text with the glose, and othere doctouris, as he mighte gete, and spéciali Lire on the elde testament, that helpide ful myche in this werk; the thridde tyme to counseile with elde gramariens, and clde dyuynis, of harde wordis, and harde sentencis, hou tho mighten best be vnderstonden and translatid; the iiij. tyme to translate as cleerli as he coude to the sentence, and to haue manie gode felawis and kunnynge at the correcting of the translacioun. First it is to knowe, that the best translating is out of Latyn into English, to translate aftir the sentence, and not oneli after the wordis, so that the sentence be as opin, either openere, in English as in Latyn, and go not fer fro the lettre; and if the lettre mai not be suid in the translating, let the sentence euere be hool and open, for the wordis owen to serue to the entent and sentence, and ellis the wordis ben superflu either false. In translating into English, manie resolucions moun make the sentence open, as an ablatif case absolute may be resoluid into these thre wordis with couenable verbe, the while, for, if, as gramariens seyn; as thus, the maistir redinge, I stonde, mai be resoluid thus, while the maistir redith, I stonde, either, if the maistir redith, etc. either for the maistir, etc.; and sumtyme it wolde acorde wel with the sentence ta be resoluid into whanne, either into aftirward, thus, whanne the maisti red, I stood, either aftir the maistir red, I stood; and sumtyme it maj wel be resoluid into a verbe of the same tens, as othere ben in the same resoun, and into this word et, that is and in English, as thus, arescentibus hominibus præ timore, that is, and men shulen wexe drie for drede. Also a participle of a present tens, either preterit, of actif vois, either passif, may be resoluid into a verb of the same tens, and a coniunccioun copulatif, as thus, dicens, that is, seiynge, mai be resoluid thus, and seith eithir that seith; and this wole, in manie placis, make the sentence open, where to Englisshe it aftir the word, wolde be derk and douteful. Also a relatif, which mai be resoluid into his antecedent with a coniunccioun copulatif, as thus, which renneth, and he renneth. Also whanne oo word is oonis set in a reesoun, it mai be set forth as ofte as it is vndurstonden, either as ofte as reesoun and nede axen: and this word autem, either vero, mai stonde for forsothe, either for but, and thus I vse comounli; and sumtyme it mai stonde for and, as elde gramariens seyn. Also whanne rightful construccioun is lettid bi relacion, I resolue it openli, thus, where this reesoun, Dominum formidabunt adversarij ejus, shulde be Englisshid thus bi the lettre, the Lord hise aduersaries shulen drede, I Englishe thus bi resolucioun, the aduersaries of the Lord shulen drede him; and so of othere resons that ben like.

Also Frenshe men, Beemers and Britons han the bible, and othere bokis of deuocioun, and of exposicioun, translatid in here modir lan

gage; whi shulden not English men haue the same in here modir langage, I can not wite, no but for falsnesse and necgligence of clerkis, either for oure puple is not worthi to haue so greet grace and ghifte of God, in peyne of here old synnes. God for his merci amende these euele causis, and make oure puple to haue and kunne, and kepe truli holi writ, to lijf and deth! But in translating of wordis equiuok, that is, that hath many significacions vndur oo lettre, mai lightli be pereil, for Austyn seith in the ij. book of Cristene Teching, that if equiuok wordis be not translatid into the sense, either vndurstonding, of the autour, it is errour; as in that place of the Salme, the feet of hem ben swifte to shede out blood, the Greek word is equiuok to sharp and swifte and he that translatide sharpe feet, erride, and a book that hath sharpe feet is fals, and mut be amendid; as that sentence vnkynde yhonge trees shulen not gheue deep rootis, owith to be thus, plauntingis of aboutrie shulen not gheue depe rootis. Austyn seith this there. Therefore a translatour hath greet nede to studie wel the sentence, both bifore and aftir, and loke that such equiuok wordis acorde with the sentence, and he hath nede to lyue a clene lif, and be ful deuout in preiers, and haue not his wit ocupied about worldli thingis, that the Holi Spiryt, autour of wisdom, and kunnyng, and truthe, dresse him in his werk, and suffre him not for to erre. Also this word ex signifieth sumtyme of, and sumtyme it signifieth bi, as Jerom seith; and this word enim signifieth comynli forsothe, and, as Jerom seith, it signifieth cause thus, forwhi; and this word secundum is taken for aftir, as manie men seyn, and comynli, but it signifieth wel bi, eithir up, thus bi yhoure word, eithir vp yhoure word. Manie such aduerbis, coniuncciouns, and preposiciouns ben set ofte oon for a nother, and at fre chois of autouris sumtyme; and now tho shulen be taken as it accordith best to the sentence. Bi this maner, with good lyuyng and greet trauel, men moun come to trewe and cleer translating; and trewe vndurstonding of holi writ, seme it neuere so hard at the bigynning. God graunte to us alle grace to kunne wel, and kepe wel holi writ, and suffre ioiefulli sum peyne for it at the laste! Amen.

From the same source (Forshall and Madden) is taken this passage contained in the prologue to St. Luke, in a commentary upon the Gospels believed to be of Wiclif's composition:

Herfore [a pore] caityf,* lettid fro prechyng for a tyme for causes knowun of God, writith the Gospel of Luk in Englysh, with a short ex

* A favorite phrase of Wiclif's to designate himself.

posicioun of olde and holy doctouris, to the pore men of his nacioun which kunnen litil Latyn ether noon, and ben pore of wit and of worldli catel, and netheles riche of good will to please God. Firste this pore caitif settith a ful sentence of the text togidre, that it may well be knowun fro the exposicioun; aftirward he settith a sentence of a doctour declarynge the text; and in the ende of the sentence he settith the doctouris name, that men mowen know verili hou fer his sentence goith. Oneli the text of holi writ, and sentence of old doctouris and appreuyd, ben set in this exposicioun.

