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

Capitulum primum.

[page 81] For many beren heuy þat freris ben clepid pseudo or ypocritis, antecristis or fendis, or ony siche name, it were to telle what goddis lawe seyþ here, & bi lore of goddis lawe men shulden stonde stifly. ffirst men taken of bileeue þat þei shulden reproue synne; siþ crist techiþ þat ȝif þyn broþer synneþ in þee, þou shalt þries reproue hym; & fro þe [Matt. xviii. [15.]] bigynnyng of þe world til þis tyme was it vsid þat men shulden reproue synne for loue & worship of god. for it were al oon to lette þis & to lette men to be goddis children, and to forsake crist god & take men fulliche to þe fend, & so forsake cristis maundementis, & bi-come þe fendis seruaunt. But for siche an heresye somme men shulden suffre martirdom, & somme men make resouns, & somme men vsen here worldliche strengþe; siþ crist, heued of martris, deyede to destrie þis heresye, & alle hise martris aftir deyeden in þe same cause; and heyȝ prestis of þe temple wiþ pharisees þat crist reprouede weren more and betere groundid þen ben þe sectis of þise freris. Aftirwa[r]d men supposen þat þise freris may lytlyche erre; & bi dedis þat fame telliþ, þei synnen & harmen meche þe peple. Siþ crist welle of religion here chees to hym tuelue apostlis, & ȝit oon of hem was Sharioth, whom it was leueful to reproue — what vertu hauen þise newe ordris, þat ben cropen in wiþ-oute ground, þat men shal not reproue hem, harmen þey neuere so myche þe chirche? hit were al oon to graunte þis, & ȝiue it vp to þe fend, & fyȝte no more in goddis cause, but assent to þe fend what euere he do; & it is al oon to reproue synne, & to reproue persones þat synnen. lord, siþ freris synnen ofte, why shulden not men reprouen hem, & ȝif al þe secte assenteþ, speke we sharpliche aȝen þe secte; þus spak crist sharpliche aȝen þe secte of pharisees, as matheu telliþ in eyhte woes þat [Matt. xxiii. [13-33.]]

crist spak aȝen hem, & ȝit crist louede persones of hem, as weren poul and nychodeme. lorde, siþ þise newe ordris ben [John iii. [1.]] pharisees fro cristen men, whi shulden not men by ensaumple of crist speke sharpliche aȝen here synne? but in ilche werk god askiþ ordre, & so in blamyng of freris. [page 81b] Two þingis ben in þis ordre þat cristen men shulden holde; ffirst þat men þat blamen hem shulden holde treuþe & not gabbe on hem; for al ȝif þise ordris vsen þis craft, ȝit þei don here amys, for craft of lyyng is not leueful, siþ it is openliche aȝen treuþe, & so it is aȝen crist, þe whiche is þe first treuþe. & þus men may leuefulliche, but of hard, fyȝte, plete & scorne, but þe craft of lyyng is dampned generalliche, & þus cristen men shulden be war to putte falsliche blame on freris; & herfore many men speken g[e]neralliche of here synne, & leuen to descende to persones lest þei medlen fals wiþ soþ. & þus þei speken bi condicioun, or supposyng, or gessyng, þat ȝif freris don þus cristen men schulden be war wiþ hem. neuerþelees we witen bi þe cours of goddis lawe þat þise men þat ben disposid & knowen defaute in certeyn persones shulden reproue hem in here beerd, but euere by mekenesse & loue. þus baptist reprouede heroude of his open synne. & officials and freris haunten ofte þis craft amys, when þei louen more monee or ordris þen þei don heelþe of here soulis, & ofte þei punysshen men bi peyne þat god approueþ not. Þe oþer condicioun of blamyng þat cristen men shulden holde is þat þei shulden blame no men bi enuye or coueytyse, but algatis bi charite þat þei hauen to god & to his chirche; ȝhe, to þo persones þat þei snybben, al ȝif þei shal be dampned aftir, & þus noon man shulde curse an oþer but for loue þat he haþ to hym, as god dampneth neuer his servaunt but for mercy & for loue. & þus in speche aȝen freris men casten to holde þise two, and ȝif þei faylen in ouþer of hem þei cryen on god mercy & help; for wo is vs ȝif we ben stille, & speken not aȝen here synnes, wenne we witen þat þei synnen open|liche aȝen bileue, & leden many soulis aftir hem by wrong weye as fendis don. & þus men supposen of freris þat somme

of hem shal be dampned, & þenne we witen bi þe gospel þat [John vi. [70.]] þei ben quike fendis. lord, who shulde lette men to speke here as crist doiþ? siþ bi siche comune speche [page 82] his lawe shulde be betere knowen, but as we witen not of þis frere wheþer he shal be dampned, so we kepen vs in oure speche þat we clepen not þis frere a fend. but aȝen errours þat þey sowen men shulden speke hertliche; & bi siche reprouyngis god may turne þise freris to goode, & kepe sugetis in goddis weye, þat ellis wolden go the weye to helle. & as anentis fals freris, resoun techiþ þat þise ben fals, & poul spekiþ þat [[2] Cor. xi. [26.]] perile is in fals freris. lord, whi shulden men be lettid to speke þus, siþ goddis lawe seiþ so? dampne þou þis holi writ, & lette þou men to rede it, & releese here oblishyng bi comune vse þat god approueþ, & þenne þer is som colour to blame men þat vsen þis word, but freris ben oblishid of god & bi here rewele to seye þis word, & as þei seyen freris weren þenne & longe bifore, & somme false, what shulde lette þe holi goost to speke of fals freris bi poul.