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

done men under hem, and after þat þei profiten more, þei shal be heiȝer in hevene, and so þei seien, as þei shulden hope to come to hevene, so shulde þei hopen here to be heier in hevene. But siche proude men, and presumptuous of her staat, shulden traveil in virtues þat þei begilen not hem silf; and þerfore techiþ þe wise man, þat ever þe more þat þou be here, ever þe more meke þou shuldist be, in al manere of mekenes. And so, if þou be greet here, þou shuldist reste in þe last place, and suppose mekeli of þi silf wiþouten siche comparisoun. Ffor who is he þat may seie he serveþ God after his staat? and so statis here and statis in hevene, late or nevere acorden togidere, for fewe men here or noon serven God even to þer state; and so statis of men may cause þer dampnyng deep in helle, and for uneven service here in statis, may men ben ful lowe in hevene.

Þe lessoun of þis gospel is litil coud in þe Chirche, for lordis stryven wiþ hem silfe, and religiouse among hem silf, about heyenes of þer staat, and þe rote of al þis is pryde. And þei shulden wite þat states here ben harmful unto men, but ȝif men after her statis serven treuly to þer God; ffor falsnesse in statis makiþ men to be low or dampned.

ÞIS gospel telliþ how Crist distroiede sectis, techinge us how we shulden traveile suying Crist in þis. Þe storye of þe gospel seiþ þat whan þe Phariseis hadden herd þat Crist hadde stemned [The reading of B is stonyed, i.e. astonished; C, stoned, a 'y' being inserted by a later hand; stemnyde, E. Both Wycliffite versions have 'put to silence.'] Saduceis, on of þe Phariseis, þat was a doctour of lawe, temptide Crist on þis wise, and axide him þis question, Maister, which is a greet mandement in þe lawe? And Jesus seide to him þus, Þou