The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.

XII. THE AVE MARIA.

I HAVE no doubt of the genuineness of this tract. The tone and manner are Wyclif's, and the invective against the frivolity of the gentry suits better a man who had lived at court than one of the obscure poor preachers. Besides the general style there is one passage which bears a special mark of Wyclif. On page 208 we are told, "God the Trinity is with each creature . . . to keep it; for else it should turn to naught." The belief of the immanence of God in all created things is one which Wyclif held firmly. (Cf. Cum ergo in qualibet creatura est Trinitas increata.—Trial, iv. 27.) The doctrine was brought into popular use in his latest controversies on the Eucharist, but used as it is here, in a different connexion and in|cidentally, it is a sign of the hand of the master rather than one of his pupils.

Copied from the Corpus MS. X. and collated with the MS. $…$. 4. 12., at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, which I have distinguished in the notes as SS.

SUMMARY.

How this invocation is made up, and the lesson from it.	p. 204
The evil of women who are given to vanity.	204
Prevalence of frivolity among gentlefolk.	205
Gross amusements at Christmas.	206
The bad spirit prevalent in courts.	207
How God was with Mary and is in men.	208

Þis is þe aue maria.

Heil [omitted SS.] be þou, [omitted SS.] marie, ful of grace, þe lord is wiþ þe. blissed be þou among wymmen, & blissed be þe fruyt of þi wombe, ihū crist. [omitted SS.] amen. so be it. Þe arcangel gabriel sent of god grette oure ladie seynte marie wiþ þes wordis, heil. be þou ful of grace. þe lord is wiþ þe. blissed be þou among wymmen. & he seide no moo wordis, as þe firste [omitted SS.] gospel of seynt luk techiþ, [telliþ SS.] but elizebeth, þe modir of seynt [Luke i. 28.] ion baptist, seide þes wordes to oure lady whanne sche hadde conseyued crist; blissed be þou among wymmen & blissed be þe fruyt of þi wombe. as þe same gospel techiþ [telliþ SS.] ; but [Luke i. 42.] cristene men for deuocion adden to þes tweie wordis, marie & ihū crist; [page 176] & men seyn þat popis graunte moche pardon þer|fore, but hou euere it be of pardon, þis addynge to is trewe, for þe gospel techiþ [telliþ SS.] vs þes names & þei stiren men to deuo|cion. ¶ Here men & wommen, & namely gentil wommen, schulden lerne [lyuen al in SS.] mekenesse, chastite, charite, sobirnesse & schamefastenesse, to be aschamyd of eche euyl speche, & namely of lecherie & euyl contenaunce of synne & ribaudrie & vilonye [vilenþe X.] and [omitted X.] lerne holy deuocion, & þanne þei worschipen wel ihū here gostly spouse & seynt marie his modir; & ȝif þei lyuen in pride of herte for nobeleie of blood or [& X.] kyn & rentis & richessis of þe world, & han indignacion and [omitted X.] dispit of oþere pore men or wymmen; ¹⁰and delyten hem¹⁰ [10_10 omitted X.] in lecherie in ony degree; or in hate & enuye or glotonye & dronkenesse & boldnesse in synne, & colouren & meyntenen it and lyuen in riot, daunsynge & lepynge in nyȝttis & slepen out of reson on þe morwe, & forȝeten god & his drede & deuocion of preieris; what euere here tonge blabre, here euyl lif blasphemeþ & dispisiþ boþe ihū here noble spouse & his modir marie, tresour of clennesse & deuocion. ¶ And ȝif þei

