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

CAP. IV.

Se we ferþer how þis stiward may erre in ordenaunce of the [Monks, canons, and friars have been succes∣sively brought in, only to the burden of the Church.] Chirche; and bigynne we at þe freris, þe which ben brouȝt last in. It is licly þat Cristis preestis, þat stooden til þat monkes comen, turneden to myche fro Cristis lawe, and monkes lyve∣den þan wel beter. But þes monkes stoden awhile, and turne∣den souner to coveitise; and aftir monkes camen þes chanouns; and after chanouns camen freris. And so greet defaute was in prestis bifore, þat þes newe ordris camen in. But as þes newe ordris changen in cloþis, in bokis [So in CC; beckis, A.] , wiþ oþer ritis, so þei varien

in Goddis office fro þat þat Crist bad his preestis do. So, ȝif apostlis weren now alyve, and sawen þus preestis serve in þe Chirche, þei wolden not clepe hem Cristis officeris, but officeris of Anticrist. Suppose we þat þes newe ordris, stondinge alle þes olde ordris, ben chargious to þe Chirche in worldli goodis þat þei dispenden. For noumbre of preestis brouȝt in bi Crist was sufficient for Cristis hous, and for þe same hous ben now moo and worse; and þis hous is lesse by hem. Who mai denye þat ne þis noumbre of þes officeris is now to myche? And so þis stiward haþ chargid þis hous wiþ newe rehetours [Several explanations have been proposed of this word, the general sense of which clearly is 'servants,' 'menials.' But since rehete and re∣hetinge, in the sense of 'refresh,' are of frequent occurrence in Chaucer, the proposal of Dr. Todd to con∣sider rehetours a noun of the agent formed from rehete, and to derive it from the old French word rehaiter, rehetier, seems to me preferable to the ingenious solutions proposed by writers in 'Notes and Queries.' Hait meant enjoyment, haiter to enjoy one∣self; therefore rehetours might mean lazy apolaustic fellows, idlers, super∣numeraries with little or no work to do,—a class which in those days of 'maintenance' infested, as we know, the great country houses and castles of the nobility. See Todd's Three Treatises by Wycliffe. Dublin, 1857.] , to harm of it. And siþ Poul techiþ in bileve, þat þei shulden not be chargious to þe Chirche, and þat þei have no power but to profite, not to harme, it semeþ bi good resoun þat þis stiward passiþ his power, and failiþ in governaunce of þe Chirche, aȝen þe reule þat Crist haþ tauȝt; and so he is not Cristis stiward, but stiward of Anticrist. What man can not se þat a stiward of an erþely lord, [þat] [supplied conjecturally.] whanne many servauntis done amys, holdiþ stille, and bryngiþ in newe þat done werse bi litil tyme, failiþ foule in his office? And so servauntis upon servantis weren charious to þis hous; and ȝif þer firste office was good, and þis is now al oþer, þe changynge of þes newe rehetours shulde do harm to þis hous. And þus it stondiþ in þe Chirche of þes newe servauntis þat ben brouȝt in.

And newe lawes ben maad to hem, and newe customes þat [The clergy are ever absorbing more wealth, and more land.] þei bryngen in, by whiche þei spuylen on newe þe puple, but fruyt of þer profit failiþ. And siþ Petre hadde not þis power, ne Poul, ne ony oþir apostle, þis stiward of Anticrist mut nede come in bi þe fend. O! siþ in þe olde lawe weren preestis and

dekenes myche chargid in berynge of þe tabernacle, in sleying of beestis, and oþir ritis, and ȝit þe kynrede of Levi sufficide to al þes officis, myche more in tyme of grace, whanne Goddis service is liȝter! And so, siþ þe tenþe part of þe fruyt sufficide for al þes clerkes, how shulde not þis suffice now for fewer clerkis and lesse of spensis. We mai not pynche at þis lawe, þat God himsilf ordeynede first, but ȝif we putten blasphemye on God þat he ordeynede folily. And herfore Cristis apostlis, and oþere disciplis longe aftir hem, were not bisie aboute dymes, but helden hem paied on a litil, þat þe puple ȝaf hem redily. And so housing and cloþing þat Poul seiþ shulde be ynowȝ. But now men seien þat preestis ben moost gredy purchasours in erþe, and han to hem þe fourþe part þat shulde be in þer breþeren hondis; and þis þei seien is mortified, and patrimonie of Crist þat was done on þe cros. And to defende þis patri∣monie ben manye newe lawes ordeyned, and cursing for sacri∣legie in whomever þat reveþ þis rente. And, for prestis han ynouȝ of suche goodis mortified, þerfore þis styward chafferiþ wiþ appropryng of chirchis; and so þe puple dwelliþ untauȝt, and unlerned in goostli helpe. Who shulde be blamyd herfore but þis stiward, þat doiþ þis wiþouten leeve of þe lord, but opynli aȝens his biddynge? Ȝif ony man shal be dampned, þis styward shal be depperste dampned; and algatis for he feyneþ power, and newe lawes þat God made never. And ȝit þis blas∣pheme gabbiþ upon God, and seiþ þat al þis is Goddis werk; but in þe Olde Testament shulden siche blasfemes be stoned to deeþ. And þus bringing in of newe ordres, wiþ service þat þe pope confermeþ, techen þat he is traitour to God, and turneþ þe Chirche up so doun.

Lord! where he were not chargid at þe fulle, as apostlis [The more the Pope arrogates to himself, the heavier reckon∣ing he will have to render.] weren? but ȝif he took more charge upon him bi his newe foundun ordenaunce, certis þe apostilis dursten not do þis, and ȝit þei hadden more grace of God, and traveiliden more bisili to growyng and profiting of þe Chirche. And no drede al þat þe pope haþ over, more þan hadden apostilis of Crist, he shal streitly rekene þerfore, siþ Crist is Lord of alle lordis. And so it semeþ þat þe pope is more holden to Crist þan was Petre, bi as myche as he haþ more of staat and worldly goodis. But

sum men seien, þat state in helle, and punisching for þis þefte, moten maken aseeþ herfore, siþ good service failiþ here. And so þe pope semeþ wood, and blyndid by þe fend, whanne he takiþ more charge upon him þan he nediþ for to have, or here or in þe toþer world, for ony state þat God haþ ordeyned. And þus it semeþ þat he dispeireþ of comyng of þe day of dome, as ȝif he caste nevere to rekene wiþ God þat muste be heierste Juge. And so, ȝif men avise hem wel, but ȝif þei han oþir title þan ben bullis of þe pope, or graunt of him, þei shulen be dampned. And þis title of Crist oure God were ynowȝ to Cristene men, as it was in Petris tyme, alȝif þe pope shewide not þus his power bi fals bullis of Petre and Poule, þat semen to be aȝens Cristis lordschip. Þus mai men see, þat þis styward doiþ more þan he haþ leeve to do; and þes newe ordris, groundid on him, and not on grauntyng of Cristis lawe, ben a flok of þe fendis children, but ȝif þei leeven þis mannis title.