might: and so were he vnmighty, and not God, or he woulde not make hys rule so perfite as an other did hys, and so he had be euill willed, namely to hymselfe.

For if he might, and could, and would haue made a rule perfite without default, and did not: he was not gods sōne almighty. For if any other rule be perfiter than Christes, then must Christes rule lacke of that perfectiō by as much