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.

þe witt fro þe lecture, and bere fals witnes vpon seynts, and diseyue simple prestis bi þer fraudis, wening þus to be excusid; for God seiþ bi Ysaie, þi fadir þe first synnid, and þin enterpretors han [Ysa. 43o.] brokyn þe lawe aȝenis me. And tak þei ȝed how Gregor seiþ to presthod; he seiþ not to cure. And þei þat seyn þis preching is takun for reding, take þei ȝede to preche, for in a langwag vnknowun ilk man and womman mai rede, and mani are for bodun to prech. And if ilk man mai prech it, it were but foly to go to þe hordres to geit more iarche. And also take þey ȝed how to preche; þe holde Testament was bodun dekunis, weþer not in tong þat þe peple vnderstode; for soþ to preche is in siche maner to a monest good þingis, as Crist bad his disciplis do, wan he sent hem to preche, þer for be þei ware þat þus wenun to excuse prestis, for Austeyn seiþ þus, fewe are þe prestus þat prechun iustli þe Word [Austeyn.] of God, but many are stille dampnably, sum of vnkunning, þat refuse to be tauȝt, oiþer of neligens, þat despice Goddis Word, but noiþer þei nor þei mai be excusid of þe syn of þer stilnes; sin þei how not to be prests þat can not preche, ne þei to be stille þat can, þow þei be not curatis. And þus seiþ Crisostum, it semiþ þat [Crisost.] God enioniþ to doctors and dekunis þe minstri of presthed, and of dekunhed, þat are riȝtful, and it semiþ þat men han ordeynid hem þat are vniust, and not curatis. And so of þe þing issewe is knowun who is ordeynid of God, and who of man; he þat doþ wel his minstri, þat semiþ þat he is ordeynid of God, and he þat doþ it not wel, is ordeynid of man, þe wilk soþli as to God, is neiþer dekun ne prest. þerfor seiþ Isidor, kunne þer prestis Holi Writt, [Isidor.] and þe canouns, and þat al þer wark be in preching, and in doc|trin, and edify þei alle men, as wel of sciens of þe feiþ as in dis|ciplyn of dedis, þerfor þe prestis, but þei make opun al trowþ in þe peple, þei schal ȝeue resoun at þe day of dome; as God seiþ bi þe prophet, Lo I haue sett þe a be holdar to þe hows of Israel, if [Ezech. 3o] þou sey not to þe wickid man, þat he go fro his wickid weies and
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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 32
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 17, 2025.
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