Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.

ÞE GOSPEL ON SEINT BARTULIMEW DAI.

[SERMON CXV.]

Facta est contencio inter.—LUK. xxii. [24.]

MEN seien þat Seint Bertolomew was nobleste of þe apostlis: and herfore in þis daie is þis gospel red. Men seien þat Cristis apostlis streven for a good cause; for þei wolden have a captain aftir þat Crist was deed. But I can not excuse hem of a vein wille. But however it be of þis, þis gospel semeþ to teche us þat synne of prelatis now-a-daies passiþ þis presumpcioun. For apostles streven þanne, not who shulde be more to God, ne more to þe world, but, who shulde be holde more; for ellis miȝte strif be among hem which shulde be put bifore, and decisioun of þis myȝte oonys for ever ceesse þis discord. But

now, among oure prelatis, we moven not who shulde be holde more, but which is more, uttirli, boþe to God and to þe world. And here we synnen doubli, deniyng þat we knowun not, and reversing Cristis sentence of morenesse þat he spake of. But oure goode maistir, Crist, determynede þis discencioun; and seiþ þat þer is double gretnes among men here in erþe,— gretenesse among knyȝttis, and gretenesse among clerkis. Cristis disciplis shulden not coveite gretnes of knyȝttis, but gretenes of clerkes is morenesse of mekenesse and morenesse in service, wiþouten ony booste.

And þus seiþ Crist, þat kyngis and gentilefolk have lordship of hem, and þo þat have power on hem ben clepid goode doeris. But ȝe shal not þus lyve, in noon of þes þre pointis. For worldli lordshipis shal not be among ȝou; ne power to prisoune shal be in oon upon oþir; ne ȝour goode dedis shal not stonde in ȝyvynge of worldli goodis; but he þat is more amonge ȝou be maad as ȝonger, and he þat goiþ bifore, be he as a servere. Þat is to seie, þe mekere of ȝou is more of ȝou, and oon shal go bifore anoþir, not for worldli worship, but to serve more mekeli to oþir of his felouship. And þis mai ȝe se, seiþ Crist, bi my lyf among ȝou: Wheþir holde ȝe more him þat settiþ, or him þat serveþ? Certein ȝe holde more him þat sittiþ at þe mete. But Crist is among hem as a good servere. On þe day bifore, Crist washide her feet and wipte hem wiþ a cloiþ, as þe gospel of Joon telliþ; and þanne he putte in dede soilyng of þis ques|tioun. And siþ apostlis ben þo ilke þat weren wiþ Crist whanne he was temptid, and Crist ordeynede siche meenes to aȝenstonde pryde, preestis shulden þenke on þis lore, and traveile aboute mekenes. And þis lyf is not wiþoute mede, bi witnesse of Crist. And herfore he ordeynede hem þe kingdom of hevene, as his Fadir ordeynede hym, for mekenesse þat Crist hadde. And þanne shal þei ete and drynke upon Cristis bord in his rewme; and þis is mede wiþouten eende, more þan ony worldly mede. For þanne shal þei sitte upon troones and juge kynredis of Israel; whiche kynredis ben seintis in hevene, þat shal knowe bi apostlis þat more mekenesse in þis world axiþ more hyenesse in hevene.

And wel were him þat coude þis lore, ȝif þe gospel tauȝte him no more. And reversing of þis lore now, bi dowyng of þis Chirche, haþ maad al newe preestis and oþer ordir fro Cristis Chirche. For more worldli lordship axiþ þe more service to preestis, and lettiþ hem to be more servauntis, and more hie in Cristis rewme. And þus, whanne Crist biddiþ þat his preestis shulden not lyve þus, þat preest is now holden betere þat lyveþ more lordli. And þis pride of þe fend distrieþ myche of þe Chirche; and Y can see no more mede þan to distrie þis preestis pride. Take awei þes brondis ȝif þou wole quenche þe fier.

Notes

• In the Roman Missal this gospel is assigned to the feast of St. Apol|linaris (July 23); that for St. Bar|tholomew's day is taken from Luke vi. 12-19. The writer of these ser|mons, like the Prayer-book, follows the Sarum use.
• Referring to this legend, Cave says, in his Antiq. Apostolicae,—'By some [St. Bartholomew] is thought to have been a Syrian of noble extract, and to have derived his pedigree from the Ptolomies of Egypt, upon no other ground, I believe, than the mere analogy and sound of the name.'
• So E; moresse, A.
• That is, — church-endowment, practised in defiance of the teaching of Christ, has separated the modern clergy, as well as the cloistered orders, from the true Church of Christ.
• þes, E.