Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

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

to harme of þe Chirche, not oonly among hemsilf, þat holden al þing wel done þat is done bi þer ordre, alȝif it be a foly feyned by mannis witt, but how ever þei may gete good bi coloure of þis feyned ordre, þei clepen it hey riȝt-wisnenesse. For þe ground good and holy triste we to Cristis religioun, for þat is beter þan þes newe; for ellis we comen not to hevene, but shulen be dampned wiþ ypocritis. And witt of þese scribis is so myche sett in worldely goodis, þat þei clepen not riȝt-wisnesse but ȝif it be of worldely catel þat is geten by mannis lawe, alȝif Goddis lawe dampne it. And so þe fals Phariseis tauȝten men þat Goddis lawe defendiþ [forfendiþ, B and C.] not but man-slauȝter or oþer sensible wrong, and not oþir pryvey wrongs þat is worse roote hereof; and þis were blasfemye in God, to leeve þe worse and dampne þe beter. And herfore declariþ Crist þre manere of wickid ire. Þe first maner of ire is whan a man is wraþþid wiþouten resoun, and sich is coupable aȝens God to be jugid to helle. For þis un|kyndely venym aȝen þe state of innocence is roote of malice wiþoute-forþ, þat in caas is lesse yvel; and for þis cause men usen whan þei drawen to þer deeþ to forȝeve men alle wrongis, and axe men mercy of here synne. Þe secounde degree of þis ire is whanne a man haþ conseyved wraþþe and brekeþ out in scorneful wordis of his first conseyved ire. Soþely ire may falle to men for to venge Goddis cause, and so may men scorne oþer, for þei folily synnen in God, as Hely [Hely. Elias.] scornede þe preestis of Baal. But boþe þes ben perilous, and herfore he þat scorniþ þus is coupable to falle in conseile, where his foli shal be hardid, til þat he falle to more synne. Þe þridde degree of þis ire is whan a man spekiþ folily, as he þat sclaundriþ a man or repreveþ him falsely; and þat man, as Crist seiþ, is coupable of þe fier of helle, for his ire is turned to hate, and as Seint Joon seiþ, al siche been men sleeris, þat ben worþi to be dampned. And so shulden men kepen charite boþe in wille and in word, and not oonly spare strokis, as Fariseis falsely seiden. And herfore shulden irrous men axe mekely forȝyvenesse, for ȝif þei wanten charite al is yvel whatever þei do. And þerfore if þou offre þi
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Title
Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 16
Publication
Oxford,: Clarendon Press,
1869-71.

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"Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/afb3713.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 15, 2025.
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