maken hem more bisi in herte & dede to be ¹gaie and costelewe of array¹ [1_1 gaie in costelewe array X.] of cloþis & keuerchers and perlis & ribanys, or siche vanytes, to maken here body fresch and [in X.] likynge to mennus eiȝen to coueiten hem, þan to gete vertues in here soule to make it fair to þe holy trinyte & to ihū here worþieste spouse, þei ben out of charite, & þe deuelis panter, to kacche men in-to synne of lecherie & many moo synnes [omitted X.] & holde hem þer-inne, til sathanas drawe hem boþe in [omitted X.] -to helle; & what euere nobleie or dignyte þat [omitted X.] þei han in þis world, be þei gentil men or wymmen, for þis cursed lif þei ben cherlis or bonde wymmen of synne, & fendis of helle, & gostly spouse brekeris or avoutreris, & lemmans of foule sathanas þat is foulere þan ony mesel or leprous in þis world. & but ȝif þei amenden hem in þis world [lyfe SS.] þei schullen be of hem þat god spekiþ of in iobis bok. [þe bok of iob SS.] ¶ Þei leden, seiþ god, here daies in [Job xxi. 13.] lustful goodis & myrþis of þis world & in a poynt of tyme fallen doun in-to helle. sumtyme curtesie & genterie was vertuouse [vertues X.] lif & honest in word & dede & alle manere of good [omitted X.] berynge, & suster of holynesse; but now it is turned in-to vanyte & nysete & knackis & iapis & is ȝate of synne, of pride, of rebaudrie, sleuþe, coueitise, glotonye, dronkenesse & lecherie & meyntenynge of synne & hordam, [hord X.] of wraþþe & enuye & bost & cursed swerynge & wast of goodis & robbynge of pore men ⁹& distroiynge of londis & good cristendom.⁹ [9_9 omitted SS.] ¶ O ȝe gentil wommen, þenkiþ hou noble wommen & clene & stedefast han be bifore ȝou, as oure lady seynt marie, marie magdaleyne, sussanne, katerine, margare, anneys, [margarete, agnes SS.] cicile [page 177] & many moo, & take what goode ensaumple ȝe may of here mekenesse & holynesse; for whanne wymmen ben turnyd fully to goodnesse ful [omitted X.] hard it is þat ony man passe hem in goodnesse. And as [omitted X.] hard it [omitted X.] is [omitted X.] þat ony man passe hem in synne whanne þei ben turnyd to pride & lecherie & dronke|nesse.

I gesse wel þat ȝonge wymmen may sumtyme daunsen [playen hem SS.] in mesure to haue recreacion and liȝtnesse, so þat þei haue þe more þouȝt on myrþe in heuene & drede more & loue more god þer-by, & synge honeste songis of cristis incarnacion, passion, resurexion & ascencion, & of þe ioies of oure ladi, & to dispise synne & preise vertue in alle here doynge [cunnyng SS.] ; but nowe he þat kan best pleie a pagyn [pagent SS.] of þe deuyl, syngynge songis of lecherie, of batailis and [omitted X.] of lesyngis, & crie as a wood man & dispise goddis maieste & swere bi herte, bonys & alle membris of crist, is holden most merie mon [omitted X.] & schal haue most þank of pore & riche; & þis is clepid worschipe of þe grete solempnyte of cristismasse; & þus for þe grete kyndenesse & goodnesse þat crist dide to men in his incar|nacion [carnacion X.] we dispisen hym more in outrage of pride, of glotonye, lecherie & alle manere harlotrie. & bi þis doynge þe fend bryngeþ in iolite of body & myrþe & likynge & newe fyndynge vp of synne, in-stede of holynesse & gostly ioie & herynge of god for his endeles charite, mercy, mekenesse & kyndenesse. lord, where is þat man or womman þat makiþ hym so bisi to make his soule fair in vertues [vertuose X.] to goddis siȝtte as he makiþ hym bisi aboute atir of body for þe siȝtte of men? Alas, þat so gret cost & bisynesse is sette abouten þe roten body, þat is wormes mete & a sak of drit & dust & aschis; but aboute þe soule made to þe ymage of þe trinyte, & þe whiche soule crist bouȝte so dere wiþ his precious herte blood, is no bisinesse to clense it out [ones SS.] of synne but to brynge it in-to more synne boþ nyȝt & day. litel þenk þes woode men & wommen on cristis pouert & cold & pouert of his modir & what lif he lyuede in þis world in so gret penaunce & dispit & wepynge for oure synnys & what schameful deþ he suffrid at þe laste. þes lordis & ladies schulden suffre in here presence & courtis no dispisynge of god bi wood [oþes SS.] swerynge, bi wordis of lecherie, ny [be X.] oþere rebaudrie and vnresonable

