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

Primum Mandatum.

Þis is þe firste maundement of God. God spak alle þiise wordis: I am Lord þi God, þat ladde þe out of Egipt, and

brouȝte þe out of servage, þere þou servedist men. Þow schalt not have bifore me alyen Goddis. Þow schalt noon ymage have, graven wiþ mannys hoond, ne no leeknesse in hevene ne in erþe ne in watris; þou schalt not loute hem, ne worschipe hem, for I am þe Lord þi God, a stronge gelous lovere; I visite wickidnesse of fadris into þe sones, þe þridde and þe ferþe of hem þat hatiden me, and I do merci unto þousandis of hem þat loven me and kepen myn hestis.

But, for manye men wenen þat þei kepe þiise maundementis, [Commentary.] and ȝit þei lyven þere-aȝens, þerfore men schulden wite þat what maner þing þat a man loveþ moost, he makiþ his god; and so, syþþe al synne stondiþ in love, everi heed synne is brekynge of þis heeste. And so þiise ten hestis ben as ten mirouris þat men may se hemsilf ynne. And siþen þei ben þre synnes, as Seynt Joon seiþ, þat enwrappeþ alle oþere, in þre maneris may a man breke þis maundement,—in þes þre, love of fleische, and love of eiȝe, and pride of liif. And so glotouns and lecchouris breken þis heeste; as Poul seiþ, þat þes glotouns makyn hire beli hire [Phil. iii. 19.] god. For God biddiþ þe feede þe in mesure, and ȝit þou passist þis mesure for lust of þi beli; þi fleische stiriþ þe moore to do þat þi fleische askiþ; and so þou makist falsli þi beli þi god. And on þe same wise þe coveytous man makiþ his maw∣met þe temporal goodis, as Poul seiþ þat averyce is service of mawmetis. And so þe proude man makiþ þe feend his god. Þus it is in dede, howevere oure mouþ blabre. And so preestis þat prechen moore to have a loos, oþir for wynnynge of worldli goodis, oþir lustis of hire beli, makyn fals leeknesse in hevene and erþe and water. And þus mai men knowe how þese maundementis ben brokyn, boþe of preestis and of seculeres. And so in trust of ymagis many ben disceyved, in hope of help or helþe in a maner neede, as þe olde lawe and þe newe witnyssen. Þe Dedis of Apostlis, in þe seventenþe chapiter, seiþ þus; Siþen God is Lord of hevene and of erþe, he woneþ not in templis maad wiþ hondis, ne he is worschipid wiþ mannys honde, for þat he haþ neede of any þinge þat man doþ, siþen he ȝiveþ unto alle liif, and wynde enspirynge, and al oþir þing. And of o þinge he made al mankynde for to inhabite on al þe face of þe erþe, and tymes and termes, or habitatioun; for to

seeke here God. For in him we liven, and in him we stiren, and we ben also his kyn, as poetis seyn. And siþþe we ben þe kyn of God, us auȝte not suppose þat þat perteyneþ unto God is like unto gold or silver or ston, of þe craft of gravynge, or of mannis hond-worchynge. For þat þing þat is hiȝe to men, is abhominacioun bifore God. But, for we knowyn him litil, we loven him þe lesse. And ȝif we undirstoode þe miȝt of þe Fadir, þe wisdoom of þe Sone, and þe goode wille or grace of þe Holi Goost, we schulden be war to kepe hem soundeli, for bodeli þingis distractiþ men to kepe hem riȝt. And þis is sumdeel þe resoun [corrected; rosoun in Bodl. 789.] of þe firste maundement.