For certes, many a predicacioun
Comth ofte tyme of yvel entencioun;
Som for plesance of folk and flaterye,
To been avaunced by ypocrisye,
And som for veyne glorie, and som for hate.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Prologue. The Pardoner seems to be excusing his preaching for personal profit by pointing to other corrupted preachers who hypocritically give sermons for the wrong reasons. Some preach for reasons of flattery, hypocrisy, vain glory and hate, he says.