The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.

vij. CHAPITER.

THE secunde principal gouernaunce to be tretid in this present secunde partie, of which gouernaunce manye of the layfe ouer myche wijten the clergie, is this: That pilgrimagis to dyuerse bodies and bonys of Seintis be mad, and also ben mad to ymagis of Crist crucified and of Marie and of othere Seintis; and namelich for that pilgrimagis ben mad into summe placis more in which ben ymagis of the crucifix and of Marie and of Seintis, than into summe othere placis in whiche ben like ymagis of the crucifix and of Marie and of the same othere Seintis.

Into iustifiyng of this ij^e. principal gouernaunce y procede bi certein conclusiouns, of whiche the firste is this: Holi Scripture weerneth not and lettith not neither reproueth suche now seid pilgrymagis to be don. This conclusioun y proue thus: If eny place of Holy Scripture schulde so weerne, thilk place were this i^e. Petri iiij^e. capitulum. where it is writun thus: Moost dere britheren, nile ȝe go in pilgrimage in feruour which is maad to ȝou to temptacioun: [This is Wiclif's rendering of the Vulgate, "Carissimi, nolite pe|regrinari in fervore, qui ad tenta|tionem vobis fit." Both here and elsewhere Pecock's citation agrees best with the later form of Wiclif's version. See Wycl. Bibl. vol. 4. p. 612.] but so it is, that this now rehercid text of Scripture lettith not such bifore seid pilgrimage; and noon other place of Scripture is founde for to weerne suche seid pilgrimage. Wherfore noon place of Holy Scripture it weerneth, reproueth, or lettith.

The ij^e. premisse of this argument mai be proued thus: The now rehercid proces of Petri (i^e. Petri iiij^e. capitulum.) spekith not of pilgrimage which is a bodili going or a bodili remouyng fro oon place into an other, but he spekith of a variaunce and of a chaunging within|forth [with inforth, MS., the hyphen at the end of the line being (acci|dentally?) omitted. It is distinctly written conjunctim just below.] in mannis wil, bi which a man leueth and forsakith and passith withinforth fro that that he hath take upon him to kepe as lawe of God, and that for persecucioun which is don to him for the holding and keping of thilk lawe of God; which variaunce and awey going now seid Seint Peter clepith there pil|grimage bi a likenes to bodili pilgrimage and bi a figuratijf speche, which pilgrimage of the now seid variaunce he wolde that no Cristen man schude do. And this is al the meenyng of the now alleggid text. And if this be the meenyng ther of, certis he thanne

lettith no thing bodili pilgrimage of which spekith the firste now bifore sett principal conclusion.

That this vnderstonding now bi me ȝouun is the verry and dew litteral vndirstonding of the text i^e. Petri iiij. capitulum. it is open ynouȝ to alle hem, whiche wolen biholde al the hool proces fro thens into the eende of the chapiter. Forwhi euene immediatli at next to the now bifore alleggid text of Peter this proces folewith; as if eny newe thing bifalle to ȝou; but comune ȝe with the passiouns of Crist and haue ȝe ioie, that also ȝe be glad and haue ioie in the reuelacioun of his glorie. If ȝe ben dispisid for the name of Crist, ȝe schulen be blessid, forthat that is of the honour and of the glorie and of the vertu of God; and the Spirit that is his schal reste on ȝou. But no man of ȝou suffre as a mansleer, or a theef, or curser, or desirer of othere mennys goodis; but if as a Cristen man, schame he not; but glorifie he God in this name, et cætera. Lo hou open it is, (if these wordis of Peter be ioyned to the former wordis of Peter,) that Petir [that Petir is interlineated by an early, but later hand.] meeneth forto remove bi the for|mer wordis al vnstable vnconstaunce and variaunce and vnperseueraunce, which peple happili wolde haue in leuyng the lawe of God for persecucioun. Forwhi thoruȝ out al the wordis therto pertinentli ioyned and cleuyng Petir stireth tho same men for to haue pacience and perseueraunce in her persecucioun and abiding in the lawe of God, so that thei suffre thilk persecucioun for keping [the keping, MS. (first hand).] of the lawe of God and not for her trespacis doon aȝens the lawe of God.

And therfore myn vndirstonding ȝouun bifore to the former text of Petir is not feyned, but according to the hool al processe which Petir in the mater

writith. And alle men musten [muste, MS. (first hand).] nedis graunte, that bi circumstauncis of the textis and processes ligging bifore or bi hinde a text in Holi Scripture ouȝte be take which is the verri and dew litteral vndirstonding of thilk text ful ofte and miche and euere, but if sum special skile it lette. And so Austin knoulechid him silf hunte out the dew litteral vndirstonding of Holi Scripture. [It is not easy to say what pas|sage of Augustine Pecock may have had in view: the following remarks bear out, at all events, the assertion in the text. "Aut si et ipse (Adam sc.) figurate intelligendus est, quis genuit Cain et Abel et Seth? An et ipsi figurate tantum fuerunt, non etiam homines ex hominibus nati? De proximo ergo attendant istam præsumtionem quo tendat, et co|nentur nobiscum cuncta primitus quæ gesta narrantur in expres|sionem proprietatis accipere." S. August. de Genes. ad litt., lib. viii. c. i. § 4. (tom. iii. p. 170. Ed. Bene|dict., Ant., 1700.)] Wherfore the bifore set vnderstonding to the seid former text of Peter is trewe and dew.

