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

CAP. XVI.

Alle þo þat falsen þe popis bulle or bischopis letteris ben [The canon law lays a heavier curse on those who disobey a papal bull than on those who oppose the gospel.] cursed grevously in alle chirches foure tymes in þe ȝeer. Lord! whi was not Cristis gospel putt in þis reverence among oure worldly clerkis? Here it semeþ þei magnyfien þe popis bulle more þan þe gospel; and in token on þis þei ponyschen more þo men þat trespassen aȝenst þe popis bulle þan þo þat tres∣passen aȝenst Cristis gospel. And hereby men of þis world dreden more þe popis leed, and his comaundement, þanne þe gospel of Crist and Goddis hestis; and þus wrecchis of þis world ben brouȝt out of bileve, hope, and charite, and rotid in heresie and blasphemye, ȝe, worse þane ben heþene houndes.

Also þenne clerkis þat kunnen not rede and undirstonde a [Undue influ∣ence and im∣portance obtained by these bulls,] vers of þe Sauter, ne telle Goddis comaundementis, bryngen forþ a bulle of leed witnessynge þat þei ben able to governe many soulis, aȝenst Goddis dom and opyn experience of treuþe; and to pursue þis false bulle þei costen and traveilen and fiȝtten many tymes; and for geten [read getynge.] of þis false bulle þei ȝyven myche gold out of oure rewme to alyens and enemys, and many per∣sones ben dede herefore in oure enemys hondis, to coumfort of hem and oure confusion.

Also þe proude prest of Rome settiþ ymagis of Petre and Poul and his leed, and makiþ Cristene men to bileve þat alle þat his bullis speken of is don bi here auctorite and Cristis; and so, in as moche as he may, he makiþ þis bulle þat is fals to be Petris and Poulis and Cristis, and in þat makeþ hem false. And by þis blasphemye he robbiþ Cristendom of bileve and good lif and worldly goodis, and makiþ hem to serve Anticrist and synne, whanne þei weren to serve God and charite. And of þis falsyng is noon ende in mannis witt, for it encreseþ evere more, in newe fyndyngys of blasphemye, and robbynge of Cristendom boþe of gostly goodis and worldly, and namely whanne þei bryngen þe seel or baner of Crist on þe croos, þat [which are now involving Christendom in the horrors of war.] is tokene of pees, mercy, and charite, for to slee alle Cristene men for love of tweie false prestis þat ben opyn Anticristis, for

to meyntene here worldly staat, to oppresse Cristendom worse þan Jewis weren, aȝenst holy writt and lif of Crist and his postlis. And almest alle men in þis world assenten and meyntenen þis false sleyng of Anticrist and his felowis; and ȝif ony pore men telle þe treuþe of holy writt aȝenst þe tirauntrie of Anticrist and his officeris, nouȝt ellis but curse hem, prisone, brenne, and slee, wiþ∣outen answere. Nowe it semeþ þat Jones prophecie and Apo∣calips is fulfilled, þat no man schal be hardy to bye and sille wiþouten token of þe cursed beste, for no man schal now do ouȝt in þe chirche wiþouten false bullis of Anticrist, not takyng reward to worchyng of Crist and Holy Gost in mennus soulis, but alle to his dede bullis, bouȝt and seld for gold as men byen or sillen oxen or bestis.