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

Capitulum iij.

MOre ouer we may se how euen aȝens cristis wordis in þe gospelle prestis ben þus lordis, wher criste saiþ þus:

"Reges gencium dominantur eorum, vos autem [page 11] non sic"— "þe kyngys of heþen han lordeschip on hem, but ȝe not so." And also aȝens his ensaumple þai ben lordis; for whan he was sowȝte to be made a kynge, & so to take in hym worldly lordeschip, he fledde in-to þe hille and prayde, in toknynge þat siche lordeschip was contrarie to þe state of þe clergi, þat schuld lyue in contemplacyon. But clerkis nowe lyuen not oonly contrariously to þis techynge and ensaumple of criste, but also þai maken stronge lawis reuersynge boþe his wordis and dedis, and letten, in alle þat þai may, hem þat wolde teche þe trouþe of criste. And, by þis lawe þat þai han made, sum of hem han saide þat þai schuld gete owte of þe seculer hondis alle [page 11b] the temporal lordeschip þat þai may, and in no caase delyuer noone aȝen. And þerfore a gentilman axid a greete bischop of þis londe: "In caase þat þe clergy hadde alle þe temporal possescyons, as þai han now þe more parte, how schal þe seculer lordis & knyghtis lyue, & wher-wiþ? siþ god haþ in boþe his lawis alowid her staate and her lijflode." And þen he awnswerid & sayde þat "þai schuld be clerkis soudyoures, and lyue by her wagis." And certis

þis lawe of getynge in of þes temporaltes and þes oþer wordis of þis bischop ouȝte to be taken hede to. For siþ þai han now þe more part of þe temporal lordeschips, and wiþ þat þe spiritualtees and þe greete [page 12] mouable tresouris of þe rewme, þai may lightly make a conquest up-on þat othir party; namely, siþ þe temporal lordis ben not in noumbre and in ryches lyke as þai wer sum tyme; for þai ben sotilly spolid of her lordeschipis, in distroyng of her staate and power þat god sett hem in, and þe party of þe clergy in alle þes poyntis ben encresyd, and so couetously þai ben sette up-on þes goodis þat þai welden now, & mo þat þai hopen to haue, þat þai will not suffre her couetise to be enpugnyd openly ne priuely, als ferr as þai may lett it. For þe gospel of Jon saiþ þat bischopis and pharises sayden of criste: "If we leuen hym þus alle men schul byleue in hym, [page 12b] and romayns schulen comme & take oure place and oure folke." For þai dredden hem of criste, ȝif his wordis wenten forþe, þat romayns schulden comme and fordo prestis and phariseis. As if bischoppis and abbotis spaken to-day to-gedre: "hyde we goddis lawe, lest þes seculer lordis comme and take oure lordeschippis and fordo oure statis." "And fro þat day," þe gospel saiþ, "þai þouȝten to sle criste." So now by more malyce þai killen hem þat techen þe trouþe of cristis gospelle. and in þat þai suffre not criste to be alyue in þe sowlis of his peple bi qwike faythe, whiche commiþ by knouleche of his lawe, þat þai so cruely hyden fro þe peple; & þis is more cruel killynge of criste þan to kille hym bodely in his owne persone, [page 13] for þer-of came þe mooste goode to mankynde, þat is, saluacion of þo þat ben chosen to blisse. But of þat oþer maner of killynge of criste by hidynge of his lawe may no goode comme; for it is aȝens þe plesance of criste, & mooste lykynge to þe fende and lesynge of soulis. And þerfore saynt poule saiþ: "Si opertum est euaungelium nostrum: hiis qui pereunt est opertum: in quibus deus huius seculi excecauit mentes in|fidelium" (2 cor. 4)—"ȝif þe gospel is hid, it is hid to hem

