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.

XXX. Begry not leful to re|ligious.

Þis is an oþer; þat it is not leful to religious to beg. To þis I sey þus; þow it be leful to ilk man to beg in nede, neuerþeles it is [not] leful to ani man wiþ oute nede of releue and iust nede dispicing riȝtfulnes; noiþer to gedre him mikil worldly riches, noiþer wasting his tyme in idilnes, noiþer þat he wast himsilf and his goodis, and oþer mennis, in lustis, and in oþer veyn curiositeis. And for þe declaring of þis mater, I suppose first, þat begging is tane in diueris maneris, as gostly or bodily; and sum tyme ver|tuously, and sum tyme synfully, and sum tyme peynfully. Þer for þat to beg understond is sum nedy man to aske, be syde þe titul of worldly dett, helpe for his releue schewing be signe or bi tokun or be expresse voyce. And þus it semiþ þat Crist in manhod, as alle kyngis and princis lifyng, are nedid to beg of God al miȝty. And þus all begging of God gostly godis for relef of hem, and of her breþern, to be releuid of þer synnis, peynis, and wrechidnes, in case þei beg medfuly. Also þus man leuyng occupacoun about temporal þingis, and necessariis of lif, for wark mere profitable and more gostly, and helful to soule, and þerfor it nediþ to beg. And to swilk wit, as doctors seyn, is þis verrified of Crist, þat þe Salm seiþ, I am beggar and pore, and nedy, and helples, and swilk oþer; ffor he taking our kynd, was mad nedy and helples for vs, and þus he beggid gostly goodis for vs of þe Fadir. And þus, as it semiþ to sum of þe sawis of Seynt Bernard. Wan Ihu was of twelf ȝere [Bernard.] age, he dwellid still in Jerusalem after his parentis, þat he schewyng beggid his liflod fro dore to dore in Jerusalem, for þat he goyng in þe cite, schewid his ned to be releuid of þer defaut þat hauȝt to haue releuid him, so miȝt oþer; ffor far is þis fro hem þat beggun wiþ out nede, or wen þey miȝt oþer wise be susteynid, or for lust, or for oþer vndu caus beggen baldly. Wylful begging of stalworþ men is forfendid to ilk cristun man of þe apostil of Crist, and of

God himsilf, of Salomon it is vggid, and many fold reprouid of holy doctoris; so þat þe almes of þe pore schal not be ȝeuen to hem þat are sufficient and miȝty to traueyl, for þei þat are swilk ask almis vniustly, despicyng þe bidding of þe apostul, seyng, [Poule.] Wirkiþ wiþ ȝoure handis, as we haue bedun ȝow. And desiriþ no þing of no man. And if ani obey not to our word, bi þe epistil, þat is to sey, þat he absten him fro begging, wan he may wiþ bodily traueyl geyt his lyfyng, lok þat ȝe be not men kyd wiþ him, þat he be counfoundid, and cast out fro alle, wexe schamid, tul he soget [2 Thess.ult.] him to þe biddingis of þe apostil. And syn no man how to cast out fro comyning of cristun men, but for dedly synne, it folowiþ þat he synniþ dedly, þat wilfully, and witingly, bindiþ him to swilk a staat contening traueil, þat he beg for euer. And it semiþ þat oon þus endurid, is not in þe staat of men to be sauid. Also Salamon seiþ, Lord ȝeue me not begrye ne riches, but only neces| [Prou. xxx^o.] sariis to my lifing; þat appily I be not greuid to denay God, or constreyin be nede to steyle, or forsuer þe name of my Lord God; þat is, as þe Glose seiþ, þat I falle not in to forgeyting of euer [Glose.] lasting, for nede, or scarnes of passing þingis. Also þus seiþ God in his law, Vtterly a nedy man begging be þer not among ȝow. [Deut. xu^o.] As if he sey þus, Sufferiþ not in ȝour defaut ani to fal in to so gret defaut þat he be nedid to beg. And bi þe same, No man bring himsilf vniustly vn to swilk stat. And wiþ ned it is iust þat he beg. And þus seiþ Austeyn vp on þis word þat Crist seiþ, Gif [Austeyn.] to ilk askyng þe. If þu gif not þat he askiþ, þu schalt ȝeue bettar, whan þu iustly amendist him þat askiþ vniustly. And Crist biddiþ, [Luc. xij^o.] Selle þat ȝe haue and ȝeue almis, þat is, as þe Glose seiþ, þat ȝor [Glose.] þingis left after warkis wiþ ȝor handis, þat ȝe haue wer of to lif. Also Austeyn seiþ, Bred is tan a wey more profitable to þe hungri, [Austeyn.] if he siker of lifing despice ritfulnes; þat is, bred brokun to þe hungry þat he desseyuid tent to riȝtwisnes. Also Jerom seiþ, Þei [Jerom.] þat sufficy to hemsilf, or to be susteynid bi þe goodis of parentis,

