The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.

xvj. CHAPITER.

FOR answere to the xij^e. argument y graunte the i^e. premisse of the argument, and y denye the ij^e. pre|mysse of it; which ij^e. premisse is this: That bothe Iewis and hethen men worschipiden ymagis for Goddis, whiche thei wisten be [ben, MS. (first hand).] mad bi mannys hondis,—if thilk premysse be vndirstonde thus, that thei wor|schipiden eny suche ymagis withoute more therto sett, as for eny ful hool God. For that this is vntrewe y schal schewe bi witnessing of Holi Scripture, and bi witnessing of him which was an ydolatrer and a greet clerk among hethen men, (whos name is Hermes Tris|megistus, [Trimegistus, MS., and so also below.] ) and also bi doom of resoun. First, bi tes|timonye of Holi Scripture thus. It is writun in the lxxxxv^e. Psalme thus: Alle goddis of hethen men ben feendis, forsothe God made heuenes. But so it is, that noon ymagis maad bi mennys hondis ben feendis or weren euere feendis. Wherfore no Goddis of hethen men ben or weren oonli ymagis mad bi mennys hondis. Certis this argument is so formal a sillogisme that no man may denye his forme in proceding: and the firste premysse is witnessid pleinli bi Holi Scripture in lxxxxv^e. Psalme, and the ij^e. premysse is open and sure ynouȝ in ech mannis resoun. Wherfore the con|clusioun of the same argument is also needis to be trewe.

Also Hermes Trismegistus in his book, (as Austyn rehercid, [Lib.] viij. De Civ. Dei, c. xxiij. and c. xxiiij. ["Ille (Hermes Trismegistus) visibilia et contrectabilia simulacra velut corpora Deorum esse asserit; inesse autem his quosdam spiritus invitatos, qui valeant aliquid, sive ad nocendum, sive ad desideria eorum nonnulla complenda, à quibus eis divini honores et cultus obsequia deferuntur." S. Aug., De Civ. Dei, lib. viii. c. 23., where much more may be seen to the same purpose. The work referred to by S. Augus|tine is the Asclepius, or …, a Neo-Platonic production, which may be assigned to the third century after Christ, being probably the earliest of the works attributed to Hermes Trismegistus.] ,) seith pleinli, "that tho ymagis whiche he

and othere hethen men worschipiden for Goddis, weren ymagis maad quyke bi pure Goddis descend|ing and aliȝting into hem:" and so bi witnessing of this greet clerk ydolatrer he and othere hethen men worschipiden not for Goddis the baar ymagis, as thei weren made bi mennys hondis. And no man couthe ȝeue to us surer and sikerer and trewer instruccioun how ydolatrers diden, than he which was an ydolatrer in him silf, and was a greet clerk among hem, and was a greet defender of ydolatrie bi hise writingis.

Bi resoun also y mai proue this same present pur|pos thus: Hethen men and also Iewis weren [were, MS. (first hand).] neuer so lewid that thei passiden in lewidnes children of x. ȝeer age now lyuyng, or suche persoones whiche in these daies ben clepid and take for foolis. Forwhi the deedis of greet wisdom which thei diden schewen [schewith, MS. (first hand).] weel that thei weren [were, MS. (first hand).] ful wise, and as wise as ben now the wisist of Cristen men, as euydence herto ful good is sett in the firste premysse of the xij^e. argu|ment. And sithen it is so, that no child neither eny other fonnysch man now lyuyng wole knouleche and bileeue, that a carpenter or a masoun schal or mai make a thing better than him silf, and such a thing that schal helpe men and do weel to hem, and to whiche thei mowe weel preie for help in her nedis; it folewith that the grete naciouns of hethen men and of Iewis with solempne kingis and emperouris and othere lordis and grete clerkis neuer so myche dotiden and erriden forto worschipe and take eny ymage maad bi man, that it withoute more therto had schulde be to hem her Souereyn Lord and her God.

