I SEE no reason to deny the authenticity of this tract. In complaining of the manner in which Scripture was wrested to all ends by setting aside its literal sense, Wyclif was insisting on a favourite topic. It is curious, however, to find him maintaining the right of preaching against wicked men by name, since, so far as I know, there is no personal attack in any of his works; the nearest approach to it being his allusions to Spencer's action in heading the Flanders Crusade. It is possible, having regard to the context, to suppose that he means only class names (such as 'prelates,' 'friars,' etc.). He may have been taxed with want of charity in attacking special classes, instead of confining himself to a general denunciation of sin. It seems that in any case his attacks were returned.
Copied from the Corpus MS. X. and collated with the Dublin MS. AA.
| CHAP. I. | Three heresies prevalent. 1. That holy writ is false. 2. That it is lawful to lie. 3. That it is uncharitable to denounce sins of great men | p. 264 |
| The first two are upheld in schools of divinity; the third by pre|lates and great men | 265 | |
| II. | They say that holy writ is false, since against both testaments they maintain that the clergy may hold secular lordship | 265 |
| They advocate a false mode of interpretation, refusing the literal sense | 266 | |
| Reasons for such advocacy | 267 | |
| III. | Lies are brought in, because prelates and new religious are false, having forsaken the way in which they are bound to live | 268 |
| Abuses of the orders; child-stealing, etc. | 269 | |
| Lying in act has led to lying in word | 270 | |
| IV. | Prelates and false religious say that it is against charity to expose their sins | 271 |
| It is a priest's duty to warn men of their sins | 271 | |
| Prelates and religious attack other men in their sermons | 273 | |
| But they wish to shut the mouths of reprovers, lest they should lose influence and wealth | 273 |
