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

ON CHILDREN MASSE DAY.

[SERMON XCIII.]

Angelus domini apparuit.—MATT. ii. [13.]

Þe Lordis aungel apperide in sleep to Joseph, and seide: Rise, and take þe child and his modir, and flee into Egipt, and be þou þere til Y seie to þee; for it is to come þat Eroude seke þe child for to lese him and his felowis wiþ him. And Joseph roos up, and toke in þe nyȝt þe child and his modir, and fledde into Egipt. And Joseph was þere to þe deeþ of Heroude. And þis was done of Joseph, for to fulfille þat þat was seid by þe prophete, þat seide: Out of Egipt Y clepe my sone, seiþ God of Crist. And þanne Heroude sawȝ þat he was disseyved of þe kyngis, and was ful wroþ, and sente into Bedelem, and slowȝ al þe children þat weren in Bedelem, and in alle þe coostis biside, þat weren of two ȝeer and wiþinne, after þe tyme þat he souȝte out of þes kyngis, þat Crist shulde be of age. For as men seien comunli, þe same ȝeer þat Crist was born, Eroude wente to Rome and brente þes kyngis

ship [

brente þes kyngis ship. This sin|gular legend is not found, so far as I can discover, in any writer of earlier date than Petrus Comestor, (the Mangiadore of Dante, Paradiso, xii. 134), author of the Historia Scholastica, from whom De Lyra quotes it. Peter was a priest of Troyes in the twelfth century; the Historia is said to have been pro|duced in the year 1181. In the dedication, addressed to the arch|bishop of Sens, Peter declares that he had written the work at the urgent entreaty of many friends, in order to 'elucidate the too brief and obscure narrative of holy scripture.' Labbe, in his Scriptores Ecclesiastici, thus writes of him;—'Historiam Ecclesiasticam consarcinavit eamque glossis tum falsissimis tum insulsis|simis refercivit, quae tamen ita tum ubique obtinuit, ut ipsi scripturae sacrae nudae ac purae pene pre|ferretur.'

The story of the veracious Petrus is, that while Herod was on his way to Rome, whither he had been sum|moned by Augustus with reference to the quarrels between him and his sons, he stayed for a time at Tarsus in Cilicia, and burnt all the ships of the people of Tarsus, in revenge for their having provided the wise men with a ship to return home in. Whereby the prophecy in the forty|eighth Psalm was fulfilled, 'Thou shalt break the ships of Tarshish with an east wind,' Tarshish being of course identical with Tarsus!

] , and dwelte þere aboute two ȝeer bifore he cam aȝen. And þerfore he slow alle þe children þat weren two ȝeer, for he dredde him of Christ þat he shulde take his kingdom; siþ þis alien [Herod was an alien and no Jew, being the son of Antipater the Idumaean.] was kyng bi þe graunt of Romayns, and he wiste not how Crist wolde do þat was bi kynde kyng. And þanne was fulfillid þat was seid bi Jeremye: A vois was herd in hiȝ, which vois was a wepinge and a greet weiling,—Rachel was weping for hir children and she wolde not be confortid, for þei weren not, quic þus.

Þis prophecie is undirstonden on many maneres of men. Sum men undirstonden it, þat Rachel wepte in spirit þat þei weren not hir children þat weren kild in Bedleem, but hir sistris children; for þei weren kild martiris. Oþer men undir|stonden by Rachel holi Chirche; and þes martiris weren hir children þat she wepte fore, not for þe martirdom þat was in hem, but for þe synne þat was done aȝens hem. And þe remenant of þe word is undirstonden [So E; A has undirstonding.] denyingli, þat þe Chirche wolde not be confortid of þis, þat her children weren dede. For she þouȝte it no disconfort by many enchesouns; oon, þat it mut nede be, as God himsilf haþ ordeyned,—and he ordeyneþ evere for þe beste, ȝif we coudyn perseyve it. How shulde we grutche aȝens God þat we trowen doiþ so wel? Also, we trowen

þat þes seintis weren take in þer best tyme, so þat many ben betere þan þei shulden have be unmartrid. Whi shulde þe Chirche sorowe for her grete goode? Many sich resouns ben maad, þat men shulden be pacient and confourme hem to Goddis wille, and enjoie of þe more goode. And þus men seien þat þe Chirche is worshipid bi martirs. Crist is heed of martiris, and oonli bi himsilf; but his membris ben martris upon þre maneres: sum in wille and dede,—and þus was Stephen martrid; and sum in wille, and not in dede,—and þus was Joon martrid; and sum men in dede and not in wille, and þus weren þes children martrid.

But men douten comunli how alle þes weren martris, siþ circumcisioun was þanne as nedeful as now is baptym. But licly many of hem weren kild bifore þe eiȝtþe dai, and, bifore þat, þei shulden not be circumcidid bi þe lawe. Here many men þenken þat þer ben many circumcisiouns, as þer ben many baptemys, as it is knowun comunli. And God is not so oblishid to sensible sacramentis þat ne he mai, wiþouten hem, ȝyve a man his grace. And as God ȝaf martiris grace, wiþouten baptym of water, bi baptym of þe Hooli Goost and bi water of Cristis side, so mai men suppose of circumcisioun; and so alle þes Innocentis weren circumcided in soule. Þus mai men suppose bineþe bileeve.

