Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

many men aleggen faste holy writt aȝenst þe worldly lif of clerkis; þerfore þei seyn þat holy writt is fals, for trewe men schulden haue noon auctorite aȝenst here cursed lif. Þe secunde tyme þei fynden vp a newe manere of speche or logik, þat is contrarie to þe speche of holy writt; & for þei wolen meyntenen here owen fyndynge as good & trewe, þerfore þei seyn þat þe speche of holy writt is fals þat reuersiþ [resceyueth X.] here owene fonnydnesse. & here þei maken god a fool & fals, in as moche as in hem is, & schewen hem self wise men & trewe; & algatis feynen hem self wisere & treuere þan god almyȝtty. ¶Þe þridde tyme þei coueten name of wisdom & worschipe of þis world & here owene excellence more þanne goddis honour, & þerfore þei disdeynen to sue mekely þe speche of goddis lawe & þe lif of crist & his apostlis, but maken newe lawis & logik þat maken holy writt derk & fals to þe comyn vnderstondynge of hem & here folweris. & ȝit þei schame sumdel to seie to cristene lordis þat holy writt is fals, but þei don worse bi sotel ypocrisie þat holy writt is fals to þe wordis but þe vnderstondynge þer-of is trewe; & þis vnderstondynge hangiþ in determinacion of worldly prelatis, þat kunnen not holy writt & ben not able to [page 215] haue inspiracion of þe holy gost bi here holy lif, for þei ben comynly ful of symonye, pride, coueitise, glotonye, lecherie, manquellynge & oþere synnys, & open heretikis & enemys of crist & his lawe & his trewe seruauntis. & ihū crist seiþ þat siche ben blynde & leden blynde men in-to þe lake of synne & at þe laste to helle; for ȝif þei han money & gold at here lykynge bi extorsion & robberie, þei recken not of cristene soulis hou foul deuelis deuouren hem. & þe holy gost dwelliþ not in siche proude & coueitouse clerkis, for þei ben templis of þe fend & þei worschipen fals goddis & dwellen in [omitted X.] ydolatrie, hou schulde god teche hem þe precius treuþes of his lawe? but certis bi þis ypocrisie þei wolen brynge in what heresie þat hem likiþ & meyntene it for good treuþe & profitable.
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Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 266
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 28, 2025.
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