Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

An apology for Lollard doctrines, attributed to Wicliffe. Now first printed from a manuscript in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. With an introduction and notes by James Henthorn Todd.

is comonning mikil wiþ law cyuil, and þus it gedreþ in itsilf two lawes, and of þis commixtioun of þe vsing of þeis two lawis þus is diuersly sown gret seed of discord in þe kirk of God. Crisostom [Crisostom.] seiþ, Mannis law haþ bodily wynningis to cum, but Crist behetiþ goostly þingis to cum; at fleschly men ar ay present þingis putt befor þingis to cum, and bodili þingis to gostly þingis; þis seiþ he. And þus as þe flesche and þe spirit are contrari, so þeis twey lawis, namly, wil þe fleschly þingis lettun þe spirit. Werfor þe doctor Parisiens seiþ, Aduocatis in þer office geytun hem ay last| [Parisiens.] ing deþ; þat semiþ to be figerid in Goddis lawe; were Sichem, þat is interpretid a foul, louyd Dyna, þat is interpretid cause, by was occasioun he was slayn after. Notably is Sichem callid þe son of Emor, þat is interpretid an asse, for men hard as assis, þat miȝt not profit in oþer sciens, were wont to heer decrees and decretals. Þe loue of Goddis lawe, and þe condicouns of sciens of decres schuld streyn men fro þis office. Ofþe loue of Goddis lawe Gregor [Gregor.] seiþ, he þat louiþ a kyng he louiþ his lawe. In þe Salme, his ee [Salme xo.] ledis asken reson of men; ee lydis þat sum tyme are opun, and sum tyme clos, tokeniþ holy writ, þat is derk to sum, and opun to sum, þat axen þo sonis men weþer þey louen God. A tokyn of Goddis luf is wan ani stodieþ gladly in holy writ; holy writ is mikil dispicid for þe sciens of decrees. Werfor scho may sey þat Sara seid to Abraam, Þu dost vneuenly aȝens me, I hau ȝeuen myn [Gen. xujo.] handmayd in þi bosum, and scho seing þat sche haþ conseyuid haþ me to despit; þe wench of holy writ is sciens of decrees, þat haþ holy writ to despit, for þe frut of wynning þat folowiþ þer of; and in Goddis lawe is figerid þe supprising þat þe sciens of wynning doþ in holy writ, be þe play in þe wilk Ismael oppressid Isaac; warfor as God bad bi Sara, Kast out þe wench and her son, so [Gen. xxjo.] haply it were need þis sciens in gret part to be excludid fro þe kirk; not only is holi writ despisid bi þat sciens, and blasfemid, but God himsilf þat is þe law ȝeuar, þat semiþ figerid in Goddis
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Title
An apology for Lollard doctrines, attributed to Wicliffe. Now first printed from a manuscript in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. With an introduction and notes by James Henthorn Todd.
Author
Wycliffe, John, supposed author. d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 74
Publication
London,: Printed for the Camden Society, by J.B. Nichols,
1842.
Subject terms
Lollards

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"An apology for Lollard doctrines, attributed to Wicliffe. Now first printed from a manuscript in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. With an introduction and notes by James Henthorn Todd." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/acm9160.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 15, 2025.
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