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¹ Tymes ben not hid fro Almyyti God; sotheli thei that knowen hym, knowen not hise daies.² Othere men turneden ouer the termes of neiyboris eritage, thei token awei flockis, and fedden tho.³ Thei driueden awei the asse of fadirlesse children, and token awei the cow of a widewe for a wed.⁴ Thei distrieden the weie of pore men, and thei oppressiden togidere the mylde men of erthe.⁵ Othere men as wielde assis in deseert goon out to her werk; and thei waken to prey, and bifor maken redy breed to her children.⁶ Thei kitten doun a feeld not hern, and thei gaderen grapis of his vyner, whom thei han oppressid bi violence.⁷ Thei leeuen men nakid, and taken awei the clothis, to whiche men is noon hiling in coold;⁸ whiche men the reynes of munteyns weeten, and thei han noon hilyng, and biclippen stoonys.⁹ Thei diden violence, and robbiden fadirles and modirles children; and thei spuyliden, `ether robbiden, the comynte of pore men.¹⁰ Thei token awey eeris of corn fro nakid men, and goynge with out cloth, and fro hungry men.¹¹ Thei weren hid in myddai among the heepis of tho men, that thirsten, whanne the presses ben trodun.¹² Thei maden men of citees to weile, and the soulis of woundid men schulen crye; and God suffrith it not to go awei vnpunyschid.

¹³ Thei weren rebel to liyt; thei knewen not the weyes therof, nether thei turneden ayen bi the pathis therof.¹⁴ A mansleere risith ful eerli, and sleeth a nedi man, and a pore man; sotheli bi nyyt he schal be as a nyyt theef.¹⁵ The iye of avouter kepith derknesse, and seith, An yye schal not se me; and he schal hile his face.¹⁶ Thei mynen housis in derknessis, as thei seiden togidere to hem silf in the dai; and thei knewen not liyt.¹⁷ If the morewtid apperith sudeynli, thei demen the schadewe of deth; and so thei goon in derknessis as in liyt.

¹⁸ He is vnstablere than the face of the water; his part in erthe be cursid, and go he not bi the weie of vyneris.¹⁹ Passe he to ful greet heete fro the watris of snowis, and the synne of hym `til to hellis.<sup>20</sup> Merci foryete hym; his swetnesse be a worm; be he not in mynde, but be he al to-brokun as `a tre vnfruytful.²¹ For he fedde the bareyn, and hir that childith not, and he dide not wel to the widewe.²² He drow doun stronge men in his strengthe; and whanne he stondith in `greet state, he schal not bileue to his lijf.²³ God yaf to hym place of penaunce, and he mysusith that in to pride; for the iyen of God ben in the weies of that man.²⁴ Thei ben reisid at a litil, and thei schulen not stonde; and thei schulen be maad low as alle thingis, and thei schulen be takun awei; and as the hyynessis of eeris of corn thei schulen be al to-brokun.²⁵ That if it is not so, who may repreue me, that Y liede, and putte my wordis bifor God?