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Thou oon, and two, and three, eterne on-lyve,
That regnest ay in three and two and oon,
Uncircumscript, and al mayst circumscryve,
Us from visible and invisible foon

Defende; and to thy mercy, everychoon,
So make us, Jesus, for thy grace, digne,

For love of mayde and moder thyn benigne ! Amen.

(Book V.)

JOHN WYCLIF

(1320-1384)

ON MONASTIC VOWS

AND if religiouse men bindun thus to be obedient, and puttun ther will under mannis will, more than under the will of God, so that it behowvith to do the will of man, be it hout worth or nout, and wat that God biddith hem to they may not do it, if ther overman bid hem cerse, or to do the contrari, certis this is agen the gospel; and that we axe in our pater noster. Our fader that art in heven, thi wyl be it don, in yerth as it is in heven. And thus wan religiouse men are lettun bi ther vow fro ther preching of Goddis word, and fro filling of the dedis of mercy, and fro rigtwisnes manifold, as thei knowlech, and are nedid bi al ther tyme to comyn with ther brether, thow thei be symonientis and synnars, that God forbedith tak meyt with, or hald felischip with; it is certeyn that in swilk casis her vow is agen the gospel. And wan the vow of religious is to wilful bodily povert, and obediens, and chastité, to be kepid, but now our religious lifith and flowith among all men most in delitis, and habundith in worldly riches, and takith tothem worldly honoris : certeynly either they han feynidly and falsly a nother vow agen the gospel, or ellis

bindun=bind themselves. hout or nout-ought or nought. cerse= desist. wan when. lettun=prevented. knowlech claim. comyn= associate. symonientis men guilty of simony. hald-hold. lifith= liveth. delitis-delights. habundith=aboundeth.

ON MONASTIC VOWS

17

they brek ther vow. And wether it be so or so, the toon or the tother, the vow is agen the gospel, and dampnable; werfor Prosper, in his book of contemplatif lif, seith thus, It is to sarow he seith, that ther sum in theis daies that wel be coneris, but in express maneris thei kast no thing a wey, thei chaunge not the mynde but the cloth, thei are that forsakun the world only in word, but not in werk, thei lifen worldly, and hidun ther bicis with a veyn higt of better lif, and mantel it with a name of ymaginid religioun, they tak for vertu, the opiniun of vertu, they wil be seen a mong men dredy and just, thei diuerse fro the puple, not in mynd, but in cloth, not in lifing, but in habit only, in liknes, but not in effect, thei study to be seen gret, but not to be, thei preeche gret thingis but thei do hem not, thei accuse vices, but they do not a wey, thei ben in wordis, but thei do not in dedis. In opun thei feyn hem to be displecid of thingis that thei don in hid; thei knowlech to know and luf God, but in dedis they deney. In habite and lifing thei han the form of pitè, but thei deney the vertue ther of. And for this thei disseyve the moo, for thei transfiger hem in to an aungel of ligt, and with face and tonsure pretendun a schadowe peyntid of religioun. Werfor it is don that thei are maad desseyvable ypocritis, and lurkyng wolvis of ref under a schepis flees; of wam it is seid bi the prophet, The dred of God is not bi forn ther een. Alien sonis han liyed to me, alien sonis han yeldid and crokid fro thi pathis, arett thu ther lifing dampnacoun, that lufun the maner of the world for the cloyster, and dispice for Christ a fewe facultes, and covetun moo agen Crist, and inword coveyteis restith or lurkith under dispicyng of temporal thingis. Of theis seith Bernard to Eugeny the pope, Thei are that suffur not to be under lowtid, thei kan not be aboven, thei are unfeithful to ther sovereyns, unevyn to ther lowar, unschamful to axe, bolde to denay, unrestful sarow sorrow. ther there are. coneris conversi, lay brothers or novices. bicis vices. promise. dredy grave. diuerse=differ. puple people. in hid in secret. the moo= the more. ref=plunder. wam= whom. Alien sonis strange children. crokid gone astray. arett-esteem. lufun leave.

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under lowtid=obedient.

higt

==

=

tul thei tak, unkynd wan thei han tane, thei ken ther tongis
for to spek gret thingis, wan thei do but litil thingis; thei
are largist bihigtars, and scarsist gevars; glosandist flater-
ars, and bitandist bacbitars; simplist glosars, and warst
willid traytoris. And Lincoln seith thus, A cloystrer of
privat ordre, and specialy a frere wandring voyd in the
world, is a ded careyn, gon out of the grave, woundun in
dedly clothis, schaken of the fend a mong men: thei are
tokunid bi the wif of Loth, that, after the going out of
Sodom, loking agen, was turnid in to an image of salt. An
image hath the similitud of a man, but not the trowth.
An Apology for Lollard Doctrines.

