And all the seven sacraments Ye speke ayenst, as ye were sly, Ayenst tythings with your entents, And on our lordes body falsly ly. 1160 All this ye don to live in ese, As who sayeth, ther ben non suche; And sayn, the pope is not worth a pese, To make the people ayen him gruche. And this commeth in by fendes, 1165 To bringe the Christen in distaunce; For they wold that no man were frendes; Leve thy chattring, with mischaunce! If thou live well, what wilt thou more? Let other men live as hem list; 1170 Spende in good, or kepe in store; Other mennes conscience never thou nist. Ye han no cure to answere for; What meddell ye, that han not to don? Let men live as they han don yore, 1175 For thou shalt answere for no +mon." The Pellican sayd, "Sir, nay, [nay], I dispysed not the pope, Ne no sacrament, soth to say; But speke in charitè and good hope. 1180 But I dispyse hir hyë pryde, Hir richesse, that shuld be pore in spryt; Hir wickednesse is knowe so wyde, They servë god in fals habyt; And turnen mekenesse into pryde, 1185 And lowlinesse into hy degrè, And goddes wordes turne and hyde; And that am I moved by charitè To lettë men to livë so With all my conning and al my might, 1190 And to warne men of hir wo And to tell hem trouth and right. The sacraments be soulë-hele If they ben used in good use; Ayenst that speke I never a del, 1195 For then were I nothing wyse. But they that use hem in mis manére, Or sette hem up to any sale, I trow, they shall abye hem dere; This is my reson, this is my tale. 1200 Who-so taketh hem unrightfulliche Ayenst the ten commaundëments, Or by glosë wrechedliche Selleth any of the sacraments, I trow, they do the devell homage 1205 In that they weten they do wrong; And therto, I dar well wage, They serven Satan for al her song. To tythen and offren is hoolsom lyf, So it be don in dew manére; 1210 A man to houselin and to shryve, Wedding, and all the other in-fere, So it be nother sold ne bought, Ne take ne give for covetyse; And it be so taken, it is nought; 1215 Who selleth hem so, may sore agryse. On our Lordes body I do not ly, I say soth, thorow trewë rede, His flesh and blood, through his mystry, Is there, in the forme of brede. 1220 How it is there, it nedeth not stryve, Whether it be subget or accident, But as Christ was, when he was on-lyve, So is he there, verament. If pope or cardinall live good lyve, 1225 As Christ commaunded in his gospell, +Ayenës that woll I not stryve; But, me thinketh, they live not well.