Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

vndir here beddis hed at nyȝt. & so of cloþing þei don aȝenst þis reule in many maneres; for men seen þat þe kyng or þe emperour myȝtte wiþ worschipe were a garnement of a frere for goodnesse of þe cloþ, & namely of suche freris as schulden most kepe pouert of crist & his apostelis, as ben clepid maistris of diuynyte, but verreily maistris of errour boþe in techynge & in ensaumple, & summe oone haþ wast cloþis & costi, and a noþer symple frere þat nys not so gret flaterere nakid or to rent. ¶ As to propre þingis freris seyn þat þe pope is lord worldly of housis, bokis, iewelis and al þat þei han, but her semeþ myche venym: first þe euyl children putten in-to here fadir þe pope þe venym of worldly lordschipe siþ þei may not haue it for distroynge of here perfeccioun, & yit þei seyn þat þe pope mot be most holy & perfyt & nexte sue crist in alle manere vertues, & þus þei putten a veyn þorn in his feet. As to here kyng þei ben vnkynde & vntrewe, for wiþ-outen his leeve [love X.] or is conseil þei alien in-to straunge [stronge X. and AA.] rewmes, & in caas to oure enemyes, al þat þei may gete bi robberie of pore men [omitted X. and AA.] & flaterynge & oþere false menes in þe lond þat þei dwelliþ inne; & so, ȝif þe pope ben enemye to oure lond & sende enemyes to oure lond, he haþ many stronge houses as caastelis; & ȝif þei ben his riȝtfully oure kyng may not warne ne lette his hoste to reste in þo places, & þanne is oure lond in gret peril. ¶ As anemtis prechynge, men knowen wel þat freris wile flatere & spare to reproue scharply synnes of grete men for drede of los of worldly goodis or frendischipe or fauour; & so for loue of here stynkynge bely þei laten þe fend strangle many [mennus W.] soulis, and ȝit dispisen and letten oþere men to preche the treuþe of goddis lawe, laste here synne were knowen & here pride & worldly wynnynge leid a doun. ¶ And ȝit þei tellen not schortly ne plenerly [pleynely W.] þe gospel, & vices & vertues, & peynes and ioie, but maken longe talis of fablis, or cronyclis, or comenden here owen nouelries. ¶ As anemtis
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Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 50
Publication
London,: Pub. for the Early English text society, by Trübner & co.,
1880.

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"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 19, 2025.
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