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

ÞE SEVENÞE SONDAI GOSPEL AFTIR TRINITE.

[SERMON VII.]

Cum turba multa esset cum Jesu, nec haberent quod manducarent.—MARK viii. [I.]

FOR alle werkis of Crist ben good lore to Cristen men, to teche hem how þei shal lyve for to gete þe blisse of hevene, þerfore þis gospel of Crist telliþ how he bi boþe his kyndis did a miracle of mercy in fedynge of þe nedy folk. Whan myche peple was wiþ Jesus, and þei hadden not to ete, he clepide his disciplis togidere and seide, Y have ruþ upon þe peple, for þei have sued me þree daies, and now þei han not for to ete, and if Y lete hem go fastinge home, þei shal faile in þe weye, for sum of hem comen fro ferre. And his disciplis seiden to him, Whereof myȝte a man fede þis folk here in þis waste place? And Crist axide hem, how many loves þat þei hadden, and þei seiden seven. And Crist commandide þe peple to sitte doun on þe erþe; and takynge þes sevene loves and doinge þankingis to God, he brak hem, and ȝaf hise disciplis to putt to þe puple, and þei ȝaven þis breed to þe puple. And þei hadden a fewe litil fishis, and hem he blesside and makide his disciplis ȝyve hem to þe peple. And þe peple eet, and was fulfillid; and ȝit þei gedriden seven berlepis [That is, 'carrying-baskets,' from the A.S. 'beran,' to bear, and 'leap,' a basket. Both Wycliffite versions have 'leepis' at the same passage.] of relif þat

was laft. And þere was of þe puple, hungry and longe fastinge, as it were foure þousand, and Criste lefte hem, and lete hem go home. Þe gospel telliþ of siche two feestis þat Criste maade here in erþe. In þe first weren fyve þousaund fedde, and in þe toþir foure þousand, and þis was þe seconde feste, as seint Mark telliþ. And of greet witt weren þes two, as seintis beren witnesse [This is the reading of B. A has wittis.] ; for two is þe firste noumbre þat comeþ after oon|heed, and herfore men clepen it a noumbre wiþouten fame; for it is þe first noumbre þat partiþ fro unite; and certis, if no man hadde partid from God bi synne, it hadde be noo nede to make siche feestis; for ech man shulde redely have mete whan him nedide, as beestis han gras [So in B; gresse, C; grace, A.] in plentenous pasture. And so bi þis bodili werk of merci of Crist ben we tauȝt to which men we shulden do sich almes; for Crist techiþ in þe gospel of Luke þat we shulde feden siche þat have greet nede, and if we feden oþir men, biside þe resoun of almes, þe fruyte of oure almes in þat is awey. And so curatis þat ben better occupied about spiritual nedis shulden for þer feblenesse, fer fro state of innocence, take bodily almes to perfourme þer office, ȝhe ȝif þei ben stronge in bodi in reward of oþer men; and þis title of almes is mooste acording to preestis; but in state of innocens shulde þis almes be awey; for men shulde have redily fruyt þat þai hadden nede of; and þis feblenesse of bodi is falle to men for synne. Crist þat was boþe God and man hadde not þis feblenes, for he myȝt have mete whan and wher he wolde; but we shal wite þat our Jesus Crist dide more miracle, and bad hise disciplis serve þe puple at þe mete, to teche us þat we ben myn|ystris and not autouris of miracle. And þus he quykide Lazarus, and made his apostolis efte to lose him, to teche þat he forȝeveþ þe synne, and his vikeris shewen it to þe puple. But þei assoilen on oþir weye, as prestis in þe olde lawe telden bi signis of the olde lawe þat men weren cleen of lepre. And ȝif þe Pope and his vikeris wolden studie wel þis mater, þei shulden leve to assoile men so largely in þis fourme, for our bileve techiþ us þat no viker assoileþe here, but in as myche as Crist assoileþ first him whom he assoileþ in virtue of Crist. We shal see moreover

þat þe folke þat Crist fedde here weren fedde comounly, and not by maner of þis world, for to dampne riche mannis maneris þat feden hemsilf coostly, and ordeyne strange and likerous mete, and in greet multitude, and excuse hem herbi þat relif goiþ to pore men, for pore men myȝten many mo be beter fedde wiþ comoun metis; and so þis is a likerous pride, how|ever we gabben to God. But go we nere to þe witt þat þe gospel techiþ us, and we shall see þat eche preest shulde be viker of Crist, and take of him oyle of grace, and so in a maner be Crist, and fede þe puple goostly wiþ þe wordis of God; for neiþer Crist ne hise Apostlis hadden ay bodily mete to fede folk þus; and Crist techiþ us in þis þat goostly fode is beter þan þis, and in token herof þis secounde feste was algatis lasse, but goostly feeste shulde encreese, þat haþ fulli ende in hevene. Þese sevene loves ben sevene bokes of þe newe testament, and foure gospellis, and þerwiþ stories of þe Apostlis wisdom, of bokes of Poul, and Apocalips of Joon. Þese fewe litil fishes þat þei hadden to companage ben pistlis of reule of James and Petre and Joon and of Judas. Þe seven berlepis of relif ben alle þe sentences of seintis after, bi which þei feden trewe men by delyng of Goddis lawe. For many ben fedd by relif þat kouden not ete þis hole mete. Þe multitude of just men ben þes foure þousaund men, þat Crist grauntiþ her owne wille to go to þe house of hevene.