Anonymous

“ Why be ye not under youre bisshops visitacions, and liege
men to oure kinge?
17. Why axe ye no letters of bretherhedes of other mens
prayers, as ye desyre that other men shulde aske letters of you?
18. If youre letters be good, why graunte ye them not generally 90
to al maner men, for the more charitè?
19. Mow ye make ony man more perfit brother for your
prayers, than god hath by oure beleve, by our baptyme and his
owne graunte? If ye mowe, certes, than ye be above god. ”

“ Without more, why shall a frere be
more punished if he breke the rule that his patron made, than if
he breke the hestes that god himself made?
2. Approveth Christ ony more religions than oon, that saynt 35
James speketh of? If he approveth no more, why hast thou left
his rule, and taken another? Why is a frere apostata, that leveth
his order and taketh another secte; sith there is but oon religion
of Christ?
3. Why be ye wedded faster to your habits than a man is to his 40
wyfe? For a man may leve his wyf for a yere or two, as many
men do ”

“ And all men knowen wel, that they ben not obedient
to bishoppes, ne lege men to kinges; neither they tillen ne 10
sowen, weden, ne repen woode, corn, ne gras, neither nothing
that man shuld helpe but only hem-selves, hir lyves to sustein.
And these men han all maner power of god, as they sayen,
in heaven and in earth, to sell heaven and hell to whom that
hem lyketh ”

“ What maner men nedeth for to begge?
Of whom oweth suche men to begge?
Why beggest thou so for thy brethren? 160
If thou sayest, for they have nede; than thou doest it for the
more perfeccion, or els for the leest, or els for the mene. If it be
the moost perfeccion of all, than shulde al thy brethren do so;
and than no man neded to begge but for him-selfe, for so shuld no
man begge but him neded. And if it be the leest perfeccion, why 165
lovest thou than other men more than thy-selfe? For so thou art
not well in charitè ”

“ And if all suche shuld do
so, certes, wel nigh al the world shuld go aboute and begge as 175
ye do: and so shulde there be ten beggers agaynst oon yever.
38. Why procurest thou men to yeve thee hir almes, and sayest
it is so meedful; and thou wilt not thy-selfe winne thee that
mede?
39. Why wilt thou not begge for poore bedred men, that ben 180
poorer than ony of youre secte, that liggen, and mow not go
aboute to helpe themselves; sith we be all brethren in god, and
that bretherhed passeth ony other that ye or ony man coude
make? And where moost nede were, there were moost perfeccion ”

“ If ye saye it betokeneth love and charitè, certes, than ye be 55
ofte ypocrites, whan ony of you hateth other, and in that, that ye
wollen be said holy by youre clothinge.
8. Why may not a frere were clothing of an-other secte of
freres, sith holines stondeth not in the clothes?
9. Why holde ye silence in one howse more than in another; 60
sith men ought over-al to speke the good and leve the evell?
10. Why ete you flesh in one house more than in another,
if youre rule and youre order be perfit, and the patron that
made it? ”

“ And therfore, frere, if thine order and rules ben grounded on
goddes law, tell thou me, Jack Upland, that I aske of thee; and
if thou be or thinkest to be on Christes syde, kepe thy pacience.
Saynt Paul techeth, that al our dedes shuld be don in charitè, 20
and els it is nought worth, but displesing to god and harm to
oure owne soules. And for because freres chalengen to be
gretest clerkes of the church, and next folowinge Christ in
livinge, men shulde, for charitè, axe hem some questions, and
pray hem to grounde their answers in reson and in holy writ ”

“ For, as men supposen, suche letters and many other that freres
behesten to men, be full of false deceites of freres, out of reson
and god [d] es lawe and Christen mens faith. 335
58. Frere, what charitè is this—to be confessoures of lordes
and ladyes, and to other mighty men, and not amend hem in hir
living; but rather, as it semeth, to be the bolder to pille hir poore
tenauntes and to live in lechery, and there to dwelle in your office
of confessour, for winning of worldly goodes, and to be holden grete 340
by colour of suche goostly offices? ”

“ And also, 310
that a frere that leveth his habit (late founden of men) , may not
be assoiled till he take it again, but is an apostata, as ye sayn,
and cursed of god and man both? The frere beleveth treuth and
pacience, chastitè, mekenesse, and sobrietè; yet for the more
part of his lyfe he may soone be assoiled of his prior; and if he 315
bringe hoom to his house much good by yere, be it never so
falsly begged and pilled of the poore and nedy people in courtes
aboute, he shal be hold [en] a noble frere! O lord, whether this
be charitè! ”

“ Frere, what charitè is this—to lye to the people, and saye
that ye folowe Christ in povertè more than other men don? 295
And yet, in curious and costly howsinge, and fyne and precious
clothing, and delicious and lykinge fedinge, and in tresoure and
jewels and riche ornamentes, freres passen lordes and other riche
worldly men; and soonest they shuld bringe hir cause aboute,
be it never so costly, though goddes lawe be put abacke. 300
55. ”

“ And yet a poore man, that ye
wite wel or supposen in certain to have no good of, ye ne geve 330
no such letters, though he be a better man to god than suche
a riche man; nevertheles, this poore man doth not recche therof. ”

“ But ye will have the kinges lawes for trespas 235
don to you; and ye wil have power of other bishops more than
other prestes; and also have leave to prison youre brethren as
lordes in youre courtes, more than other folkes han that ben the
kinges lege men.
48. Why shal some secte of you freres paye eche yere a certaine 240
to hir generall provinciall or minister, or els to hir soverains,
but-if he stele a certain number of children, as some men sayn? And
certes, if this be soth, than be ye constrayned, upon certaine
payne, to do thefte, agaynst goddes commaundement,
non furtum facies. ”

“ Whos ben all your riche courtes that ye han, and all your
riche jewels; sith ye sayen that ye han nought, in proper ne in 190
comune? If ye sayn they ben the popes, why †geder ye then, of
poore men and of lordes, so much out of the kinges honde to make
your pope riche? ”