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

CAP. III.

Here men taken sumwhat soiþ, and doon dremyng to þis [The theory of the high papal party has no foundation in Scripture.] treuþe. Þei seien soþli, þat Cristis Chirche is his hous to kepe his meyne;—and summe in þis hous ben sones, þat shulen ever dwelle in hevene and take her fadris heritage, ȝhe, ȝif þei tres∣passen for a tyme,—and summe ben servauntis in þis hous, al ȝif þei shulen aftir be dampned. And so it is greet diversite to be in þis Chirche; and of þis Chirche þes wordis ben soþli seid, and notabli to mannis kynde. But whanne dremes come aftir, þei maken a fals feyned tale. Þei seien,—whanne Crist wente to hevene, his manhed wente in pilgrymage, and made Petir, wiþ al þes popis, his stewardis to reule his hous, and ȝaf hem ful power herto bifore alle oþir preestis alyve. Here þis dreem takun amys turneþ up so doun þe Chirche. For Petir was a trewe help wiþ Poul and Joon and oþir apostlis; but noon of þes servauntis dremeden þat he was heed of hooli Chirche, or þat he lovede Crist more þan ony of his breþren dide. It is licli to many men þat Petir lovede Crist more in a maner þan ony of þes oþir apostlis, but he was tauȝt to strive not herfore; for oþir apostlis in oþir maner loveden more Crist þan dide Petir,—as Poul traveilide more in þe Chirche,—and Joon lovede Crist more hevenliche. For Joones love was in quiet and clene, as seintes loven in heven. Which of þes is more hiȝ now is but foli us to dreme. Wel we witen þat Crist

wole taken, of what state þat him likiþ, a man, aftir þat he is worþi, to more blis or more joie; but aftir bileve of hooli writt, þat telliþ of Petre and oþir apostlis þat þei ben now blessid in hevene,—for noon fel but Scarioth,—taken we biside bileve of many oþir, þat þei ben seintis, as of Clement and Laurence, and oþir þat þe Legende [The Legenda Aurea of Jacobus de Voragine.] spekiþ of. And of summe we han more evidence, and of sum lasse, bineþe bileve.

And summe þenken a greet evidence, þat if þe pope canonise [Canonization no proof of holiness, nor election to the Popedom of election to bliss.] þis man, þanne he mut nedis be seint in hevene. But trowe þei þis men þat wolen. Wel Y woot þat þese popis may erre and synne, as Petre dide, and ȝit Petre dremede not þus, to shewe þat men ben seintis in hevene. But it mai falle þat manie men þat ben canonisid by þes popis ben depe dampned in helle, for þei disseyven and ben disseyved. Afferme we not as bileve, þat ȝif a man be chosen pope, þan he is chosen to blis, as he is here clepid blessederste fadir. And many trowen bi þer werkes þat þes ben depperst dampned in helle. For þei chargen hemsilf as ypocritis, boþe in office and in name; and so þei sitten in þe firste place here, and at þe laste day of dome þei schulen be in þe laste place, þat is, þe depperste place of helle. Holde we us in bondis of bileve, þat stondiþ in general wordis and in condicionel wordis, and juge we not here folili. But we mai seie bi supposal, þat we gesse þat it is so; and whoever haþ more evidence, his part shulde sunner be sup∣posid. But here ben þree grete heresies þat disseyven many men. First, men supposen þat ech pope is þe moost blessid fadir; but þis speche lastiþ but a while, til þat þe pope mai avaunce men. But heere we seien soþly, þat þes men þat clepen hem blessid, disseiven hem and flateren hem, for þei hopen to have wynnyng of hem. For wheþir is þis pope moost blessid in þis liif or aftir þis lyf? He is not blessid in þis lif, for blis falliþ to þe toþir lyf, and þis lif is ful of sorowe and synne, þat suffriþ not blis wiþ it. And ȝif men speken largeli, many men ben here more blessid þan þe pope; for hyenes of þis state makiþ not bi himsilf man blessid, for ellis ech pope were blissed, al ȝif he were falsly chosen of fendis; and Scarioth shulde be blissed, for he was chosen of Crist himself. And it is no nede

to argue here for to disprove þis foli, for it is more fals in him∣silf þan ouȝt þat men shulen bringe herof.

Þe toþir heresie, þat comeþ of þis, disceyveþ many simple [The notion of papal infalli∣bility is a heresy,] men; þat ȝif þe pope determine ouȝt, þanne it is soiþ and to bileve. But Lord! where ech pope be more and beter wiþ God þan was Petre? But he erride ofte, and synnede myche; ȝhe, aftir he hadde take þe Holi Goost. Lord! wher Crist clepide hym Sathanas, and bad him go aftir him, and ȝit þer was no cause of his errour, wherfore Crist clepide him þus? And so whanne Petre denyede Crist, and swore fals for a wom∣mans vois, he erride in þis foul synne; and þerfore he wepte aftir. Also, aftir takyng of þe Holi Goost, Petre erride, as Poul seiþ, whanne he wolde not dele with Gentiles for tendir∣nesse of þe Jewis. Lord! wher men of worse liif mai sunner erre in þer jugement! And ever þe moo þat ben of siche, ever þe sunner mai þei erre; for Scarioth made oþir apostlis to erre in companye of Crist, and it were to fals a feynyng, to seie þat holi Chirche hangiþ on þes, for þis feyner can not teche þat ony of þes is of þe Chirche. And of þis comen many heresies, [with other opinions con∣nected with it.] as of assoilingis and indulgencis, and cursingis, wiþ feyned par∣dons, þat make many men have conscience and trowe more to þe pope in sich a cause þan þei trowe to þe Gospel. And men moten erre here in bileve, and take ofte fals as bileve. Þis heresie schulden men flee, for fals mainteynyng makiþ heretikes, and to assente wiþ suche falseheed bringiþ in ofte heresies; and Crist wole not assente wiþ þes, for þei mai not be soiþ.