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

ÞE GOSPEL ON MYDSOMER DAI.

[SERMON CVI.]

Elizabeth impletum est tempus pariendi.—LUC. i. [57.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ of þe forme þat Joon Baptist was born inne, and seiþ; To Elizabeth was tyme fulfillid to bere child. For þe Wise man seiþ þat alle þingis have þer tyme. And siþ al þing mote nedis come in tyme þat God haþ ordeyned it, muche more þe tyme of Joon, þat God ordeyned [So E; ordeyneþ, A.] so speciali. And þus Elizabeth bare þis child. And her neiȝboris and her cosyns herden þat she was delyverid, and helden þat God hadde maad his mercy greet wiþ þis olde wiif, and joiefulli þankide God wiþ hir. And it fel in þe eiȝtiþ daie, þei camen to circumcide þe child; and þei clepiden him Zacarie after his fadirs name. And his modir answeride and seide, Nay, but he shal be clepid Joon. And þei seiden to Elizabeth, þat no man was in hir kyn þat was clepid bi þis name; whi shulde he be clepid so? But þei bekeneden to his fadir, what he wolde þat he were clepid, and he axide a metal pointel [poyntel, E.] , and wroot, and seide, Joon is his name.

And so miracle was wiþ Joon Baptist, boþe bifore his birþe and aftir; for, as men taken of þe gospel, Zacarie trowide not

to þis aungel, and þerfore bi þe wille of God he was doumbe til þis tyme, and here he recoveride his speche, and tolde what þe child shulde hatte [bote, E.] . For boþe his eldris helden in þer mynde how Gabriel wolde þat he hiȝte Joon. And herfore woundride folk al aboute. And anoon his mouþ was opened, and his tunge was unboundun, and he spak and blesside God for þe þing þat bifel þus. And drede was on alle her neiȝboris. And þes wordis weren publishid upon alle hiȝe coostis of Judee. And alle þat herden of þis þing puttiden in þeir herte and seiden, Who, trowist þou, shal þis child be? for þe hond of oure Lord was wiþ him. Sacarie was a famous man, wiþ Elizabeth his wyf, and many myraclis weren bifallen aboute þe birþe of þis Joon; and þus þe contre preiside him muche, for many causis þat weren in him. It was a miracle þat þe aungel telde him in so holi a place; it was miracle þat Sacary was dombe, for he wolde not trowe þis aungel; it was miracle þat so oold folk brouȝten forþ þis child in her olde daies; it was miracle þat his eeldris on þis manere namyde þe child; and al þe lyf þat Joon lyvede was ful of miraclis bifore and after.

And þus his fadir profeciede, bi filling of þe Holi Goost; Blessid be þe Lord God of Israel, for he haþ visited and maad þe biyng aȝen of his peple. And so Joones fadir and his modir and he himsilf weren maad prophetis. And here mai trewe preestis touche how þis world is blyndid bi foli, when it sueþ men as patrouns þat weren foolis and ful of synne, and leven Crist and Baptist þat weren bigyneris of oure ordir. And herof pleynede Crist in þe gospel, þat þei singen neiþer wiþ him ne wipen [wepen, E.] wiþ Baptist, but wiþ oþer foolis whos liif is biside bileve.