Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

his ordynale men holden þat grete synne & reprouen hym þer|of faste, but ȝif a preste breke þe hestis of god men chargen þat litel or nouȝt; & so ȝif prestis seyn here matynes, masse & euensong aftir salisbury vsse, þei hem self & oþere men demen it is ynowȝ, þouȝ þei neiþer preche ne teche þe hestis of god & þe gospel. & þus þei wenen þat it is ynowȝ to fulfille synful mennus ordynaunce & to leue þe riȝtfulleste ordynaunce of god þat he chargid prestis to performe. but, lord, what was prestis office ordeyned bi god bifore þat salisbury vss was maad of proude prestis, coueitous, lecherous [page 169] & dronkelewe? where god þat dampneþ alle ydelnesse chargid [chargen X.] hem not at þe full wiþ þe beste occupacion for hem self & oþere men? hou doren synful folis chargen cristis prestis wiþ so moche nouelrie, & euermore cloute more to, þat þei may not frely do goddis ordynaunce? for þe iewis in þe olde lawe haden not so manye seremonyes of sacrifices ordeyned bi god as prestis han now riȝttis & reulis maade of synful men. And ȝit þe olde lawe in þes charious customes mosten nedes cesse for fredom of cristis gospel; but þis fredom is more don awei bi þis nouelrie þan bi customes of þe olde lawe; & þus many grete axen where a prest may wiþ-outen dedly synne seie his masse wiþ-outen matynys; & þei demen it dedly synne, a prest to fulfille þe ordynaunce of god in his fredom wiþ-oute nouelrie of synful men, þat lettiþ prestis fro þe betre occupacion, as ȝif þei demen it dedly synne to leue þe worse þing [teching AA.] & take þe betre whanne þei may not do boþe to-gidre. & þus, lord, þin owen ordynaunce þat þou madist for þi prestis is holden errour & distroied for þe fonnyd nouelrie of synful foolis, & in cas of fendis in helle. ¶ But here men moste be war þat vnder colour of þis fredom þei ben betre occupied in þe lawe of god to studie & teche it, & not slouȝ ne ydel in ouermoche sleep & vanyte & oþer synnes, for þat is þe fendis panter. ¶ See now þe blyndnesse of þes foolis; þei seyn þat a prest may be excused fro seiynge of masse þat god comaundid him self
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Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 193
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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