63. Frere, is there ony perfiter rule of religion than Christ, goddes sone, gave in his gospell to his brethren, or than that religion that saynt James in his epistle maketh mencion of? If +ye saye 'yes,' than puttest thou on Christ, that is wysdom of 390 god the +fader, uncunning, unpower, or evil will. For eyther than he coude not make his rule so good as an-other did his, (and so he hadde be uncunning, that he might not make his rule so good as another man might, and so were he unmighty and not god); or he wolde not make his rule so perfit as an-other did his 395 (and so had he ben evill-willed, namely to himselfe!) For if he might, and coude, and wold[e] have mad a rule perfit without defaute, and did not, he was not goddes sone almighty. For if ony other rule be perfiter than Christes, than must Christes rule lacke of that perfeccion by as much as the other were more 400 perfiter; and so were defaute, and Christ had failed in makinge of his rule. But to putte ony defaute or failinge in god, is blasphemy. If thou saye that Christes rule and that religion that saynt James maketh mencion of, is the perfitest; why holdest thou not than thilke rule without more? And why clepest thou 405 thee rather of saynt Frances or saynt Dominiks rule or religion or order, than of Christes rule or Christes order?
64. Frere, canst thou assigne ony defaute in Christes rule of the gospell, with the whiche he taught al men sikerly to be saved, if they kepte it to hir endinge? If thou saye it was to hard, 410 than sayest thou that Christ lyed; for he saide of his rule: 'My yoke is softe, and my burthen light.' If thou saye Christes rule was to light, that may be assigned for no defaute, for the better may it be kept. If thou sayst that there is no defaute in Christes rule of the gospell, sith Christ him-selfe saith it is light and esy: 415 what nede was it to patrons of freres to adde more therto, and so to make an harder religion, to save freres, than was the religion that Christes apostels and his disciples helden and weren saved by; but-if they wolden that her freres saten above the apostels in heven, for the harder religion that they kepen here? And so 420 wolde they sitten in heven above Christ himselfe for the moo and strait observaunces; than so shulde they be better than Christ himselfe, with misc[h]aunce!