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

FOR þis unkouþe discencioun þat is bitwixe þes popes semeþ [On the causes which have led to the present schism in the papacy.] to signyfie þe perillous tyme þat Poul seiþ schulde come in þes laste dayes, herfore schulde true men declare þis to þe peple; ffor knowynge of perels makiþ men warlyer to flee hem. And firste it semeþ, þat discencioun of þis popehede is for covetise of worschipe and wynnynge of þis world, þat bi cautele of þe fende is knytted to þis office. Ffor ȝif þe pope hold clenly þat þat Crist ȝaf to Petir, he schulde have goodis of vertues, and traveylle wiþ povert, and noon of þis worldlyche glorie, siþe þat Crist forbeed it. But who wolde þanne stryve þus ffor þe popis office? And so it were a medicyne, þat men þat han power drow awey þes bronndes þat norischeþ þis fire. And so em∣perour and kyngis, þat synneden in þis dowynge, schulde restore to seculer men þat þei bi foly alyende; ne þe graunt

was nouȝt leeful on neiþer on nor þe oþer partye, siþþe hem wanted leeve of God þe cheif Lord, and bi title of þis office þei holden. And ȝif þis matier of stryfe were þus take fro clerkis, boþe among hem and seculeris schulde be pees and charite. And it semeþ þat þat man, be he pope or oþere, þat wolde noȝt assente to þis chaunge, hatiþ Goddis lawe; ffor alle worldly goodis ben nouȝt so goode as charite. And God himsilf for∣bediþ such lordschipe in clerkis; and so, ȝif men wolde bygynne to distroye þis foul strijfe, þei schulde mayntene Goddis ordey∣naunce; and þanne were it doun. And so, what clerk or seculer wolde noȝt fayn do þus, he is nouȝt in Goddis half, but servaunt to þe devyl. And so of þis it semeþ, þat what per∣soone or comunte traveylle to restore þe pope to þis worldly dignite, traveylliþ aȝens Crist in cause of þe fende. Ffor Crist in his owne lawe forbediþ his prestis suche lordschipe, and fleede it in his owne persoone, and þis kepte his apostolis. And of þis it semeþ þat Crist grauntide never assoylynge of synne and peyne for to do þis dede, siþþe it were aȝens his lawe, his wille, and his ordeynaunce; but mede þat God grauntiþ to men þat travailen þerinne, graunteþ he to suche men þat maynteyneþ his ordynaunce. But bileve teche us, þat what þing is grauntide her is a false feynynge, but [meaning, except.] Crist graunte it. And herfore it semeþ þat men ben noȝt holden to trowe þat it is trewe, whatever þe pope grauntiþ, ffor in þis he may erre, and varie fro Cristis jugement. But Crist grauntiþ never, ne ordeyneþe no þing, but ȝif it soune in resoun, in pees, and in charite.

And her þenkiþ many men, þat in caas of þis discencioun [True men may easily see that, as the whole system of the temporal wealth and power of the Church, so the pretensions of the popes to grant indul∣gences to those who fight their battles are radically untenable.] may men se whiche ben servantis to God, and whiche loven þe fendis cause and bisily serven to him. Ffor alle þes þat traveyllen to lette Cristis ordeynaunce in staat of his firste prestis, reversen his lawe, and in þat þei haten God and serven þe fend. And herby may trewe men se; ȝif frerys or ony oþer men lyen in þis to þe peple, and spoylen hem of here goodis in colour of her lesyngis, þei ben traytouris to God, and tray∣tours to þe Chirche þat þei dwellen inne, and ben holden to restoren þing þat þei have spoylid. And herfore schulden trewe

men trowe lasse þis court, or þes freris, and axe goode ground of newe þingis þat þei telle men. And hereinne semiþ þe peple, al ȝif we seen it noȝt, þat men fallen inne to helle, and drawen oþer wiþ hem; and þis is mor perel þanne ony bodily deeþ. And of þis may trewe men se, þat riȝt as þe fend bi o castynge in of a venemed boon, þat is, dowinge of clerkis aȝenes Cristis ordynaunce, haþ venymed Cristene men, boþe seculeris and clerkis, and meveþ men of armes to batayls and stryves, so by on openynge of tresour of his lesyngis, þat he may asoylle men boþe of peyne and synne ȝif þei wele holde on his side aȝenes Cristis ordynaunce, he haþ hight his clerkis alle rewmes of þe world. Ffor by spiritual power, þat men may noȝt se, ne grounde it in bileeve, ne prove it bi resoun, þe fend may lyȝteste bigyle þe peple, and make hem trowe falce bi his sotel lesyngis; as he may meve his vikir to seie, þat he haþ power to assoyle men fully þat helpen in his cause, and to curse all hem þat aȝen-stondiþ it; and þus may he lyȝtly gete lordschipe of alle þe world. But as þe fend byhiȝte to Crist falsly al rewmes, so myȝte falsehede walken in purchas of þis lordschipe. But by þis blynde falsehede schal Cristis cause slepe. And so it semeþ to many men þat Sathanas hadde envye to þe ordynaunce of Crist, þat his clerkis schulde be pore men. Ffor bi vertu of þis povert, Petir and oþere apostilis conquered of the fendis hond many of his servauntis, and herfore he meved hem for to trowe þe Chirche. And ofte he tauȝte his clerkis to feynen hem a power þat þei may assoylle men, howevere þei haue synned, and ȝeve hem hevenly ȝiftis, howevere God ordeyneþ of hem. And þe fend haþ many clerkis to meve þe peple to trow þis; and so he wole cursen alle men þat meven to Cristis ordynaunce. And ȝif ony kyng lette his peple or his tresour to goo out of his rewme in Antecristis cause, he wele curse boþe þat kyng in his rewme, and aftir, whanne his children ben myȝty and willful, take to him þis rewme for his former cursynge.