Successours to Peter ben these In that that Peter Christ forsook, 590 That had lever the love of god [to] lese Than a shep[h]erde had to lese his hook. He culleth the sheep as doth the cook; Of hem [they] taken the woll untrend, And falsely glose the gospell-book; 595 God, for his mercy, +hem amend!
After Christ had take Peter the kay, Christ sayd, he mustë dye for man; That Peter to Christ gan withsay; Christ bad him, 'go behind, Sathan!' 600 Such counsaylours many of these men han For worldes wele, god to offend; Peters successours they ben for-than, But all such god may well amend.
For Sathan is to say no more 605 But he that contrary to Christ is; In this they lernë Peters lore, They sewen him whan he did mis; They folowe Peter forsothe in this, In al that Christ wolde +him reprende, 610 Nat in that that longeth to hevin blis; God for his mercy hem amend!
Some of the apostels they sewen in cas, Of ought that I can understonde, Him that betrayed Christ, Judas, 615 That bar the purse in every londe; And al that he might sette on honde, He hidde and stal, and [gan] mispend; His rule these traytours han in honde; Almighty god [now] hem amend! 620
And at last his lord gan tray Cursedly, through his covetyse; So wolde these trayen him for money, And they wisten in what wyse! They be seker of the selfe ensyse; 625 From all sothnesse they ben frend; And covetyse chaungen with queyntyse; Almighty god all suche amend!
Were Christ on erthë here eft-soon, These wolde dampnë him to dye; 630 All his hestes they han fordon, And sayn, his sawes ben heresy; Ayenst his +maundëments they cry, And dampne all his to be [y-]brend; For it lyketh nat hem, such losengery; 635 God almighty hem amend!
These han more might in England here Than hath the king and all his lawe, They han purchased hem such powére To taken hem whom [they] list nat knawe; 640 And say, that heresy is hir sawe, And so to prison woll hem send; It was nat so by elder dawe, God, for his mercy, it amend!
The kinges lawe wol no man deme 645 Angerliche, withouten answere; But, if any man these misqueme, He shal be baited as a bere; And yet wel wors they woll him tere, And in prisón woll hem [be] pend 650 In gyves, and in other gere; Whan god woll, it may [a]mend.