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.

XIII. Worschip|ing of kirkis.

An oþer poynt is þis; kirks are not to be worschippid, nor sergs to be multiplied þer in. I wot wat I seid. Wil þu offir a candil þat þu geyt merit and grace; ȝeue to þe pore, þat he may see go to his bedde, or to do sum good werk; or to wold womman, þat scho spynne, or teese her wolle, or do sum good wark. And þat þis be þe profitabler, concorden all feiþful doctors, and cristen men. And oft þu reproue hem þat drawen a wey help fro þe pore to bigge deade warkis. In Ysay þus is writun; Refresch þe pore, and [Isaye.] þat is my refresching, seiþ þe Lord God. And Seint Jerom seiþ, [Jerom.] Mani biggen wall, and drawen a wey pilars of kirk, þe marblis shinen, þe bondis schinen wiþ gold, þe auter is vmbeset wiþ stonis, but of þe ministris of Crist is no chesing. No man sett aȝen me þe riche temple in þe iewes, þe bord, þe lanternis, censars, pannis, cuppis, mortars, and oþer forgid wiþ gold, ffor þeis were þan aprouid of þe Lord, wan prestis slow þe offringis, and bests blod was re|missioun of synnis; þow alle þeis went bifor in figer; þei writun for us in to wom þe ȝendis of þis world are comyn. But now wan þe Lord haþ halowid þe pouert of his hows, bere we þe cros, and kownt we gold as cley. To reue ani þing fro a frend is þeft; to defraude þe kirke is sacrilege; to haue tane þing to be ȝeuen to þe pore and mani hungry, and to reseue it, is vile or fals drede, or of opunyst felony; to wiþ drawe ani þing þer of, it passiþ þe cruelte of all robbars. Hector Thebanus a man sum tyme richist, wen he went to vse philosophie at Athenis, he kest a wey a gret peise of gold; he gessid þat he miȝt not haue to gidre, riches and vertu;

we stoffid and farsid wiþ gold, folowen pore Crist; and a color of takyng of almis, we chouche a boue our mikil riches, how may we trewly depart oþer mennis þingis, þat dredfully reseruen our owne. Þe fulle womb disputiþ litly of fastyng. Vp on þe wilk seiþ William de Seynt Amour, Swilk maner of men bigging þus [William de Seynt Amour.] biggings semen to turne bred in to stones; þat is to sey, þe bred of þe pore, þat is almis beggid, in to hepis of stonis, þat is in to stonen howsis costlew and superflew; and þerfor þey semen werrar þan þe fend, þat askid stonis to be turnid in to bred. Wer for Jerom [Jerom.] kenniþ wel simple men seying, Gif no þing to no man, ouer liflod and opun necessaries; þat howndis ete not þe bred of children; forsoþ, he seiþ, þe sowle of þe trewe man is þe temple of Crist; honor it, cloþ it, gif it ȝeftis, and tak vp Crist in it. Wat profit is it þe wallis to schine wiþ precious stonis, and Crist to diȝe in þe pore man for hunger. Also þus seiþ Crisostom, Men bigging þe [Crisostom.] memoryes of martres, and honoring kirkis, semen to do a good dede: but and if þey kepe oþer riȝtfulnes of God; if þe pore ioi of þer goodis; if þey mak not oþer mennis goodis here bi violence or bi fraude; who so is vnwyse þat he vnderstondiþ not, for þei mak þer biggings, not to þe glory of God, but to mannes dome. And vniustly þei bigge memories were pore men, þoling violence of hem, crien aȝen hem; for martirs ioien not þat þei are honorid so of þe money of swilk pore men greten; what riȝtfulnes is þis to ȝef ȝeftis to þe dead, and spoyle þe quek; taken of þe blod of wrecchis, and offre to God? Þis is not to offre to God, but to wylen to mak God felow of þis violence, þat if he tak gladly money þat is offrid to him of synne, he consent to synne. Wel þu bigge þe howse of God? ȝef to þe feiþful pore werof þey may lif, and þu hast biggid a resounable howse of God. Men dwellen in biggings, but God dwelliþ in holy men; þerfor wat men are þey þat spoylen men, and makyn biggings of marters? þey aray þe dwell|ings of men, and disturblun þe habitacouns of God. Ihu ȝed in to þe biggings of þe temple, and sowt þe holines of þe temple, but