What thanne was the hool thing which thei wor|schipiden for eny God, good it were forto here leerne and knowe. And forto here the treuthe herof this muste be seid in this mater. Soone aftir the bigyn|nyng of the world, bisidis hem that lyueden in doom of resoun and therwith recuyueden bileeue fro God and aungelis, summe othere and manye lyueden in doom of resoun oonli and receyueden not such now seid bileeue delyuered to the world bi God and bi aungelis. And of these men summe in her resonyng couthen not fynde that ther was or is eny other sub|staunce being saue bodili substaunce, as the iiij. ele|mentis binethe, with alle the mengid bodies maad of hem in the eir, in the see, and in the erthe, summe lyuyng summe not lyuyng, and as the vij. planetis of heuen with her orbis and whelis, and as the fix sterris with her orbe or whele. And ferthermore these men, bi cause thei fonden that in the planetis and sterris and her seid orbis and whelis weren noon contrarietees [contraritees, MS. (first hand).] suche as ben in the iiij. elementis by|nethe, therfore thei concludiden and helden that al the bodili heuen aboue the iiij. elementis with alle hise parties was vnmaad, and was euer withoute bi|gynnyng of tyme, and schal euer be withoute corrup|cion and withoute noon being. And ferthermore, for as myche as these men aspieden weel bi greet witt, that the seid parties of heuen reuliden ful myche the worchingis of bodies here binethe in the louȝer world, and thei couthen not come ferther forto wite what was doon in eny bodi here binethe which deede was not reulid bi hem aboue, therfore thei helden and trowiden that the bodili heuen and hise seid parties reuliden al that was reuleable here bynethe among men and among othere bodies and thingis; and folew|ingli herof thei helden and trowiden that heuen and

hise parties weren the best thingis in al the hool vnyuersite of thingis and of beingis. And sithen ech of these men feelid weel in himsilf, that he hadde nede for to haue help and reuling more than an other man myȝte do to him, and that in manye caasis; and bettir help myȝte he not loke aftir than summe of tho thingis whiche he trowid to be beste thingis, as weren in his conceit and semyng the bodili heuen and hise seid bodili parties; therfore ech such man was stirid and moved forto chese to him summe of these planetis or sterris forto be to him his souereyn helper and lord of hise nedis, and therbi ech such man made to him sum planet or sterre forto be to him his God. And manye of these men accordiden to gidere in chesing to hem oon and the same thing for her God, and manye othere accordiden to gidere in chesing to hem an other thing for her God. And thus it was with men of the seid soort lyuyng in resoun oonli withoute feith, and which myȝten not in doom of her resoun rise hiȝer or fynde ferther, than that alle substauncis in the hool vnyuersite of thingis ben bodies oonli.

Summe othere and manye weren quycker in natural witt and waxiden better [better added in the margin in a later(?) hand.] philsophiris, and in her re|sonyng thei founden that in the hool vniuersite of thingis ben vnbodili substauncis, (that is to seie, spi|ritis,) bisidis the bodili substauncis in the same hool vniuersite of thingis; and thei couthen not fynde bi her resoun, but that tho spiritis weren vnmade and vndeedli withoute bigynnyng or eending in tyme; and that these spiritis weren gretter reulers of chauncis and deedis doon here bynethe than the bodili sub|stauncis, being parties of the bodili heuen, weren [were, MS. (first hand).]

reulers of chauncis here bynethe. And whether among these spiritis oon was worthiest and hiȝest ouer alle the othere or no, thei wisten not; but thei trowiden weel that ech of hem was a greet prince and a reuler of this world, and that ech man hadde nede forto haue loue and fauour and good lordschip of ech of hem. And thanne for as miche as ech such seid man knewe weel and feelid weel in him silf, that he hadde nede to more help and to better lordschip than eny man myȝte do and ȝeue to him in erthe; and he her|with trowid no thing be better and myȝtier and ver|tuoser than ech of these spiritis to be, and that ech of tho spiritis was sufficient forto be his good lord, louer, helper and socorer in needis, therfore ech such man was moued bi doom of resoun forto chese to him such a spirit to be to him his Souereynest Lord and so to be to him his God. And thanne ferther, sithen him thouȝte in his resoun that forto cleue to a thing as to his Souereyn Lord, whom he wolde worschipe, loue, and serue, and ȝit for to haue noon homelynes with the same thing were an vnchereful thing to the same man, and it were damageful to the Lord so chosun, (in as myche as in this straungenes the lasse worschip and the lasse loue and seruice this man schulde do to him,) and her with al him thouȝte that thilk Lord was resonable, was curteis, was gentil, and louyng, and also wijs forto consente into a purpos strecching in to his more worschiping and seruyng; therfore thilk man deemed in his resoun that if he wolde make an honest, fair, riche, and preciose ymage vndir this entent, that oon such seid hiȝ spirit schulde vouche saaf forto aliȝte and descende into it, thilk spirit wolde al redi conforme him to the seid entent of the man. And ferthermore, sithen men knewen weel the power of spiritis to be ful grete and to be gretter than men myȝten comprehende, men trowiden that tho spiritis wolden so ioyne hem silf with tho

