The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.

iij. CHAPITER.

THE ij^e. principal conclusioun is this: Doom of naturali weel disposid resoun weerneth not and re|proueth not ymagis to be had and to be vsid as rememoratijf and mynding signes. That this con|clusioun is trewe y proue thus: If eny doom of re|soun schulde weerne and reproue ymagis to be thus had and vsid, thilk doom of resoun schulde be oon of these iij. doomys, of whiche the firste is this: That peple doon ydolatrie bi and with tho ymagis. The ij^e. is this: That the peple trowen or bileeuen summe wrong and vntrewe opiniouns bi occasioun of ymagis, as that sum godli vertu is in tho ymagis, or that tho ymagis doon myraclis, or that thei ben quyk and seen, heeren, [and heere, MS. (first hand).] or speken at sum while, or that thei sweten at sum while. The iij^e. doom is: That ymagis ben occasiouns of summe moral vicis in the peple, as of overmyche worschiping [worchiping, MS. (first hand).] doon to hem, or of pride, or of coueitise, or of suche othere. But so it is, that noon of these iij. doomys sufficith forto reproue and weerne the seid hauyng and vsing of ymagis; wherfore no doom of weel disposid resoun reproueth and weerneth the seid hauyng and vsing of ymagis in the chirche.

The ij^e. premysse of this now maad argument, as anentis the firste doom, schal be openli proued thus: Peple in hauyng and vsing ymagis sett vp in the chirche doon noon ydolatrie by hem. Forwhi ydolatrie is neuere doon, [dooū or dooū, MS.] saue whanne a man takith a creature for his God and worschipith thilk creature as for his God; but so doith no man with eny ymage now in

Cristendoom, aftir that the man is come into ȝeeris of discrecioun and is passid childhode, and which is not a natural fool. Forwhi, if of eny of hem it be askid, whether this ymage is God in heuen, which made al thing, and which was euer withoute bigynnyng, and was therfore eer this ymage was maad; he wole seie anoon, that this ymage is not he, but that this ymage is the ymage of him. And thanne, if this man take not this ymage as for his God, certis he wole not therwith worschipe him as his God; neither he wole ȝeue to him the worschip which he knowith to be dew to God oonli; neither he wole be aknowe that the ymage is his God. Forwhi ther yn he dide re|pugnaunce in sum maner, or ellis certis cause is not likeli to be founde whi he schulde so do tho thingis to gidere. And therfore as for drede of ydolatrie, that is to seie, lest peple be ydolatreris in having and vsing ymagis, doom of resoun hath not forto weerne and reproue ymagis to be had and vsid.

The strengthe of this argument stondith vpon the very knowing what ydolatrie is. And sithen ydolatrie is no thing ellis than what is now seid to be, the argu|ment now maad muste needis haue his entent. Ful ofte haue y herd men and wommen vnwiseli iuge and dif|fame ful scherpli weelnyȝ alle Cristene to be ydolatrers, and al for the hauyng and vsing of ymagis. And ȝit whanne it hadde be askid of hem what ydolatrie is, forsothe thei couthe not seie neither feele what it is in his trouthe, thouȝ thei schulden haue wonne therbi al the worldis blis or the blis of heuen. And whether this was not an horrible abhomynacioun and a vile stinking presumpcioun hem forto so sturdili bi manye ȝeeris iuge and diffame bothe the clergi and weelnyȝ al the lay party of Goddis chirche in so greet a cryme, which thei couthen neither myȝten proue to be doon, (for whi thei wisten not what thing thilk cryme is, and therfore thei myȝten not knowe whether it was doon

or not doon,) and whether such peple be able and worthi to be admyttid into the homeli reding of Holi Writt, eer thei be weel adauntid and weel schamed of her folie and of her vnwisdom and pride, seie who euere schal this heere. And y trowe he may not aȝens this seie and holde, if he haue eny quantite of discrecioun. Manye lesingis y haue herd hem lie, how thei knowen that persoones reulen hem in amys bi|lyuyng fonnedli aboute ymagis; but whanne profris of greet meede (ȝhe, of xl. pound and of more) hath be mad to hem forto bringe forth ij. or iij. of suche persoones, thei couthen [couthe, MS. (first hand).] bringe forth noon of hem.

