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

Capitulum ij.

hEre it schal be schewid how god hatiþ worldly lordeschip in þe state of his clergye, þat schulde performe the perfeccyon of þe gospell. For in þe olde lawe, wher god made an ordynance how & wher-wiþ þai schulde lyue in every state, he assigned þe worldly possescyons to þe [page 5b] seculer party, and bad þat prestis schulde by no way haue eny possescions wiþ [Num. xviii. [20.]] þat oþer partye of þe peple. Saue þe people was chargid of god to ordeyn þe prestis and deeknys housis, not to be lordis of hem but to dwelle in hem. And on þe same wise þai hadden subarbis to fede þer þe beestis þat schuld be offred sacrifice to god in þe temple. And god saide he wolde be þe parte of þe prestis and deknys; þat is to mene, þat þo þingis þat I schal assigne to hem, þe whiche þingis ben offred to me, schal be her parte and her lyuynge. And so god assignyd to þe prestis and deknys þe first fruytis and tiþis and oþer certeyn deuocyons of þe peple, þe whiche was lijflode I|nowȝe

[page 6] for hem wiþ alle her seruandis and oþer meynȝe. And he chargid sore and harde þe peple to þenke on his clergi, and þat þai defraude not hem of þe parte þat god haþ assignyd to hem. For þai hadden noone oþer possesyon amonge þe oþer peple, ne eny schuld haue. So þat goddis parte was þus assignyd to þe trybe or kynrede of leuy; of þe whiche kynrede wern goddis prestis in þe old lawe, and of noone oþere. And þis ordynance of god as tochynge þe liflode of prestis was kept ful streytly, so fer forþe þat þo þingis þat wer offrid to god in þe temple by deuocyon of þe peple, þe whiche wer not by þe lawe of god expresly assigned to the kynrede of leuy, weren kept [page 6b] fro þe use of þat kynrede to þe comon profete of alle þe peple; as to þe [4 Kings xii. [4-15] and xxii. [4-7.]] repaire of þe temple, and to rawnson þe kynge and þe rewme at nede, as scripture beriþ witnesse in the tyme of goode kyngis Joas & Josias. For siþ god had assigned lyflode to þe kynrede of leuy aftir his owne witte, and he may not be fawty in his worchinge or ordenance, it had ben a dampnable presumpcion for to haue ordend more lijflode to hem. And not-wiþstondinge þat kynge dauyd, purposynge to encrese þe worschip of god in his peple, ordend syngers and players in dyuers musical instrumentis to serue byfore god in þe temple; ȝit presumyd he not to take eny þinge þat god had assigned to þe temporall parte of his peple, and endowe wiþ siche goodis þes [page 7] mynystres of þe temple; but he chese þes men of þe tribe or kynrede of leuy and lett hem lyue on her owne parte, and so kept þe temporalte hoole wiþ-owte eny peyr|ynge þerof. And salamon his sonne, the wisest kynge þat euer was, dide þe same. And siþ kynge dauid, þe chosen of god aftir his owne herte & full of þe spirite of prophecye, and salamon his wise sonne also, durste not chawnge þe ordenance of þe goodis mouable and vnmouable, þe whiche god had by|take to her gouernance, and make prestis ryche, as þouȝ god had not sufficiently ordend for hem in his lawe. And wiþ þis, not-wiþstondynge þat kynge dauyd was so fulle of vertuous and kyngly condycions þat he is sett in scripture as

