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

ÞE GOSPELS OF ÞE FIRSTE MASSE AND ÞE SECUNDE ON CRISTEMASSE MORWENYNG BEN EX[POUNDED] IN OON SERMOUN TOGIDERE, AS IT SUEÞ.

[SERMON XC.]

Exiit edictum a Cesare Augusto.—LUC. ii. [I.]

ÞIS dai men singen þree massis in worship of þe Trinite; but þe þridde and þe moste is of þe manhede of Crist, þe which is boþe God and man for þe love of mankynde. Þe gospil of þe firste masse, and of þe secounde also, tellen what þingis bifellen in þe birþe of þis child. Þe Emperour of Rome was þanne in his flouris, and in pees on ech side, as þis autour of pees ordeynede. Men seien þat þis emperour was clepid Octavian; and in þe two and fourtiþe ȝeer, whanne he was in moost pees, was Crist born, God and man, in þe lond undir þis emperour. Men seien also, þat þis Cesare was moost in generalte and larges, and pees of his lordship; for more generali þan oþer hadde he lordship of þis world. Of Julius he took þis name to be clepid Cesare; and August he was clepid, for he alargide þe empire. Þis emperour sente a co|mandement to al þe peple of his empire, to discryve alle his londis, þat was wel nyȝ al þis world. And he bigan at Sirie, for it was myddil of his empire. And so Syryne, þat was þere cheef undur þe emperour, bigan to make þis discripcion, and gaderide tribute to þe emperour. And þus myȝte þe emperour wite what peple he hadde in his empire, and what þei myȝten helpe him in tyme of nede, in men and moneie. And þus he devidide þis rewme in þree partis, þat men shulden come in nyne ȝeer to Rome, and bringe tribute for her lond. But al þis is passid now; for þe pope and his covent haþ so put doun þe em|perour,

þat litil rewmes tellen liȝt by him. And so dukes, and eerlis, and lesse, wolen fiȝte wiþ him, and dispise him. And so wente alle of Jude, þat was ny Sirye, to make þer profession in her owne citee. Ech man hadde an heed toun þat was next to his dwelling, and þat was clepid his citee; and sum men clepen it cheping toun.

And Joseph wente fro Nazareth þat was a toun in Galile in to þe toun of Bedleem þat was sett in Judee. For boþ Joseph and oure Ladi weren þe hous of Daviþ; and þe cite of Beed|leem was Daviþis bi sum propirte, for Daviþ was borne in þat citee, as þe Book of Kingis telliþ. And so Joseph wente wiþ Marie, þat was his wyf, in to Bedelem, to make þis professioun þat þe emperour bad make. Þei brouȝten an oxe and an asse wiþ hem, as men seien, for þis enchesoun;—Marie was greet wiþ childe; þerfore she rood upon an asse; þe oxe þei brouȝten for to selle; for Jewis haten begging. And Bedleem was fillid of men bifore þei camen to þe toun; and so þei hadden noon herborwe, but dwelten in a comune stable, and þes two beestis wiþ hem, til tyme cam to use hem.

And it felle, while þei weren þere, oure Ladi bare hir child, þe which was hir firste child, for him she bar and noon oþer. And þis is maner of Goddis lawe, to clepe sich children first born,—not for oþer was born; bifore ne after Crist she bar noon oþer. And she wrapte Crist wiþ cloþis, and putte him in þe cratche, for she hadde no betere place to put him in al þe hous. And so, as men singen and trowen, Crist lai bifore an oxe and an asse. And breeþ of þes two beestis kepte him hoot in þis cold tyme.

And herdis weren in þe same contre, wakinge, and keping þe houris of þe niȝt upon þer flok. For þis was maner in Judee, whanne þe niȝt was lengest, to kepe þer sheep and wake þat

niȝt. And so men seien þat Crist was bore at þe myddil of þis nyȝt, for þe myddil persone in Trinite lovede myddil in many þingis. And lo, þe aungel of þe Lord stood bi þes heerdis, and clerenesse of God shynede aboute hem, and þei dredden bi greet drede. But þe aungel seide to hem, Wole ȝe not drede, for loo, Y telle ȝou a greet joie þat shal be to al þe peple. For þis daie is born to us a Savyour, þat is Crist þe Lord, in þe citee of Daviþ. And þis shal be tokene to ȝou: ye shal fynde þe child wlappid wiþ cloþis, and put in þe cratche, as Y shal telle ȝou. And sudeynli, þer was maad wiþ þis aungel a multitude of hevenli knyȝtis, heryinge God and seiynge; Glori be to God in hiȝeste hevenes, and pees be to men in erþe which ben of good wille.