Also thus: But if the seid vndirstonding were the trewe and dew litteral vndirstonding to the seid text, and if thilk text schulde weerne alle bodili pilgrimages, thanne thilk text were aȝens the doctrine of the Gospel and aȝens the doctrine of Crist. Forwhi it is writun pleinli Matheu xxviij^e. capitulum., and Mark xxij^e. capitulum., and Luk the xxiiij^e. capitulum., and Iohun the xx^e. capitulum. that deuoute and holi wommen, as weren thanne certein Maries, camen to the sepulcre of Crist for to visite his sepulcre and his deed bodi, and forto do office of remembrauncing bi the signe of oynement, lijk as Crist bifore spake and prophecied ther of, Matheu xxvj^e. capitulum., that it schulde be so doon to his bodi, whanne he seid thus: This womman sending this oynement into my bodi dide to birie me. Treuly y seie to ȝou, where euere this gospel schal be prechid in al the world, it schal be seid that sche dide this into the mynde of him. And no man mai seie nay, but that tho wommen in so going forto visite the sepulcre of Crist and his deed

bodi and forto do there sum bodili deede, wherbi thei schulden the more mynde haue of him, maden a bodili pilgrimage, euen lijk to the bodily pilgrimagis whiche of deuout and weel gouerned pilgrimes ben now woned be doon. Wherfore the text and teching of Petir weren [were, MS. (first hand).] contrarie to these now rehercid placis of the Gospel in whiche pilgrimagis ben allowid of Crist, if thilk text of Peter schulde be vndirstonde forto weerne and lette alle bodili pilgrimagis, that thei ben not doon. And so is the firste principal conclusion sufficientli proued.

The ij^e. principal conclusioun is this: Doom of kindeli weel disposid resoun weerneth not and lettith not bodili pilgrymagis to be doon in the maner now bifore seid. This conclusioun y may proue thus: If eny doom of resoun schulde so weerne and lette, cer|tis thilk doom of resoun muste be oon of the iij. domes bifore spoken in the iij^e. and iiij^e. chapitris of this present ij^e. partie, there brouȝt forth in treting of the ij^e. principal conclusioun mad for iustifiyng of ymagis. Or ellis it muste be oon of the domes whiche schulen be rehercid soone aftir in the ix^e. capitulum. in argu|yng aȝens the firste and the ij^e. seyde principal gouer|naunces. But so it is, that noon of the iij. bifore sett out doomys of resoun may weerne and lette the seid pilgrimagis. Forwhi to ech of tho iij. kindis of domes it is bifore sufficientli answerid bothe for ymagis and for pilgrimagis to gidere, neither eny of the domes soone after in argumentis to be brouȝt forth in the ix^e. chapiter weerneth and lettith. Forwhi to ech of hem anoon aftir in the x^e. xj^e. xij^e. xiij^e. xiiij^e. and xv^e. chapitris it schal be sufficientli answerid. Wherfore no doom of weel disposid resoun in kinde schal lette and weerne or reproue the bifore seid pil|grimage,

that it be not doon. And so this ij^e. principal conclusioun is to be holde for trewe.

The iij^e. principal conclusioun is this: It is not vn|leeful pilgrimagis to be doon. That this conclusion is trewe, y proue thus: What euer gouernaunce neither Holi Scripture, neither doom of weel disposid resoun, neither mannis positijf lawe weerneth or reproueth, is not vnleeful. But so it is, that Holi Scripture weer|neth not and reproueth not pilgrimagis, as it is open bi the firste now next bifore going principal con|clusioun; neither doom of resoun it weerneth or reproueth, as it is open bi the ij^e. next bifore sett principal conclusioun. Wherfore folewith that suche pilgrimagis ben not vnleeful. And so this principal iij^e. conclusioun is trewe.

The iiij^e. principal conclusion is this: It is leeful, in maner of the bifore set x^e. reule or supposicioun, that pilgrimagis be doon. This conclusioun y proue thus: What euer gouernaunce is not vnleeful is lee|ful; for so schewith the bifore sett x^e. reul in the firste chapiter of this present ij^e. partie. But so it is, that pilgrimagis to be doon is not vnleeful, as it is open bi the next bifore going conclusioun. Wherfore that pilgrimagis be doon, it is leeful. And so this present iiij^e. conclusioun is proued to be trewe.

The v^e. principal conclusioun is this: Holi Scripture allowith [allowith and approueth, MS. (first hand).] that pilgrimage be doon. This conclusioun is sufficientli proued bifore bi what is alleggid bifore in this present chapiter, in proof of the next firste conclusioun in this ij^e. partie, of the holi deuoute wommen, whiche wenten in pilgrimage to Cristis se|pulcre and to his deed bodi forto be the more re|membrid of him; and bi this that Crist prophecied that Marie Magdalen schulde so do; and he approued

and iustified her dede ther yn, as it is open Math. xxviij^e. capitulum., whanne he seide, "that sche dide a good werk into him; and that where euer in the world schulde be prechid thilk gospel, it schulde be seid that sche dide it into the mynde of him, and that sche dide it into the biriyng of him," and so forth, as y haue write herof more pleinly in dyuerse placis. Wherfore this v^e. conclusioun is trewe.

Also this present v^e. conclusioun is proued vnsoila|bili bi a proof mad bifore in the firste parti of this present book, the [xix^e.] [A space left in the MS. for the number.] chapiter, bi setting forth of iij. reulis and thanne bi taking [bitaking, MS.] of iiij. conclusiouns there formed upon hem. Se there the proof who euer wole.