other challenge it for dette? Serten, of one thing I am incerteine, that these that charge so much det of wordly cattell, they knowe little of Christes lawe of charitie. For if Ich am a bayly of Gods goodes in the world. If I see my brother in nede, I am holde by charitie to part with him of these goodes to his nede: and if he spendeth them well to the worshop of God, I mote be well apayed as though I my selfe had spended them to the worship of GOD. And if the principall Lord is well payed of my brothers doyng, and the despending of his goodes: howe may I segge for shame that my brother is dettour to me, of the goodes that I tooke hym to spend in Gods worship at his nede? And if my brother spendeth amisse the goodes that I take him, I am discharged of my deliueraunce of the goodes, If I take him in charitie thilke goods at his nede. And I am hold to be sory of his euill dispending, ne I may not axen the goodes, that I tooke him to his nede in forme of dette, for at his neede they were his as well as myne. And thus is my brother yholde to done to me gif he see me in nede, and gif we bene in charitie, little should we chargen of dette. And ne we shold not axen so dettes, as men that knowen not God. And than we be poore in forsaking all thinges that we own, For gif we ben in charitie, we wollen nother fight nor curse, ne plete for our goodes with our brethren.MarginaliaPropriety of goods here, is not take away, but charitie is required to helpe the neede of our neighbour.

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O Lord thus thou taughtest thy seruauntes to lyuen. And so they lyueden while they hadden good shepheards, that fedden thy sheepe and robbed them nat of their lifelode, as Peter thy good shepheard and thy other Apostles. But Lord, he that clepeth hym selle thy vicar vpon earth and successour to Peter: he robbeth thy puple of their bodylich lyfelode, for he ordeneth proud shepherds to lyuen in ese by the tenth party of poore mens trauell. And he geueth them leue to lyuen where they lyketh. And gif men no wolen willfullich geuen them the tithinges, they wolen han them agaynst their will by maysterye & by cursing, to maken thē riche.

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¶ Lord, how may any man segge  

that such shepherdes that louen more the wolle then the sheepe, and feden not thy sheepe in body ne in soul, ne ben such rauenours & theeues? MarginaliaThe Pope a mainteyner of theeues and robbers. And who may segge   that the mayntaynour of such shepeherdes, ne is not a maintenour of theeues and robbers? How wole he assoyle shepherdes of their robbing without restitution of theyr goodes, that they robben thy sheep of against their will? Lord of all shepherdes, blessed mote thou be. For thou louedst more the sheepe than theeir wole. For thou feedest thy sheepe both in body and soule. And for loue of thy sheepe thou tooke thy death to bring thy sheepe out of Wolues mouthes. MarginaliaChrist a good shepeheard in deede.And the most charge that thou goue to Peter was to feede thy sheepe. And so he did truelich, and took the death for thee and for they sheepe. For he came into the fold of shepe by the that were the dore. And so I trowe a fewe other did as he did, though they clepen himselfe successors to Peter, for theyr workes showen what they ben. For they robben and sleen and destroyen: they robben thy sheepe of the tenth part of their trauel, and feden themselfe in ease. They sleen thy sheepe, for they pyenen them for hunger of theyr soule to the death They destroyen the sheepe, for with might and with sternship they rulen thy sheepe: that for dred they beene disparsed abroade in mountaynes, and there the wilde beasts of the field destroyeth thē for default of a good shepeheard.MarginaliaComparison betweene the popes sheepheards and Christ.

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¶ O Lord, gif it be thy will deliuer thy sheepe out of such sheepherdes ward that retcheth not of thy sheepe, they han their wolle to make them selfe rich. For they shepe ben in great mischiefe and foule accombred with their shepheardes.

