3. Why be ye wedded faster to your habits than a man is to his 40 wyfe? For a man may leve his wyf for a yere or two, as many men do; and if +ye leve your habit a quarter of a yere, ye shuld be holden apostatas. 4. Maketh youre habit you men of religion, or no? If it do, than, ever as it wereth, your religion wereth; and, after that 45 the habit is better, is you[r] religion better. And whan ye liggen it besyde you, than lig ye youre religion besyde you, and ben apostatas. Why by ye you so precious clothes, sith no man seketh such but for vaine glorie, as saynt Gregory saith? 5. What betokeneth youre grete hood, your scaplerye, youre 50 knotted girdel, and youre wyde cope? 6. Why use ye al oon colour, more then other Christen men do? What betokeneth that ye been clothed all in one maner clothinge? 7. If ye saye it betokeneth love and charitè, certes, than ye be 55 ofte ypocrites, whan ony of you hateth other, and in that, that ye wollen be said holy by youre clothinge. 8. Why may not a frere were clothing of an-other secte of freres, sith holines stondeth not in the clothes? 9. Why holde ye silence in one howse more than in another; 60 sith men ought over-al to speke the good and leve the evell? 10. Why ete you flesh in one house more than in another, if youre rule and youre order be perfit, and the patron that made it? 11. Why gette ye your dispensacions, to have it more esy? 65 Certes, either it semeth that ye be unperfit; or he, that made it so hard that ye may not holde it. And siker, if ye holde not the rule of youre patrons, ye be not than hir freres; and so ye lye upon youre-selves! 12. Why make ye you as dede men whan ye be professed; 70 and yet ye be not dede, but more quicke beggars than ye were before? And it semeth evell a deed man to go aboute and begge. 13. Why will ye not suffer youre novices here your councels in youre chapter-house, er that they been professed; if youre councels 75 been trew, and after god[d]es lawe? 14. Why make ye you so costly houses to dwell in; sith Christ did not so, and dede men shuld have but graves, as falleth to dede men? And yet ye have more gorgeous buildinges than many lordes of Englonde. For ye maye wenden through the 80 realme, and ech night, wel nigh, ligge in youre owne courtes; and so mow but right few lordes do. 15. Why hyre ye to ferme youre limitors, gevinge therfore eche yeer a certain rente; and will not suffer oon in an-others limitacion, right as ye were your-selves lordes of contreys? 85 16. Why be ye not under youre bisshops visitacions, and liege men to oure kinge? 17. Why axe ye no letters of bretherhedes of other mens prayers, as ye desyre that other men shulde aske letters of you?