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.

IV. Crist was cursid.

Þis is a noþer point, for I seid þat Crist was cursid. But þei toke heuely at þe worde, þerfore I preied to excuse me or spare me in termis; and neuerþeles to trewe vnderstonding me þinkiþ it mai be seid soþli, and wiþ out blame: for we schal vnderstond bi Holi Writte, and bi teching of seynts and bi resoun, and bi comyn experiens, þat in þre maners is a man seid cursid. Ffirst [1^o.] and warst be synne, wan he cursiþ himsilf, and bi his wickid dede goþ out of comyn of holi men, and vndisposiþ him to tak part of merits of þe kirk. And þus mai not God curse ani man, ne bid ani man curse, ne a proue it, ne þus was Crist neuer cursid, for he synnid neuer. In þe secound maner is man cursid iustli, wan [2^o.] God wordeyniþ him for þis synne to be putte to peyn, and out of comyn, and to be waried, or denouncid, or schewid, as cursid and haldun swilk. And þus is man iustli cursid and worþili, wan men curse him bi Godds biddyng, and þan þei do it medefully. And þus God cursiþ men, and þe ȝerþ, and bests, and oþer þings in mannis wark, wan he ordeyniþ þeis þings to be noyous to man, and

punisch him, and not to bring forþ frut; and þus he seiþ he wille curse to her blessing, wan þei wil not kepe his bidding; for wan þei prey for plentey, and pees, and swilk oþer þings, and delitun in þeis þings, and ȝekun þer synnis þar by, he wil send hem skarnes and noiȝes, and þole hem to haue debate, and punische hem in mani wyes, and ay þe moo lusts þat þei haue here, ay þe more schal ben þer peyn. And þus he cursiþ to þer blessing. And so þis þat mani callun blessing is cursing. And aȝen ward; þus we prayen iuil and cursing to our neybor iustli, wan we desire þat discese and oþer enuyes be to hem to lette hem of iuil and to mak hem to drede synne and to do bettar. And þus we blame childre and misdoars. And þus Iob cursid his day. And Jeremy þat man þat [Iob 3^o.] callid his fadre þat a son was born to þim, and as bi ioy gladid him, [Jer. 20^o.] for þey desirid þat þeis schuld lette men fro doing of iuil and be in a maner to stere men to be heuy of þer mysse and to desire to be heyne; for þus were good to mani a man, þat þings were in desesse to him, þat now are in mikil leking. But ȝet in þis maner of curse þat men curse man iustli for his misdede, was Crist not cursid, for he seruid not to be cursid, nor God bad not men curse him, ne þei dede not þis iustly to him. But in þe þrid maner a þing is seid [3^o.] cursid wan men cursun man þow þei do it vniustly, or bannun him, or puttun him out of comyn, or haldun him cursid, or denounce, or schew him cursid. And þus comyn speche calliþ men cursid. And bi lawis of þe kirk men are þus cursid, and bidun to be holdun cursid, wan þei are wel good, and þe more blessid of God. And þus Crist was cursid of men, and olden cursid, and put out of comyn of men, and put to deþ as cursid man. And þus seiþ Poule, [Gal. 3^o.] He was mad for vs þat cursid þing, þat we schuld be mad blessid in him. And þe prophet Ysaye, þat we arettid him as smitun of [Ysa. 53^o.] God and lafte, and þus he seiþ bi þe prophet þat alle men cursun to him. But for þis is he mikil þe bettar and not þe wars. And we schuld luf him þe bettar and desire þus to be cursid wiþ þim,

as Poule dede, and Moyses, and odir, as Holi Writt seiþ of hem; for Poule seiþ he desirid to be cursid of Crist for his breþer, to [Ro. 9, a.] make hem saue. And Moises praied to forȝeue þe puple þer [Ex. 32^o.] synne, or ellis to do him out of his book; not þat þei desirid to do synne and be cursid worþily; but þat þei wold þus wiþ out desert be punischid as cursid for þe peple, to make þem saue. And þus schuld we alle if we were in charite, as me þinkiþ.

And it semiþ bi sindre resouns it mai be seid þat Crist was [1^o.] cursid; first bi þis þat he was made man wiþ outun synne þat was cursid of God, and iustli put out of lordschip and comyn for a tyme. þe secound, for he was in his persoun þus wiþ out desert punischid, [2^o.] as if he had ben cursid. þe þrid, for he is cursid in his membris þat [3^o.] are oon wiþ him. After þis þat he seiþ, þis þat ȝe dede til ani of hem lest of myn good or iuil, ȝe did it to me. And þat ȝe ded not to hem ȝe ded not to me. And þis schuld maak men rad to do ani iuil to ani good man, or to curse him, or to gruch aȝen him, for it soundiþ in to Crist. And þerfor seid Moyses, ȝor grucching [Ex. 16^o.] is aȝen þe Lord. þus as he is seid cursid þat men cursun. And as al men of a comynte berun punisching for þe defaut of two or on, þus it is be twen Crist and vs, for þus was he punischid for vs. And þus seiþ Peter þat he bare our synnes, for he bare þe peyn of [Pe. 3^o.] hem. And þus he calliþ our synnis and our defauts his. And þus he seiþ in þe Salm, God my God loke in to me, why hast þu [Salm. 22.] left me, fare fro my heyle, þo wordis of my defauts. And God ȝet left neuer Crist, but ay is wiþ him, for he doþ ai þo þingis þat plesun God, os himself seiþ. But for he þolid him þus be punischid, and for he left sum membris of þe kirk at a tyme, for þis he seiþ þat he left him. And þus was Crist callid a synnar and blasfemer, and þe cursidist man in ȝerþe, for þei seid þat he was a deuowrar, and þat he blasfemid. And þus, as we sey þat man a ȝefe blasfeme or cursid, wan he is þus iugid and rettid of men, þow he be not so in soþnes, in þis maner we sey of Crist þat he was blasfem, synnar,

and cursid, and þat he ȝet was not; for he blasfemid not, ne synnid, ne did no þing worþi curse; and þat Crist wold þole al þis schuld we be glad, and leren to þole wiþ him; and þan bi þat we schal be holdun of God þe more blessid, and be þe more blessid, and be so perceyuers of Cristis meritis.