Perauenture thei wolen seie thus: Manye hundridis of men clepiden this ymage the Trinyte, and thei clepen this ymage Crist, and this ymage the Holi Goost, and this ymage Marie, and this ymage Seint Petir, and this ymage Seint Poul, and so forth of othere; and thei wolden not so clepe, but if thei feel|iden and bileeueden withinneforth as thei clepen with|outeforth; for ellis thei weren double. Wherfore alle tho hundridis bileeuen amys aboute tho ymagis. Her|to it is ful liȝt forto answere. Whanne y come to thee in thi parisch chirche thou wolt perauenture seie to me thus: Lo here lieth my fadir and there lieth my graunt fadir, and in the other side lieth my wijf; and ȝit thei liggen not there, but oonli her boonys liggen there. If y come to thee into thin halle or chaumbir thou wolt perauenture seie to me in de|scryuyng the storie peintid or wouun in thin halle or chaumbre: "Here ridith King Arthir, and there fiȝtith Iulius Cesar, and here Hector of Troie throwith doun a knyt," and so forth. For thouȝ thou thus seie thou wolte not holde thee forto seie ther yn amys. Schal y therfore bere thee hoond that thou trowist thi

fadir and thi graunt fadir and thi wijf for to lyue and dwelle in her sepulcris, or schal y bere thee an hond that thou trowist Artur and Iulius Cesar and Hector to be quyk in thi clooth, or that thou were double in thin so reuling of speche? Y trowe thou woldist seie y were vncurteis, or ellis vnwijs and folisch, if y schulde beere thee so an honde, if it likid thee forto so speke. And, if this be trewe, it folewith that as weel thou art vncurteis, or ellis thou art to be ex|cusid of vncurtesie bi thi greet folie and madnes, if thou bere me an hond that al the world ful of clerkis and of othere lay men weenen summe ymagis to be God, and summe ymages to be quyke Seintis; or that thei ben double and gileful, if thei clepen [clepe, MS. (first hand).] an ymage of God bi the name of God, and an ymage of a Seint bi the name of a Seint. But (for more clereli this same answere to be vndirstonde) it is to wite, that if figuratijf spechis weren not allowid to be had in vce, that the ymage or the likenes of a thing mai be clepid bi the name of the thing of which he is ymage and likenes, and that the parti of a thing mai be clepid vnder and bi the name of his hool, as that men seien thei han lyued xl. wynteris, meenyng therbi that thei han lyued fourti ȝeeris, certis thi chalenge myȝte weel procede and haue his entent; but aȝenward it is so that such figuratijf and vn|propre speche, forto clepe the ymage of a thing bi and vndir the name of the thing [of thing, MS. (first hand).] of which he is ymage, hath be in famose vce and hath be allowid bothe of Holi Scripture and of alle peplis. And ther|fore, thouȝ men in such woned figuratijf speche seie, "Here at this autir is the Trinyte, and there at thilk auter is Iesus, and ȝondir is the Holi Goost, and therbi is Marie with Seint Peter," and so forth; it

nedith not that therfore be seid that [that is interlineated by a later (?) hand.] thei meenen and feelen that this ymage is the Trinyte, or that thilk ymage is verili Iesus, and so forth of othere; but that these ymagis ben the liknessis or the ymagis of hem.

That Holi Writt confermeth weel and allowith weel this answere, that the ymagis of thingis mowe weel be clepid bi the names of the thingis of whiche thei ben ymagis, lo, Sir, it is writun Exod. xxv^e. capitulum. that God bade to Moyses thus: Thou schalt make on euer|either side of Goddis answering place ij. cherubims of gold and beten out with hamer; oon cherub in the oon side, and an other cherub in the other side of Goddis answering place. Now y aske of thee, whe|ther God bade Moyses make ij. quyke aungelis of cherubym, or ellis ij. ymagis of cherubyim? [So the MS., possibly accidentally for cherubym.] If thou seie, that ij. ymagis; certis thanne folewith that the ymagis of cherubim God clepid cherubym. And if this be trewe, thanne folewith that Holi Scripture al|lowith what y haue seid now bifore in answering; or ellis thou muste make thi chaleng aȝens God, which thou bifore madist aȝens man, that God schulde feele amys or that he schulde be double. Ferthermore, not oonli in this now alleggid place Exodi xxv^e. capitulum., the ymagis of cherubim ben clepid cherubim, but also in lijk maner bi mo than half a dosen othere placis of Scripture the ymagis of cherubim ben clepid cherubim, as Exodi xxxvj^e. capitulum., i^e. Reg. iiij^e. capitulum., ij^e. Reg. vj^e. capitulum., iij^e. Reg. vj^e. capitulum., iij^e. Reg. vij^e. capitulum., iij^e. Reg. viij^e. capitulum., i^e. Paralip. xxviij^e. capitulum., ij^e. Paralip. iij^e. capitulum., ij^e. Paralip. v^e. capitulum., whos textis or processis weren ouerlong to be here writun and rehercid. Also in the c. and xiij^e. Psalme, where it is spokun of ydolis, that is to seie of graued

