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

POINT XVII.

Also prelatis ande frerus putten to pore men þat þai schulde [17. That the consecrated bread is not Christ's body. Charge untrue; we say it is, but that it does not cease to be bread.] say, þat þat ilke þinge þat was brede bifore þo consecracione in þo sacrament of þo auter, after þo consecracione or halowing is not Cristus body, but a signe of þat þinge, and not þo ilke þinge.

Certus here is openly schewed þo malice of freris, wrongfully accusynge pore men. Noþoles þese wordis of freris ben nout craftily sette; ande ȝit þis sentence is þo olde heresie of freris ande munkys, and men of þo newe lawe, aȝeyne þo gospel ande olde seintis and þo olde lawe. For freris and munkis, and þer

folowars of scole, seyne þat þat ilke þinge þat was brede bifore þo consecracione, is turned into nouȝt, þat þai clepen adnichilat [annihilatum.] , or brouȝt to nouȝt; ande þo sacrament þat men sene wiþ bodily een, is not Cristis body, but accident wiþouten sogett, or nouȝt as þai han playnly said in Oxenforde scole, and in many placis of þo londe boþe seide ande writen. But Cristen men seyne pleynly, as Crist techis, Seint Poule, Seint Austyne, Seint Jerom, and alle Cristen pepul bileven, þat þo sacrament of þo auter is verrey Cristis body in forme of brede, ande þai wole no ferþer þen holy writte ande olde seintus teche, for no newe knackynge of sotile cavellaciones, or multitude of synneful wrecchis. Crist toke brede in his hondus, blessid, brake hit, and ȝave hit to hys disciplis, seyynge, Þis is my body; þus Cristen men bileven fully. Ande Seynte Poule seis in holy writte, þat þis sacrament is bred þat we breken, ande efte, Prove a man hymselfe ande so ete he of þat brede. Ffoure tymes Seint Poule clepis hit brede in holy writte. And þo holy Trinite, autorisynge Seint Poule to write Cristen mennys bileve, clepis þo sacrament þo same word, brede. Lorde! wheþer Cristen men schulden be tourmentid by Anti∣cristis clerkis, þat þai schullen not graunte þo wordis of God and Cristen bileve! siþen Seynt Austyne seis, as þo comyne lawe wittenessis [Decretum, Pars III, Dist. 2, cap. 58. 'Quod videtur, panis est, et calix, quod etiam oculi renuntiant. Quod autem fides postulat instru∣enda, panis est corpus Christi, calix sanguis.' Our author's translation of these words is not, it must be confessed, very exact. Nor are they taken from St. Augustine, but from Bede; the first portion of this chap∣ter only being derived from the former, namely, from his second sermon, De verbis Apostoli.] , þat þat þinge þat is sene is bred, þat, sothely, þat þo feithe askis; þenne brede is Goddus body. Seint Jerome sais in his pistiles, þat þo ilke brede þat Criste blessid, brake, and ȝafe to his disciplis for to ete, is þo body of oure Savyoure. Þo comyne lawe of decrees wittenessis, when prelatis weren sumwhat gostly, þat þo bred and wyne þat bene put in þo auter, aftur þo consecracione [ben] [supplied conjecturally.] not onely þo sacrament, but þo verrey body and blode of oure Lord Jesus Criste. Ande siþen holy writte spekis not of accident wiþouten sogett, ne resone schewis, ne philosophurs tellen hit, ne revelacion of

God proves hit, ne olde seyntis þat beste couthen holy writte ande were saddest in feythe affermed hit not, but fully þo con∣trary; ande siþen Seint Austyne, namely wysest of alle doctouris holden siþen þo apostilis weren, þat [dele þat.] seis in mony bokis þat none accident may be wiþouten sogett [See p. 409, note a.] , wheþer schullen [men] [supplied conjecturally.] be constrayned by Anticristis powere to forsake holy writte and resone and beste seyntis, for an unknowen þinge þat plesus to a multitude of worldly moldywarpis, ful of pride, covetise, sy∣monye, heresie, and blaspheme? Criste for his precius blode move worldly lordis to love his lawe; mayntenynge hit, þat Cristen men may frely telle holy writte, and comyne lawe and bileve of Cristen peple; ffor, þorow Goddis grace, nouþer for lyfe ne dethe þai wille no ferþer, but crien oute on þo open synnus ande heresies of Anticriste and his fautouris.