Confessors.
JOHN WICKLIFFE. It is a great honour to this small County, that it produced the last maintainer of Religion (before the general decay thereof) understand me, Lear∣ned Bede, and the firm restorer thereof, I mean this Wickliff, the subject of our pre∣sent discourse.
True it is, His Nativity cannot be demonstrated in this Bishoprick, but if such a scientia media might be allowed to man, which is beneath certainty, and above conje∣cture, such should I call our perswasion, that Wickliff was born therein.
- First, all confess him a Northern man by extraction.
- Secondly, the * 1.1 Antiquary allows an ancient Family of the Wickliffs in this Coun∣ty, whose Heir general, by her match, brought much wealth and honour to the Brakenburies of Celaby.
- Thirdly, there are at this day in these parts, of the name and alliance, who con∣tinue a just claim of their kindred unto him.
Now he was bred in Oxford, some say in Baliol, others more truly in Merton Col∣ledge: and afterwards published opinions distasteful to the Church of Rome, writing no fewer than two hundred Volumns (of all which largely in our Ecclesiastical History) be∣sides his translating of the whole Bible into English.
He suffered much persecution from the Popish Clergy. Yet after long exile, he, by the favour of God and good Friends returned in safety, and died in quietness, at his living at Lutterworth in Leicestershire, Anno 1387. the last of * 1.2 December, whose bones were taken up and burnt 42. years after his death.
Disdain not Reader, to learn something by my mistake. I conceive that Mr. Fox in his Acts and Monuments had entred the Names of our English Martyrs, and Confes∣sors, in his Kalender, on that very day whereon they died. Since I observe he obser∣veth a Method of his own fancy, concealing the reasons thereof to himself; as on the perusing of his Catalogue will appear. Thus VVickliff dying December the last, is by him placed January * 1.3 the second, probably out of a design to grace the new year with a good beginning: though it had been more true, and (in my weak judgement) as ho∣nourable for VVickliff to have brought up the rear of the old as to lead the front of the new year in his Kalender.