The.xxxi. chapyter

THen foloweth there fastynge / whiche thynges the spyrytualty doth as I suppose, all suche as kepe styll the olde chrysten fayth, and fall not vnto these newe heresyes.

But thys pacyfyer fyndet[…] a faute, and reherseth oute of Iohn̄ Gerson, that the clergy kepeth not nowe the […] we by whyche it was ordey[…]d that the clergye sholde […] a lenger lent thē they now do. And wolde god as saynte Poule sayth, that both they and we coulde and wold euery daye. But this pacyfyer that is so well sene in the lawes of the chyrche, seeth well ynough that the vnyuersall custome to y• cōtrary, dischargeth th[…] […]onde of that lawe, though peraduenture yt dyscharged not them that fyrst began the breche whereby the custome grewe. For as for fastynge / the […] of the cūtrey may eyther to the bonde or to the dyscharge and interpretacyō of the […] made therfore, the custome I saye maye do myche, as saynte Austayne sheweth in […]o places thē one. For yf it were otherwyse / then fasted almoste no man any […]ast at all at this daye whyle we dyne at none. For the very […]aste was of olde, as both by the scrypture and holy wryters appereth, to forbere theyr meale tyll nyght / whyche ys as ye se all chaūged. And the chyrche to condescende vnto our infyrmyte, hath be fayne therfore to say in lent theyre euyn songe byfore none / and bysyde the naturall dayes, to deuyse vs new dayes ex fictione iuris, that we shold at the lest haue euynsonge in the lenton faste byfore we fall to meate. And yet we kepe not that neyther. But as an Almayne of myne acquayntaunce, when I blamed hym lately for not fastyng vpon a certayne day, answered me, Fare to sould telaye men fasten, let te prester faste[…]: so we begynne god wote to faste full lytle for our owne parte / but byd the prester go fasten. And where our selfe wold for our owne parte be fayn that the lent were two wekes lesse: yet wold we that for the clergye the […]ent were one weke lenger. But some of them tosse yt […]ro them selfe as faste, and sende yt to the freres. And veryly relygyouse folke vse I trow both longe lentes and aduent to, & some of theym dyuerse other fastes besyde / and they be perdye a great parte of the spyrytualtye.