"Ye mynnen wel how Mathew seith, How a man made a feste; He fedde him with no venyson, Ne fesauntz y-bake, 10550 But with foweles that fram hym nolde, But folwede his whistlyng. _Ecce altilia mea, et omnia parata sunt._ = And with calves flessh he fedde {323} The folk that he lovede. "The calf bitokneth clennesse In hem that kepeth lawes. For as the cow thorugh kynde mylk The calf norisseth til an oxe; 10560 So love and leauté Lele men susteneth, And maidenes and mylde men Mercy desiren, Right as the cow calf Coveiteth melk swete, So doon rightfulle men Mercy and truthe. "Ac who beth that excuseth hem That ben persons and preestes, 10570 That hevedes of holy chirche ben, That han hir wil here Withouten travaille the tithe deel That trewe men biswynken; Thei wol be wrooth for I write thus, Ac to witnesse I take Bothe Mathew and Marc, And _Memento Domine David_. "What pope or prelat now Perfourneth that Crist highte. 10580 _Ite in universum mundum et prædicate, etc._ = "Allas! that men so longe On Makometh sholde bileve, So manye prelates to preche As the pope maketh, Of Nazareth, of Nynyve, Of Neptalym and Damaske, That thei ne wente as Crist wisseth, Sithen thei wille have name 10590 {324} To be pastours and preche To lyve and to dye. _Bonus pastor animam suam ponit, etc._ = And seide it in salvacion Of Sarzens and othere, For cristene and uncristene Crist seide to prechours: _Ite vos in vineam meam, etc._ "And sith that thise Sarzens, 10600 Scribes, and Jewes, Han a lippe of our bileve, The lightlier me thynketh Thei sholde turne, who so travailed To teche hem of the Trinité. _Quærite et invenietis, etc._ "It is ruthe to rede How rightwise men lyvede, How thei defouled hir flessh, Forsoke hir owene wille, 10610 Fer fro kyth and fro kyn Yvele y-clothed yeden, Baddely y-bedded, No book but conscience, Ne no richesse but the roode To rejoisse hem inne. _Absit nobis gloriari nisi in cruce Domini nostri, etc._ "And tho was plentee and pees Amonges poore and riche, 10620 And now is routhe to rede How the rede noble Is reverenced er the roode, And receyved for worthier Than Cristes cros, that overcam {325} Deeth and dedly synne. And now is werre and wo; And who so why asketh, For coveitise after cros The croune stant in golde. 10630 Bothe riche and religious That roode thei honoure That in grotes is y-grave And in gold nobles. For coveitise of that cros, Men of holy kirke Shul torne as templers dide, The tyme approcheth faste.