Goddis, it is seid of hem there thus: Thei han mouth and thei schulen not speke, thei han iȝen and thei schulen not se, thei han eeris and thei schulen not heere, thei han feet and thei schulen not walke. And ȝit ech man wote weel that these ydolis as thei in hem silf weren not but ymagis, so thei hadden not but the ymagis of mouth and the ymagis of iȝen and of eeris and of feet. Wherfore here in this Psalme Holy Writt clepid the ymagis of membris vndir the name of verri membris; and so herbi my bifore sette answere is confermed, whanne y seide that the comoun speche of the peple, calling the ymagis of God bi the name of God (or of the Trinyte), of Iesus, of the Holi Goost, makith not that the callirs ben ydolatreris; neither that therfore doom of resoun schulde schewe ymagis to be not had and vsid, as that bicause that ydolatrie is doon bi hem.

Thou maist not seie that hauers and vsers of ymagis ben ydolatrers; and that for thei trowen sum godli vertu to be in thilk ymage. Forwhi y aske of thee what vertu clepist thou a godli vertu? If thou clepist oonli thilk vertu to be a godli vertu which mai not be but oonli in God, certis thanne is this trewe that no Cristen man holdith or trowith eny godli vertu to be in eny ymage. Forwhi no Cristen man trowith eny ymage to be God him silf; and herwith ech Cristen man knowith openli, that no thing may haue such as now is seid a godli vertu, saue God him silf. Wherfore no Cristen man trowith eny ymage to haue such now seid godli vertu; and therfore thou canst not herbi proue, that eny Cristen man hauing and vsing ymagis is an ydolatrer. If thou clepist a godli vertu such a vertu which is causid of God into a creature aboue the worching of kinde, and in maner not woned miche to be doon coursli, forsothe thanne is this trewe, that thouȝ Cristen men trowen that ymagis han such vertu, ȝit tho men

for thilk trowing ben not ydolatrers. Forwhi no man is bi eny thing an ydolatrer, saue by which he takith and makith a creature to be his God, and worschipith him as his God; but so dooth no man, thouȝ he trowe ymagis haue suche now seid vertu. Neither eny man so dooth, thouȝ he trowe that yma|gis doon myraclis in such wise as creaturis,—the Apostilis, and othere Seintis,—diden myraclis; and thouȝ he trowe that ymagis ben quyke, or that thei seen or speken or heeren or sweten at summe whilis, as it is open ynouȝ to ech man hauyug eny quantitie of resoun. Forwhi noman, in so trowing as now is seid, trowith therfore thilk ymage to be God; no more than men, whiche trowiden the Apostilis wirche myraclis, trowiden hem to be God. Wherfore nedis this is trewe, that no man for eny such opinioun or feith which [which is added in the MS. by a later (?) hand.] he hath vpon ymagis, thouȝ thilk opinioun or feith be vntrewe, is an ydolatrer.

And ferthermore, thouȝ a Cristen man worschipe an ymage more than dewli, so that he worschip not it as God and with worschip of herte withyn forth dew to God oonli, ȝhe, and thouȝ he take occasioun bi ymagis to do synne of pride or of coueitise or othere moral synnes, ȝit fer is al this fro ydolatrie. Forwhi in noon of these casis the man takith and makith eny creature to be his God; and therfore the firste bifore spokun doom of resoun, which is bering an hond Cristen men vsing ymagis to be gilti of ydolatrie, is not sufficient forto reproue and weerne ymagis to be had and vsid of Cristen men as rememoratijf or mynding signes or tokenes. Forwhi thilk doom of resoun and thilk bering an hond and putting upon men, that thei ben ther fore and ther yn ydolatrers, is schewid now bifore to be vntrewe.