Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

dampned of goddis lawe, & ȝit þes open þefte is stifly meyn|tened aȝenst goddis lawe, reson & charite bi sotil ypocrisie, & no chastiȝynge don þer-onne. for men wenen þat þes stronge þeues ben vnder no kyngis lawe ne prelatis lawe in oure lond. for men vnderstonden þat fewe men of discrecion comen to þes nouelries but siche ȝonge bi stelynge or disceyuynge, or ellis bi coueitise of worldly honour & sikernesse of wombe ioie. & herefore þes veyn religious preisen lesyngis, dampnyd bi holy writt old & newe, for cristis treuþe. & þe deuel is lesyngis fadir & disceyued mankynde bi lesynge & brouȝt it in-to sorowe & peyne, as þe gospel & [of X.] þe first part of holy writt schewiþ; & þerfore seiþ ambrose þat alle men þat louen lesynges ben þe deuelis children. ion þe euaungelist seiþ þat [omitted X.] [1 John ii. 21 (?).] no lesyng is of god; þanne it is of þe deuyl siþ he is fadir of lesyngis. Þerfore þe wise man seiþ þat þe mouþ þat leiþ sleeþ [Wisdom i. 11.] þe soule; & a þef is more worþi to be suffrid þan þe lastynge of a lesyngmongere; & dauid seiþ þat god [omitted X.] schal dampne alle [Ecclus. xx. 27.] men þat speken lesyngis, & þe prophete zacharie seiþ þat [Zech. v. 4.] goddis curs comeþ [page 218] to þe hous of lieris, & seynt austyn declareþ in many bokis þat of [omitted X.] eiȝte manere lesyngis þe leste is synne, & who euere techiþ þe contrarie disceyueþ þe peple. but for þes veyn religious forsaken [forsakynge X.] þe techynge & lif of crist, mene persone in trinyte, þerfore þei kunnen no mene bitwixe seiynge soþe in eche tyme & bitwixe lesynge. sumtyme it harmeþ men to seie þe [omitted AA.] soþe out of couenable tyme & euere it harmeþ to lie, but sumtyme it profitiþ to be stille & abide a couenable tyme to speke, as dide crist & his apostlis, & ȝif þes veyn religious knowen þis þei schulde haue no colour to make lesyngis. but þer is o gret cause whi þei comenden so lesyngis. þei maken profession to lyue bi labour of here hondis, bi benetis reulis & fraunseis & austynes, & to be deed to þe world, & to be ensaumple & bok of wilful pouert, mekenesse & grete penaunce & [omitted X.] abstynence; & now þei ben turned to alle manere of schrewdnesse, harlotrie & synne; &
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Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 270
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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