and namly, but if þei clerkis, if þei tak gylfuly under color of nede, þis þat is dewe to þe pore, doutles þei do sacrilege, and bi misusing of swilk þingis þei eyte and dring dome to hemsilf. Also Prosper [Prosper.] seiþ, Þei þat han her owne, if þei wil ani þing be don to hem, þei tak not wiþ out gret synne þat þe pore man schuld lif of. As ȝeld in almis schal be putt be fore, þat þei only take pore mennis meytis, þat may not labor ne suffice not. Eft Austeyn seiþ, Wan we may [Austeyn.] labor, we how not begging tempt God; þat as þus þat we may of his gift. And sin we lif þer of, we lif of him gifyng, for he haþ ȝeuen þat we may. Also þe begging of clerkis is schenschip of [Jerom.] bischops; ffor þus seiþ Jerom, Now syn coueyteis haþ waxen in þe kirk, as in þe empyr of Rome, lawis gon a wey fro þe prest, and visioun from þe prophet, al bi power of bischopis name þat þei chalang unlefuly to hem wiþ out þe kirk. Also þei dryue in to þer vsis al þat is of dekunis, ne þei chalang not þis only þat is ascriuid, but þei tak a vey all þingis fro alle men; þe vnblessid clerk beggiþ in þe strete, and boundun vnder seruil werk he askiþ almes opunly of ilk man. And of þis is he þe more dispicid of all, þat he wrechidly desolat is gessid to be fallun iustly to þis wrechidnes þo bischopis a lon lowen to ȝeftis. Alon he vsiþ ministry. Alon he chalangiþ to him all þingis. Alon he assoyliþ oþer partyes. Alon he sleþ all. And for coueytis of prestis oft risun hatis; þer for are bischopis accusid of clerkis; þer of þe biginning of strif; þer of þe cause of detraccoun; þer of is maad þe beginning of synne. For soþ, if ilk man in þis world is bidun to haue sum þing, þat he be content only wiþ possessioun, and tak not oþer mennis þingis, noiþer þe feld, noiþer þe wyne of þe pore, nor his wayn, nor his money, nor his frutis, how mikil more he þat is prest to þe kirk of God howiþ in al þing to kep riȝtwisnes, þat he chalang only þis to him þat [he] knowiþ to be of his riȝt, and ref not oþer mennis þingis, ne touche; feel he him euyn wiþ oþer. Also, in þe story of Seynt Clement is found, þat Petir [Clement.]

blamid Clementis modir begging, and seid sche schuld wirk wiþ her handis. And also þat Clement Pope hadde writun be nam all þe nedy folk of þe cuntrees, and he þolid not hem to be soget vn to begry, þat þe clensing of baptem had halowid. Also bi lawe cyuil it is not leful to a miȝty body to beg; þerfor be þey war þeis vniust beggars, and ilk man se to wam he ȝeue almis, wat maner and whi, and wherof; for þus biddiþ Crist, Wan þu makist a meyt [Luc. xix^o.] or sopar, calle þu not þi riche frendis, neybors, ne cosynis, þat þei bid not þe aȝen and reward be maad to þe. But calle þe pore, blynd, crokid, and feble, þat han not werof to quit þe, and þu schalt be blessid, and it schal be quit þee in þe rising aȝen of riȝtfulmen, for þey may not. And God seiþ bi þe wise man, If þu schalt do [Eccli. xij^o.] wel, wit to wam, and þer schal be mikil grace in þi goodis. Do wel to þe iust man, and þu schalt fynd reward of God, þow þu fynd not of him. ȝeue to þe mercyful and reseyue not þe synnar; ȝef to þe good, and to þe mek do wel, and ȝef not to þe vnpitous; forbede þi louis to be ȝeuen to him, þat he be not miȝtiar in hem þan þu. For þu schalt fynd double iuel in all goodis, þat þu dost to him; ffor God haþ synnars to hate, and he schal ȝeld veniaunce to þe wickid. And þus is also bedun, Wil þu not do almis of oker and vsur; þat is, do not swilk defautis to do almis þerof, ne hald ȝow not clen þerof, but if we mak oþer dew satisfaccoun; ffor þe decre seiþ, Þe offring of wickid þing is filid, for God approuiþ not [Decre.] þe gestis of wickid men, nor he lokiþ not in to þe offring of þe [Eccli. xxxiu^o.] vnpitous. Nor he schal not be merciful to synnis, in þe multitud of þer sacrifice. Bred of þe nedy is þe lif of þe pore; he þat de|fraudiþ him, he is a man slear; he þat schediþ blud, and he þat doþ fraud to þe hirid hyne are breþer. Perchauns sum man þinkiþ it, are mani riche men auarous and couetous, I haue no synne if I tak it fro hem, and gif it to þe pore; I may geyt mede of þis, þat þei do no good of. But þis þout is sterid to him bi sleyt of þe fend, for if a man gef al þat he took, þis is not to be wenid almis,

