Alas forsorwe grete prestis sittinge in derkenessis[16] & in schadewe of deeþ/ noȝt hauynge him þat openly crieþ/ al þis I wille ȝeue ȝif þou auaunce me. Þei make reseruaciouns/ þe whiche ben clepid dymes/ ffirst fruytis/ oþer penciouns/ aftir þe opynioun of hem þat trete þis matir. For no more schulde fatte beneficis be reserued þāne smale/ ȝif no pryuy cause of symonye were tretide/ þe whiche I seie noȝt at þis tyme. But Joachur[17]/ in his book of þe seedis of profetis & of þe seyingis of popes & of þe chargis of profetis/ tretynge þis matir/ & spekynge of þe rente of dymes/ seiþ þus[18]/ foure tribulaciouns Dauiþ þe profete haþ bifore seid/ þe seuynty & nyne chapitre/ to entre into þe Chirche of God/ & Bernard[19] acordiþ þere wiþ/ vpon cantica/ þe þre & pritty sermon/ þat ben/ a nyȝtly drede/ an arwe fleynge in day/ chaffare walkynge in derkenessis/ & myddais deuylrie/ þat is to seye/ antecrist. Nyȝtly drede was whanne alle þat slowen seyntis demyd hem silf do seruyse to God/ & þis was þe firste tribulacioun þat ontrede þe Chirche of God. Þe arwe fleynge in day was desceyt of heretikis/ & þat was þe secunde tribulacioun þat entred þe Chirche of Crist. Þat is put of bi wisdom of seyntis/ as þe firste was cast out bi stedfastenesse of martiris. Chaffare walkynge in derkenessis is þe pryui heresie of symonyans/ bi resoun of whiche þe þridde tribulacioun schal entre into Cristis Chirche/ þe whiche tribulacioun or angusch schal entre þe Chirche of Crist in þe tyme of þe hundrid ȝeer of .x. lettre/ whos ende we ben/ as I wele preue/ & þis myscheif schal be so heuy þat wel schal be to þat man of holy Chirche þat þāne schal noȝt be on lyue. And þat I preue þus bi Joachrin[20] in his book of þe deedis of profetis. Men of ebreu tunge haueþ xxii lettris/ and byngȳn̄ge fro þe first of ebrew lettris/ & ȝeuynge to euery lettre an hundrid ȝeer/ þe oolde Testament was endid whāne þe noumbre ȝeuen to þe lettris was fulfillid. So fro þe bygynnynge of ebrew lettris in to Crist/ in þe whiche þe oolde Testament was endid/ weren two and twenty hundriddis of ȝeeris. Þis also schewiþ openly bi discripcioun of tyme/ of Eusebi[21]/ Bede[22]/ & Haymound[23]/ most preued of acounteris/ or talkeris. So Cristen men hauen xxi lettris/ & bygynnynge fro þe first of Latyn lettris/ & ȝeuynge to eche .c./ þe newe Testament was endid whanne þe noumbre of þes assingned lettris was fulfillid. And þis is as soþ as in þe bigynnynge God made heuene & erþe/ for þe oolde Testament is figur of þe newe. But aftir Joachim[24] & Bede[25]/ fro þe bygynnynge of Latyn lettris to þe comynge of Crist weren seuene hundrid ȝeere/ so þat Crist cam in þe hondrid of .h’. lettre/ Crist steye to heuene/ and aftir þat/ undir .k’. lettre/ Crist delyuered his Chirche fro nyȝtly drede/ þe whiche was þe firste drede þat Goddis Chirche was inne. Aftir þat/ vndir .m. lettir/ Crist delyuered his Chirche fro þe arwe fleynge in day/ þat was þe secunde tribulacioun