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

Capitulum 12^m.

ȝit þe fend blyndiþ many curatis þat wenen þat wenen þat þei ben not holdun to residense bi leeue of þe pope or of þer bischop or of seculere lordis bi priuylegie, & þus þei taken fruytis of þer chirchis & seruen not þer puple þerfore. but heere trewe men shulden knowe þat neþer pope ne oþer man haþ power to kepe a man in his benefiss & to do nouȝt þerfore; for god wole not do þis dede but axiþ due seruyss for þis offiss. & as an ymage is not þe man al ȝif it be lik to hym, so siche leeue of a persoun makiþ hym not herde but wolf to god; & ȝif an herde haue bullis of þe pope þat he dispensiþ heere wiþ hym, alle siche bullis excusen not bifore þe iugement of god; but þey accusen more þe pope to take part of mennus dampnyng þat tristen so myche in þe popis bullis more þan in lawe or skile of god. & bi þe same skile bischops leeue, þat is of a persoun, excusiþ hem not bifore god, but te[lliþ] [Illegible from the margin being rubbed.] hou þey bien & sillen þer peyne; þis chaffere pas[siþ] [Illegible from the margin being rubbed.] symonye, for it is more nyȝ to wrong to ȝyue a man leeue for money to serue not god but to serue þe fend. For certis no man may haue þis power, [page 8] ȝe not anticrist hym silf. & as anentis seculer lordis, as kyngis & prinsis & oþere lordis, men shulden sharply telle to hem þat þei han no power aȝenus god, but þei moten nedis for siche dedis þat men clepen priuelegies dampne hem silf, wiþ þes persouns þat þey letten fro goddis offiss. & wolde god þat trewe prestis wolden telle sharply þis perel to lordis; for man myȝte not more opynly bicome traytour to his god þan to drawe his knyȝtes fro his seruyss, & bringe in fendis & sle his soulis. but ȝit þe fend haþ founden cautels to bringe in vikeris in persouns stede, & bi colour of siche vikeris he seiþ þat propring of chirchis is leeueful, & noun residense is excusid bi siche a viker þat holdiþ his stede. Heere men þenken þat it were good to haue a viker þat were nedy to take bodily almes of men whanne þe persoun trauelide

not þerfore; but þey ben not in þis þer vikeris, but in bodily trauel & spuyling of men. but boþe þis persoun & þis viker moten be punyȝshid for þer trespas, siþ ech man is holdun to serue god bi al þe power þat he haþ; for ȝif þis viker myȝte serue ynow, what nede were it of siche a persoun? certis but to spuyle þe pore folc, & make more synne in hooly chirche. & bringing in of siche vikeris, þat oftetyme ben vnhable herdis, makiþ hem pore & nedy, & sharpiþ hem to spuyle pore puple; & it makiþ persouns aboue more hardy to walowe in synne, & many tymes þei ben vnhable to haue trewely þe name of curat. & siche false names þat ben þus feyned excusen not bifore crist, siþ crist is þe firste treuþe & þe firste resoun of alle þingis. We graunte wel þat it were good many prestis to haue felowis in keping of a floc, oon to do o þing, an-oþer an-oþer; as oon to trauele bodily in mynistring of sacramentis, an-oþer to trauele in preching & oþer teching of þe puple; but loke þat þes boþe be hooly & lyue in pouert as apostlis diden & ech of hem helpe mekely oþer as felowis drawinge in goddis ȝoc. but þis axiþ residense on sheep þat man is herde of. god may not be bigilid bi siche names & excusing, for þis lord wole rikene wiþ þes seruauntis fully aftir þat resoun axiþ. Ȝif þou feynest þee an ordre þat þou preyest & þenkist on god, & þerwiþ þou hast cure bi þy viker þat kepiþ þe chirche, loke þat þou bere not falsly þe name, but lyue in pouert as baptist dide, not in hye castels of caym & lustful fode as boris in sty; [page 8b] for preyours þat siche booris maken don to many more harm þan good. for bi þis fallas myȝte a fend or a soutere be an herde ouer a þousynd men in englond & excuse residense bi a fool.