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

CAP. XVI.

Bot ȝitte men replyen of þis new dede, þat þo pope approves [Crusades not necessarily lawful because sanctioned by the pope.] croyserye, and to hym schulden men trowe. Herinne [hit, BB.] is seid pleynly in oþer placis þat þo pope may synne, and clerkes þat ben to him ward. Ffor he is not more confermed þen Seynt Petre was; and he, aftir he had taken þo Holy Gost, synned, as Poul seies. Why myght not Anticrist synne? He is Anti∣crist, þat by ypocrisie reversis Jesus Crist in his fals lyvyng. Crist forsoke to þo fende temporal lordschip; Anticrist gedris hit wiþ mony a fals titil. Crist was most servisable of any prest of erþe; Anticrist is most daungerous, and closid in a castel, and comynes not wiþ men by forme of þo gospel more þen a spirit in cloos; how schulde he be Cristis vikere? Meke∣nesse and servise and povert to þo worlde schewis þo fals feynyng of such an ypocrite. And in þis fals gabbyng is groundid mony oþer,—as assoyling of synne, and mony oþer privylegies, bi whoche he bigyles þo folk. For þei may not se hom; and þei schulden trowe þat he seies, as he falsely feynes, as blaspheme falsehed, þat he makes medeful to slee Cristen men, and mayntene his lordschip, ȝe, more medeful, as he seis,

þen to deffende Cristis lif. And þus byleve of Cristen is turned up so doune.

And in consence of þis synne synnen clerkes comynly; for [Different modes of con∣senting to sin.] siþ consence to a synne foules mon in þo same synne, and on sex maners may a mon consente, hit is knowen by prestis dedes how þei consenten in þis. He consentis þat helpis to do a wickid dede, or deffendis þis synne on o maner or onoþer; he þat counseils þerto, and he þat approves hit; and he þat is stille to helpe men ageynes hit, and he þat stirtis [sturtis, BB.] o bac for to reprehende hit.

Þo pope is stirtour [autour, BB.] of þis feght, and synnes more þen [Great sin of the pope, in encouraging war and blood∣shed among Christians.] feghters,—as þo bischopis of þo temple synned more þen Pilate, or knyȝtis þat slowen Crist, for prestis autorisiden þis synne. But who schulde have autorite to deffende þo popis lordschip, his state, or elles his lif, by such maner of feghting? Ffor wil I rede þat Crist blamed Seynt Petre, for he wolde deffende Cristis lif by smytyng of swerde. Also I rede þat Crist wolde not take vengeaunce of Samaritanes, when þei helden his owne godes fro hym and his apostils, and denyed hom þus bothe mete and herberow. Bot Crist seide he was not comen to lese þus mennis lyves. Also Crist is a gode hyrde for þis condicioun, þat he puttis his owne lif for savyng of his schepe; bot Anticrist is a wolff of raveyn, for he dos ever þo reverse; he puttis mony thousande lyves for his owne wrecchid lif. And by forsakyng of þing þat Crist biddes prestis forsake, he myght cees al þis stryve. Why is not he a fende? Þo prestis þat feghten in þis cause synnen foule in homycide; ffor if men-sleeyng in seculeres be odiouse to God, myche more in prestis þat schulden be Cristis vikers. And clerkes con∣senten in prechyng and mayntenyng of þis cause, and in cowarde dombenesse for a foule luf, and seculeres in mony wises consenten to þis synne. And þus prestis ben irreguler, and seculeres helpen hom. And þus al þis worlde is fouly in discencioun; and I am certeyn þat þo pope and alle men of his counseil con not make a spark of resoun to prove þat he schulde do þus. And þus bolnyng by ire, and specialy in

clerkes, distroubles þo Chirche mony weyes, and lettis men to wynne heven. Bot byleve schulde teche us to be meke as Crist was, and þen schulden we fare þo better, bothe to body and soule. If we have ire in Gods cause, kepe we þat wiþ mekenesse and wiþ prudense of God, and so schal we plese hym.