if þis be ȝeuen or despendid to þe pore þat is getun of leful þingis. ffor he þat takiþ iuel in þis entent þat he ȝeuiþ wel, he is more [Gregor.] greuid þan helpid; þerfor þat we tak no þing vnder color to do almis wiþ synne, þe scripture for bediþ, seying, Offringis of wickid| [Prov. xxj^o.] men are abhominable, þat are offrid of felonie; he þat offriþ sacrifice [Eccli. xxxiu^o.] of þe substaunce of þe pore, os he þat sleþ þe sone in þe siȝt of þe fadre. And wat þat is offrid in felony in þe sacrifice of God it softiþ not, but steriþ his wraþe. It semiþ wel þat þeis vniust beggars, and namly þe ministers of þe kirk, brekyn þe bidding of God; ffor he biddiþ þus, Vtterly a nedy man and beggar be not a [Deut. xu^o.] mong ȝowe; þat is to sey, Þoliþ not in ȝour defaut ani fal in to so gret nede, þat he be nedid to beg. And bi þe same ne man schuld blamfuly bi idulnes, bi rechlesnes, noþer bi wast, noiþer bi foly, bring him silf to swilk nede. And if he dede, men schuld not ȝeue to him þat he askiþ, as is befor seid. And for Salamon seiþ, Þe [Prov. xx^o.] slowman wold not in winter here for þe cold; þerfor he schal beg in þe somer, and þer schal not be ȝeuen to him. And if he beg wiþ out nede, he doþ vniustly; for to beg, is þe creater to schew be word or wark or tokun is defaut wanting, and nediþ to be releuid, and ask bi side þe titil of worldly dede, sum þing to be releuid by; of þis need þan if he noiþer want, ne haue nede to be releuid, he doþ vniustly þat brekiþ Goddis bidding, liȝeþ, and beriþ falswitnes; ffor he affermiþ þat ned is þer, wan it is not; and þus he is a þef, and fraudful reuar. Also it semiþ þat þei put wrong un to God, or to þe peple, or to boþe; ffor þus is seid in Goddis lawe, Þe wark|man is worþi of his meed, and his hyre. And eft, who þat warkiþ [Matt. x^o.] ani þing to þe, pay him his hyre a none. But wan þeis ministeris [Tobit. iu^o.] of þe wark han don þer office, if God or þe peple wil not pay hem þer hire, þan is God or þe peple vniust, if God schuld pay and doþ not, he doþ þan aȝen his oune law. If þe pepul schuld pay, and doþ not, þan þe peple brekiþ þe bidding of God. But if þeis men beggars are not sent of God, to do þis office, or doþ not þis

dede trewly, or ellis nediþ not to beg. And ellis þe peple is redy to quit hem þer seruice. But of þis wil þei not be payid, but gredyly gon abowt to geyt al þat þey may, þan þei do uniustly, and silun God and þe peple. And þus may þei dred in þis, lest þei be childre of iudas gostly in maneris, and þe synful begging be despi|tously kast on hem, os is prayid in þe Salme, Wandring bi his sones borne, and beg þey, cast out of þer dwellingis. For dred of þis schuld þeis meny be aferd to beg as þei do, wyting wel þat Crist beggid not, but if he nediþ, ne seyntis noiþer. And if þei dede, þei repentid þer of and amendid; and so I rede þeis beggars do bi tyme, and come to Crist. Amen, Amen.