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

ÞE DECOLLACIOUN DAI OF SEINT JOHN BAPTIST IN HERVEST, ÞE GOSPEL.

[SERMON CXVI.]

Misit Herodes.—MARK vi. [17.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ þe cause and forme whi þat Baptist was do to deþ, and seiþ, how þat Heroude þe kyng sente and held Joon Baptist, and bonde hym in prysoun for a womman, Herodias, which was wiif and weddid to Philip, Heroudis broþir. For Joon seide to þis Heroude, It is not leeveful to þee for to have þi broþeris wiif, while ȝe boþe ben on lyve. And herfore þis Herodias aspiede Joon many gatis, how he myȝte be do to deþ. But alȝif she wolde do þis, ȝit she myȝte not come þerto. Þe cause of envie to Joon was his tellinge of treuþe, þat shulde be profitable to Heroude and eke to þis wickide womman. And þis cause shulde glorifie martirdome of a man; for it touchiþ Goddis riȝt, and profit of þe yvel part, and charite of þe martir þat telliþ þis for Goddis sake. And beter cause haþ no man in suffringe of martirdome. Þis Heroude dredde Joon Baptist, for

he wiste þat he was a just man, and þerto an hooly man, and kepte him more tenderli. For men have kyndely drede of God and of his lawe. And þerfore Heroude herde Joon, and aftir him dide many þingis, and herde Joon wiþ good wille, in þingis þat touchide conscience. And whan a covenable day fell to Heroude and þis wickide womman, Heroude, in þe daie þat he was born inne, made a feste to tribunes and to princis of þe temple, and to þe gretteste maistris þat dwelten in Galile. And þus many men þenken þat Heroude was an ypocrite; for he caste to slee þis Seint Joon, and florishide it wiþ falshede. And as men sup|posen, al þis cast cam first of þis false womman. For as wymmen, where þei ben goode, passen oþer creaturis, so, where þei ben turned to yvel, þei passen many oþer fendis.

And whanne þe douȝter of þis womman was entrid in to þe halle, and pleside to Heroude and his gestis bi tumbleris lepyng [

The … of the original is rendered in the Vulgate 'quum saltasset,' which the first Wycliffite version naturally translates, 'whanne the douȝter . . . . hadde lepte,' and the present writer understands of a tumbler or female acrobat. Such displays were common in the middle ages. Chaucer, in describing a fes|tive meeting (Romaunt of the Rose, near the beginning), speaks of 'sail|louris:'—

'There was many a tymbester,And saillouris that I dar wel swereCouthe her craft ful parfitly.

] , þis kyng seide to þis wenche þat she shulde axe what she wolde. And he swore to þis wenche þat whatever she axide him he shulde ȝeve it to hir, if it were half his rewme. And bi þes wordis it semeþ þat þis fraude was cast bi þis womman and Heroude; or ellis he were to greet a fool, to ȝyve half his rewme for lepyng of a strumpet. And þis wenche wente forþ and axide at hir modir, what she shulde aske of þis kyng Heroude. And hir modir bad hir axe þe heed of Joon Baptist. And whanne þis wenche cam in anoon wiþ haste to þe kyng, she axide and seide, I wole anoon þat þou ȝeve me þe heed of Joon Baptist in a dishe. And þe kyng was sori; for his grete ooþ and for his gestis he wolde not make þis wenche sorowful, but sente for a man-sleere, and bad brynge to him þe heed of Joon Baptist. And he girde of his heed in prisoun, and brouȝte his heed in a dishe and ȝaf it to þis wenche, and she ȝaf it to hir modir. And whanne þis þing was herd, þe disciplis of Joon camen and token his bodi and putten it in a sepulcre.

What man wolde not suppose, þat ne al þis þing was done bi fraude of þis fals womman, for treuþe of Joon displeside hir? And doyng of Heroude was not wiþouten blame, for he shulde not swere þus to a ȝong strumpet; and ȝif þis fool hadde swore þus, he shulde not fulfille þis ooþ; for folie hepid upon folie greveþ God more. She axide þis heed in a dishe bi feyned addicioun, for so she myȝte more liȝtli brynge þis heed in to þe kyng, and wite more sikirli bi þe siȝte of many men þat it was Baptistis heed þat she hadde in þe dishe. And men þat sawun þis done shulden not rebelle aȝens þe kyng, for it was done in þe prisoun pryvyly fer from men.

And feyned treuþe of þe kyng semeþ to foolis to excuse þis deed, and so it semede no help [So in E, which has the word boote, crossed out, before help; A reads no but to venge.] to venge þe dede þat was done. And sich a cautil of þe fend is in many grete synnes. For men feynen bi ypocrisie þat þis þing moste nede be done, and goodnesse wiþ treuþe of hem excusiþ hem of þe dede. And, for wymmen ben of short witt, þei ben meenes to siche dedis. But folie and lustis of men ben often more to blame þan wymmen. As, ȝif wymmen knewun not Goddis lawe in dowyng of preestis, and it semeþ to wymmens witt boþe almes and merci, and þei meeven lordis herto,—as þes wymmen diden Eroude,—þis synne is in þes proctours, but more in þes lordis. And þus fendis wilis of freris aqueynten hem wiþ ladies, and þei ben meenes to lordis to have þat þes fendis axen. And þus is fiȝting brouȝt in, and Goddis lawe reversid. For who may denye þat ne lordis done aftir ladies, or þat freris conseilen wiþ ladies, or myche synne is now up bi workes of lordis? And knytte alle þes togidere, and freris ben ground þerof, more sutil and sinful þan þis lepynge strumpet. But unknowynge of Goddis lawe excusiþ hem not here, for þat shulden lordis trowe, and not þes fals meenes. For fendis and þer giles shulden be put bihinde God, and treuþis of Goddis lawe shulden be taken in worshipe.