Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.

speris to sykelis. For of Crist seiþ anoþer prophete, þat Crist shulde do awei bateilis to þe ende of þe erþe, and instrumentis of bateilis, as bowe, and sheld, and swerd, and oþer engynes of batailis. Þus shulde it be; but þe fend reversiþ þis.

ÞIS gospel is songen in worship of Seint Steven, þat was þe firste martir aftir Cristis assencioun; for he was oon of þe sevene dekenes chosen of þe apostlis, and stood styfli to his deeþ for bi|leve aȝens Jewis. And so bileve techiþ us þat he is an hooli martir. Crist seide þes wordis to two maner of folk, þat weren þe fendis capteyns in killing of martiris; and þes weren princis of preestis, and comunte of Jewis. Crist supposiþ in þis speche, þat he is boþe God and man; and so al tyme þat was, or shal be, is present to him. And he supposiþ also þat þer ben two kynredis; good kynrede, and yvel, of which ben man-sleris fro þe bigynyng of þe world to þe laste martir. And to þis kynrede shapiþ Crist his wordis:—Lo, I sende to ȝou prophetis, and wise men, and scribis; and al þis is for ȝour good, to teche ȝou Goddis lawe: and of hem shal ȝe kille, and do upon þe crosse, and of hem shal ȝe tormenten in ȝour synagogis. And here mai we see þe malis of þis kynrede, for a synagoge, as þei seien, is an holi place; and hereinne þei turmenten just men. And þe synne was [So E; is, A.] þe more, and blyndenesse of witt also, for þei wenden to do wel in þis. And so þei pursuen Cristene men fro cite to citee, þat shal veniaunce come on hem [The words And—hem are italicized in E.] at þe dai of jugement. And þus þei done her fadirs work, sleyinge martiris bi þer tyme, þat al just blood come on hem, pat is shed in erþe, fro þe blood of just Abel to þe blood of Zacarie, þat was Barachies sone, slayn of hem bitwixe þe temple and þe auter.