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

ÞE GOSPEL ON CONVERSIOUN DAI OF SEINT POUL.

[SERMON XCVIII.]

Ecce reliquimus [So in E; A has relinquimus.] omnia.—MATT. xix. [27.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ of þe meede þat Crist bihiȝte to his hie knyȝtis. Petre was of greet bileve, and hardi in axing, and axiþ þus Crist:—Lo, we hav forsaken alle þingis, and we hav sued þee; what mede shal be to us for þis suynge? Here men douten comunli, how Petre seide soþ; siþ men forsaken not but þing þat þei have hadde, and Petre was a fishere, and hadde but litil þing. Also þer ben many þingis þat Petre þouȝte nevere on; but how shulde he forsake þing þat nevere cam in his þouȝt? Also, Petre forsoke nevere þe Holi Trinite, ne þe manheede of Crist, þat ben many þingis. How approveþ Crist þes false wordis of Petre? Here it semeþ to many men þat Petre undirstood þus,—þat þei forsoken alle þingis [The words þat—þingis are om. in E.] ,—for alle þes worldli goodis; siþ þei helden þer bisynesse and þer wille fro þes goodis. And þis witt mente Crist, in his speche

aftir to Petre. And þus biddiþ Crist bi Luk and Joon to forsake and hate seven goodis. And þes wordis mai serve wel to þis undirstonding; and þis witt was soþ of Petre and oþer apostlis; siþ a manere of forsakyng is to leeve wille to siche goodis, and þei hadden not suyd Crist þus, but ȝif þei hadden left sich will. And it is liȝt to assoile objectis aȝens þis [It is easy to solve the objections raised against this text.] . To þe firste we seien, þat Peter, bifore he suyd Crist, hadde in his affeccioun al manere of sich þing; and þis desire he lefte, and so alle siche þingis. To þe secounde word we seien, þat þer ben many þouȝtis and many desiris to þingis, as special or general. Petre hadde general desire to al manere of siche þingis, and general forsakyng axiþ sum mede. And clerkis seien, þat special mai not be wiþouten general, and þis forsaking makiþ hem to have þes þingis þe which þei forsoken,—ȝhe, betere þan þei hadden bifore; as, ȝif a man forsake for Crist his fadir and modir, he haþ hem þanne betere þan whanne he lovede hem fleishli.

The þridde obiect þat here is maad goiþ not aȝens oure sentence. For ech man mai wel wite þat Petre þouȝte not to leve Crist, siþ Petre seiþ, next aftir, þat þei suen Crist; and þat is verri tokene þat þei forsaken not þus Crist, siþ þei forsaken al manere of erþeli þingis for Crist; and þis axiþ grete mede, siþ it is myche, and wilful; and mede bihiȝt to traveilours makiþ hem traveile betere. Oþer chartris he nediþ not but þe word of Crist; for wordis of þe firste treuþe passen alle oþer chartris.

Jesus seide to hem, to whom he spak þes wordis: Soþeli I seie to ȝou, þat ȝe þat þus hav suyd me, in þe laste making of men [So E; A excludes making of men from the italics.] , whanne mannis sone shal sitte in sete of his majeste, ȝe shal sitte in twelve setes and juge twelve kynredis of Israel. Here shal we wite þat Crist spak not oonli to þes twelve, but generali to oþer seintis þat passingli suen Crist; for ȝif Crist bihiȝte þis to Scarioth, and lefte to ȝeve þis mede to Poul, what truþe were in Cristis wordis, or what mede to oþer men? It semeþ þat Crist undirstondiþ his sitting at þe dai of dome; for þis seete of juging is propre to him, boþe God and man; and þerfore it is

wel clepid, a seete of his majeste. Þis noumbre of twelve is noumbre of alle passinge seintis, þat nyȝ suen Crist in staat of apostlis, and algatis forsoken [forsaken, E.] þe world for the love of Crist. Þe noumbre of þes seintis shal be partid in twelve, and juge alle lesse seintis, which ben also partid in twelve. And alle þes ben Jacobis sones, and seen all clereli God. And þus seien men comunli þat þre manere of men shal come to Cristis jugement. Sum, passinge seintis þat sueden nyȝ Crist, as patriarkis, and Baptist, and oþer Cristis disciplis. And þes, for þei weren liȝt and ensample to oþer, shal juge oþer þat sueden hem to þer boþe [broþeres, E.] worship. And þis jugement shal not be but þis witnessinge of treuþe. Þe secounde part þat shal come to Cristis laste jugement shal be seintis þat shal sue þes grete seintis. And it is no contrariouste [contrarioste, E.] þat þes same seintis ben of þes boþe partis, bi dyverse resouns. Þe more part of men, in þe laste jugement, shal be men þat shal be dampned, and þis is a greet part. Of þes men seiþ þe Psalm, þat þei risen not up in jugement; þei shal be jugid of God, and of alle hise seintis, for to go to helle for her wickid liif. And þis mede, bihiȝt of Crist, passiþ alle þes worldli goodis. Blessid be þis duke of bataile, þat þus rewardiþ his knyȝtis; for þis is more confortable, and betere bi a þousand part, þan wages ȝovun in erþeli batailis of knyȝtis or of clerkis. Lord! siþ þis suyng for [of, E.] Crist is forsaking of worldli goodis, and profiting in poverte after þat Crist lyvede, how myche shulden we preestis drede þat we failen in þis!

And for þis myddil part þat shal come to þe jugement, bihotiþ Crist, þat ech þat forsakiþ for him ony of þes eiȝte þingis [So E; om. A.] , shal have an hundred fold here in þis lyf, and, after, pesible possessioun of þe liif of blisse. Scorne we þes foolis þat seien, bi þes Cristis wordis, þat ech seint shal have here a hundrid wyves at þe laste, and so of oþer sevene þingis þat þe gospel rehersiþ. Here mark we alle þes eiȝte, which ben hous and breþeren, sistren, and fadir, and modir, wif or children, or feldis, wiþ oþer rentis. And marke we þe fruyt þat man haþ of worldli havyng of þes eiȝte, and, on þe oþer side, havyng þat just men have here; and

we shal wel undirstonde þat þis secounde havynge passiþ an hundrid fold þe first in fruyt and profit. And here we taken two þingis as Cristyn mennys bileve:—oon, þat sich men han al manere of þingis; anoþer, þat sich goostli havynge passiþ worldli havyng. And þanne mai we telle scorne by sich asse argumentis:—ȝif a man shal have here an hundred fold so good þing as is þis wif, þanne he shal have an hundrid wyves! Kepe we wordis of þe gospel, and witt of it þerwiþ, and alle þe fendis or false men mai not disprove a word þerof.