we thanke The for by thy holy crosse Thou hast
bowghte and redemyd this worlde.'

"And then afterward our Lord gave unto me suche
faith and confidens in those prestis whiche live
accordynge to the forme or ordynance of the holy
Churche of Rome, for the ordre of them that if they
did trowble and pursue me I wold returne and have
recourse unto them.

"And yf I had as muche wysedome as Saloman
had, and shall happen to fynde the poor symplest
prestis of this worlde I wolde not preche in ther
parisshes wherin they dwelle contrary to ther wille.
And thos and all other prestis I wille fer and dred,
love, honoure, and have in reuerence as my lordis and
soverayns. And I will not considre nor espie eny
synne in them; nor I wille not thynke that they be
rechiles (reckless) and synfulle, for I considre them
and take them as my lordis and masters; and this I
doo for this consideration, for in this worlde I se
nothyng with my bodily yes of the moost hiest Sone
of God, but his most holiest and most blessid bodie,
and his moost holy and preciusse blode which they
resceyve, and thei only mynister those most holy
sacramentis to other men.

"And wher soever I fynd his most holiest names
and wordis writen in inconvenient placis I wille take
them and gather them to gethers. And I desire that
they be takynn upp and gatherid together, and that
thei be put and kept in convenient, clene, and honest
placis.

"And alle divynes, and alle thos that mynister to
us the devyne service, and shew us the worde of
God we sholde honour, and haue them in reuerence
as those that minyster to us the spryte and the lif,
or as those of whome we haue owre spirituelle and
gostly foode and the sustenaunce of our sowle.

"And after that our Lorde had sent too me
bretherne, no man told me what I sholde doo, but
that most hiest and gracious Lorde shewed to me
by revelacion that I sholde lyve after the forme and
the wordis of the holy gospelle. And I in fewe
simple and playne wordis caused the fowrme of our
lyf to be writtenn, and our holy fadre the pope
confirmed hyt unto me, and they that camme to reseyve
this forme or maner of lyvynge departyd and
distributed that they had and myght haue too powre
people.

"And we were content with oone coote pesyd
bothe within forthe and without forthe with a corde
and a femorall (breeches), and we wolde nat haue
ony more. Owre devyne seruyce the clerkis saide
as other clerkis, and the lay bretherne said ther
pater noster.

"And we fulle gladly dwelte and taried in pour
deserte and desolat churchys, and we were content
to be taken as ideotis and foolys of every man, and
I did exercyse my self in bodily laboure. And I
wille laboure, and yt ys my wille surely and stedfastely
that alle the bretherne occupie and exercyse
themself in labour, and in suche occupation and labour as
belongethe to honeste. And those that have no
occupation to exercyse themself with alle, shall lerne
not for covetis to resceyve the price or hier for ther
laboure, but for to give good example and eschewe
and put away idlenes.

"When we wer not satisfied nor recompensid for
our labour, we went and had recourse to the bord of
oure Lorde, askynge almes from dore to dor. Our
Lord by revelation tawghte me to say this maner of
salutation, 'Oure Lorde give to this his peace.'

"And my bretherne must be welle ware and welle
advysed in ony wyse that they resceyve no churches
nor dwellinge placys, or ony thingis, but yf they be as
semythe holy pouerte, the whiche in our rewle we
have vowed and promised, alweys longyng and
abiding ther in those placis but as pilgryms and
straungers.

"I commaunde also stedfastly and straytely by
obedience unto all my brethrene, that whersoever
they be and abide, that they be not so bolde or
so hardy other by themself or by ony other
meane persone, to desire or axe or to gette or
purchease ony letter or writynge from the Court of
Rome, nother for the Churche nor for any other
maner of place, nother for prechyng nor undre that
colour, nother yet for the persecution of ther bodies;
but whersoever they be notte resceived they may
flee awey and departe thens to another place to do
penaunce with the blissynge of God. And I wille in
alle thyngis stedfastely and surely obey and be
obedient to the generall minister of this Fraternite.
And to what someuer warden hit shall plese hym to
geve me or to assigne me; and in suche wise I
wilbe takynne and yelded and resigned in to his
handis, that I may nother doo nor say other wise
then yt is his wille, for he ys my lord and soffrayne.
And though I be but simple and not lernid nor
letterid, and seke and unstedfast and feble, yet
neuer the les I wille haue a clerke whiche shalle say
the devyne servyce unto me like wyse as yt is
expressyd and contayned in the rewle. And alle the
other bretherne are bounde also too obeye unto ther
wardens, and too saye ther devyne seruyce after the
rewle.

"And yf eny of the bretherne be founde that say
not ther devyne seruyce after the rewle, or that
wolde varye and change ther office ony other wey,
or say ther servyce ony other wise, or after any
other use, or that they be not stable and stedfast in
the Crysten feithe, alle the bretherne arre bounde by
obedience, wher soeuer they fynde suche a brother,
too brynge hym and to present hym to the next
custosie or wardene to that place wher as thei fynde
hym, and that custos or wardene ys bounde
stedfastly and straytly by obedience to kepe hym surely
and strongly as a man in holde and in bondis as a
prysoner bothe daye and nyghte so that he maye be
delyverid to the hondis of his mynister. And his
mynister is bounde stedfastly and straitely by obedience
too send hym by suche bretherne, the whiche
shalle kepe hym daye and nyghte as a man in holde,
untill that they brynge hym and present to the Lord
Hostience, the whiche is lord protectour and
correctour of this fraternite and brothered.

"And the bretherne shalle not say that this is a
newe rule, for thys ys a rehersalle or a recordynge
and a remembraunce and admonicyon or
exhortatioun, and my testament and last wille whiche I
brother Frauncis, your yongelynge and your pour
servant make and leve unto you my blessyd bretherne
to that intent that the rewle whiche we have vowed
and promysed to our Lorde we may herby the more
surely and faithefully observe and kepe.

"And the generalle minister and alle the other
minysters and custosis and wardennys be bownde by
obedience in these wordis nothynge to adde hertoo
nor mynysche nothynge here of, and alweys they
shall haue this testament in writynge withe them by
the rewle, and in alle their chapiters and capituler
congregacions that they have or that they make
when they rede the rewle, they shalle rede these
wordis, or this my testament contayned in this
word.

"And I commaunde by obedience unto all my
bretherne, bothe clerkis and also laye bretherne,
that they put or make no glose on the rewle, or on