Select English works of John Wyclif. Vol. 3. Miscellaneous works / edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.

XV. A SCHORT REULE OF LIF.

[Bale does not appear to have known of this interesting tract, the only known copy of which was in the MS. C. C. C. C. 296, until I found a second (Laud 174) among the Laudian MSS. in the Bodleian Library. Though it is destitute of external evidence, except such as it may be sup∣posed to derive from its presence in the Corpus volume, the character of the style and composition dispose me to consider it authentic. It has been printed by the Religious Tract Society, in the work entitled British Re∣formers; Dr. Vaughan also reprinted the greater part of it in his 'Tracts and Treatises of Wycliffe.' The text is based on the MS. Laud 174.]

A SCHORT REULE OF LIF FOR ICH MAN IN GENERAL, AND FOR PRESTIS AND LORDIS AND LABORERIS IN SPECIAL, HOW ICH MAN SCHAL BE SAVYD IN HIS DEGRE, IF HE WILE HYM SILF.

FIRST, whanne þou risist or fulli wakist, þenk on þe goodnesse of God; ffor his owne goodnesse and non oþer nede he made al þing of nouȝt, boþe angels [corrected; angles, FF.] and men, and alle oþer creatures good in her kynde. Þe seconde tyme þenk on þe gret passion and wilful deþ þat Crist suffrid for man-kynde. Whan no man miȝt make satisfaccion for þe gilt of Adam and Eve, and oþer moo, ne non angel owe ne myȝt make aseþ þerfor, þan Crist of his endeles charite sufferid so gret passioun and peynful deþ, þat no creature myȝt suffre soo myche. And þenk þe þrid tyme, how God haþ savyd þe fro deeþ and oþer miscevis, and suffrid many þousyndis to be lost þat niȝt, sum in watir, sume in fier, sume bi sodeyn deeþ, and sume to be dampnyd wiþouten ende. And for þeise goodnessis and mercies þanke þi God wiþ al þin hert, and preye hym to ȝive þe grace to spende, in þat day and

evermore, alle þe miȝtis of þi soule, as mynde, reson, witt and wille, and alle þe miȝtis of þi bodi, as strengþe, bewte, and þi five wittis, in his servise and his worschipe; and in no þing forfete aȝenis his comaundementis, but redi [corrected; red, FF.] to performe werkis of merci, and to ȝive good ensample of holi lif, boþe in word and in dede, to alle men aboute þe.

Loke afterward þat þou be wel ocupied, and in no time ydul for temptacion. Take meete and drinke [corrected; dringe, FF.] in mesure, ne to costli ne to licorouse, and be not to corious þeraboute, but such as God sendiþ, wiþ treuþ take it, in such mesure þat þou be freischer in mynde and wittis to serve God, and algatis þank hym of his ȝift. Over þis loke þou do riȝt and equite to alle men, boþe to sovereynys, peris, sogetis, or servantis; and stire alle men to love treuþ and merci, and over þes charite; and suffre no man be at discencion, but acorde hem if þou maist on any good maner. Also most of alle þinges drede God and his wraþe, and most of all þingis love God and his lawe and his worchip; and aske not principalli worldly mede, but in all þin herte desire þe blisse of hevene, up merci of God and þin owne goodnesse of liȝf. And þenk myche of þe dredful dome and peynes of helle, to kepe þe ouȝt of synne, and on þe endles gret joies of hevene, to kepe þe in vertuous lif and þou up þi kunnyng teche oþer þe same doyng. And in þe ende of þe day þenk where þou hast afendyd God, and how myche and howe often, and þerfor have entere sorwe, and amende it wil þou may; and þenk how manye God haþ suffrid periche þat day manye weyes, and summe to be dampnyd wiþouten ende, and how graciousli he haþ savyd þe, not for þi desert, but for his owne merci and godnesse. And þerfor þank hym wiþ al þin hert, and preye hym of grace to duelle and ende in his trewe service and veri charite, and to teche oþer men þe same doyng.

If þou be a prest, and nameli a curate, lyve þou holili, passyng oþer in holy preyere and holy deseir and þenkyng, in holy spekyng counselyng and trewe techyng, and ever that Goodis hestis and his gospel be in þi mouþ, and evere dispice synne, to drawe men þerfro. And þat þi dedis ben so riȝtful, þat no

man schal blame hem wiþ reson, but þin opyn dedis be a trewe book to alle sogettis and lewid men, to serve God and do his hestis þerbi. Ffor ensample of good [good lif, X.] , and opyn and lastyng, sterriþ rude men more þan trewe prechyng bi nakid word. And waste not þi goodis in gret festis of riche men, but lyve a mene life of pore mennys almes and godis, boþe in mete and drynk [corrected; dryng, FF.] and cloþes; and þe remenand ȝive treuli to pore men þat have nouȝt of þer owne, and may not labore for febulnesse or sekenesse, and þan þou shalt be a trewe prest boþe to God and man.

