The.iii. chapyter

THe.iii. chapyter cō teynyng hys secōd consyderacyō, rede and cōsyder it who so lyste / for I can se nothynge in it to be consydered by me. For in effecte in conteyneth no thynge ellys, but that he wolde the clergye shold as myche as they may auoyde all accasyon of murmure and grudge / of the temporaltye towarde them, but yf it be pharysaycal grudge ye and though the dede that they sholde forbere were good / in whych poynt bycause that one poynt wolde waxe a songe worke, I wyll fall in no dyspycyons. But in as farforth as he geueth any man good counsayle and wysheth all thynge well: so farforth shall he and I not varye / but and he call me to hym, I wyll syt and pray for yt wyth hym.

But yet where he sayth in thende of the chapiter, that I endeuour my selfe very myche, to oppresse al them that wyll shew suche thynges of the spyrytualtye: in dede some suche as haue made suche lyes, I haue tolde yt theym. But as for any oppressyon let hym proue one, and let hym call that one.xx. And if he can ꝓue none, as I wote well he cā not: then good reders let hym be beleued therafter.

More ouer where he sayth that I in my mynde proue yt an intollerable defaute in the people for mysse iudgynge the clergy, where as I thinke they haue no cause so to do / and that therin. I leue theym, as though all the whole cause and pryncypall defaute, were in the temporaltye, wherin he sayth that my iugement is farre deceyued: in this poynte good reder he sayth somwhat to me yf he sayde trew. And sure yf he thought that he wrote herein trewe / then wysedome wolde he sholde haue wryten myne owne wordes in. And yf he fered that yt wolde be founden false: then honestye wolde that he sholde haue leste hys owne wordes oute. But veryly good readers and he seke thys seuen yere, he shall in all myne apologye fynde you no suche wordes of myne. But he shall fynde farre the contrarye. For I do there I wote well, in suche places as I shewe that men were vnreasonable that wolde take thys thynge or that thynge (suche as I reherse of hys bryngynge forthe) for any reasonable cause of dyuysyon: there I saye in those places that the pacyfyer mysse sayeth the people, and that the people be myche more reasonable that to take yt so. And therfore here he belyeth me agayne.

And also let hym shewe you forth any one place, in whyche I say that all the whole faute or the pryncypal faute eyther, is in the tēporaltye / and than byleue hym the better in a nother mater. And in the meane whyle tyll he brynge it forthe, or ellys that you fynde yt your self: ye may with reason, at the lest wyse in this mater byleue me better thenne hym / and I wil neuer desyre you to byleue me one day lenger. For I haue neyther sayde the pryncypall faute in the tone nor ye tother. And thus hath he made you of me thre lyes in one chapyter.