Here mai we see how Crist lovede comun povert on many maners; for he chees to be herborid in comun place, wiþouten pryde, and wiþouten worldli helpe boþe of men and of wymmen, and he chees a pore cradil þat þe child was put inne. But he hadde, passinge oþer, a pryvylegie in many þingis; for he was born wiþouten peyne or sorewe of his fadir and modir. For as he brak not Maries cloister whanne þat she was maad wiþ childe, so he brak not his modirs wombe whanne he cam out of þis cloister. And so þes just folk bifore God weren betere þan myche worldli peple, kingis or lordis and ladies, and wiþ myche fare of þis world; for þis birþe was glorious, neer þe staat of innocence. Þe secounde confort of Cristis birþ was of þes many aungels; for þei weren betere þan many lordis, and her song was of greet confort. Ofte tyme, in þe olde law, apperiden aungels to men, but not in sich a multitude, ne in siche a joieful speche.

And whanne þe aungels wenten fro hem, þes herdis spaken to hem silf, Passe we into Bedleem, and se we þis word þat is maad, þat þe Lord haþ maad, and shewid to us. And þei came hastinge, and fond þes þree persones, Marie and Joseph, and þe ȝong child putt in þe cratche. And whanne þes heerdis sawen þis þing, þei knewen of þe word þat was seid to hem of þis child bi þe aungel. And alle þe men of þe contre þat herden þis,

wondriden, and of þes þingis, þat weren seid of þe heerdemen to hem. But Marie kepte alle þes wordis, and bare hem to|gidere in her herte. And no drede she hadde greet confort, and undirstonding over oþere men. And þes heerdis turneden aȝen, glorifiynge and heryinge God in alle þingis þat þei herden and sawen, as it was seid to hem.

We supposen þat aungels ledden hem to þis place in Beed|leem, and confortiden hem many gatis, boþe in bodi and in soule. And þei wisten bi þes aungelis, and bi þe good will þat þei hadden, how þei shulden have pees in erþe; and her|fore þei herieden God. And so, ȝif we taken hede, Crist hadde company of þre. First, of his fadir and of his modir, þat weren boþe holi folk; after, of herdemen þat lyveden symple and holi lyf. And þes weren licli mo þan two, and nyȝ þe state of innocence; for God lovede Abel betere þan Cayn þat was his broþer. And þe first was an heerde, and þe toþer a tiliyng man; and tiliyng men have more of craft þan have heerdis in þer dedis. And as God lovede Jacobes sones, þat weren alle heerdemen, so he lovede þes heerdis þat camen for to visite Crist. And so þis nativite of Crist was more þan ony oþer, ȝhe, and more þan Adames makyng, whanne he cam into þis world; for oure Ladi and Joseph passiden Adam and Eve, and þe company of aungelis passiden frendis þat weren wiþ oure firste eldris; and þes heerdis þat camen to hem pas|siden Adams children. And algatis þe birþ of Crist passide oþer dedis þat ever God dide; for it is more to make God man, þan to make þis world of nouȝt. It is maistrie to make a virgyn bere a child, and dwelle a virgyn, more þan to make Adam of erþe, or to make Eve of Adams ribbe; but it is wiþouten mesure more to make God to be a man. For here mennis wittis moten faile. But oon ensample haþ kynde ȝovun us: as þe spirit þat is mannis soule is þe same persone wiþ him, so þe secounde persone of God is þe same persone wiþ þis man. But diversite is greet here and þere, whoso wole loke. Leeve we þis and speke we of vertues. For þis child

is Goddis virtue, and wisdom of þe Fadir of hevene. But þis is bi his Godhede; and mo redelis þan we can telle ben soþ of Crist bi his two kindis. And ȝif we taken good hede of him, Crist is þree kyndis, and o persone; for Crist is Godhede, and bodi, and soule, and ech oon of þes þree. And so, as sum men seien, Crist is sevene þingis, and ech of hem: for his spirit is þree þingis, and his bodi oþer þree þingis, and Crist is, over þis, his Godhede, but oonli oo persone of it. And so, as sevene is ful nombre of universite of þingis, so Crist is ful rewme of hevene, and of þis world; for al þis world bi him is betirid, and as who made a newe world. For ech creature of þis world is beterid bi his birþ. For man is beterid siþ he is bouȝt and maad Goddis sone and his eire, and þerwiþ þe broþer of Crist, which is boþe God and man; angelis in hevene be beterid, siþ þei have more felouship, and sich felouship of seintis makiþ hem more glad togidere. And þus alle þe fendis in helle ben beterid aȝens þer wille; for þer cum|pany is maad lesse, and þei have harm of many felowis.