Marginalia* But for, that is, but because. * ¶ But for thy shepheardes wolden be excused, they haue ygeten them hyred men to feede thy people, and these comen in sheepes clothing. But dredles, their workes shewen that * Marginalia* Within forth, i. inwardly. with in forth  

they ben but Wolfes. For han they theyr hyre, they ne retcheth but a little howe sorilich thy sheepe ben kept. For as they seggen themselfe, they ben but hyred men that han no charge of thy sheepe. And when the shulden feden thy sheepe in the plentuous * Marginalia* Lesew, pasture.lesewe of thy teaching, they stonden betweene them & theyr lesewe, so that the sheepe ne han but a sight of thy lesewe, but eatē they shall not thereof. But they fedē them in a sorry sowre lesewe of lesinges & of tales. And so thy sheepe fallen into greeuous sicknes through this euill lesewe. And gif any shepe breake ouer into thy lesewe to tasten the sweetnes thereof, anon these hyred men driue him out with hounds. And thus thy shepe by these hyred men, ben ykept out of their kindlich lesewe, and ben yfed with soure grasse & sory baren lesewe. And yet they feden but seldome, and when they han sorilych fed them, they taken great hyre, and gone away from they sheepe and letten them a worth. And for drede least thy sheepe wolden in theyr absence goe to thy sweet lesewe, they han enclosed it all about so stronglich and so high, that there may no sheepe comen there within, but gif it be a * Marginalia* A Welche leaper.walisch leper of the moūtayns that may with his long legs lepen ouer the wallys. For the hirid men ben ful certayn, that gif thy sheepe had ones ytasted the sweetnes of thy lesewe: They ne would no more bene yfed of these hyred men in their soure leweses, & therfore these hyred mē kepen thē out of that lesewe. For hadden the sheepe once ytasted well of thy lesewe, they wouldē without a leder go thider to their mete, and then mote these hired men fechen them another labour to liue by than keping of shepe. MarginaliaWolfes in lambeskins described.And they bene fel and ware ynowe thereof, and therefore they feden thy sheepe with soure meate thatnaught is & hiden from thy shepe the swetenes of thy lesew.   And so though these hyred men gone in shepes clothing, in their works they ben wolues, that much harme done to they sheepe as we haue ytold.

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¶ O Lord, they comē as shepe, for the seggē  

that they ben poore and haue forsaken the world to liuen parfetlich as thou taughtest in the gospell. Lord this is shepes clothing. But Lord thou ne taughtest not a man to forsaken the trauelous liuing in porenesse in the world, to liuen in ese with riches by other mens trauell, & haue Lordship on their brethrē. For lord this is more to forsakē thee & go to the world.

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MarginaliaHe complayneth against the valiant beggers the Friers. ¶ O Lord thou ne taughtest not a man to forsake the world to liuen in poorenes of begging by other mens trauell that bene as feble as they ben. Ne Lord thou ne taughtest not a man to liuen in pooreness of begging, that were strong inough to trauell for his lifelode. Ne Lord thou ne taughtest not a man to ben a begger to beg of mē more then him nedeth, to build great castles and make great feasts to thilke that han no need.

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¶ O Lord thou ne taughtest not men this poorenes, for it is out of charitye. But thy poorenes that thou taughtest, nourisheth charitye. Lord sith Paul sayth, that he that forsaketh the charge of thilke that ben * Marginalia* Homelich, that is, of his householde. homelich with him, hath forsaken his fayth and is worse then a misbeleued man: How then now these men seggen that they beleuē in Christ, that han forsake their poore feeble frendes, & let them liue in trauell and in disese, that trauelled full sore for thē, when the weren young and vnmighty to helpen themselfe? And they wolē liue in ese by other mens trauell euermore begging withouten shame.

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¶ Lord thou ne traughest not this maner poorenes, for it is out of charite. And all the law is charity and thing that nourisheth charite. And these shepheards send about to kepe thy shepe & to feden thē other whiles bareyne lewsewes.  

Lord thoune madest none such shepheardes, ne kepers of the sheepe that feede sorylich thy shepe, and for so litle trauell taken a great hyre, and sithē al the yeare afterward, do what them liketh, and let thy shepe perish for defaut of keping.MarginaliaWilfull pouertie abhorred.

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MarginaliaThe propertie of good shepeheards. But thy shepherdes abiden still with their sheepe, and feden thē in thy plenteous lesewe of thy teaching, and gone byfore thy shepe, and teachen them the way into the plenteous and swete lesewe, and kepen thy flocke from rauening of the wilde beastes of the field.

O Lord deliuer the sheepe out of the ward of these shepheardes and these hyred mē, that stonden more to kepe their riches that they robben of thy shepe, than they stonden in keping of thy sheepe.