THE WYCLIF BIBLE

(1378-84)

ISAIAH

CHAPTER XXXV

THE forsakun [Judee] and with outen weie schal be glad,
and wildirnesse schal make ful out ioye, and schal floure
as a lilie. It buriownynge schal buriowne, and it glad and
preisynge schal make ful out ioie. The glorie of Liban is
yovun to it, the fairnesse of Carmele and of Saron; thei
schulen se the glorie of the Lord, and the fairnesse of oure
God. Coumforte ye comelid hondis, and make ye strong
feble knees. Seie ye, men of litil coumfort, be ye coum-
fortid, and nyle ye drede; lo! oure God schal brynge the
veniaunce of yeldyng, God hym silf schal come, and schal
saue us. Thanne the iyen of blynde men schulen be openyd,
and the eeris of deef men schulen be opyn. Thanne a crokid
man schal skippe as an hert, and the tunge of doumbe men
schal be openyd; for whi watris ben broken out in desert,

tul=till.

bihigtars promisers.
Lincoln Grosseteste,

tane taken. ken=teach.
glosandist smoothest. glosars deceivers.
Bishop of Lincoln. frere=friar. careyn carrion. woundun=
wrapped. fend = fiend. tokunid symbolised. trowth truth.
buriowne
given. comelid = = numbed.

burgeon.

nyle ye

= do not ye.

yovun =

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and stremes in wildirnesse. And that that was drie, is maad in to a poond, and the thirsti is maad in to wellis of watris. Grenenesse of rehed and of spier schal growe in dennes, in whiche dwelliden dragouns bifore. And a path and a weie schal be there, and it schal be clepid an hooli weie, he that is defoulid schal not passe therbi; and this schal be a streiyt weie to you, so that foolis erre not therbi. Alioun schal not be there, and an yvel beeste schal not stie therbi, nether schal be foundun there. And thei schulen go, that ben delyuered and agenbouyt of the Lord; and thei schulen be conuertid, and schulen come in to Sion with preisyng; and euerlastynge gladnesse schal be on the heed of hem; thei schulen haue ioie and gladnesse, and sorewe and weilyng schulen fle awei.

CHAPTER LX. VERSE IO TO END

AND the sones of pilgrymes schulen bilde thi wallis, and the kyngis of hem schulen mynystre to thee. For Y smoot thee in myn indignacioun, and in my recounselyng Y hadde merci on thee. And thi gatis schulen be openyd contynueli, day and nigt tho schulen not be closid; that the strengthe of hethene men be brougt to thee, and the kyngis of hem be brougt. For whi the folk and rewme that serveth not thee, schal perische, and hethene men schulen be distried bi wildirnesse. The glorie of the Liban schal come to thee, a fir tre, and box tre, and pyne appil tre togidere, to onour the place of myn halewyng; and Y schal glorifie the place of my feet. And the sones of hem that maden thee lowe, schulen come lowe to thee, and alle that bacbitiden thee, schulen worschipe the steppis of thi feet; and schulen clepe thee A citee of the Lord of Sion, of the hooli of Israel. For that that thou were forsakun, and hatid, and noon was that passide bi thee, Y schal sette thee in to pryde of worldis, ioie in generacioun and in to generacioun. And thou schalt souke the mylke of folkis, and thou schalt

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rehed reed. spier bulrush. clepid agenbouyt = ransomed.

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pilgrymes strangers.

==

go up. rewme=realm.

be soclid with the tete of kyngis; and thou schalt wite that Y am the Lord, savynge thee, and thin agenbiere, the stronge of Jacob. For bras Y schal brynge gold, and for irun Y schal brynge silver; and bras for trees, and yrun for stoonys; and Y schal sette thi visitacioun pees, and thi prelatis rigtfulnesse. Wickidnesse schal no more be herd in thi lond, nether distriyng and defoulyng in thi coostis; and helthe schal ocupie thi wallis, and heriyng schal ocupie thi gatis. The sunne schal no more be to thee for to schyne bi dai, nether the brigtnesse of the moone schal ligtne thee; but the Lord schal be in to everlastynge ligt to thee, and thi God schal be in to thi glorie. Thi sunne schal no more go doun, and thi moone schal not be decreesid; for the Lord schal be in to everlastynge ligt to thee, and the daies of thi mourenyng schulen be fillid. Forsothe thi puple alle iust men, withouten ende schulen enherite the lond, the seed of my plauntyng, the werk of myn hond for to be glorified. The leeste schal be in to a thousynde, and a litil man schal be in to a ful stronge folk. Y, the Lord, schal make this thing sudenli, in the tyme therof.

II. SAMUEL

CHAPTER XVIII. VERSE 24

In this and the three following passages, the spelling, wherever non-essential, has been modernised.

AND David sat betwixe twei gates; and the spyer that was in the highness of the gate on the wall, raised his eyes and saw a man alone renning; and the spyer cried and shewed to the King. And the King said to him, If he is alone, good message is in his mouth. But while he hasted and nighed near, the spyer saw another man renning, and the spyer cried in the highness and said, Another man renning alone appeareth to me. And the King said to him, And this man is a good messenger. And the spyer said, I behold

agenbiere redeemer. heriyng=praising. puple = people.

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