ABSTRACT
110 a 3et, for mony haue lyst to here honest talkyng and namely yn hyr holydays forto he ocupyed yn gode, þerfor 3e schul here how 32 þys Emperour Nero turnyd hys wyt al ynto foly, and whech an ende he had at þe last. Hyt ys profytabyl and nedfull to þe 192soule and to þe lyf alsco forto speke alway þat ys good, and take þat ys honest, and namely to a pryst; for hys mouthe ys ha]owde to spek Godys wordys, and schal nothyng speke, but þat ys 4 profytabull to þe lyf and to þe sowle. For rybawdy and vice ys poyson to a prystys mowth and atture, for hit poysynnyth his one sowle, and envenomyth oþir þat heryn hym. For þes leude pepull wenyth hit be laufull to hom boþe to speke and to do 8 boþe þat þay seyn a pryst speke, and say : ‘Thus I se a pryst do, and þys he sayde; wherfor I may do ryght soo: he ys letturt, and seth yn his boke what hym faylyth and owyth to do.’ Thus a pryst hath gret nede to depe hym, boþe yn worde and yn dede, 12 so þat non oþer be corrupt by ensampull of hym. For Sayn[t] Austyn saythe: ‘Whyl an euyll ensampul raynyth, he þat 3af þat euyl ensampull, schall neuer come to perfyte joy.’ Þen, forto be war of spekyng rybawdy I tell you þys ensampul.
