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

ÞE GOSPEL ON TWELFÞE EVYN.

[SERMON XCVI.]

Defuncto Herode.—MATT. ii. [19.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ how Crist cam from Egipt. For in tyme þat Crist was þere, þat is not made to us to knowe, was þe first Heroude deed, þat slouȝ þe children for Cristis sake. For in meke abiding sendiþ God remedy; and þus seiþ þe gospel þat, Whanne Heroude was deed, lo, þe aungel of oure Lord apperide to Joseph in sleep, and bad him ryse, and take þe child and his modir, and go into þe lond of Israel, for þei ben dede þat souȝten þe childis liif. It is seid bifore, þat God is good maistir, þat sendiþ siche messangers to conforte his disciplis, and telliþ but litil at oones, þat þei shulden not forȝete; but evere as þei han nede, þei shulden ben newe confortid. God woot al þing bifore þat it be done; and so he ordeynede his angel to come to Joseph in Egipt anoon, whanne Eroude was deed, to telle him þes tiþingis. And so Joseph dide noȝt but þat þat God tolde him. And ȝif Eve hadde do so, she hadde venquishid þe fend, and not hadde daliance wiþ him til þat she hadde ben disseyved.

And wite we wel, þat not oonli Heroude souȝte þe liif of Jesus, but many of his servauntis for love of him. And þus

lordis seien, we wolen þat it be so. Two maneres of sekyng þer ben of men: sum men seken men to do hem good and worship; and þus þre kingis souȝten oure Lord Jesus; and sum men seken a man to do him harm and dispit; and þus Heroude and his servantis souȝten Jesus Crist; and þei wolden have kilid Crist. And þus þei souȝten Cristis liif; for his spirit þei myȝten not dere; and his bodi þei tolden litil bi, but þei wolden not þat his spirit hadde quiked his bodi.

And Joseph roos and took þe child and his modir also, and cam in to þe lond of Israel; but warli, as þe aungel tauȝte him. And, whanne Joseph herde þat Archelaus, Heroudis sone, rengnede in Judee for his fadir, he dredde for him to go þidir. And Joseph was amoneschid in sleep bi angel how he shulde go; and wente into Galile. And Joseph cam and dwelte in a citee of þat contre, þat was clepid Nazareth; for to fulfille þe prophecie þat Jesus shulde be clepid of Nazareth. And so he was; for Pilat wroot upon his cros þis writing, as þe gospel telliþ; Jesus of Naza|reth, King of Jewes. And so, as Luk telliþ, oure Ladi was grett in þe citee of Nazareth, and þer she conceyvede Crist; and þus bi many resons was Crist clepid of Nazareth.

Beside lettre of þis gospel, mai men meeve [move, E.] doutis of scole; but me þinkiþ now, it is bettre to touche lore of vertues. We shal bileve þat al þe gospel, be it nevir so literal, techiþ what þing shal bifalle, and how þat men shal lyve. And so, as Crist in his ȝoungþe was pursued by many men to dispise him and slee him in his owne persone; so, unto þe dai of dome is he pursued in his membres, and algatis in Goddis cause, bi resoun of Goddis lawe. We shulden not presume, but hope, þat we ben membris of Crist; but wel we witen, ȝif men haten us and pursuen us for Cristis cause, þanne þei pursuen Crist in his membris, and haten þe cause of Crist. For betere cause myȝte not Crist have þan defending of his lawe; for þis cause made Crist be deed many weies bifore oþer; and Crist, for þe beste cause, suffride here martirdome. Studie wel Goddis lawe, and þe treuþe þat sueþ ofit, and defende it booldli,—boþe to preestis and to þe world,—and þou shalt have enemyes to

pursue þee to þe deþ. And as Crist was pursued boþe of preestis and knyȝttis, so þou shalt be pursued of þes twoo bi diverse resouns. Sum tyme knyȝttis ben chevetaynes, as it fel of þe eemperours, and sum tyme preestis ben maistris, as it was in Cristis tyme. And so it mai falle now, boþe of popis and bishopis. For ȝif men þenken Goddis lawe sharp [to scharp, E.] , and to lette avauntage of þis world, men of þis world, bi þe fend, wolen haten hem þat puplisshen it. And so slouþe and cowardise ben cause of þis fals pees; and so wanting of þis pees is signe to many þat God loveþ hem. Ech word of þis gospel mai be told to þis entent; but it suffisiþ to have þe roote, and go liȝtli to oþer wittis. And muse we not how þis kingdom cam from Archilaus to Heroude; for if it hadde be profitable, God wolde have tolde it in his lawe. And so many treuþis profiten more while þei ben unknowen to men þan þei shulden profite knowyn; as Goddis lawe techiþ us.