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

þe fendis children. for ȝif þei weren cristis children þei schulden holde treuþe in word & wille & dede & meyntenen þat, and dispisen alle manere of lesyngis & falsnesse & synne vp here kunnynge & power; & as ion þe euaungelist seiþ, þei schulden wilfully putte hem to deþ for to distroie lesyngis, siþ lesyngis stondiþ more in false dedis þan in wordis, as [of X.] holy writt, ambrose & oþere seyntis witnessen pleynly. ¶ Þe þridde tyme, þes newe ordris & flaterynge myȝtte not be susteyned wiþ-oute lesyngis, boþe in word & dede, in þis manere as þei now ben; & for to schewe [page 217] þat þis veyn religious louen more here owene inuencions & here owene lustis [both MSS. repeat "more" here.] þan þe [omitted X.] clene religion of cristis ordynaunce & gret pouert & peynful lif after crist & his apostlis, þei preisen lesyngis for to beren vp þes veyn nouelries & haunte here lustis. for ȝif cristis owene ordre & ensaumple of his lif & his apostlis ben betere & profitere þan ony newe maad of synful men, it is a foul lesynge to chese wityngly & meyntene þe lesse perfit, [profit X.] & forsake þe liȝttere, sikerere & perfitere. ¶ Also it is a cursed lesyng to drawe children, þat han but litil discrecion, to þes newe feyned religious bi ȝeftis & bi behestis [hestis AA.] of worldly lordischipe, honour & sikernesse of bodily welfare, more þan to holde wilful pouert & penaunce & dispit & forsakynge of alle worldly þing, for al þis is symonye & heresie ȝif it be wel souȝt; but it is a cursedere lesyng to stele ȝonge children fro here frendis & bi false disceitis make hem to be professed, sumtyme aȝenst here wille, & suffre hem not to gon out of þis veyn ordre, þouȝ þei knowen hem self vnable þer-to. ¶ For sumtyme þes children frendis fallen in mornynge to deþ; & sumtyme bi myschef ben dede where here children þus stolen schulden ellis helpe hem; & sumtyme þes children schulden be goode techeris & reuleris of þe peple, & now ben cursed ypocritis, ful of coueitise, lecherie, enuye & grucchynge aȝenst god; & now þei ben nedid to rob þe pore peple bi fals beggynge, & sclaundren crist wiþ þis clamose beggynge
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Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 269
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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