þat perschen, in þe whiche god of þis worlde haþ blyndid þe mynde of unfeiþful men." And þus whoso biþenkiþ hym what maner malyce was practisid aȝens criste by bischopis and scribis and religious in tyme of his bodily presence here, þe same malice in kynde [page 13b] he schal fynde, ȝhe uphepid, in oure byschopis and religious. And as þe peple of israel wern werste gouernyd undir her prestis, whan þe gouernance was commen holy in-to her hondis, and undir þat gouernance come in her mooste confusion & losten þe holy londe for euer; so ben now cristen rewmys foule confoundid by worldly gouernaunce and lordeschip þat prestis han take up-on hem. And alwey as þai getyn more & more of þis, so to more confusion drawen cristen rewmys. And for crist wolde not þat prestis schulde haue syche worldly gouernance, he saiþ to alle men: "Reddite que sunt cesaris cesari, & que sunt dei deo"—"ȝeldiþ to cesar þo þingis þat ben of cesar, and to god þo [page 14] þingis þat ben of god"; confermynge to þe seculer party of the chirche þe material swerde wiþ his purtenance in þe persone of cesar, in whom þat tyme was chefly þis swerde, wiþ alle þe temporaltes þat longen þerto. And certis I drede not but þat þe seculer party of þe chirche, & namely þe lordis, han als myche or more coloure of þe firste party of þis texte to chalenge oonly to hem þe tem|poral swerde, wiþ his purtenances þat longeþ þerto, as seculer lordeschipis wiþ seculer iugement & seculer offyce, as oure prestis han euydence of þe secunde party of þis tixte to chalenge þe tiþis of þe peple, as þingis oonly longynge to hem. And if þai wer indifferent, as þai demen þat it is wronge and [page 14b] dampnable a seculer man to take up-on hym a prestis office, in prechynge or minystrynge of sacramentis, and in disposynge of tiþis, þat weren lymyted to þe state of þe clergy, so þai schulden deme it fulle dampnable a prest to ocupie þe temporal swerde, wiþ þe purtenance þat longiþ þer-to specified to-fore. And in full witnes þat þis lordeschip is dampnable in þe state of presthode, crist, in whom is full ensaumple and lore of perfeccyon of presthode, fled alle þes

þingis; for he auoidid þis swerde in seculer office, and tauȝte his apostles, and in hem alle oþer prestis, to do þe same whan he fled fro þe peple þat wolde han sett hym in þe office of a kynge. And whan he was requirid to ȝeue iugement bitwene two breþern [page 15] stryuynge for heritage, he wolde not ȝeue þat seculer iugement, but saide: "Homo, quis me constituit iudicem aut diuisorem super vos?"—"Man, who made me a iuge or a departer up-on ȝou?" And so he auoidid þis swerde, and left it to þe temporal party of his chirche wiþ all þe purtenances. And þis same lesson tauȝte þe apostle: for saynt poule assigneþ þis swerde to þe seculer lordis, as it is saide bifore, and techiþ men to pray firste for suche men; þat þe peple mai lede a pesable lyfe undir hem. And he techiþ cristen men to obey to hem whedir þai ben cristen or heþen; ȝe, all-þouȝ þai ben tirawntes. And saynt petir techiþ þe same lesson, and biddid þe peple to obey to þe kynge, as to hym þat is passynge [page 15b] oþer, & to duykys as to þo þat ben sent of þe kynge, in-to þe vengance of schrewis & preysynge of goode men. And as touchynge þis seculer lordeschip, saynt petir techiþ how þer schulde be no lordis in þe clergy; and þis worde most nedis be vndirstonden of seculer lordeschip, þe which criste his maistir bifore forfendid to alle his clergi. Siþ þan þat þis lordeschip of þe clerkis is so openli aȝens þe wille of god, schewid in boþe his lawis, and so þai offenden god deedly, & euer schulen while it duriþ in hem, it wer tyme þat cristis chirche toke hede to cristis wordis, þe whiche he spak to petir figurynge þis chirche, and saide: "turne þe swerde in-to his place"; as þouȝ crist [page 16] wolde say þus: "þou my chirche, figurid bi petir, se how þe material swerde wiþ his purtenances is owte of his place; þerfor do as I commaundid þe, and turne þis swerde in-to his place wiþ his purtenancis, as secular lordeschipis, seculer office & seculer iugement, in-to þe seculer arme of my chirche, as I haue ordeyned." And certis, but if þe chirche here effectualy þis worde of criste, schal it neuer stonde in redy rule, ne aftir þe plesance of god; and þerfore lordis schulden take hede fulle tendirly to

þis voyce of criste þat saiþ: "turne þis swerde aȝeyne in-to his place;" for whi þis apostasie of þe clergie will not oonly be cause of dampnacion of hem sijlfe, but also of alle [page 16b] þo þat mai amende þis & done not. For saynt poule saiþ he is not oonly worþi deþ þat doþe yuel þingis, but also he þat consentiþ to þe doer. Forsoþe alle þo consenten þat done not her power to amende syche defawtis. And þerfore no man may putt an oþer grounde bisidis þat þat is putt, þe whiche is criste ihesu.

Notes

• Luke xxii. [25.]
• John xi. [47.]
• [2 Cor. iv. 3.]
• Luke xx. [25.]
• Luc. xii. [14.]
• [1] Tim. ii. [2.]
• Eph. vi. [5.]
• Titus iii. [1.]
• 1 Peter ii. [13.]
• [1] Peter v. [3.]
• Rom. i. [32.]