And þus spekiþ Ambrose [St. Ambrose, De Sacramentis, lib. iv. cap. 5: 'Antequam con|secretur, panis est; ubi autem verba Christi accesserint, corpus est Christi.' Wyclif in his Confessio (Fasciculi Zizaniorum, p. 127) quotes a passage from the same work, differ|ing slightly in words, but precisely to the same effect. The 'for it is not principali breed' is Wyclif's gloss upon the words of St. Am|brose.] , saynge comun speche of Crist, þat þe sacrid oost is not breed, for it is not principali breed. And such error blindiþ many, in þe sacrament of þe auter, to seie þat it is an accident wiþouten suget, and no breed, as Ambrose seiþ. But þes foolis myȝten bettere seie þat neþer James ne Joon ben blessid for Crist seiþ þat him falliþ not to graunte hem ony degree of blisse. But þis is ful of eresie, as falshede in which it is groundid. And defaute of undir|stonding þat shulde be of Goddis lawe and of þis doctour, Ambrose, blyndiþ here þes eretikis.
ON ASSUMPCIOUN EVYN.
[SERMON CXIII.]
Loquente Jesu ad turbas.—LUC. xi. [27.]
ÞIS gospel telliþ how it is more to heere Goddis word and kepe it, þan to bere Crist bodili and norishe him, as Mary dide. And so a litil storie is told in presing [preysyng, E.] of our Ladi; and after is knitt a blessid sentence bi distinccioun of Crist. Þe storie telliþ how Crist spak to þe peple of soule helþe. And a womman of þe puple hadde devocioun in his wordis, and burst out in an hyȝe vois, and seide on þis manere to Crist: Blessid be þe wombe þat bare þee, and þe tetis þat þou didist soke. And Crist answeride to þis womman, and tolde a more presciouse treuþe, and seide þat, but bi more resoun, blessid be þei þat heeren Goddis word and kepen it.
But we shal undirstonde here, þat on two maner is Goddis word herd,—first bodili, bi eeren of bodi, and eke goostli, bi eeren of soule. Þe firste heeringe is litil worþ, but in as mouche
