Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

prophete ezechiel þat god haþ ȝouen a prest to be a spie to [Ezekiel iii. 17.] aspie þe sotil disceitis of þe fend & warne þe peple of hem; but among alle þe helpis of þe fend a wickid prelat or a fals religious is þe moste. Þanne a trewe prest owiþ most to warne þe peple of hem. & þerfore gregory seiþ [omitted X.] & lawe of þe chirche þat no man harmeþ more cristene peple þanne he þat haþ name of ordre or holynesse & þer-wiþ lyueþ wickidly; for his synne is taken to ensaumple of oþere. & þerfore seiþ gregory in [& X.] his pastoralis þat prelatis ben worþi to haue as many deþes as þei senden ensaumples of synne to here sugetis & to men þat comen after hem. and ysidre & þe lawe seiþ þat he þat consentiþ & fauoureþ a man in synne schal be reproued bi most greuous reprofe. & austyn seiþ in þe lawe, þat a bischop þat consentiþ to oþer mennus synnes schulde raþere be clepid an vnchastised hound þan a bischop. & in token of þis crist purged þe temple & noon oþere place bi vengaunce bodily take in his owene persone. & gregory & oþere seyntis seyn þat euele prestis ben cause of synne of þe peple. Þerfore men schulden most ponysche þis most synne of prelatis & religious þat is cause of oþere & of distruction of rewmes. Also crist seiþ in þe gospel þat false prophetis & false cristis [Matt. xxiv. 24.] schullen ryse & disceyue manye, & biddiþ vs bewar of hem & [Matt. vii. 16.] flee hem & knowe hem bi here werkis, & telliþ what condi|cions & werkis þat þei schullen haue. Þanne ȝif prestis knowen þes false anticristis & false prophetis bi tokenes of goddis lawe & warne not þe peple of hem, þei ben giltif of loos of cristene soulis. Also ion þe euaungelist seiþ: ȝif ony [1 John iii. 17.] man see his broþer haue nede & schitte his purs & mercy fro hym, charite dwelliþ not in hym; moche more ȝif prestis knowen þat mennus soulis ben in myschief of fals bileue brouȝt in bi anticristis clerkis, þei ben out of charite but ȝif þei helpen hem out of þis myschief, siþ þis [omitted X.] is most myschief in þis world. & þerfore crist seiþ [omitted AA.] in þe gospel ȝif it be [Luke xiv. 5.] mercy to helpe a beste falle in þe lake, moche more mercy is
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Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 272
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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