speche; for ȝif þei suffreden ony of here seruauntis to dispise oure erþely kyng moche ponyschynge schulde come ¹to hem¹ [1_1 omitted X.] & þei ben holden false & traitour [as false traitours SS.] to þe kyng. o hou moche more traitours & false ben þes worldly lordis [omitted X.] to crist kyng of alle heuene & alle erþe & helle, whanne þei heren sich dispit don to his maieste & refreynen not here seruauntis þer-of. certis ensaumple of clennesse, honeste & holynesse cam sum|tyme [page 178] fro lordis courtis to þe comyns, & þan was holy lif in worschipe among pore & riche. But now comeþ ensaumple of pride, glotonye, lecherie & hal harlotrie fro lordis courtis to þe comyns. And here-fore regneþ synne in alle manere peple wiþ-outen schame. þus þe fend blyndiþ men to clepe þis cursed hauntynge of arlotrie & synne gret worschipe of god, & to clepe deuocion of preieris & sade mynde of cristis pouert, penaunce & deþ & of þe day of dome ypocrisie & folie; & suche men ben not worþi to dwelle in lordis courtis, laste þei dryuen awey þe deuyl & his scole of synne & vanyte to displesynge [dispisyng SS.] of ȝonge, nyce folis, & bryngen in crist in-to cristen [omitted X.] mennus soulis & his [usen SS.] scole of vertues & honeste in þouȝt, worde & dede, to [in X.] plesynge of god & sauynge of mennus soulis. ¶ Heil marie, þat is wel be to þe, marie; or ioie be to þe. for bi ⁸þat womman⁸ [8_8 omitted X.] eue cam sorowe, peyne & woo to mankynde for sche tristed not sadly to goddis word but tristed to þe fendis gabbynge & coueited ouermoche kunnynge & dingnyte; but bi sad bileue & mekenesse & charite of marie cam ioie & saluacion to mankynde, for her bi sche conseyuede crist as þe gospel seiþ. þerfore flee lesyngis & pride & holde sadly bileue of goddis word with mekenesse & charite & þou schalt haue part of maries ⁹ioie &⁹ [9_9 blessyng & þe SS.] blisse of heuene eueremore. marie cristis modir was ful of grace. seynt steuene was ful of grace, as holy writt seiþ, [Acts vi. 8.] but lasse þan oure lady, & oure swete lord ihū was ful of grace aboue steuene & oure ladi þer-to. & so þer ben þre

degrees of plente of grace. þe leste of þis plente was in steuene, þe mydil in oure lady, but þe most in oure lord ihū crist. ¶ God þe trinyte is wiþ eche creature bi myȝt, wisdom & goodnesse to kepe it, for ellis it schulde turne to noȝt; but god is wiþ goode men of vertuous lif bi grace to approue & accepte here doyngis & helpe hem þer-inne, to rewarde hem in blisse þerfore, & dwelliþ in here soulis as his owen temple, & makiþ hem ioifully dwelle in his seruyce & suffre [suffriþ X.] gladly alle dispitis & persecucion for his name; but god is in angelis & seyntis in heuene bi clier schewynge of his godhed to hem & makynge hem to knowe alle þingis & haue alle þat euere þei desiren wiþ-outen ony anoye or peyne. ¶ Blissed be þou among wymmen; þat is more þan ony oþer womman, for noon oþer was so sad in bileue ne so meke ne so chast ne so goode in alle manere holynesse & namely in brennynge charite. ȝif þou wilt haue part of maries blisse & goddis blissynge sue marie in þis holy lif & [in X.] namely in þes seuene, feiþ, hope, & charite, & mekenesse, chastite, sobirnesse, & brynnynge desir of riȝtwisnesse. And blissed be þe fruyt of þi womb: þat is ihū, for bi his mercy & grace comeþ alle goodnesse, & namely bi his trewe techynge & wilful deþ & endeles myȝt, be whiche he schal reise alle men at domes day & ȝif blisse of heuene in bodi & soule to þo þat ende in perfit charite. god ȝeue vs grace to þenke on cristis mercy & riȝtwisnesse & maries sadnesse in bileue, & mekenesse to make ende in perfit charite. Amen.