Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.

and louȝer lyuyng vnder him, whanne thei wolen compleyne to him. And ellis, but if such an ordre of degrees and statis were sette in the layfe, and that oon were hiȝest in auctorite and power aboue alle other, resoun seeth openli that ther were no sure wey forto haue pees and reste and riȝtwisnesse kept by twixe persoon and persoon, and bitwixe cuntre and cuntre, rewme and rewme: and that for the natural freelte, which bi surest experience is knowun to be in al mankinde. But so it is, that thouȝ of the al hool noumbre of Adamys children summe ben ordeyned to be preestis, and summe to be dekenys, and summe ben ordeyned to be craftiose [crastiose, MS.] men and marchaundis, and summe to be othere laborers; ȝit alle thei, bothe preestis and dekenis and alle othere lay persoonys, ben mad of oon lumpe of mater descending from Adam; and preestis ben born vndir coniuncciouns and constellacciouns stiring and moving into as greet freel|nes and badde maners as othere lay men ben born, and also preestis ben of as badde kindeli complexiouns moving into badde and scharpe passiouns as ben lay men; and so al freelnes, which is naturali and strongli and fersly in lay men, ben ljik miche in preestis. Wherfore, sithen for this freelnes thus founde in the lay peple resoun iugith and deemth that such now seid dyuersite of statis and degrees in ouerte and netherte ben to be had in the lay parti of Goddis peple, and lijk euen and lijk myche freelte is founde naturali in the prestial parti of Goddis peple; it muste needis folewe that resoun ouȝte lijk weel deeme, that lijk dyuersite of statis and degrees in ouerte and ne|therte ben to be had and vsid among preestis and othere clerkis in the chirche of God, as among lay persoones of the world. If preestis and bischopis
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About this Item

Title
The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.
Author
Recock, Reginald, bp. of Chichester, 1395?-1460?
Canvas
Page 450
Publication
London,: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts,
1860.
Subject terms
Lollards
Great Britain -- Church history

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https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ahb1325.0001.001
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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/ahb1325.0001.001/560:7

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"The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ahb1325.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 4, 2025.
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