preuarication, trespassing; allegorie, or gospels vndirstonding; a libel, that is a little book; a byliber of wheat, a weighte of tweye pound; with wonder and extasi, that is, lesyng of mynde and resoun and lettyng of tongue; and, oolde bottelis, or wyne vessels. 3. Many words in these versions are strictly obsolete; e. g., contakes, reproaches; faage, flatter; heriynge, praising; querne, mill; and rewme, kingdom. There are others still in current use, but employed in a different sense; e. g., cofyns, baskets; departe, divide; bitake, deliver; tree, wood; and tent, heed. 4. The influence of the Wiclifite versions on the Authorized Version may be illustrated in the following juxtaposition: Wiclifite. MATTH. VII. 14. Authorized Version. 1 * Streit is the gate and narewe Strait is the gate, and narrow is the I No but a man schal be born Except a man be born again. 1, 2 The cuppe of blessynge the The cup of blessing which we bless. which we blessen. 1, 2 And vpbraydith not. JAMES I. 5. And upbraidth not. And in a longer extract may be seen at once the agreement and the difference: * denotes the earlier, 2 the later, version. S. LUKE vi. 20-26. · Wiclif (1380). 20 And whanne his iyen weren cast vp in to his disciplis: he seide, Blessid be ye pore men, for the kyngdom of god is youre. 21 Blessid be ye that now hungren: for ye schuln be fulfillid, Blessid be ye that now wepen: for ye schuln leiye, 22 blessid ye schulen be whanne men schuln hate you, departe you aweie, and putte schenschip to you: cast out youre name, as yuel for mannes sone, 23 ioye ye in that dai, and be ye glad: for lo youre mede is myche in heuene, for aftir these thingis: the fadirs of hem diden to profetis, 24 netheles wo to you riche men: than han youre comfort, 25 wo to you that ben fulfillid; for ye schuln hungre, wo to you that now leiyen; for ye schuln moorne and wepe, 26 wo to you whanne alle men schulen blesse you, aftir these thingis the fadris of hem diden to profetis. Authorized Version (1611). And hee lifted vp his eyes on his 20 disciplis, and said, Blessed bee yee poore: for yours is the kingdome of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: 21 for yee shall bee filled. Blessid are yee that weepe now, for ye shall laugh. Blessed are yee when men shall 22 hate you, and when they shall separate you from their com pany, and shal reproach you, and cast out your name as euill, for the Sonne of mannes sake. Reioyce ye in that day, and leape 23 for ioy: for beholde, your reward is great in heauen, for in the like maner did their fathers vnto the Prophets. But woe vnto you that are rich: 24 for yee haue receiued your con solation. Woe vnto you that are full: for 25 yee shall hunger. Woe vnto you that laugh now: for yee shall mourne and weepe. Wo vnto you when all men shall 26 speake well of you: for so did their fathers to the false prophets. And lastly, St. Paul's speech on Mars' Hill is given in Wiclif's own translation: ACTS xvii. 22-34. Older Version.*. Sothely poul stondynge in the mydil of ariopage (or comyn stole) seith, From The New Testament in English, translated by John Wycliffe, circa, 1386. 4to. London, 1848. Printed after the MS. then in the possession of Lea Wilson, now in the hands of the Earl of Ashburnham. men of athenes, by alle thinges I se yhou as veyne worschipers, sothely I passynge & seing yhoure symulacris: fonde & an auter in whiche it was writen to vnknowen god, therfore whiche thing yhee vnknowynge worschipen: this thing I schewe to yhou, god that made the worlde & alle thingis that ben in it: this whanne he is lord of heuene & erthe dwellith not in templis made by handis· nether is worschipide by mannes handis hauynge nede of any thing: whanne he ghyueth lijf to alle men⚫ & inbrethinge & alle thingis, and made of one alle the kynde of men⚫ for to enhabite on al the face of erthe determynynge tymes ordeynyde. & termes of habitacon (or dwellynge) of hem⚫ for to seek god ghif parauenture thei feelen hym other fynden: though he be not fer fro eche of yhou, sothely in hym we lyuen & ben mouede & ben: as & summe of yhoure poetis seyden, sothely we ben & the kynde of hym, therfore sith we ben the kynde of god: we schulen not deme (or gesse) godly thing for to be of golde et siluer or stoon: to grauynge of crafte & thoughte of man, and sothely god dispisynge the times of this vnkunnynge nowe schewith to men that alle euery where do penaunce for that he ordeynyde a day • in whiche he is to demynge the worlde in equyte⚫ in a man in whiche he ordeynyde feith ghyuynge to alle: reysynge hym fro deade men, sothely whanne thei hadden herde the aghen rysynge of deade men: sothely summe scorneden summe forsothe seyden, we schulen heere thee efte of this thing, so poul wente oute of the mydel of hem, forsothe some cleuynge to him bileueden, in the whiche & dionyse ariopagite (or greet man of comoune stole ) & a womman by name damaris; and other with hem. In Baber's edition of Wiclif's N. T. are given two versions of the Epistle of Paul to the Laodiceans, which, on account of their rarity are here reproduced. The prefatory note in Pepys, MS. 40, reads: Laodicensis ben also Colocensis: as tweie townes and o peple in maners. These