And Also The Christian
Men Enforce Themselves In All Manners That They May, For To Fight
And For To Deceive That One That Other.
And therewithal they be so
proud, that they know not how to be clothed; now long, now short,
now strait, now large, now sworded, now daggered, and in all manner
guises.
They should be simple, meek and true, and full of alms-
deeds, as Jesu was, in whom they trow; but they be all the
contrary, and ever inclined to the evil, and to do evil. And they
be so covetous, that, for a little silver, they sell their
daughters, their sisters and their own wives to put them to
lechery. And one withdraweth the wife of another, and none of them
holdeth faith to another; but they defoul their law that Jesu
Christ betook them to keep for their salvation. And thus, for
their sins, have they lost all this land that we hold. For, for
their sins, their God hath taken them into our hands, not only by
strength of ourself, but for their sins. For we know well, in very
sooth, that when ye serve God, God will help you; and when he is
with you, no man may be against you. And that know we well by our
prophecies, that Christian men shall win again this land out of our
hands, when they serve God more devoutly; but as long as they be of
foul and of unclean living (as they be now) we have no dread of
them in no kind, for their God will not help them in no wise."
And then I asked him, how he knew the state of Christian men. And
he answered me, that he knew all the state of all courts of
Christian kings and princes and the state of the commons also by
his messengers that he sent to all lands, in manner as they were
merchants of precious stones, of cloths of gold and of other
things, for to know the manner of every country amongst Christian
men. And then he let clepe in all the lords that he made void
first out of his chamber, and there he shewed me four that were
great lords in the country, that told me of my country and of many
other Christian countries, as well as they had been of the same
country; and they spake French right well, and the soldan also;
whereof I had great marvel.
Alas! that it is great slander to our faith and to our law, when
folk that be without law shall reprove us and undernim us of our
sins, and they that should be converted to Christ and to the law of
Jesu by our good ensamples and by our acceptable life to God, and
so converted to the law of Jesu Christ, be, through our wickedness
and evil living, far from us and strangers from the holy and very
belief, shall thus appeal us and hold us for wicked livers and
cursed.
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