ymagis in so curiose and hiȝe and incomprehensible maner aboue mannys witt, that of the spirit and of the ymage to gidere in an vndeclarable maner schulde be maad a sensible God; sumwhat lijk to the maner in which we Cristen men bileeuen that God descen|did into mankinde and couplid so to him a singuler mankinde, that he which was bifore pure God invisi|bili was aftirward sensible visibil man, and wolde so be and lyue among men for loue which he hadde to men and for nede which men hadden therto. And her upon men maden suche seid ymagis and assaieden forto stire and prouoke suche seid spiritis forto de|scende and come into tho maad ymagis, and where and whanne thei weeneden and trowiden gode spiritis forto haue come into tho ymagis, badde spiritis en|triden into tho ymagis; and bi certein whilis wolden moue and speke and wirche sensibili in tho ymagis, and bi manye othere whilis thei wolden [wolde, MS. (first hand).] do no thing sensibili in the same ymagis, and herbi tho feendis lettiden and bigileden thilk men forto labore ferther that thei myȝten fynde the verri God which is God of Cristen men. And so, forto come into the point for which y write this processe, these hethen men worschipiden not the pure ymage in it silf as for her God, (no more than Cristen men worschipen now the singuler· manhede of Crist as for Crist and as for God,) and ȝit the hethen men helden her God to be bodili and bodied in a maner which thei couthen not at fulle vndirstonde, euen as we Cristen men holden now oure God to be bodili and to be bodied in a maner which no Cristen man kan at the ful com|prehende and vndirstonde. And as it is trewe that Cristen men worschipen a man and a born man in this world for her God, but thei worschipen not so

the pure manhode in him silf with oute more therto sett; so the hethen men worschipiden an ymage and a bodili graued thing for her God, but not the pure bodili graued ymage in him silf with oute more for her God. And so these ij. thingis whiche Scripture seith of ydolatrers stonden to gidere and ben trewe: that alle Goddis of hethen men ben feendis; and also in the cxxxiiij^e. Psalme, that the Goddis of hethen men ben gold and siluer, the werkis of mennis hondis; euen as Cristen men wolen graunte these ij. thingis stonde to gidere and be to gidere trewe; that God is a Spirit vnbodili; and the same God is a man, and a bodi bigete of a womman, and nurischid of hir, and which was slein, and was mad deede. Thus miche is ynouȝ, as for now and here, forto knowe how ydolatrie came vp.

And that this conceit of ydolatrie is not feyned, it is open. Forwhi ellis Holi Scripture herto bifore alleggid mai not conuenientli and likely be saued, nei|ther the testimonye of Hermes mai ellis weel stonde, neither resoun mai consent how ydolatrie in so wise persoones schulde in other wise bigynne and be doon. Ferthermore, for as myche as the seide hethen men trowiden the seid ymagis to haue be quyke continueli with the seid spiritis whom thei trowiden to haue be Goddis, therfore tho hethen men trowiden tho ymagis to haue alwey herd what men spaken to hem and haue seen what was doon to hem; thouȝ for hiȝ dig|nite thei wolden not at alle tymes ȝeue answeris, nei|ther at alle tymes schewe that thei herden and sawen and myȝten move hem silf, into tyme thei weren myche preied and weel serued and plesid of men. And ȝit al this was vntrewe; for feendis, whiche ben bad spiritis and enemyes to men, entriden at summe whilis tho ymagis, not making tho ymagis to be quyke, neither forto heere or se or speke, neither making oon persoon of the ymage and of the feend

entrid; but the feendis moveden tho ymagis, and spaken bi hem, and ful ofte left tho ymagis to be bi hem silf withoute eny feend mouer and withoute eny speker bi hem and in hem. And therfore alle the vpbreidis and alle the reproues which Holi Writ ȝeueth to the worschipers of tho ymagis (as Baruch vj^e. capitulum., Ysaie xliiij^e. capitulum., and in the Sauter, the cxiij^e. and the cxxxiiij^e. psalmes, and in manye othere placis,) were treuly ȝouun to tho ydolatrers in this sen|tence and vndirstonding, that in tho ymagis, whiche ydolatrers taken with more therto sett for her Goddis, weren noon othere spiritis thanne feendis, and that in manye tymes whanne tho ydolatrers worschipiden tho ymagis as hauyng in hem summe othere thingis, tho ymagis hadden in hem noon othere thingis than gold and siluer and the werkis of mennys hondis. And if Holi Scripture in the placis of Scripture now spokun be vndirstonde in this now bi me formed sentence, certis alle tho reprouyng and upbreiding pro|cessis vpon ydolatrers ben trewe, and alle her vpbreid|ingis mad ben iust; and that whether tho idolatrers weren hethen men or Iewis.