An apology for Lollard doctrines, attributed to Wicliffe. Now first printed from a manuscript in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. With an introduction and notes by James Henthorn Todd.

IX. Of pouerte.

Þis is a noþer: it is a taking of dampnacoun þat a man lede his lif in pouert. Certs þis is contrari to þis, þat noon is Cristis dis|ciple but if he forsak al þing for him. Alas he þat puttiþ forþ þis þing noiþer drediþ ne schamiþ to lette, ne sclaunder oþer men. Alas þat oiþer throwiþ his lesings aȝen þe bidding of God, wer to bring þei forþ suche þings, siþ Crist ledde his bodili lyfe in most heyest pouert, as diuers doctors declaren. And he was riche, he was mad nedy for vs, pore and helples, as þe psalm seiþ on him, [Psal. xxxix^o.] þat we bi his pouert schuld be mad riche. Pore he was, for he had [2 Cor. viii^o. Matt. viii^o. Jame. ii^o. Matt. v^o.] not were to hied his heuid, and he chase þe pore in þis world, þat are riche in þe feiþ, as Jame seiþ. And þe pore he blessid, as þe

gospel seiþ, and his apostlis led þe porest lif; and þus he reprouid þe rych, and seid many iuel to cum to hem, and neuerles to sum pouert is not only a þing of saluacoun, but also of dampnacoun. Þerfor hem see pore men þat þei grucche not aȝen God, but be glad of þer pornes; for þus seiþ þe psalm, Lord, good is to me for þu [Psal. cxviii^o.] hast lowid me, þat I lere þi riȝtwisnes. And ilk man see þat he bring not him self synfully in to pouert, nor bide not synfully þer in. And se hem religious, þat þei feyn not falsly pouert, nor mak þei not heyet voyd, þat þei purchas hem not peyn but meed. And see þei þat þei oblesche no man to þer maner of pouert, but þat God haþ callid þer to. And alle prelats and prestis vse þei hemsilf in wat pouert þei schuld folow Crist; for þei schuld folow Crist as holi doctors declaren, boþ Jerom, Ambrose, and oþer. And for þe clerar declaring of þis mater we schal vnderstond þat pouert is a forme, a þing þat is seid pore, or litil, or haldun litil in sum maner. And þus sum are gostly pore, and sum bodily; sum vertuously, and sum vicously, or synfully; and sum peynfully; and ilk on of hem in syndry degrees and maners. Gostly pouert is sum tyme wan a þing haþ litil of sum spirit; and þus was Crist most pore, for he had lest of þe spirit of prid, or oþer sinful spirits, ȝhe lesse þan euer had ani oþer man; for al had sum synne but he; and lest he coueited of þis world, boþ of hienes of lif, coueitise of flesche, lest of lordschep, lest of honour worldly, or worldly serueyse. And litil he tuk or coueytid of þis worlds goodis, or worldly seruice, for he tuk of hem but in comyn, as þei weren holden to do seruice to him, in þe performing of þe wark þat God ȝaue him to do. But and wan men wold haue reeft him to haue maad him kyng, he fled it; and ouer þis he porid him self ouer alle oþer; more alle oþer miȝt for taking hede to his kynd and degre þat he is of, and to traueyl þat he toke, and þe seruice þat he dede, and to þe sorow þat he þolid. Was þer neuer creature so pore, ne þat porid him so mich; for ouer hem alle he chesid to be maad þe