From The Apology for the Lollards, likewise ascribed to Wiclif, and published by the Camden Society, as reprinted in Marsh's English Language, etc., p. 367, I present a short section, just enough, in connection with the former extract, to illustrate Wiclif's style, argument, and language, and to place the intelligent reader with a fair modicuın of grammatical knowledge in a position to form an independent judgment of the versions about to be brought under his notice:

An other is this that is put and askid, that ilk prest may vse the key in to ilk man. To this, me thinkith, I may well sey thus, syn al power is of God, and, as the gospel seith, ther is no power but of God, ne man may do no thing, but if he giue him the might; as Crist seith, ye may with out me do no thing, that onely a man vse his power in to ilk thing, as God werkith by him, and lefith him to vse it vnblamfully, and no forther, and fro that may no manne lette him. And this is that we sey, that we may of right so, if ther be ani vsing of power, or callid power, that is not bi Crist, that is no power, but fals pride, and presumid, and onli in name, and as to yhend and effect is nowght. Neuertheles, a man is seid to haue power, and leue to vse power, in many wyse, as sum bi lawe and ordre of kynd, sum bi lawe and ordre of grace, and some bi lawe and ordre made and writun. And so it is seid by lawe that is mad of the kirk, that ilk prest hath the same power to vse the key in to ani man in tho poynt of deth, as the pope; but not ellis, not but autorite in special be geuun to him of the kirk ther to. But if it be askid, if ilk prest mai vse the key in to ilk man, that is to say, to assoile him, or ellis to bind him fro grace, it semith opunly that ilk prest may not asoile ilk to bring him to heuyn; for the gospel seith, that Crist in a coost of the Jewis might not do ani vertu ther, for the vntrouth, not but helid a few seek, the handus leyd vpon, and he maruelid for ther vntrowth; than, wan Crist, that is God Almighty, and of his absolut power may al thing, and

no thing is vnpossible to him, nor no thing may agen stond him, and yhet may not of his ordinat power yhele the folk for ther vntrowth, and vndisposicioun, and vnabilite to reseyue, mich more ani other beneth may not help, but after the disposicioun of him that receyuith. Al so it semith bi this, that the pope may not bring in to grace, ne bles, him that lastith in vntrowth, and in ther synnis; os it semith bi Jewes and Saracenis and other swilk, os is witnessid, and of feithful witness. Also God gaue him no farrer power, not but asoyl hem that wil leue ther synne, or to bynd hem and curse that wil dure ther inne. And bi so the same resoun none other prest may not excede. And if it be axid wether ilk prest hath as mykil power as the pope, as a nenist God, it semith to me that is foly to a ferme in this case oither yhie or nay, be for that it mai be schewid out of Holi Writte. And so it semith al so to me it is foly ani prest to presume him to haue euyn power with ilk other, be for that he may ground him in the feith; and foli it were to deme to ani man any power that God hath geuun to him, or the vsyng ther of; for certeyn I am, how euer ani man tak power to him, or vse power, it profith not, but in as myche as God geuith it, and wirkith with it, and confermith it; and certayn I am, that the power that God gaue Petre, he gaue it not to him alone, ne for him alone, but he gaue it to the kirk, and for tho kirk, and to edifying of al the kirk; os he geuith the sigght of the ee, or the act of ani membre of the body, for help and edifying of al the body.

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For the purpose of examination four specimens of the Wiclifite versions, two from the Old and two from the New Testament, are subjoined. In the first, Psalm ciii., the Latin text from the Surtees Psalter, which may have been that from which Hereford translated, is placed above the text of Hereford, and immediately under it the text of the Authorized Version, so that the reader may see at a glance the agreements and differences. In the subsequent passages the Wiclifite text only will be given.

PSALM CII. (CIII).

1. Benedic, anima mea, Dominum; et

Bless thou, my soul, to the Lord;

omnia

interiora

and all thingus that withinne

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within

mea nomen sanctum ejus!

me ben to his holi name!

me, bless his holy name!

2. Benedic, anima mea, Dominum! et noli oblivisci Bless thou, my soule, to the Lord! and wile thou not forgete Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not omnes retributiones ejus.

3. Qui propitius fit omnibus iniquitatibus tuis; qui sanat omnes That hath mercy to alle thi wickidnessis; that helith alle Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all languores tuos.

4. Qui redemit de interitu vitam tuam; qui coronat te in That agheen bieth fro deth thy life; that crouneth thee in Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with miseratione misericordia.

et

mercy and mercy doingis.
lovingkindness and tender mercies.

5. Qui satiat in bonis desiderium tuum;
That fulfilleth in goode thingus thi diseyr;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
renovabitur sic ut aquila juventus tua.
schal be renewid as of an egle thiyh outhe.
so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6. Faciens misericordias Dominus,

Doende mercies the Lord,

The Lord executeth righteousness,

et judicium omnibus injuriam patientibus.
and dom to alle men suffrende wrong.
and judgment for all that are oppressed.

7. Notas fecit vias suas Moysi;

Knowen he made his weies to Moises;
He made known his ways unto Moses,
fillis Israhel voluntates suas.

and to the sones of Irael his willis.
his acts unto the children of Israel.

8. Misericors et miserator Dominus,
Reewere and merciful the Lord,
'The Lord is merciful and gracious,

patiens et multum misericors.

long abidende and myche merciful.
slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.