The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.

xij. CHAPITER.

THAT the vnderstonding which thei assignen to the secunde bifore sett text, writen ij^e. Cor. iiij^e. capitulum., forto seie that ther yn thilk text bi the Euangely Poul

vndirstode and meened the writing of the Newe Tes|tament, is not dewe ther to vndirstonding, y proue thus: Whanne Poul wroot thilk ij^e. text to the Co|rinthies, seiyng thus, If oure Euangelie be couered or be hid, it is couered to hem that perischen, the Euangelie of which he spekith in thilk text was had thanne presentli. Forwhi the text speking of thilk Euangelie spekith of it presentli, and not as of a thing aftir thanne to come. But the hool writing of the Newe Testament was not thanne had, as it is schewid now bifore in arguyng aȝens the mis vndir|stonding of the firste text. Wherfore by thilk Euan|gelie, of which Poul spekith in the seid ij^e. text, he vnderstode not the hool writing which is now had of the Newe Testament.

Also thus: Bifore and eer than eny word was writen of the Newe Testament, the Euangelie of God was, which to alle men ouȝte be denouncid, and whiche alle men ouȝten receyue, whanne it schulde be to hem denouncid. Wherfore the Euangelie of God is not the writing of the Newe Testament, for thanne the same thing had be bifore him silf, and eer than he was him silf, which includith repugnaunce. That the Euangeli of God was, bifore and eer than eny word was writen of the Newe Testament, y proue thus: The Euangelie of God which was to be denouncid to alle peple was in the dai in which Crist stied up into heuen: forwhi he seide thanne to hise disciplis: Go ȝe, and preche ȝe the Euangelie to ech creature. And open it is that he thanne bade not to hem forto preche any Euangelie which thanne was not and which thei thanne not knewen, but which thanne was and which thei thanne knewen; and as thanne no word was writen of the Newe Testament, as it is open ynouȝ. Wherfore folew|ith needis that the Euangelie which alle men schulden aftirward receyue into her saluacioun was, eer eny word was writun of the Newe Testament.

Also thus: Whanne euere the Apostilis prechiden the Euangelie of God, thanne thilk Euangelie was. For whi no thing was prechid, eer than it was: but so it is that the Euangelie of God was prechid bi the Apostlis soone aftir the Pentecost day, whanne thei hadden receyued the Holi Goost and kunnyng of langage, and whanne thei continueden so in preching bi manye ȝeeris eer they wroten. Wher fore the Euangelie of God (which Poul and othere Apostilis prechiden) was, eer any word was writen of the Newe Testament. And if this be trewe, thanne sithen the ij^e. seid text of Poul spekith of noon other Euangelie than of the Euangelie of God, for neither he neither eny creature ouȝte seie him to haue a propre Euangelie bisidis the Euangelie of God, it folewith nedis that Poul in his ij^e. text bifore alleggid, ij. Cor. xiiij^e. [Written on erasure. Read iiij^e] capitulum., meeneth and vnderstondith of this Euangelie of God, which was bifore and eer than the Newe Testament was writen, and eer than this writing which we now han of the Newe Testament was, and so not as forto signifie this writing of the Newe Testament the ij^e. text ouȝte take his dew vnderstonding. [vnderstondinging, MS.] Certis stories maken mension that Matheu wrote what he wrote of the Gospel in the xl^e. ȝeer of Crist, and Mark wrote what he wrote of the Gospel in the xliij^e. ȝeer of Crist, and Luk, (as it is open bi his owne prolog into what he wrote of the Gospel,) he wrote aftir othere writers, and (as summe stori seith) Iohun wrote what he wrote of the Gospel aboute the eende of his lijf aftir his comyng fro exile after the lxxx^e. ȝeer of Crist. Wherto sowneth sumwhat the epistle which Dionyse wrote to Iohun being in exile, as thouȝ Dionise schulde in thilk epistle haue prophecied Iohun to be delyuered fro exile and forto write of the Gospel of

God. [Dionys. Areop. Ep. x. (Op., tom. ii., p. 179. Ed. Cord.) It is almost needless to say that this is a spurious production.] And ȝit in al this while the Euangelie of God was, and the Gospel of God was; and it was not "couered, but to hem that perischiden." Wherfore the sentence and what is vnderstonde bi the seid ij^e. text of Poul was, eer Poul wroot thilk text, and eer any writing of the Newe Testament was in erthe. And therfore the verri dew sentence and propre vndir|stonding of thilk ij^e. text is not needis to be of the writing of the Newe Testament. Forwhi the sentence of thilk text is of the Euangeli of God prechid bi Poul, which Euangelie was prechid eer Poul was con|uertid and eer eny writing of the Newe Testament was.

Certis this Euangelie (which includith lawe of kinde and lawe of feith ȝouen bi Crist, and includith also other feith tauȝt bi Crist which is not lawe to man) is not couered, that is to sei, is not so derk that it be not bileeued and receyued and performed; saue in tho men whiche schulen not bileeue to it and re|ceyue it, whanne it is denouncid to hem, and therfore whiche schulen perische, for that thei not receyuen and bileeuen what is bi the Euangelie of God to be bileeued and receyued: and this was trewe eer the writing of the Newe Testament was. And this is the trewe and dew vnderstonding of the seid ij^e. text ij. Cor. iiij^e. capitulum. where it is seid thus: If oure Euan|gelie be couered, it is couered to hem whiche spillen: and that this is the verri trewe and dew vndirstond|ing of the same text the processe next without meene therto folewing schewith openli ynouȝ, which processe is bifore with the same text in the bigynnyng of this present chapiter rehercid.

