An apologie for Iohn Wickliffe shewing his conformitie with the now Church of England; with answere to such slaunderous obiections, as haue beene lately vrged against him by Father Parsons, the apologists, and others. Collected chiefly out of diuerse works of his in written hand, by Gods especiall providence remaining in the publike library at Oxford, of the honorable foundation of Sr. Thomas Bodley Knight: by Thomas James keeper of the same.

The Answere.

I now see it verified of Lutherans and Protestants, & of all other writers, m 1.1 which Vopiscus obserued of Historians, nullum non Historicorum mentitum, that the best historians by trusting other writers or repor∣tets, may deliuer an n 1.2 vntruth now and then. Os••ander was a good Historian, but hee neuer read VVickliffes works; or if he had seene some of them, he saw not all. For in his Latin Exposition vpon the o 1.3 third commande∣ment, and his p 1.4 booke of the Truth of the Scripture, he doth plainly shew the contrary••, condemning only al Equiuocall, amphibological, q 1.5 mixt, & wandring pro∣positions, whether with oath, or without oath, willing men not for a r 1.6 world of world••, or for the s 1.7 saluation of infinite soules to lie, that is to equiuocate (as he inter∣preteth it) much lesse to sweare an vntruth, that is to fortweare. His treatise againstt 1.8 Equivocatiō, is a most profound, learned, and iudicious worke; and worthy to be put in print, if it were an entire discourse of it selfe, where u 1.9 Parsons may see, that hee hath not so much as a smal starting hole left, to put his head in vnsought or vnstopt.

Notes

• m 1.1

  Canus ob∣serues this out of Vopiscus.
• n 1.2

  Against their wills It is an other thinge menti••i to lye and mendaciū dicere to re∣port a lye af∣ter another man the first al good men should ob∣hor••e from the secōd, the best cannot be fice
• o 1.3

  It is the 2. c••mmande∣ment in his account.
• p 1.4

  Scribit con∣tra propositi∣onem incom∣pletam & pen dulam, intelli∣gendam cum sensu suo sini∣stro De Verit. Scrip. p. 282.
• q 1.5

  Vagae & per consequens falsae propositiones. ••b. pag. 282.
• r 1.6

  Nemo menti••etur quocun{que} leu•• mendacio▪ pro saluatione vitae propriae, vitae proximi, vel pro saluatione infinitotum mundo••um, vel alicuius boni possibilis. De Ver. Scrip. pag. 242.
• s 1.7

  Non est mentiendum prosaluatione proximi. lb. pag 264.
• t 1.8

  De aequiuocis iuramentis & fallacibus vitandis. lb pag. 284 God teaches to sware by him in need and not by his creatures. Contra Fra••r∣mend. pag. 55.
• u 1.9

  If he be the Auctor of the Treatise tending to mit••ga••••••n de••guised by these Letters P.R. which goe as al his writings doe the cleane contrarie waie.