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

CAP. V.

And here men noten many harmes þat freris don in þe [The misdeeds of friars.] Chirche. Þei spuylen þe puple many weies by ipocrisie and oþer leesingis, and bi þis spuylyng þei bilden Caymes Castelis [Caymes Castelis.] Dr. Todd, in a note on this phrase, quotes a pas∣sage in lib. iv. cap. 33 of the Tri∣alogus, in which Wyclif explains that he calls the monasteries of the friars 'Caym's castles,' because the four letters of the word 'Caym' (which Wyclif imagined to be the right way of spelling Cain), designate respec∣tively the Carmelites, the Augusti∣nians, the Jacobites (or Dominicans), and the Minorites (Franciscans).] , to harme of cuntreis. Þei stelen pore mennis children, þat is werse þan stele an oxe; and þei stelen gladlich eires,—Y leeve to speke of stelyng of wymmen,—and þus þei maken londis bareyne for wiþdrawyng of werkmen, not al oonli in defaute of cornes, but in beestis and oþer good. For þei reversen Goddis ordenaunce in þre partis of þe Chirche; þei maken men to trowe fals of hem, and letten almes to be ȝovun bi Goddis lawe; and þus þei letten bi gabbingis office and lif of trewe prestis, for þei letten hem for to preche, and speciali Cristis gospel. Þei moven londis to bateilis, and pesible persones to plete; þei maken many divorsis, and many matrimonies, unleveful, boþe

bi lesingis maad to parties, and bi pryvelegies of þe court. Y leeve to speke of fiȝting þat þei done in o lond and oþir, and of oþir bodili harmes þat tungis suffisen not to telle. For as myche as þei dispenden, as myche and more þei harmen rewmes;—as þei han, in þis laste journe þat Englishemen maden into Flandres [See the prefatory notice] , spuylid oure rewme of men and money more þan þe freris han wiþ hem. And no drede to Englishemen, þat ne þei han pro∣curid þis iourney, boþe in preching, and in gedering, and in traveiling of þer owne persone. And freris þat semen un∣coupable here, moten algatis graunte þer assent; for oo maner of consent is, whanne a man is stille and telliþ not. And ȝif freris forsaken þis now, and seien þat þei assentiden not herto, þei usen þer olde crafte of gabbing, and encresen harm algatis. But as spiritual þing is betere þan bodili þing þat we mai see, so spiritual harm is more þan bodili harm þat þei don. First whan þei maken freris, þat ben worsid bi þis makyng, þei don hem a goostli harm, and al mankynde wherof þei ben. And if þou seist þat noone-freris ben, but ȝif þei ben þe betere to God, for holynesse of þer companye makiþ many goode þat ellis wolde be shrewis, stryve we not wher þis mai falle, but graunte we on þe toþer side, þat many wolden be lesse yvel out of þes ordris þan in hem. And siþ þei witen not who is beterid by entryng into þes ordris, þei doon as a blynd man castiþ his staf, to brynge ony to þer ordre. Crist seiþ þat Pharisees ben to blame for þis dede, and Scarioth was þe worse for beyng in þis holi cumpanye; for ellis he hadde not þus traied Crist, and be mooste unkynde traitour. And siþ coventis of freris ben shrewis, for þe more part or moche, no woundir ȝif þei en∣venyme men þat comen þus unto hem. For þei moven men to olde errours þat þei han holde among hem, as þei tellen to greet avaunt þat þei ben charious to þe puple in þer sinful begging. And ȝit þei blasfemen in Crist, and seien þat he beggide þus, to mainteyne þer owne synne. Suche blasfemyes ben foundum and contynnued in þes sectis, þat unneþes þei ben ever purgid fro service þat þei ben brouȝt in.

As Crist techiþ in his gospel, how þat men shulde snybbe þer [who are afraid to reprove vice,]

breþeren bi þre tymes, and aftirward forsake þer companye as venym, þes sectis han fordone þis gospel; for neiþer þei doren þus snybbe þer breþeren, ne forsake hem at þe fourþe tyme; for ȝif þei done þei shulen be deed or emprisonyd longe tyme, or ellis hastili bekild. And whanne synne rengneþ among grete men, and þei dreden of worldli harm, þei doren not snybbe men of þis synne, lest þer ordre leese worldli helpe. But where is more heresie, þan to love þis ordre more þan God, or to do yvelis for hope of good, þat Poul forfendiþ men to do?

Also þes sectis inpungnen þe gospel, and also þe olde lawe, [and set their own rule above the law of God.] for þei chargen more þer owne statute, alȝif it be aȝens Goddis lawe, þan þei done þe lawe of þe gospel; and þus þei loven more þer ordre þan Crist. As, ȝif it were nevere so myche nede to go out and preche Goddis lawe, to defende our modir holi Chirche, ȝit þer ordre lettiþ þes, but ȝif þei han þer priours leeve, alȝif God bidde to do þis. And comunly þes pryvat prioures letten þer felowes here to go out; and so, be þei never so riche, þei shulen not helpe her fleishli eldris; for alle þer goodis ben þe housis, siþ þei han nouȝt propre but synne. And þis errour reproveþ Crist in Phariseis, þat siȝen þe gnat, and swolowen þe camele, for þei chargen lesse more harm. Also þes Phariseis chargen moche þer fastingis and oþir þingis þat þei han founden, but keping of Goddis mandementis þei charge not half so myche. As, he shulde be holde apostata þat lefte his abite for a day, but for leevyng of dedis of charite shulde he noþing be blamed. And þus þei blasfemen in God, and seien, whoso dieþ in þer abite shal nevere go to helle, for holynes þat is þerinne; and so, aȝens Cristis sentence, þei sewen an old cloute in newe cloiþ. For þer ordre, þei seien, is gedired of þe olde lawe and þe newe; and ȝit þei han founden herto newe þingis þat þei kepen as gospel; and þus þei chargen þer owne fasting, and oþer ritis þat þei kepen, more þan biddingis of Crist, for þei ben no newe mandementis to hem. Sich hid synnes among freris done more harm to Cristene men þan ben þe bodili harmes which þe world chargiþ more. And þus errours in þe world ben liȝtli mayntened bi freris, for wynnyng of worldli good or worldli worschip þat þei coveiten, as lettris of fraternite [Some word appears to have dropped out.] . And

dowyng of oþir preestis, alȝif it be aȝens hemsilf, is stiflli sus∣teyned bi freris. And so men suffisen not to telle unsensible [Yet the Pope sustains them in everything.] errours þat þei susteynen; and ȝit for privilegie of þe pope noon oþer man dar blame hem, for þei ben exempt fro Goddis lawe bi privylegies þat þei han getun. But Petre was not þus exempt fro sharp snybbing of Poul. And heiling, þat Joon forfendide, [2 John 10.] haþ noo vertue among þes freris [The meaning is, that St. John's prohibition to say God speed to those who bring not the true doc∣trine is disregarded among the friars.] ; for þei saluten ofte fendis, more þan þei doon Cristis children.