Excludid therfore is thi gloriyng, which thou tookist into thee bi this that thou leernedist and studiedist

in the wordis and letter of the al hool Bible, or of the Newe Testament aloone, and bi the mys vndir|stonding of this ij^e. bifore rehercid text of Poul; and therbi enhauncidist thi silf aboue thi Cristen bri|theren and sistren not so in wordis and letter of the Bible leerned. Excludid certis is thi gloriyng therbi taken, and verrili it is excludid bi this that thin vn|trewe vnderstonding of thilk ij^e. text, (ȝhe, and thin vntrewe vndirstonding of also the first text) ben in|proued here, and the trewe and dewe vndirstondingis ben to hem here sett and assigned. Be waar ther|fore frohens forthward that noon of ȝou, so as ȝe han bifore this, glorie and enhaunce ȝou silf aboue alle othere Cristen not so leerned in the text of the Bible as ȝe ben, lest that y (which haue experience of ȝoure conuersacioun not according with the comaundementis of the Bible) seie to ech of ȝou what Poul seide in sumwhat lijk caas to the conuersis of Iewis, Romans ij^e. capitulum. fro the bigynnyng of the same chapiter into weel toward the eende, where Poul in the bigynning seith thus: Wherfore thou art vnexcusable, ech man that deemest: for in what thing thou demest the other man thou condempnest thi silf, for thou doost the same thingis whiche thou deemest, et cetera. And after there thus: Accepcioun of persoones is not anentis God: for who euere han synned withoute the lawe schulen perische with oute the lawe. And who euere han syn|ned in the lawe thei schulen be deemed bi the lawe: for the heerers of the lawe ben not iust anentis God, but the doers of the lawe schulen be mad iust. For whanne hethen men, whiche han not lawe, doon kindeli tho thingis whiche ben of the lawe, thanne thei not hauyng such lawe ben lawe to hem silf, that schewen the werk of the lawe writen in her hertis. For the conscience of hem ȝeldith to hem a witnessing bitwixe hem silf of thouȝtis, whiche ben accusing or defending, in the dai whanne God schal deeme the priuy thingis

of men aftir mi Gospel bi Iesu [ihū, MS.] Crist. But if thou art a named Iew, (or ellis for this present purpos for to seie thus: but if thou art a named knowun man,) and restist in the lawe, and hast glorie in God, and hast knowen his wil, and thou leerid in the lawe prouest the more profitable thingis, and trustist thi silf to be a leder of blynd men, the liȝt of hem that ben in derknessis, and techer of vnwise men, a maister of ȝong children, that hast the foorme of kunnyng and of trouthe in the lawe: what thanne. [There is no stop in the MS. What = why (τι).] techist thou another, and techist not thi silf? Thou that prechist me schal not stele, stelist? Thou that techist me schal do noon aduoutrie, doost avoutrie? Thou that wlatist mawmetrie, doost sacrilegie? Thou that hast glorie in the lawe, vnworschipist God bi breking of the lawe? Thus miche there and ful miche lijk to this present purpos.

That the vndirstonding which this bifore seid peple ȝeueth to the iij^e. bifore allegid text, Apocalips laste chapiter, in the eende, is not dew vndirstonding, y proue thus: The curs of whiche the iij^e. text spekith is not ȝouen but to hem that amys treten the Apocalips, as it is open bi the same iij^e. text. Wherfore bi thilk text it is not seid that eny curs is ȝouen to eny men amys treting eny other parti of the Newe Testament. Also thus: Oonli he, that makith the text of a book lenger than he is, settith to the wordis of thilk book; and oonli he, which makith the text of a book be schorter than he is, takith fro the wordis of thilk book. But so it is, that if a man makith a exposicioun or a declara|cioun to the text of a book, he makith not the book neither eny text of the book to be therbi the lenger or the schorter. Wherfore he in that settith not or put|tith not to the book or to the wordis of the book,

neither takith therfro; and therfore thouȝ a man ex|powne the Apocalips or eny other book or processe or text of the Newe Testament, he is not therfore in the curs of which it is spoken in the seid iij^e. text. And so open it is that the bifore seid persoons vndirstonden amys the same seid iij^e. text. But the trewe and verry vndirstonding ther of is this: That no man vndir peyne [vndirpeyne, MS.] of the seid curs schulde encrece or decrece the text or proces of the same book clepid the Apoca|lips, as perauenture, if this thretenyng hadde not be ȝouen, summen wolden haue do in encrecing or de|crecing; bicause that the Apocalips is morre wondirful than othere writingis of the Newe Testament ben. Also treuthe is that tho bifore seid men wolen ex|powne the Apocalips and othere placis of the Newe Testament, whanne euere eny of tho processis ben alleggid aȝens hem and aȝens her opiniouns. Wher|fore bi her vnderstonding which thei taken of the seid iij^e. text, that alle expowners and glose ȝeuers to Holi Scripture ben cursid, [acursid, MS. (first hand).] thei muste needis graunte hem silf to be cursid.

Now, Sires, whiche schulen rede this book, thouȝ thoruȝ out this present xij^e. chapiter y have taried upon thing which is as of in it silf litle worthi or not worthi to be spoken or writun, bi cause this present chapiter is reprouyng a thing which berith openli ynouȝ with him his owne reproof, ȝit bi cause that the persoones bifore seid glorien ful veinli and ful childli and lewdeli in tho iij. textis bifore in this chapiter tretid, and that aboue her gloriyng bi whiche in manie othere thei glorien, ech reder of this present chapiter haue pacience in his reding and haue me excusid of therof so long writing.