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

CAP. IX.

Bot, for to speke more of þis fendes synne, þo Chirche is [Three classes in the Church: preachers, soldiers, labourers.] divyded in þese thre partis;—in prechoures, and deffendoures, and þo þridde part ben laboreres. Prechoures schulden be prestis; for Crist, hed of þe Chirche, bad his disciplis to preche þo gospel to alle maner men, and þus he wan þis worlde. And gode marke how Crist, þat was God and mon, bad his gostly knyghtis go in to al þo world, not for to feght wiþ colde armes of body, bot wiþ armes of charite, þat is Cristes gospel. And so he bad not leesynges ne fablis be prechid, but treuthe of þo gospel, for þat is virtu; ne he bad not onely preche to men þat gaf hom, bot to alle maner of men wiþouten acceptyng of persones. And so, on a stille maner, Crist forfended symonye and beggyng and covetise unto alle his prechoures. For as þei token frely hor connyng of God, so schulden þei frely dele hit to þo peple.

Þo first part of þo Chirche schulde be next Crist, for hit [Envy among priests.] schulde be next heven, and most ful of charite; bot þo [þis, BB.] part by þo fende traveles by envye. Þis part schulde be al of one religione, as prestis, and dekens lyvyng clerkes lif; bot þo fende hafs chaungid þis part in mony coloures, as seculers and reli∣giouse; and bothe have mony partis,—as popes and cardinalis and bischops and archdekens, munkes and chanouns, hos∣piteleres and freris. And sith of þese ordires one lufs more his

broþer þen he lufs a mon of a straunge ordire, and wil deffende his ordir by personel affeccioun, hit is no wondir þat charite be putt awey, ffor hote humoure þat is partid wil souner waxe colde. And so Cristen men byleven, by ordynaunce of Crist, þat hit were better to clerkes to be alle of one sute [secte, BB.] , and þen myghten two oþer partis lif with hom in more charite. Ffor now may men se þat foure ordires of freris þat ben late founden by ordynaunce of men, kepen hem not in charite amonges homself; sith not onely one ordir hafs envye to oþer, but one persone in one ordir, for worschip or office, haves envye to his broþer for hor dyversite. And for þis cause one ordir wolde have anoþer aweye, bothe for hit harmes hym in name and in beggyng; and one begger is woo þat anoþer lettis hym. And þus hit is of oþer ordires of religioun. By ordynaunce of Crist prestis and bischops was [bene, BB.] al one, bot effter þe emperoure departid hom, and made bischops lordis and prestis hor ser∣vauntis; and þis was cause of envye, and quenchid myche charite. Ffor ordynaunce of Crist stondis in mekenesse, in unyte, and charite; and variaunce of richesse, and hyenesse in statis, gendren envye, as comynly variaunce of worschip and richesse gendres envye amonge mony men. And so if possessioneris weren broght to þat state þat Crist ordeyned to his clerkes, þen schulden men have charite, bothe wiþ seculere clerkes, and also wiþ religiouse.