wan he fond in þe temple þe properte of þe temple, he went out; for þe bigging stod þat man had reysid, but þe holines þat God had ordeynid was fallen; þe temple of man is biggid of stonis of faire composicoun, but þe temple of God is þe congregacoun of men leuing religiously. A man deliþ [in] þe bigging of wallis, but God in þe conuersacoun of seynts. Þe prophet seiþ, Lord, I haue [Dauid, Ps. xxv^o.] louid þe fairnes. Wilk fairnes? Not þis þat diuersite of schining marbles maken, but þis þat þe barianns of gracis of louing me makiþ; þat fairnes delitiþ þe flesch, but þis quekeniþ þe soule; þat for a tym desceyuiþ and iapiþ þe ȝee, but þis biggiþ þe vnder|stonding perpetual. Þis seiþ he. Þerfor it semiþ good, spedi, and meritori, þat þe kirk be honorid, neuerþeles not to mikil nor super|flue, ne curiously, nor proudly, for glory of þe world, noiþer in biggings, noiþer in liȝts, noiþer in instruments, nor minstris ne|cessarijs in to vse þer of; but honestly and mesurabli honorid and kepid in alle þings, and mikil honestliar þan it is nowe in mani placis; and specialy þat feyris nor markets had no place in þe kirk, in solempne tymis, wan men schuld tent to preyers and to Goddis seruys; and þat in silk tyme men tent not to idil talis, foul spechis, harlotries, bakbityngis, or conuenticlis, purposing iuel, as þeft, or manslawt, or swilk oþer; so no synnis were vsid in þe kirk; þat þe house of God be not maad a den of þefis. Þus schuld þe kirk be honorid; but in þe quek gostly kirk, þat is þe congrega|coun of cristun men, auȝte honestly to be honorid, first in vertuis, and vertuis dedis, good maneris, and ritful warks, clensid of alle crimis and dedis forbeden hem in holi writt, and feiþful doctors, and ordinaunce of þe kirk; and þus schuld God haue a gloriouse kirk, þat is now pollutid and fylid wiþ many vnleful þings. Wheþer is it not writun in þe lawe of þe kirk þus? Forsoþ it is an horrible [Decretal.] þing þat in sum kirkes is witnessid marchaundis to haue place; so þat ani þing be askid for bischoppis, abbots, or oþer personis, to be putt in þer segis, or prestis to be induyd, or inled in kirks, or for sepulturis, or exequies, diriges of þe dead, or blessingis of wed|dings,

or oþer sacraments. And sum demen to be leful, for þei deme not þe lawe of þe dede for to harme by cause of long custom, not takyng heed þat synnis are so mikil greuowsare, euer þe lengar þei hold bound þe vncely sowle; þerfor we forbede more strengliare þat þeis þings be no more do þus; so no þing be askid for personis of þe kirk to be browt in to þer segis, nor for presthed to be institut, nor for dead to be byried, nor weddings to be blessid, nor oþer sacraments. And if ani presume aȝen þis, know he him to haue porcoun wiþ Gieȝi. And als after þe decre, in an oþer place: No [Decre.] man presume to ȝeue for ani custom, noiþer to þe taking of symonyently, þat is to sey, for coueytise, for his labour tak ani þing, for who þat selliþ eiþer of þis þings wiþ wilk þo comiþ not forþ, he leuiþ noiþer vnsold. And schame it is þat a man be con|streynid to ȝeue his money for nowt. Of silk þings is þe kirk to be purgid, for mani causis: forsoþ as Symon Magus, bicause of coueytise, wold haue bowt of þe apostel his power, þat he schuld þe Holy Goost receyue to hele hem þat he put þe handis to, þat he miȝt haue gotun money of þe selling of signis; as þe decre [Decre Saluator.] Saluator witnissiþ. And þerfor he was reprouid of Petre, for he demid to possede þe ȝeft of God bi money, and þerfor he had no part in þat þing. It semiþ þat prestis are nowe in þe same chapi|ter, takyng goostly grace or ordres þat þei geyt þer of superfleu riches, prid of world, and lust of flesch, and þey þat minstren to oþer in þat entent, þat þei habunde in þer þings. And it semiþ þat lewid men hiring prestis, in þat entent, deming to by þe goostly þings so, or þat þei eke riches to hem, or þer oþer þings befor seyd, are greuid in þe same synne. And þus it semiþ to sume, þat wat euer clerk takiþ priate, religioun, bischophed, or dignite of þe kirk, þat he life lustili, or habunde after hienes of þe world, or to lord in þat maner þat Crist forbediþ his disciplis to lord in, he synniþ deadly. And þat þe parentis of swilk a clerk are [or?] worldly frends helping him to ani artis or sciens, prelats promouing, or secular

lordis procuring þat þat clerk lord in þat maner, þei synnun deadly; [The Ca|noun Sunt quidam.] þis is opun bi þe canoun, i. q. i. Sunt quidam. Of silk þings be howuiþ þe kirk to be clensid.