Al þis world bodili shulde serve to God and to man; and it wantide þis eende til þat Crist was maad man; for bifore, þis world fauȝte wiþ God and tormentide man, but fro þat þis pees was maad, God made þis world to serve man. And herfore aungelis in hevene, for Cristis incarnacioun, wolden not take kneling of Joon, but seiden, þat þei weren his servantis, and servantis of his breþeren; and þis þei fulfillid in dede. And so ech part of þis world shulde joie for þis nativite; but þe fendis maken sorewe, for old envie þat þei have. And for þei shulden make ioie, þei synnen in þis, and harmen hemsilf. And herfore Crist is clepid a pesible kyng in þe Chirche; for he made pees in al þis world, and lefte fiȝtinge for more pees. For man fiȝtiþ wiþ þre enemys, to have more blessid pees in hevene. And so, as many men seien, alle þingis comen for þe beste; for alle comen for Goddis ordenance, and so þei

comen for God himsilf; and so alle þingis þat comen fallen for þe beste þing þat mai be. Moreover to anoþer witt men seien, þat þis world is beterid bi everyþing þat falliþ þerinne, where þat it be good or yvel; so moche, þat þis world is betere for synne þat is punishid in helle; for it falliþ to oure Lord to have a prisoun and prisoneris, and do his merci to hem, and savore more his seintis in hevene. And herfore seiþ Gregori, þat it was a blesful synne þat Adam synnede and his kynde, for bi þis þe world is beterid; but þe ground of þis goodnesse stondiþ in grace of Jesus Crist.

But ȝit men mai muse how Crist is pesible kyng, siþ he seiþ, he cam not to sende pees in þe erþe but swerd, and þat bitokeneþ fiȝting and noo pees. Here men seien soþeli, þat þer ben two peesis, verri pees and fals pees, and þei ben ful dyvers. Verry pees is groundid in God, whanne God loveþ a man, and to þat pees sueþ pees wiþ alle creaturis; for to men þat þus loven God done alle þingis good. And þis pees stondiþ in pacience, and mekenes, and oþer vertues; and þus was Crist pesible kyng, and he and hise hadden pees here. Fals pees is groundid in reste wiþ oure enemys, whanne we assente to hem wiþouten aȝenstonding. And swerd aȝens sich pees cam Crist to sende into erþe; for þus fouȝte Poul aȝens his fleish, aȝens þe world and þe fend; and þus dide Crist, partinge fleishli frendis fro þe love of oþer, for þe more love þat þei shulden have to Crist þat is her God. Þis fals pees is cowardise, and enemyte of God; and auctor of þis pees is þe fend of helle. And Crist contrariede þis pees, wiþ synnes þat bringiþ it in, as ben pryde, envie and bateils, ydilnes, and oþer synnes. And where verry pees techiþ pacience, þis pees techiþ fiȝting, and blasfemeþ in God, as it wolde be his maistir. And to þis undirstonding was not Crist pesible kyng. And herfore þe prophete seiþ, þat in tyme of Crist, þei shulden welle þer swerdis to sharris, and þer

speris to sykelis. For of Crist seiþ anoþer prophete, þat Crist shulde do awei bateilis to þe ende of þe erþe, and instrumentis of bateilis, as bowe, and sheld, and swerd, and oþer engynes of batailis. Þus shulde it be; but þe fend reversiþ þis.

Notes

• Restored conjecturally; the MS. (A) has only the letters e x, followed by the long stroke of a p.
• 'Augustus,' as if from augeo.
• Siryne, E.
• In the authorized version, 'Cyrenius governor of Syria.'
• ban, E.
• This is an interesting allusion to the enfeebled condition of the 'Holy Roman Empire' since the fall of the Hohenstanfen dynasty, which was truly brought about, as the writer says, by the popes and their adherents. The emperor at this time reigning, Wenzel or Wen|ceslas, whose sister, Anne of Bo|hemia, was married to our Richard II, was so utterly weak both in character and resources that the princes of the empire deposed him a few years later, and elected in his room his brother Sigismund.
• That is, market town; as in Chipping Norton, Chipping Camp|den, Chippenham, &c.
• om. E.
• Literally rendered from the Vul|gate,—'omnes qui audierant mirati sunt, et de iis quae dicta erant a pastoribus.'
• So E; passiden, A.
• ridelis, E.
• The number seven, formed from the union of the triad, the 'perfect' number, with the tetractys, which Pythagoras venerated so profoundly, itself prime and masculine, marking the number of the planets, &c., &c., has been held sacred from the ear|liest times. See the article on 'Arithmetic' in the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
• A passage, not worded precisely as here stated, but with the same general meaning, may be found in Gregory's Commentary In Primum Regum, lib. iv. cap. I. But there is a passage in the Sarum missal, in the office for Holy Saturday, con|taining precisely the same thought; 'O certe necessarium Adae pecca|tum et nostrum, quod Christi morte deletum est! O felix culpa, quae talem ac tantum meruit habere redemptorem!'
• schares, E.