And many men supposen þis more þan of þes seintis þat now ben canonisid bi þe Court of Rome, for lordship, or money, or favour of partis; for þus may þe Court be blyndid in many sich canonisingis. Also, fals witnessis proven not bifore God; whi shulden we bileve þat þes witnessis seien soþ? also, many sich signes þat ben holden myraclis mai be done bi þe fend, and many moo þan þei; what evidence is of þes, þat þis soule is in hevene? Som soulis ben in hevene bi witnesse of holi writt, and þis witnes is more worþ þan a þousand courtis; and bileve of Cristen men is þat þes ben seintis. But men supposen bineþe bileve þat oþer men ben seintis, after evidence þat þei have, ouþer more or lesse: as sum men sup|posen, and sum leeven levefulli; and sum men trowen treuli, þat alle sich seintis profiten not to men but ȝif þei maken hem love Crist. So, ȝif men wolden betere love Crist wiþouten sich feestis,

it were beter to hem to wante sich seintis. But wiþ þis it is soþ, þat many ben seintis in hevene, as Laurence and Kateryne [At the early period (middle of the third, and early in the fourth century) at which these saints lived, no formal rules for canonization ex|isted. Yet St. Laurence is a strange instance to choose; for though he was not formally canonized, his feast was solemnly kept in the Roman church at least ever since the fifth century; and this was the more natural, because he was a native of Rome. See his life in Alban Butler (Aug. 10).] , alȝif Rome canonise hem nevere. But siþ þes seintis ben not expressid in þe lawe of holi writt, men ben not holden to trowe it expressli þat þes ben seintis in hevene: for after þat treuþe is in holi writt shulden men trowe þis treuþe. And so, as it is ofte seid, holi writt conteyneþ al treuþe: sum treuþe expresli,—and þat shulden men þus trowe,—and sum treuþe pryvyli,—and þat shulden men trowe in comune. And God woot of þes festis, wheþer þe Chirche ben betere for hem; for if men loven more Crist and holden betere Goddis lawe bi þis multitude of festis, and bi þe seiyng of her houris, þanne it profitiþ to sich men to kepe sich þingis wel. And ȝif þes festis, wiþ þes ymages and þes houris, weren left of men, and þanne þei loveden betere Crist, and diden betere service þat he bad hem; þanne it profitide to sich men to leve siche serymonies. And it semeþ to many men, siþ Crist, wiþ alle hise apostlis, lefte alle siche þingis and lyvede betere in charite, and kepte betere þe bidding of God, so men myȝten now do. But men shulden not here diffyne, but ȝif God tolde it hem; for boþe sich doyng and sich lyvynge myȝte do, in caas, harm or good. But algatis men shulden seie, þat þei shulden not leve þe office þat Crist bad hem expresly for sich newe ordenaunce.

And it is knowun þat many harmes and many errours fallen bi þes festis; first, in þe purchasyng of canonisyng of seintis at Rome; after, in coveitouse occupiyng togedre moneie bi siche seintis; and algatis in mystrowyng þat men have of sich seintis. As sum men trowen þat Seint Thomas, Erchebishop of Cantirbirie, diede for dowyng of þe Chirche, and to defende goodis þerof. And it were more licli to men, and more acording to Goddis lawe, þat men shulden be seintis in hevene for to bringe holi Chirche to þe ordenance þat Crist

ordeynede; and þat was pore state of preestis. And herfore trowen many men, þat cause þat made Seint Thomas martir was, þat he spake aȝens wolves þat weren aboute to murþere lambren; and suffrede not, for defaute of preching, Goddis vyneȝerde passe to a wortȝerd. And þus bishopis and clerkis, wiþ kingis, holden stifli aȝens Thomas; and þus we redyn [reden, E.] of Seint Thomas, and trowen it betere, but lesse þan feiþ. And þus shulde we not stryve, as foolis, how hye þis Thomas is in hevene, and what seintis in hevene he passiþ; as done þes newe foundun ordris of her patrouns [as done þes newe foundun ordris of her patrouns. This looks like a re|ference to the famous Liber Con|formitatum of Bartholomew of Pisa; but if it be, this sermon was not written by Wyclif, for that work, according to Gieseler (Eccl. Hist. vol. iv. p. 155) was not written till 1385. In it is said, (I quote from Gieseler) that the brother Pacificus had seen in a vision many seats in heaven, 'inter quas vidit unam em|inentiorem aliis et prae omnibus gloriosius fulgentem, et ornatam omni lapide pretioso;' of which seat it was told him,—'haec sedes fuit Luciferi, et loco ejus sedebit humilis Franciscus.' It is, however, probable that the exaltation of their founder in Paradise was a favourite theme with Franciscan preachers in all countries, long before the ap|pearance of the Liber Conformita|tum.] , for whom þei stryven how hie seintis þei ben in hevene. And ȝit þei can neiþer teche bi resoun ne bi bileve þat þei ben seintis in hevene, ne þat þei passe þe leste in hevene. But men mai trowe, whoso wole, þes fablis for which foolis stryven. God ȝyve us grace to love him, and kepe his lawe, and love it; for þat is betere to Cristene men, þan kepe þes festis of þes seintis. For ech preier to þese seintis moot be knytt wiþ helpe of God. For, if we loven Crist in his ordre betere for love of siche seintis, þanne þes festis profiten to us; but comunli þei done us harm. But al oure craft were for to knowe what we shulden take as bileve, and what þing we shulden suppose; and what þing forsaken as fals.