If þou be a lord, loke þou lyve a riȝtful lif in þin owne per∣sone, boþe anentis God and man, keping þe hestis of God, doyng þe werkis of mercy, reuling wel þi five wittis, and doyng reson and equite and good conscience to alle men. Þe seconde tyme, governe wel þi wif, þi childryn, and þi homely meyne in Goddis lawe, and suffre no synne among hem, neyþer in word ne in dede, up þi myȝt, þat þei may be ensample of holynesse and riȝtwisnesse to alle oþer. For þou schalt be dampnyd for here yvel liȝf and þin yvel suffrance, but if þou amende it up þi myȝt. Þe þride tyme, governe wel þi tenantis, and mayn∣teyne hem in riȝt and reson, and be merciful to hem in þer rentys and worldly mercimentis, and suffere not þi officeris to do hem wrong ne extorcions, and chastice in good manere hem þat ben rebel aȝens Goddis hestis and vertuous lyvyng, mor þan for rebelte agens þin owne cause or persone. And holde wiþ Goddis cause, and love, rewarde, preyse, and cheriche þe trewe and vertuous of lif, more þan if þei don only þin owne profiȝt and worschip; and maynteyne trewli, up þi kunnyng and miȝt [So in X; myth, FF.] , Goddis lawe and trewe prechours þer-of, and Goddis servantis in rest and pes, for bi þis reson þou holdest þi lord∣chip of God. And if þou faylest of þis, þou forfetist agens God in al þi lordchip, in bodi and sowle; principalli if þou maynteynest Anticristis disciplis in her erroures aȝens Cristis lif and his techyng, for blyndnesse and covetise and worldli frencipp, and helpist to slaundere and pursue trewe men, þat techen Cristes gospel and his lif. And warne þe pepul of here

grete synes, and of fals prestis and ypocritis þat disceyvyn Cristen men, in feiþ and virtuous lif, and worldli goodes also.

If þou be a laborer, lyve in mekenesse, and trewly and wyl∣fully do þi labour; þat if þi lord or þi mayster be an heþen man, þat by þi mekenesse and wilful and trewe servise, he have not to gruche aȝens þe, ne sclandere þi God ne Cristendom ['Cristendom,' like Cristenthum in German, means Christianity, not Christendom.] . And serve not to Cristen lordis wiþ gruchyng, ne onli in here pre∣sens, but trewli and wilfulli in here absens, not only for worldly drede ne worldly reward, but for drede of God and good con∣science, and for rewarde in hevene. For þat God þat puttiþ þe in suche service whot what stat is best for þe, and wile rewarde þe more þan alle erþeli lordis may, if þou dost it trewli and wilfulli for his ordinaunce. And in alle þingis bewar of grucchyng aȝens God and his visitacion, in gret labour and long [So in X; FF om. in gret labour.] , and gret sikenesse, and oþer adversities, and bewar of wraþe, of cursyng and waryying, or banning, of man or of best. And ever kepe pacience and mekenesse and charite, boþe to God and man. And þus eche man [So in X; FF om. and þus eche man.] in þes þre statis owiþ to lyve, to save hym silf and help oþer; and þus schulde good lif, rest, pees, and charite be among Cristen men, and þei be savyd, and heþen men sone convertid, and God magnified gretly in alle nacionys and sectis, þat now dispisen hym and his lawe, for þe wikkid lyvyng of fals Cristen men [At this point the tract ends in the Cambridge MS.; nor does there appear to be any real connection between the subject of the addi∣tional paragraph found in Laud 174, and that of the rest of the tract; I have accordingly printed it in smaller type, as of doubtful authen∣ticity.] .

At þe day of doom Crist chal seye to þat waryed companie þat on his lift hond schal be, for þei did not þe werkis of mercy,—'Wende ȝe for∣waryed wrechis, awey fro me, into þe everelastyng fier of helle, ordeyned to þe devel and alle his angelis. Þere schal be weping and gnashyng of teþ, as ȝe þat ben hatid of God and al his halewys.' And whan þe for∣cursid schal see þat þei þus ben dampnyd, and knowyn þer is no helpe ne mersy to fynde, þan may þei seye þe wordes of Job—wiþ syȝyng ful sore; þat day mot periche þat I was born onne, and þat carful niȝt þat I was [Job iii. 3.] conceyvyd onne; þat ne I hadde be fed in my modir wombe. Wher-to, my

modir, settist þou me on þi knees, and weysche me, and rokkid me, and fed me on þi brest? Alas þat wyle! so myche swynk sche looste, þat nor∣chyd a brond to duelle in helle fier! For requiem þat prestis synggyn, ne non oþer þyng, schal helpe þem in her gret woo þat dyen in dedly synne. For in hem God hadde non rest þe wyle þei lyvedyn here in synne, and þerfor schal þei never have rest þe wile God is in hevene. And as þei [founden] [supplied conjecturally.] non ende of synne þe wyle þei lyveden here, þerfor schal þei never fynde ende of here peyne þere. Seynt Bernard beriþ witnesse þer-to, þere he þus seiþ, þat synne þat wiþ penance is not here fordon, or wiþ sorwe of herte haþ not here amendid it, wiþouten doute he schal periche wiþouten ende [St. Bernard says (De Conver∣sione, cap. iv.) 'Poenitentiam agere, remedium doloris est; . . . quisquis ante obitum carnis non redierit ad se-ipsum, in se-ipso maneat necesse est in aeternum.' But I doubt whe∣ther this be the precise passage referred to.] Ffor soþly to þe riȝtwisdomous man it falliþ, þat þei ben never wiþowtyn peyne whan þei been dede, þat here synne wolde never leve þe while þe lyveden here. And þerfor Jeremie seiþ,—riȝt as [Jer. ii. 26.] a þeef is confondid whan he is takyn, so schal be confondid þe hous of synful men. Alas! what schame and repref schal be whan þe Kyng of kynggis schal sitte wiþ al hys meyne of seyntis, and schal blame synful man, brynggyng in his nekke þe fardel of his wickidnesse in siȝt of al þe world! And þerfor, breþeryn, leve we synne, and serve we God þe Fadir of our Lord Jesus Crist and oure Savyour, to whom be glorie, joie, worchip, and honor, unto world of worldis wiþouten ende.

Amen.