With purse they purchase personage, With purse they paynen hem to plede; 270 And men of warrë they woll wage, To bringe hir enemyes to the dede. And lordes lyves they woll lede, And moche take, and give but small; But he it so get, from it shall shede, 275 And make such falsë right foul fal! They halowe nothing but for hyre, Churchë, font, ne vestëment; And make[n] orders in every shyre, But preestes paye for the parchement; 280 Of ryatours they taken rent, Therwith they smere the shepes skall; For many churches ben oft suspent; All such falshed, yet foul it fall! Some liveth nat in lecherye, 285 But haunten wenches, widdowes, and wyves, And punisheth the pore for putrye; Them-selfe it useth all their lyves. And but a man to them [him] shryves, To heven comë never he shall; 290 He shal be cursed as be captyves, To hell they sayn that he shall fall. There was more mercy in Maximien, And in Nero, that never was good, Than [there] is now in some of +hem 295 Whan he hath on his furred hood. They folowe Christ that shedde his blood To heven, as bucket in-to the wall; Suche wreches ben worse than wood; And all such faytours, foule hem fall! 300 They give hir almesse to the riche, To maynteynours, and to men of lawe; For to lordes they woll be liche, An harlottes sone nat worth an hawe! Sothfastnessë suche han slawe, 305 They kembe hir crokets with cristall; And drede of god they have down drawe; All suche faytours, foul hem fall! They maken parsons for the penny, And canons of hir cardinals; 310 Unnethes amongest hem all any That he ne hath glosed the gospell fals! For Christ made never no cathedrals, Ne with him was no cardinall Wyth a reed hatte as usen mynstrals; 315 But falshed, foul mote it befall! +Hir tything, and hir offring both, They cle[y]meth it by possessio[u]n; Thérof nill they none forgo, But robben men as [by] raunsoun. 320 The tything of _Turpe lucrum_ With these maisters is meynall; Tything of bribry and larson Will makë falshed full foul fall! They taken to fermë hir sompnours 325 To harme the people what they may; To pardoners and false faytours Sell hir seles, I dar well say; And all to holden greet array, To multiply hem more metall, 330 They drede full litell domes day Whan all such [falsë] shall foul fall.