Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

lordis don gret wrong & gile, for þei auaunsen lewid men of kunnynge & lyuynge to benefices wiþ care of many [mennys AA.] soulis, & taken to hem self þe profit of þe grete benefices for many ȝeris, & holden many benefy[c]ed men in here chapelis for nouelrie of newe song, & maken summe prestis stiwardis of here housholde, & summe prestis clerkis of here kechene, [lecherie X.] & summe prestis here auditours, & summe prestis tresoreris, & summe aumeneris, & summe stiwardis of here courtis, & summe conseileris & reuleris of here worldly plees, arraies & worldly dedes, as þouȝ no man coude worldly office but þei; & wolen not suffre hem goo teche þe soulis for whiche þe schullen answere at domes day, & for whiche crist schedde his precious herte blood, but suffren & meyntenen þe wolues of helle to slee cristene mennus soulis bi [omitted X.] synne, & letten almes dede boþe gostly & bodily, & so þei ben cursed traitours to god & to his prestis & his pore peple. & more traitorie of god & his peple is in þes prestis þat [page 202] wilfully & costly procure to haue þis worldly offices & dwellen þer-inne & leuen here gostly office vndon. [undir AA.] but most traiterie of god & his peple is in fals confessouris þat schulden telle lordis þe grete peril of þis synne & oþere, & wolden not for drede of loos of worldly frendschipe & lordischipe & worldly worschipe & wynnynge; for þei sette more [omitted X.] bi a litel stynkynge dritt of þis world þan bi helpe of cristene soulis & frendischipe of god & þe blisse of heuene. Also many ietteris of contre þat wolen make hem self gentel men & han litel or nouȝt to lyue onne, & oþere lordis also wolen preise a worldly prelat or curat & bere him vp, þouȝ he be neuere so vicious in lecherie, pride & coueitise & oþere synnes, so þat þis worldly curat makiþ hem grete festis & wastiþ pore mennus almes in ȝiftis of wyn & vanytes; ȝe, þouȝ he be a market betere, a marchaunt, a meyntenour of wrongis at louedaies, a fals suerere, a man|quellere & inreguler. but ȝif þer be a gostly curat or prest þat lyueþ a good lif in mekenesse & doynge almes to pore
/ 638
Pages Index

Actions

file_download Download Options Download this page PDF - Page 242 Image - Page 242 Plain Text - Page 242

About this Item

Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 242
Publication
London,: Pub. for the Early English text society, by Trübner & co.,
1880.

Technical Details

Link to this Item
https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aeh6713.0001.001
Link to this scan
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/aeh6713.0001.001/308:17

Rights and Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are in the public domain. If you have questions about the collection, please contact [email protected]. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact [email protected].

DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

Related Links

Manifest
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/api/manifest/cme:aeh6713.0001.001

Cite this Item

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 May 22, 2025.
Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.