lowist, as it semiþ to him þat beholdiþ. And as be titil of þis world, and of worlds lawe, he was moost pore, for he cleymyd no þing be þat titil, nor no þing to be proper to him, ne wold he not be iuge in þer þings, nor wan men wold not ȝeue him, he sowt no veniaunce vp on hem, but went his wey to oþer place. And þis techiþ his pouert. And his pouert was bi þis mikil þe more, as he is þe richist þing þat mai be, and grattist Lord; for his is God, þat is al riches; and in him he is riche gostly in mercy, riȝtwisnes, and pees, power, science, and al gostly þingis. And rich is seid, as he þat chefly haþ a þing; and Crist is rich, for he haþ chefly and richli alle þingis, and gouerniþ, and lediþ ouer alle oþer creaturis. And bi þis we mai see, how alle þings are his most properly; and to holdyn of him, and bi his lawe, and his seruice to be don to him þer for. And bi þe state of innocence he is verray Lord, for man was maad to lord in alle creaturis, and forfetid not þat wyche synniþ not; and Crist kepid ai þat state, so he had titil to be Lord; and bi þus mikil ouer Adam, as God is aboue man. And þus is opun, how Crist is at onis boþ richist and porist. And for þis seiþ doctors, þat to defend þe contrary pertinatly is heresy, contrary to þe feiþ. And þus he tauȝt his disciplis, to flee synful pouert, and to folow him in medful pouert; forbad hem to flee prid, and al fals coueyteis, and veyn glory, and to be mek and suget, and seruiciable, obedient and buxum to ilk man, and to hold hem paied of fode and helyng, and bisily to labor þer fore; and þole deseyce of body in wantyng, and taking a wey, wiþ out ani euynes, or sekeng to do veniaunce aȝen; and who þat wold be þe more, to be minister and seruaunt to alle, and nowt glad to mikil of þer power, or witte, or oþer þings, but glad in þis, if God haue chosun hem to grace, and ȝeue þe þank til him for alle þingis. Þus he tawt hem to do, and fle prid, and oþer synnes, þat maken man pore synfully; to ocupie oþer mennis þingis synfully, and þus to be rich, and falsly holde ryches. And so many wyse to renne

in to þe wrat of God. And þus doctors declaren þe apostols so louid Crist in heyest pouert; and Jerom and oþer seynts kennun how þat prestis now schuld folow Crist in pouert. Þus seiþ Jerom, [Jerom.] It be howuiþ vs clerks to not mishews þe sygnes of our cleregye, for alle þe tokenis of clerks, crien and presenten vertewes to be in hem; þe croun crieþ pouerte; þe cloþing honeste of soule; þe state purte; þe honoring, chastite; þe professioun, religioun; þe office, deuocoun; þe stody, contemplacoun. And þerfor but if we schyn in þeis vertues, þe croun lieþ, þe cloþing, þe honoring, þe professioun, þe office, þe stody, þe contemplacoun. And þer for be þeis we are but peyntid clerks and lied clerkis. And if God schal tyne alle þoo þat spek lesyng, and þat are lesing, and not only hare clerks dampnid, for þei spek lesing, but also for þei luf it moost, and putten hemsilf for it to þe deþ. And eft, þe clerk þat seruiþ to Crists kirke, first schuld interpret þe calling of his nam, and enforce to be þat he is seid; for a clerk in our speche is seid sort, and þer for are men seid clerkis, for þei are of þe Lordis sort, or for þe Lord is þer part; and for he is þe Lordis part, or haþ þe Lord his part, he haut to haue him silk þat he haue þe Lord, and be had of þe Lord. He þat haþ þe Lord, and is had of þe Lord, and seiþ wiþ þe prophet, Mi part þe Lord, may no þing haue wiþ [Psal. xv^o.] out þe Lord; þat if he haue ani þing bi syd þe Lord, þe Lord schal not be his part; as if he haue gold, or siluer, or diuerse instru|ments, or possessouns, wiþ þer parts, þe Lord denaieþ not to be his part. If I am þe part of þe Lord, seiþ Jero, and a litil cord of his heritage, I take not part wiþ oþer linagis, but, as a decoun and prest, I life on tiþis, seruing þe auter, I am susteynd of offryng of þe auter; and fode and heling hauing, wiþ hem I schal be content, [1 Tim. vi^o.] and nakyd I schal folowe þe nakid cros. And Bernard seiþ, It is [Bernard.] iust þat he þat seruiþ þe auter lif þer of, noiþer to do lechery ne prid, nor be richid, noiþer in clerked of pore to be maad riche, ne gloriouse of þe vnnoble, big not to him of þe goodis of þe kirk

large palayce, nor gedre not baggis to gidre, nor wast not þe goodis in vanite, nor in superfluite, bere him not hiȝe of þe facultees of þe kirk, nor gif not to wenddingis his coseynis nor his childre. It is grauntid to þe if þu serue wel þe auter to lif þer of, not to do lechery, nor to be gilt bridils, peyntid sadels, ne siluern sporis, nor perpulid aray, ffor soþ wat þu holdist to þe of þe auter ouer necesary liflod and simple aray, it is not þin, it is þeft and sacrilege. Þis seiþ he.