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

ÞE FIRSTE SONEDAI GOSPEL AFTER TRINITE SONDAI.

[SERMON I.]

Homo quidam erat dives.—LUYK xvi. [19.]

CRIST telliþ in þis parable how richessis ben perilouse, for liȝtli wole a riche man use hem unto moche lust. A parable is a word of stori, þat bi þat hydeþ a spiritual witt. Þe stori telleþ;—Þere was a riche man þat disuside his richesse in pride and in glotonye, for he was cloþid in purpur and bise, þat ben prescious cloþes boþe rede and white; and so he was an ypocrite, þat shewide him to þe world boþe austerne and clene, as worldly men done. And over þis, ech daie was he fedd shynyngly, boþ for shynyng of vessel and prescious food, and þere was a pore man liynge at his ȝate þat was clepid Lazarus, full of sore biles; and he wolde be fillid by crummes þat felden fro þe riche mannes bord, but no man ȝaf him hem [This additional clause is found in the Vulgate; 'et nemo illi dabat.'] , for avarise of þe lord, but þe houndis of þe lord comen, and lickide his biles; and þis signifieþ compassioun of riche mennes servantis, þat þey have of pore men; but þei ben lettid to helpe hem. And it is maad by Goddis wille þat þis begger was deed; and was born by aungelis into Abrahams bosum; þis riche man was dede,

but not solempnely to God, and he was buried in helle ['Sepultus est in inferno:' Vulg.] , in token þat he shulde ever dwelle there. Abrahames bosum is clepid a place of reste þat holy soulis restiden inne bifore Cristis ascensioun. And here may we see þat þat neiþer riche men ne pore, in þat þey ben sich, be blessid in hevene; sith Abraham þe riche man toke Lazarus into his bosum; but disuse of richesses and impacience of pore men ben dampned of Crist; and ellis not siche men; and þei ben not preisid of Crist but bi contrarie virtues. Þis riche man lifte up hise iȝen in hise turmentis of helle, and siȝ Abrahame a ferre, and Lazarus in his lappe; and he criede, Fader Abraham, have mercy on me, and sende þe lazar hidir, wetynge his fyngres eende in water to colde my tonge, for Y am tormentid in þis flawme. Þe manner of speche of holy writt is to undirstonde by names of bodi ver|tues of þe soule, þat dwellen for a tyme in siche bodies; and so, for þis riche man was boostful in speche and likerous in foode, he was tormentid in vertu of his tunge; and þus men in weye to blis, whanne þei traveilen in sutil and medeful werkes, þei swagen in a maner þe peyne of dampned men; for þei have slakyng of þer peyne in þat þat þey hopen to have fewer felowis in helle, to be peyned wiþ hem. And Abraham seide to þe riche man, dampnyd, Sone, have mynde how þou haddist lust in this lyfe, and Lazar peyne, and þerefore, bi rigt jugement of God, he is now confortid and þou art now turmentid; for he sufferide peyne paciently and þou toke þi lusts synfulli. And sum men þenken, for þis dampnid riche man clepid Abraham his fadir, and Abraham clepid him aȝen his sone, þat he was an Ebreu, and Abraham was his fadir; but Abraham answeride him, bi treuþe þat God tolde him, þat þere was a myche void place stablid betwene hem, derke and unordynel, þat lettid dampned men to come to hem, al ȝif þei wolden, or hem come to dampned men: for þei desiren it not, and ȝif sum seintis coveiten kyndely to comferte þer frendis, þey have stronger wille to confourme hem to Goddis wille, and men may neiþer falle fro hevene to helle, ne flee fro helle to hevene at þer owne wille. But þe riche man preied Abraham to sende Lazar to his fadir hous, for

he hadde fyve breþeren, and he wolde þat þei weren warnid to amenden hem of her lyf; not for charite þat men dampned in helle have to lyvyng men or ellis to dampned men; for as seintis in hevene wanten envye, so dampned men failen in charite; but he dredde him of his peyne þat he shulde have by dampnyng of hise breþren; for he assentide to hem in þer wickide lyf. But Abraham seide to him þat þei have Moyses and prophetis in þer bokes þat þei writen, heere þei hem spedely, and kepe þei Goddis commandementis; and þis riche dampned man seide to Abraham, Nay, Fadir Abraham, but if ony of dede men wende to hem and warne hem, þei shal do penaunce, and flee þer dampnacioun. But Abraham seide aȝen, þat ȝif þei heeren not Moyses and prophetis þat spaken by God, þei shall not trowe to dede men; for þer wordes ben of lasse evydence, and it falliþ not to God to make a newe lawe and newe miraclis for ech man þat shal be dampned, as Crist wolde not come doun of þe crosse to conferme the fals Jewis.

In [The language of this concluding paragraph shows that these homi|lies were written rather with a view to publication than to delivery from the pulpit.] þis Gospel may preestis telle of fals pride of riche men, and of lustful lyf of myȝty men of þis worlde, and of longe peynes of helle, and joyful blis in hevene, and þus lengþe þer sermoun as þe tyme axiþ. And marke we how þis gospel telliþ þat þis riche man was not dampned for extorsioun or wrong þat he dide to his neiȝbore, but for he failide in werkes of mercy; and þus shulde we warne boþ o man and oþer how sum men shal be dampnyd more felly for raveyne, and sum shal be dampnyd more softly, for misusinge of Goddis goodis.