O Lord, when thou come to Ierusalem, some time thou droue out of the temple sellers of bestes and of other chaffre, and saydest: Mine house shouldē ben cleped  

an house of prayers: but they maden a dē of theues of it. O Lord, thou art the temple in whom we shoulden prayen thy father of heauen. And Salomons temple that was ybelded at Ierusalem, was figure of this temple. But Lord, he that clepeth   himselfe thy vicar vpon earth, and sayth that he occupyeth thy place here on earth: is become a chapman   in the temple, MarginaliaThe pope is a chapman  

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i.e. a 'merchant' or a 'purchaser'.

in Gods temple. and hath his chapmen walking in diuers countreys to sellen hys chaffare and to maken him rich. And he sayth, thou gaue him so great a power abouen all other men, that we euer he bindeth other vnbindeth in earth, thou bindest other vnbindest the same in heauen. And so of great power he selleth other men forgeuenes of their sinne. And for much money he will assoylen a man so cleane of his sinne, that he * Marginalia* Behoteth  

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i.e. 'promises'.

, that is, promiseth.behoteth men the blesse of heauen withouten any payne after that they be dead, that geuen him much mony.

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Bishopriches & cherches, & such other chaffares he selleth also for mony, and maketh himselfe rich. And thus he beguiled the puple.

O Lord Iesu, here is much vntruth, and mischiefe, and matter of sorow. Lord thou saydest some time, that thou wouldest be with thy seruantes into the end of the world. And thou saydest also, there as tweyne or three ben ygadred to gedder in thy name, that thou art in the midle of thē. A Lord, then it was no need to thee to maken liefetenaunt, sith thou wolte be euermore amongest thy seruauntes.

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Lorde, thou axedst of thy disciples, who they trowed that thou were. And Peter aunswered and sayd, that thou art Christ Gods sonne. And thou saydest to Peter. Thou art Iblessed Symon Bariona; MarginaliaNote good reader if Christ be where ij. or iij. be gathered in his name, what neede is there of a lieuetenant. for flesh and bloud ne showed not this to thee, but my Father that is in heauen. And I say to thee, that thou art Peter, and vpon this stone ych wole byld my Churche, and the gates of hell he shullen not auailen agens it. MarginaliaThe place of giuing to Peter his keyes, expounded.And to the ych wole geue the keyes of heauen and what euer thou byndest vppon earth, shall be bound in heauen: & what euer thou vnbyndest on earth, shalbe vnbounden in heauen. This power also was graunten vnto the other disciples as well as to Peter as the Gospell openlich telleth. In this place men seggen that thou graunted to Peters successors, the selue power that thou gaue to Peter. And therefore the Bishop of Rome, that sayth he is, Peters successour, taketh this power to him to binden and vnbynden in earth what him liketh. But Lord, ych haue much wonder how he may for shame clepen himselfe Peters successour. For Peter knowledged that thou were Christ and God, and kept the hestes of thy law: but these han forsaken the hestes  

of thy law, and hath y maked a law contrary to thyne hestes   of thy law. And so he maked himself a false Christ and a false God in earth. MarginaliaThe Pope proued a false Antichrist in earth.And I trow thou gaue hym no power to vndoe thy law. And som taking this power vpon him, maketh him a false Christ & Antichrist. For who may be more agens Christ , than he that in his wordes maketh himselfe Christes vicar in earth. And in hys werkes vndoth the ordinaunce of Christ, and maketh men by leuē that it is needful to the heale of mens soules: to byleuen that he is Christes vicar in earth. And whateuer by byndeth in earth is ybounden in heauen, & vnder this colour he vndoth Christes law, and maketh men alwayes to kepen his law, and hestes   . And thus men may yseene that he is agenst Christ, and therefore he is Antichrist that maketh men worshupen him as God on earth, MarginaliaThe popes abhomination described.as the the proud K. Nabugodonosor did somtime, that was K. of Babylon. And therfore we lewed men that knowne not God but thee Iesu Christ, beleuen in thee that art our God, and our king, and our Christ, and thy lawes. And forsaken Antichrist and Nabugodonosor that is false God, and a false Christ, and hys lawes that ben contrary to thy preaching. And Lord strength thou vs agenst our enemies. For they ben about to maken vs forsaken thee and thy lawe, other elles to putten vs to death. O Lord, onlich in thee is our trust

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