Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

sich bodely song ne ony of his apostlis, but wiþ deuocion in herte & holy lif & trewe prechynge, & þat is ynowþȝ & þe beste. but who schulde þanne charge vs wiþ more ouere þe fredom and liȝtnesse of cristis lawe? & ȝif þei seyn þat angelis heryen god bi song in heuene; seie þat we kunnen not þat song, but þei ben in ful victorie of here enemys & we ben in perilous bataile, [baitale X.] & in þe valeye of wepynge & mornynge; & oure song lettiþ vs fro betre occupacion & stiriþ vs to many grete synnes & to forȝete vs self. but oure fleschly peple haþ more lykynge in here bodely eris in sich knackynge & taterynge þan in herynge of goddis lawe, & spekynge of þe blisse of heuene, for þei wolen hire proude prestis & oþere lecherous lorelis þus to knacke notis for many markis & poundis; but þei wolen not ȝeue here almes to prestis & children to lerne & to [omitted X.] teche goddis lawe; & þus bi þis nouelrie of song is goddis lawe vnstudied & not kepte, & pride & oþere grete synnys meyntenyd. & þes fonnyd lordis & peple gessen to haue more þank of god & to [omitted X.] worschipe hym more in haldynge vp of here owen nouelries wiþ grete cost þan in lernynge & techynge & meyntenynge of his lawe & his seruauntis & his ordynaunce. but where is more disceit in feiþ, hope & charite? for whanne þer ben fourty or fyfty in a queer þre or foure proude & lecherous lorellis schullen knacke þe most deuout seruyce þat noman schal here þe sentence, & alle oþere schullen be doumbe & loken on hem as foolis. & þanne strumpatis & þeuys preisen sire iacke or hobbe & williem þe proude clerk, hou smale þei knacken here notis; & seyn þat þei seruen wel god & holy chirche, whanne þei dispisen god in his face, & letten oþere cristene men of here deuocion & compunccion, & stiren hem to worldly vanyte; & þus trewe seruyce of god is lettid & þis veyn knackynge for oure iolite & pride is preised abouen þe mone. ¶ Also þe ordynalle of salisbury lettiþ moche prechynge of þe gospel; for folis chargen þat more þan þe maundementis of god & to studie & teche cristis gospel; for ȝif a man faile in
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Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 192
Publication
London,: Pub. for the Early English text society, by Trübner & co.,
1880.

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"The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aeh6713.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 10, 2025.
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