a patrone & ensaumple [page 7b] of alle goode kyngis, how dar oure kyngis, þat han not þes ȝiftis of god, so expresly aȝens goddis lawe, þe olde and þe newe, presume to ouerturne all the gloriouse ordinance of god a-bowte siche temporaltes, and make the state of presthode lordis aȝens þe lyfe and þe lore of criste and his apostles, and aȝens þe proces of þe olde lawe in þis poynte, confermyd bi þe newe? In whiche he haþ so openly, in worde, dede, and in ensaumple, tauȝte and commaundit hem þat þai schuld not be lordis so. And understonde þu here, þat whan þer is eny þinge dampned of god in þe olde lawe, if þe same be dampnyd in þe newe, alle þe euydence þat ben aȝen syche a defawte in þe olde lawe ben euen aȝens þe same [page 8] in þe newe. And so all þe lawis þat god ȝaue by moyses aȝens þe worldly lordeschip of prestis of þe olde lawe be euen aȝens þis, þat prestis schulde be lordis so in þe newe lawe. Siþ þat moyses lawe is moralle in þis poynte, þat longeþ to þe perfeccyon of presthode, criste myȝte not distroy þes lawis neiþer dispens wiþ hem, þat prestis schulden not now be bunden to þes lawis. And siþ criste and his colage myȝt not be dispensid wiþ ne be exempte fro þe bondis of þe olde lawe in þis mater, I merueyle wher þe pryuelegis commen alonde wherby owre colagis of monkis, chanons or eny oþer endowid prestis þat dwellen in siche conventycles claymen to be exempt fro þis bonde of þe olde lawe [page 8b] in this poynte, þat in so many placis so opynly forfendiþ hem siche lordeschip; for þus it is writen: "Dixit [Num. xviii. [20.]] dominus ad aaron In terra eorum nichil possidebitis nec habebitis partem inter eos Ego pars et hereditas tua in medio filiorum israel. filiis autem leui dedi omnes decimas israel in possessionem pro ministerio quo seruiunt mihi in tabernaculo. Nichil aliud possidebunt decimarum oblacione contenti, quas in usus eorum et necessaria separaui"—"þe lorde sayde to aaron, and in hym to alle þe tribe or kynred of leuy, of þe whiche kynred wer þe prestis & deeknys: ȝe schal haue no possescyon in þe londe of þe childern of israelle. I am þine part & þine erytage in þe myddis of þe sonnys of israelle. And I have

ȝoue to the sonnys of leuy alle þe tiþis of [page 9] israel in-to possescion, for þe seruyce þe whiche þai done to me in þe tabernacle. þai schal haue noone oþer possessyon, þai schal be payde wiþ offrynge and tiþis þe whiche I haue departid in-to her vsis and nedis." Also in þe booke of Deutronomy [Deut. xviii. [1.]] god saide thus: "Non habebunt sacerdotes, et omnes qui de eadem tribu sunt, partem et hereditatem cum reliquo populo israelle; et sacrificia domini et oblaciones commedent, et nichil aliud accipient de possescione fratrum suorum"—"þe prestis and deeknys, and alle þo þat ben of þe same tribe, schal not have part and heritage wiþ þat oþer peple of israel; for þai schal ete þe sacrifyce and þe offryngis of þe lorde, and þai schal taake no þinge ellis of þe possessyon of [page 9b] her breþern." Also it is writen þus: "Tribui autem leui non dedit posses|cionem: [Josue xiii. [33.]] quoniam dominus deus israel ipse est possescio eorum, ut locutus est illi,"—þat is, whan moyses assignyd þe possescyon of þe londe of israel amonge þe peple, he ȝaue no possescion to þe tribe of leuy. For whi, þe lorde god of israel is þe possescion of þat tribe, as he haþ spoken to hym. Also þes lawis, ȝouen of god by moyses, þe holy prophetis tauȝten. As amonge oþer we may rede of Ezechiel, þat tawȝte how þe prestis & deeknys schuld haue hem-sijlfe to godwarde in lyuynge and sacrifice doynge; for he saiþ þus: "Non est [Ezec. xliii. [28.]] autem eis hereditas, ego autem hereditas eorum: et posses|cionem non dabitis eis in israel, ego enim [page 10] possessio eorum." "Forsoþe þer schal be noone heritage to hem; forsoþe I am þe heritage of hem; and ȝe schal ȝeue no possescion to hem in israel, for I am þe possessyon of hem." And saynt Jerom saiþ acordynge her-to: "Clericus nichil preter dominum possidere debet, scilicet, non aurum, non argentum, nec [Ep. xxxiiij.] possessiones; quia cum huiusmodi non vult dominus esse pars." "A clerke schal haue no possession but god; þat is to say, neþer gold, ne siluer, or possessions, for wiþ siche god wille not be parte, þat han more þan is necessary to performe her office wiþ. Of þis processe be-fore we may se how expresly god forfendiþ lordeschip to his prestis in þe olde lawe; and

þai cowde not schake away þis bonde by a contrari glose, lijke [page 10b] as oure prestis kan nowe. And bi þe same bonde oure prestis ben bonden to kepe þes lawis, as tochynge þe auoyd|ynge of worldly lordeschipis. And ouer þat þai ben bonden to þe same by a more perfyte lawe þan wer þe prestis of þe olde testament; þerfore þai schulde be þe more wiþdrawe fro seculer lordeschip þan prestis of þe olde lawe; namely, siþ þe olde lawe byhotiþ for þe kepynge þerof prosperite of þis lyfe, and þe gospelle bihotiþ þe kyngdome of heuen. And so no man may putte an oþer grounde bisyde þat þat is putte þe whiche is criste ihesu.