Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

seyntis be canonysed, þe whiche resseyueden siche dowyng, to proue þat þis was wel don. but heere men knowen þe fendis cautels, & sliden not fro bileue for þis; for canonysing of þes seyntis is not bileue of cristenmen. & þus ȝif þes ben seyntes in heuene, þis is bi vertu of crist þat þey turnyden at þe laste to hym, & hadden sorowe for þer synne. & ȝif þou axe prof her-of, we seyen þat ȝif þou proue þat þes be seyntis, it wole sue of oure bileue þat þes seyntis sorowiden þus, ȝif þey weren worldly men þus, for ellis þey myȝten not come to heuene. But myraclis maad of deed men ben þe fendis euydense; for god may suffre [page 29] þe fend to do siche signes & many mo. for ellis wolde not poul seye þat a man [1 Cor. xiii. [2.]] myȝte remoue hillis & ȝit fayle of charite. but ȝif þes signes myȝten liȝtly fayle, stonde we in bileue of crist, & leeue we siche signes of þe fend. for bileue is insensible & more trewe þan siche signes; as þis treuþe is insensible þat two & þre maken fyue, & ȝit it is more certeyn þan ony sensible þing heere. þus bileue of hooly writ passiþ alle þes clepid myraclis. & þus wite wel lordis & reumes þat þey moten nedis answere to god hou þey han holdun his lawe & stondun sad in his bileue. no drede boþe lordis & reumes myȝten wel constreyne prestis to holde þe pouert þat crist ordeynede, for honeste of his prestis & profit of lordis & comyns. & whanne lordis leeuen þis power, þey assenten to þe fend; & þey moten nedis be dampnyd for þis assent but ȝif þey amenden it, & þis is blynding of þe fend þat þey han grauntid þis almes. & so þey moten be trewe men & algatis mayntene it forþ, for ȝif men loken hou it cam in, it cam not in bi very almes, but bi blyndnesse of þe world & ipocrisie þat þe fend tauȝte. & euere þe lengere þat it lastiþ, þe more peyne han deed mennus soulis. & þus þe fend stiriþ men to laste in synne aȝenus god; but wite þey wel wiþ þe fend þat god mut nedis be þer lord. þus ȝif lordis han first be foolis, oþer in dowyng or leeuynge to helpe, þey shulden haue sorowe of þis synne & haaste hem to make aseeþ. & wite þey wel þat god mut nedis be cheef lord of alle creaturis,
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Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 469
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 June 25, 2025.
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