The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.

Capitulum 4^m.

See we what James seiþ þat wroot to tuelue kynredis, & so to alle cristen men, wheþer he speke ouht of freris. but ȝif god spake here of freris, certis þei ben not wiþ hym, & crist seiþ: "who þat is not wiþ me, he mot neede be aȝen me." Jamus telliþ of two religions; þe first is clene wit-oute wem, & þis mot nede be cristis religioun, boþe for þe patroun & þe rewele; þe secounde is veyn religioun, & þat haueþ oþer patroun and rewele. James seiþ þat clene religioun & wiþoute wem bifore god & þe fader is þis, to visite moderlees children & widewis in here tribulacion, & kepe hym silf wiþ|oute wem fro foulyng of þis world. James spekiþ not heere of þe ordris þat holden here castels or liuen as ankeris, but of þe religioun þat crist haþ ordeyned to fiȝte wiþ þe world & profite to needi men, as crist dide wiþ hise apostlis. And ȝif þou seie þat freris visiten modirlees children & widewis; soþeliche þe fend visitiþ men, but to deceyue hem & harme hem; & þus þise freris visiten men, but riche men in heere welfare. And cristis ordre biddiþ men to kepe hem vnfoulid fro þe world, but freris seldem or neuere but when coueytise fouliþ hem; for when þei visiten pore men or widewis, þei don to gete goodus of hem, as corn, monee, chese or som-what þat nediþ more hem þen þe freris; & þus þei helpen hem not in tribulacioun, but to deceyue here bodi & soule. & herfore seyþ iames aftir, þat rewle or wisdom of þise ordris is worldliche, beestliche, & fendliche, & þis is veyn religioun.

Þe rewele is first worldliche, [page 85b] for þei ben ouercomen of þe world, & speche of men plesiþ hem not but ȝif it turne hem to worldis vynnyng, & sich a rewele mot neede ouercome þe flesh of siche freris, for þei seken lust as bestis, & coueyten likyngis of flesh. & þis rewele is þe deuelis; as þe deuel is here patroun in þis, "& þere," seiþ James, "is enuye & strif where sich a veyn religion regneþ." But þe rewele of clene religioun haueþ eyȝt condiciouns þat iames telliþ. "ffirst it is chast, pesible, temperat, tretable; assentyng to goode þingis, þer-wiþ ful of mercy, ful of goode fruytis, & iugiþ wiþ-oute feynyng." Juge wise men wheþer þise eyȝte ben kept in þe ordris of freris. Bodiliche chastite is ofte broken, but oftere chastite of soule; ffreris fiȝten in mong hem silf, & helpen to fiȝte aȝen reeaumus; ffreris hauen a newe maner in alle þe dedis þat þei don heere, but þe old maner was ful good þat crist ȝaf to hise disciplis. Þe apostlis weren so tretable, þat ȝif men tauȝten hem a betere ordre or þat ouȝt of here bileeue were fals, þei wolden sone assente to treuþe; but þis þing myȝte not be, for stablenesse of here patroun. ffreris mai be pleynliche conuict boþe of here ordre & heere treuþe, & ȝit heere pride lettiþ hem to assente to þis treuþe, boþe of here ordris & heere opiniouns; but þei seken mannes help & fals dilayes to lette knowyng of treuþe, & þus þei consenten not to good, but bi heere power striuen aȝen it. And when þei spoylen pore men, þei ben not ful of mercy, but louen betere stones of heere housis þen pore men or oþere freris. Hem wantiþ good fruyt, when þei pursewen trewe prestis bi gabbyngis & bi gylis for þei prechen freliche þe gospel. fflateryng þat þise men vsen telliþ þat þei iugen not wiþ-outen feynyng. Þis is þe veyn religioun þat James spekiþ of; "for who euere weneþ þat he be religiose, & refreneþ not his tunge, but deceyueþ his herte, þis mannes religion is veyn." Þise freris ben doumbe in many placis when [page 86] þei shulde speke to heere bretheren of þe treuþe of goddis lawe & oþere weyes þat helpen to vertues; but when þei comen out of þis prisoun

þei ben dilauy in heere tungis in gabbyngis & other iapis þat sounen not to charite: Juge men wheþer ony freris ben siche þat hauen sich veyn religion. James telliþ aftir bi cristis rewele þat men shulden not accepte persones; but men seyen þat freris don, boþe of here breþeren & oþer men, for ȝif a frere be a maister or a riche frere in mong hise breþeren, he shal be loutid & worshipid more þen cristis lawe techiþ; & þus freris worshipen seculer lordis, to gete worldliche help of hem. & þus freris speken bi goddis lawe, but þei don euen þe reuers, as crist seiþ of pharisees, þat þei seyen but þei don not. Þus freris reden in goddis lawe, þat þei shal not be makid maystris, & þis þei coueyten wiþ þe synne, wherfore þis maystirship is forfendid. & þus iames forbediþ cristen men to be riche here, for rust & wormes destrien heere richesse, & þat doiþ harm to þe comunes; but ȝit þise freris gederen monee & oþer goodis to hem self, & ben propre in heere hauyng aȝen þe rewle of charite, & but ȝif þise wordis of iames don for þise ordris, I am certeyn þat non word of iames approueþ þise newe religions.

Notes

• Matt. xii. [30.]
• James i. [27.]
• James iii. 15.
• James iii. [17.]
• tretatable MS.
• assento MS.
• [James i. 26.]
• [James ii. 9.]
• James v. [1-3.]