Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.

hadde cast out þis fend, þis man dombe bifore spake and the puple woundride herof for gretnesse of þe myracle. But þe enemyes of Crist, as weren scribis and pharisees, whan þei myȝten not denye þis dede, for it was open to þe puple, þei enterpretiden it amys; and seiden þat Crist dide suche woundris in þe power of a fend, to whom he servede bisily. And þis fend was clepid of hem Belsabub, a [om. E.] prince of oþer. And þes men þat defameden Crist þus weren preestis or pharisees; but oþer men bi lasse envye [Words rightly excluded from the italics by E, but included by A, B, C.] axiden of Crist a signe of hevene, to conferme þat he dide þis bi þe vertue of God. But Crist when he knew þere þouȝtis, þat þei weren turned þus fro treuþe, bi many resouns proved hem þat þei weren fals in þouȝt and word. And first he seide þus to hem, Ech rewme dividid in him silfe shal be desolatid, and hous shal falle upon hous; and þus ȝif Saþanas be dividid in him silfe as ȝe seien, how shal his rewme stonde stably wiþouten eende? For siþ ȝe seien þat Y cast out a fend bi anoþer, nedis o fend mut be contrarye to anoþer. Þe first word þat Crist toke is soþ by open resoun, for þe strengþe of a rewme comeþ of acord of þe partis of it, and ȝif oon contrarieþ anoþer, nedis þe strengþe is enfeblid. And ȝif þe partis mut ever laste and oon wite anoþeris state, þat rewme mut nede be desolate, al ȝif þes partis shal laste ay; for on hous of a more myȝti prince shal falle upon anoþer hous, and bi fiȝtynge amonge hem shal al þe rewme be feblid, siþ þes partis, ful acordid, shulden helpe þis rewme and make it strong. And riȝt as a ruynous hous falliþ on anoþer and brekeþ it, so o maynè of a rewme falliþ on anoþer and enfebliþ it. And so shulde it be of þe fendis, ȝif o prince contraried anoþer. And so ȝif Saþanas, prince of fendis, be þus dividid in him silfe, how shulde his rewme be strengþid by dedes þat Crist doiþ? but myche more Cristis rewme, þat is strengþid aȝens the fend, shulde have anoþer prince contrarie to Saþanas. Also, ȝif Y cast out a fend in vertue of Belsabub, ȝour children, þat ben my postlis, in whos name shulden þei cast out fendis? Certis not in my name, for þan Y were a wickide man, and siþ þei done þus comounly in my name, þat is Jesus, þei shal juge ȝou as fals in þis interpre|tacioun.
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Title
Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 117
Publication
Oxford,: Clarendon Press,
1869-71.

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"Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/afb3713.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 3, 2025.
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