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

Capitulum v.

hEre we may se þat a clerk may not be a lorde, or vir|tuosly occupi so seculer lordeschip. And ȝif þu wilt wete whi, me semiþ þat þis is a cause sufficient y-nowe. þat criste haþ forbodun hem þis lordeschip in playne wordis, as it is writen ofte to-fore, & glosid þo wordis wiþ his dedis; for whan he was souȝte to his passion, he profred hym silfe, but whan he was souȝte to be a kynge & to haue taake up-on hym þe material swerde wiþ his purtenances, he fled and [page 23b] hidde hym self and left þis swerde hooly in his place; techynge his prestis by þis ensample to do þe same. And it is no doute but þat þis ensaumple was a commaundement to

cristis prestis to fle vttirli þis lordeschip. For as seynt gregory saiþ: "Dominus ihesus cristus aliud nos sermonibus, aliud vero operibus ammonet. Ipsa enim facta eius precepta sunt, quia dum aliud tacitus facit, quid agere debeamus innotescit." Cristis dedis or ensaumples ben commaunde|mentis what we schulden do. And þat criste fled þis temptacion of þe peple & hidde hymself schuld teche prestis to fle, not oonly þis synfull & dampnable lordeschip in þe state of presthode, but also þat þai fle þe occasion or the temptaci[on] [page 24] þer-of. And þis ensaumpled criste in his fleynge and hydynge. And not oonly þis, but also crist in his doynge dampnyd symony, þe whiche is takynge, or an unruely wille to take or to ȝeue, worldly goode for grace, or bi occasion of grace of god mynystred to eny creature. For whan criste had graciously & by myracle fed þe peple, þorow occasion of þat grace, þis peple was moued to take hym & make hym a lorde; but criste, a clere ensaumple of clennesse of prestis, by whom as goddis instrumentis grace is ȝouen to þe peple as þis grace was by þe preste criste, fled þis ȝifte. And in þis fleynge of criste fro þis lordeschip aftir þe myracle & grace þat god þe fadir had ministrid by hym, he dampned [page 24b] þe ressauyng of þe lordeschip þe whiche siluestre toke of constantyne. And criste commendid & confermyd þe dede of þe blessid prophete helyȝe, þat refusid þe ȝiftis proferid to hym of Naaman after þe miracle & grace þat god had done by hym to Naaman. Neþelesse for þe more open knowleche of þat þat I moue here, þu schalt undirstonde þat þe casis þat bitydden bytwene constantyne & siluestre & naaman & heliȝe ben wondir like; for boþe þes seculer men wer grete lordis & mesels, and boþe weren helid bi myracle of god, & bi grace mynystred to hem bi þes two prestis. For Naaman was helid of god bi grace ministred to hym bi heliȝe. And constantyne was he[lid] [page 25] of god by grace ministred to hym bi siluestre, as his storie telliþ. and boþ

þai wer helid in oon wise, for in water schewid of god to þes two prestis, and bi þes two prestis schewid to þes two sike men. And aftir þes gracis þus minystred by þes two prestis, Naaman proferid to heliȝe wondir grete ȝiftis of mouable goodis, and constantyne proferid to siluestre boþe mouable & vnmouable goodis in wondir grete plente and excesse. But not-wiþstondynge þat naaman prayed fulle hertly heliȝe, & enforsid hym þat he schuld haue take þo ȝiftis, vttirly he forsoke hem; but siluestre in þe same case toke þat þe emperoure proferid hym, boþe þe grete worldly [page 25b] aray & þe wondir grete lordeschipis. And oo grete cause whi heliȝe wold not assent to Naaman to take eny ȝiftis of hym in þis case was for þan heliȝe had been a symonient, siþ his man giezi, þat ran aftir naaman and toke ȝiftis of hym þorow occasion of þat grace so minystred, was a symonyent, not|wiþstondynge þat þat grace was not ȝeue by hym in eny wise to Naaman, but þat he toke þo ȝiftis bi occasion of þat grace. how myche raþer his maister heliȝe, þat had more kunnynge & was bounden to more perfeccion, schuld haue be a symonyent ȝif he had ressauyd þat goode, siþ þat grace was ministred to Naaman by hym. And no dowte þouȝ siluestre had in þis case ressauyd but mouable goodis, he [page 26] schulde haue synned more greuously þan giezi did, or heliȝe schulde ȝif he had ressauyd þat naaman proferid to hym; for siluestir trespassid aȝens a more perfite lawe. And what bi giezi & balam, what by Judas & symon magus, þat wer symony|entis acursid of god & ysmyten wiþ goddis vengance, & what bi many faire euydencis of scripture & reson þat siche a man owȝt to haue had, he had many grete warnyngis of hydousnes & perille of þis synne ouer þat his predecessouris hadden; and alle þis agregeden hys syn. Here it may be knowen þat siluestre did not aftir þe ensaumple of criste, þat fled whan he schuld haue be made a kynge & hidde hym self and so wiþ-stode it, but he proferid hymself to his

passion. But [page 26b] siluestir did on þe contrari wise; for whan he was sowȝte to passion, he hidde hym sijlfe, as þe storie of hym telliþ. And whan he was callid to þe state of þe emperoure or worldly dignite, he in a maner proferid hym self; in als myche as he manly wiþstode not þe hidous & synfulle purpose of þe emperoure, but cowerdly consentid to his foly. And certis I drede not þat he had neuer better cause of martirdome þan to haue wiþstonde þis foli of þe emperour, in case þat he wolde by violence haue enforsid hym to þis lordeschip. For as a man may conceyue, in partye of þat þat is saide before, & of euydence þat wiþ goddis help schal sue her-aftir, þis wickid dede was peruertynge of cristis ordenances in [page 27] his chirche, & harmfulle & destruction to euery state þerof, & will be fynal confusion þerof but ȝif it be remedied. And so þis man had neuer so grete cause to fle & to hide hym self as whan he was callid to þis rialte; and þat he myȝte haue lernyd of criste, þat schulde haue be his maister, þat in þe same case fled & hidde hymself. And þouȝ vnkunnyngnes myȝte sumdele excuse þe emperour; ȝit þat myȝt not excuse þis preste, þat owȝte to knowe, as a þinge chefly bilongyng to his perfeccion, þat he schulde not be a lorde on þat wise. For no man may putt an oþir grounde biside þat [þat] is putt whiche is criste ihesu.

Notes

• Gregorius omelia xvii.
• MS. inserts 'but.'
• 4 Kings v. [16.]
• 4 Kings v.
• to þes to þe MS.
• John xviii. [4.]