ben of Asie: and among hem hadde ben false Apostlis and disseyued manye. Therfore the Apostil bringith hem to mynde of his conversacioun and trewe prechinge of the Gospel and excitith hem to be stidefast in the trewe witt and loue of Crist, and to be of o will. But this epistil is not in comyn latyn bookis and therfore it was but late trans latid into Englische tunge. Jerom in his prolog seith this. [Et si quid Lihi naris est, eiusdem est opificis, qui næniis suis omnium ueterum theologorum omnia scripta contaminauit, conspurcauit, perdidit, ac præcipue cius, qui præ cæteris indignus erat ea contumelia, nempe diui Hieronymi.] From the Dering MS. Poul apostle not of men ne bi man, but by Jesu Crist, to the britheren that ben of Laodice, grace to ghou and peec of god the fadir and of the lord iesu crist. gracis I do to crist bi al myn orisoun, that ghe be dwellinge in him and lastinge bi the biheeste abidinge in the dai of doom. ne he unordeynede us of sum veyn speche feynynge, that us overturne fro the sothfastnesse of the Gospel that of me is prechid. also now schal god do hem levynge, and doynge of blessidnesse of werkis, which heelthe of lyf is. and now openli ben my boondis which I suffre in crist iesu: in whiche I glade and ioie and that is to me heelthe euerlastynge: that that I dide with oure preieris & mynystringe the holy spirit bi lyf or bi deeth, it is forsothe to me lyf into crist and to die ioie withouten eende: In us he schal do his merci that ghe have the same lovynge, and that ghe be of o wil. therfore, derlyngis, as ghe hau herd in presence of me, hold ghe and do ghe in drede of god, and it schal be to you lyf withouten eende. It is forsothe god that worchith in us: and do ghe withouten ony withdrawinge whatsoevere ghe doon. And that it is, derlyngis, joie ghe in crist, and flee ghe maad foul in clay. Alle ghoure axingis ben open anentis god, & be ghe fastned in the witt of crist, and whiche been hool. and sooth and chast and rightwys, and From MS. in Jesus Col., Camb. Paul apostil not of men ne bi man, but bi Jesu Crist to the britheren that ben at Laodice: grace to ghou and pees of god the fadir and of the lord Jesu crist: I do thankyngis to mi god bi al my preier, that ghe ben dwellynge and lastynge in him abidinge the biheeste in the dai of doom. For neithir the vein spekynge of summe unwise men hath lettid ghou the whiche wolden turne ghou fro the treuthe of the gospel that is prechid of me and now ben that ben of me to the profight of treueth of the gospel. god schal make deservynge and doynge benygnyte of werkis and of heelthe of everlastynge liif. And now mi boondis ben open whiche I suffre in Crist Jesu; in which I glade & joie, and that is to me euerlastynge heelthe: that this same thing be doon by ghoure preiers and mynystringe of the holy goost either bi lyf eithir bi deeth. Forsothe to me it is lyf to lyve in Crist, and to die joie. And his merci schal do in ghou that same thing, that ghe moun have the same love, and that ghe may be of o wil. Therfore ghe weel beloved britheren, holde ghe and do ghe in the drede of god as ghe han herd the presence of me, & lyf schal be to ghou withouten eende. Sotheli it is god that worchith in ghou. And, my weel beloued britheren: do ghe withouten ony withdrawynge what evere that ghe doon. joie ghe in lovable do ghe: and whiche herden and take in herte hold ghe; and it schal be to ghou pees. Holi men greeten ghou weel in the grace of oure lord Jesu Crist with the hooli goost: and do ghe that pistil of colosensis to be red to ghou amen. Here eendith the pistil to Laodisensis and bigynneth a prolog on the firste pistil to tessalonicensis. crist and eschewe ghe man defoulid with lucre, eithir foul wynnynge. Be alle ghoure axingis open anentis god: and be ghe stidefast in the witt of crist, and do ghe tho thingis that ben hool and trewe and iust and able to be loved. and kepe ghe in herte the thingis that ghe have herd and take; and pees schal be to ghou. alle holi men greeten ghou. The grace of oure lord Jesu Crist be with ghoure spirit, and do ghe that pistil of Colosensis to be red to ghou: Heere eendith the pistil to Laodisensis, and bigynneth the prolog on the firste pistil to Tessalonisensis.* EDITIONS OF WICLIF. 1. Rev. John Lewis, M.A., printed the first edition of the New Testament of Wiclif, folio, London, 1731, with a glossary of old and obsolete words. The text was taken from two MSS., one of which in 1850 was in the Bodleian Library (Gough, Eccl., Top 5), and the other in the possession of the very Rev. Wm. Conybeare, dean of Llandaff. 2. Rev. Henry Baber reprinted it in 4to., London, 1810, with "a short memoir of the Life, Opinions, and Writings of Dr. Wycliffe: an historical account of the Saxon and English versions of the Scriptures which have been made previously to the fifteenth century." The Glossary at the end of the volume is corrected and considerably enlarged. 3. The New Testament, in the same version, was published in the first column of Bagster's English Hexapla, 4to., London, 1841; it is claimed to be much more accurate and com * This version is later than the former, and both belong to a later period than Wiclif's time. |