The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.

of ryȝt cristen feiþ, be alle freris holden bi obedience where euere þei ben þat, where euere þei schulle fynde ony of þoo, þei schullen presenten hym to þe nexte custode of þat place where euere þei fynden sychon. and be þat custode holde sadly bi obedience to kepe hym strongly as a man in bondis day & nyȝt, so þat he may not be delyuerid of his hond til he represente hym ¹in his owen persone in þe hondis of his mynystre, and be þe mynystre holden sadly bi obedience to holde hym bi freris þat kepe men nyȝt & day as in bondis til þat he represente hym to þe ¹ [1_1 omitted W.] cardynal hostiense, þat is lord, gouernour, meyntenour & corectour of alle þe fraternyte.

And seie not, freris, þat þis is anoþer reule: for it is a remembraunce, amonestynge, a reprouynge, and my testament þe whiche I frere fraunseis, litel, make to my blissed breþeren, þat for þis [omitted X. and AA.] we kepe bettere þe reule þe whiche we han bihiȝt to þe lord. & þe general mynystre & alle oþere mynystris & custodes ben holden bi obedience to [page 36] adde no þing to þes wordis ne drawe þer fro & rede þei þes wordis.

And I comaunde bi obedience to alle my breþeren, boþe clerkis & lewid, þat þei putte not glosis vnto þe reule, ne seynge wiþ þes wordis: "so þei wilen be vndirstonden," but as þe lord ȝaf to me sympliche and pureliche to seie & to write þe reule; and vndirstonde ȝe þes wordis so symplely and clenly with-oute glose & kepe ȝee hem in to þe ende wiþ holy werchynge. and who euere kepiþ þis be he fulfillid in heuene with þe blissynge of þe heiȝest fadir, and be he fulfillid in erþe with þe blissynge of his louyd sone, wiþ þe holiest gost confortour, & wiþ alle vertues of heuenes and wiþ alle seyntis; and I frere fraunseis, ȝoure litel and ȝoure seruant, conferme to ȝou how euere myche I may wiþ-in & wiþ-outen þis moste holy blissyng. Amen. [Finis testamenti W.]

Here endiþ þe testament of seynt fraunseis.

[Comment.]

But here þe menours seyn þat þe pope dischargiþ hem of þis testament & seiþ þat þei ben not holden þer-to, for a man haþ not lordschipe ne iurisdiccion vpon his pere, & siþ þe pope was more þan fraunseis he myȝtte not bynde þe pope þat he ne myȝte dispense & reproue what he wolde. ¶ But to þis trewe men seyn þus, þat freris ben bounden to þis testament for many skillis: first fraunseis seiþ þat god schewid hym

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About this Item

Title: The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author: Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas: Page 47
Publication: London,: Pub. for the Early English text society, by Trübner & co.,; 1880.

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aeh6713.0001.001
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Full citation: "The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aeh6713.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 16, 2025.