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.

certeynly oiþer þey han feynidly and falsly a noþer vow aȝen þe [Nota.] gospel, or ellis þey brek þer vow. And weþer it be so or so, þe toon or þe toþer, þe vow is aȝen þe gospel, and dampnable; werfor Prosper, in his book of contemplatif lif, seiþ þus, It is to sarow he [Prosper.] seiþ, þat þer sum in þeis daies þat wel be ooneris, but in express maneris þei kast no þing a wey, þei chaunge not þe mynde but þe cloþ, þei are þat forsakun þe world only in word, but not in werk, þei lifen worldly, and hidun þer bicis wiþ a veyn hiȝt of better lif, and mantel it wiþ a name of ymaginid religioun, þey tak for vertu, þe opiniun of vertu, þey wil be seen a mong men dredy and just, þei diuerse fro þe puple, not in mynd, but in cloþ, not in lifing, but in habit only, in liknes, but not in effect, þei study to be seen gret, but not to be, þei preeche gret þingis but þei do hem not, þei accuse vices, but þey do not a wey, þei ben in wordis, but þei do not in dedis. In opun þei feyn hem to be displecid of þingis þat þei don in hid; þei knowlech to know and luf God, but in dedis þey deney. In habite and lifing þei han þe form of pite, but þei deney þe vertu þer of. And for þis þei disseyue þe moo, for þei transfiger hem in to an aungel of liȝt, and wiþ face and tonsur pretendun a schadowe peyntid of religioun. Werfor it is don þat þei are maad desseyuable ypocritis, and lurkyng woluis of ref under a schepis flees; of wam it is seid bi þe prophet, Þe dred of [Ps. xxxuo.] God is not bi forn þer een. Alien sonis han liȝed to me, alien sonis han ȝeldid and crokid fro þi pathis, arett þu þer lifing damp|nacoun, þat lufun þe maner of þe world for þe cloyster, and dispice for Crist a fewe facultes, and couetun moo aȝen Crist, and inword coueyteis restiþ or lurkiþ under dispicyng of temporal þingis. Of þeis seiþ Bernard to Eugeny þe pope, Þei are þat suffur not to be [Bernard.] vnder lowtid, þei kan not be abouen, þei are vnfeiþful to þer soue|reyns, vneuyn to þer lowar, vnschamful to axe, bolde to denay, vnrestful tul þei tak, vnkynd wan þei han tane, þei ken þer tongis for to spek gret þingis, wan þei do but litil þingis; þei are largist
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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 104
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 May 22, 2025.
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