A token of Antichrist they be, His careckes ben now wyde y-know; Receyved to preche shall no man be Without[ë] token of him, I trow. Ech Christen preest to prechen ow, 545 From god abovë they ben send. Goddes word to all folk for to show, Sinfull man for to amend. Christ sente the pore for to preche; The royall riche he did nat so; 550 Now dar no pore the people teche, For Antichrist is over-all hir fo. Among the people he mot go; He hath bidden, all such suspend; Some hath he hent, and thinketh yet mo; 555 But all this god may well amend. All tho that han the world forsake, And liven lo[w]ly, as god bad, In-to hir prison shullen be take, Betin and bounden, and forth lad. 560 Herof I rede no man be drad; Christ sayd, his [servaunts] shulde be shend; Ech man ought herof be glad; For god ful well it woll amend. They take on hem royáll powére, 565 And saye, they havë swerdes two, Oon curse to hell, oon slee men here; For at his taking Christ had no mo, Yet Peter had [that] oon of tho. But Christ to Peter smyte gan defend, 570 And in-to the sheth bad putte it tho; And all such mischeves god amend! Christ bad Peter kepe his sheep, And with his swerde forbad him smyte; Swerd is no tole with sheep to kepe 575 But to shep[h]erdes that sheep woll byte. Me thinketh, suche shep[h]erdes ben to wyte Ayen hir sheep with swerd that contend; They dryve hir sheep with greet dispyte; But al this god may well amend. 580 So successours to Peter be they nought Whom [that] Christ madë cheef pastour; A swerd no shep[h]erde usen ought But he wold slee as a bochour. For who-so were Peters successour 585 Shuld bere his sheep till his bak bend, And shadowe hem from every shour; And all this god may wel amend. Successours to Peter ben these In that that Peter Christ forsook, 590 That had lever the love of god [to] lese Than a shep[h]erde had to lese his hook. He culleth the sheep as doth the cook; Of hem [they] taken the woll untrend, And falsely glose the gospell-book; 595 God, for his mercy, +hem amend! After Christ had take Peter the kay, Christ sayd, he mustë dye for man; That Peter to Christ gan withsay; Christ bad him, 'go behind, Sathan!' 600 Such counsaylours many of these men han For worldes wele, god to offend; Peters successours they ben for-than, But all such god may well amend.