Part 20 (1/2)
+William.+ And I said, ”Sir, Master JOHN WYCLIFFE was holden of full many men, the greatest Clerk [_Divine_] that they knew then living; and therewith he was named a pa.s.sing ruely man and an innocent in his living: and herefore great many commoned [_communed_] oft with him, and they loved so much his learning that they writ it, and busily enforced them to rule themselves thereafter. Therefore, Sir, this foresaid learning of Master JOHN WYCLIFFE is yet holden of full many men and women, the most agreeable learning unto the living and teaching of CHRIST and his Apostles, and most openly shewing and declaring how the Church of CHRIST hath been, and yet should be, ruled and governed.
Therefore so many men and women covet this learning, and purpose, through G.o.d's grace, to conform their living like to this learning of WYCLIFFE.
”Master JOHN AISTON taught and writ accordingly, and full busily, where, and when, and to whom that he might: and he used it himself right perfectly, unto his life's end.
”And also PHILIP of REPINGTON, while he was a Canon of Leicester [_He was Chancellor of Oxford in 1397, and again in 1400_]; NICHOLAS HER[E]FORD; DAVID GOTRAY of Pakring, Monk of Bylande and a Master of Divinity; and JOHN PURVEY, and many others, which were holden right wise men and prudent, taught and writ busily this foresaid learning, and conformed them thereto. And with all these men I was oft right homely [_quite at home_], and communed with them long time and oft: and so, before all other men, I choose wilfully to be informed of them and by them, and especially of WYCLIFFE himself; as of the most virtuous and G.o.dly wise men that I heard of or knew. And therefore of him specially, and of these men I took my learning, that I have taught; and purpose to live thereafter, if G.o.d will! to my life's end.
”For though some of these men be contrary to the learning that they taught before, I wot well that their learning was true which they taught; and therefore, with the help of G.o.d, I purpose to hold and to use the learning which I heard of them while they sat on MOSES' chair, and specially while they sat on the chair of CHRIST. But after the works that they now do, I will not do! with G.o.d's help. For they feign and hide and contrary the Truth which before they taught out plainly and truly. For as I know well, when some of these men hath been blamed for their slanderous doing, they grant not that they have taught amiss, or erred before time; but that they were constrained by pain[s] to leave to tell out the Sooth: and thus they choose now rather to blaspheme G.o.d than to suffer awhile here bodily persecution for Soothfastness that CHRIST shed out his heart-blood for.”
=WILLIAM'S SERMON AT ST. CHAD'S.=
+Archbishop.+ And the Archbishop said, ”That learning that thou callest Truth and Soothfastness is open slander to Holy Church, as it is proved of Holy Church. For albeit that WYCLIFFE your author [_founder_] was a great Clerk, and though that many men held him a perfect liver: yet his doctrine is not approved of Holy Church, but many Sentences of his learning are d.a.m.ned [_condemned_] as they are well worthy.
”But as touching PHILIP of REPINGTON that was first Canon, and after Abbot of Leicester, which is now Bishop of LINCOLN; I tell thee that the Day is now comen for which he fasted the Even! For neither he holdeth now, nor will hold the learning that he thought when he was Canon of Leicester; for no Bishop of this land pursueth now more sharply them that hold thy Way than he doth.”
+William.+ And I said, ”Sir, full many men and women wondereth upon him, and speaketh him mickle shame, and holdeth him for a cursed enemy of the Truth.”
+Archbishop.+ And the Archbishop said to me, ”Wherefore tarriest thou me thus here, with such fables? Wilt thou shortly, as I said to thee, submit thee to me or no?”
+William.+ And I said, ”Sir, I tell you at one word. I dare not, for the dread of G.o.d, submit me to you after the tenour and Sentence that ye have above rehea.r.s.ed to me.”
+Archbishop.+ And then, as if he had been wroth, he said to one of his Clerks, ”Fetch hither quickly the _Certification_ that came to me from Shrewsbury, under the Bailiff's seal, witnessing the errors and heresies which this losell hath venemously witnessed there!”
Then hastily the Clerk took out and laid forth on a cupboard divers rolls and writings; among which there was a little one, which the Clerk delivered to the Archbishop.
=THE DESIRE OF THE SHREWSBURY MEN.=
And by and by the Archbishop read this roll containing this sentence.
-- _The third Sunday_ [April 17th] _after Easter_ [March 27th], _the year of our Lord 1407, WILLIAM THORPE came unto the town of Shrewsbury, and, through leave granted to him to preach, he said openly in St. Chad's Church, in his sermon,_
_That the Sacrament of the Altar after the consecration was material bread._ _And that images should in no wise be wors.h.i.+pped._ _And that men should not go on any pilgrimages._ _And that priests have no t.i.tle to t.i.thes._ _And that it is not lawful to swear in any wise._
+Archbishop.+ And when the Archbishop had read thus this roll, he rolled it up again, and said to me, ”Is this wholesome learning to be among the people?”
+William.+ And I said to him, ”Sir, I am both ashamed on their behalf, and right sorrowful for them that have certified you these things thus untruly: for I never preached nor taught thus, privily nor apertly.”
+Archbishop.+ And the Archbishop said to me, ”I will give credence to these wors.h.i.+pful men which have written to me and witnessed under their seals there among them. Though thou now deniest this, weenest thou that I will credence to thee! Thou, losell! hast troubled the wors.h.i.+pful comminalty of Shrewsbury, so that the Bailiffs and comminalty of that town have written to me, praying me, that am Archbishop of CANTERBURY, Primate, and Chancellor of England, _that I will vouchsafe to grant them, that if thou shalt be made, as thou art worthy! to suffer open jouresse_ [? penance or pillory] _for thine heresies, that thou may have thy jouresse openly there among them; so that all they whom thou and such like losells have there perverted, may, through fear of thy deed_ [_i.e._, martyrdom] _be reconciled again to the unity of Holy Church; and also they that stand in true faith of Holy Church may through thy deed be more stablished therein._” And as if this asking had pleased the Archbishop, he said, ”By my thrift! this hearty prayer and fervent request shall be thought on!”
But certainly neither the prayer of the men of Shrewsbury, nor the menacing of the Archbishop made me anything afraid: but, in the rehearsing of this malice, and in the hearing of it, my heart greatly rejoiced, and yet doth. I thank G.o.d, for the grace that I then thought, and yet think, shall come to all the Church of G.o.d herethrough, by the special merciful doing of the LORD.
=A DAUNTLESS LOLLARD SPEECH.=
+William.+ And as having no dread of the malice of tyrants, by trusting stedfastly in the help of the LORD, with full purpose for to [ac]knowledge the Soothfastness, and to stand thereby after my cunning and power, I said to the Archbishop, ”Sir, if the truth of G.o.d's Word might now be accepted as it should be, I doubt not to prove by likely evidence, that they that are famed to be out of the faith of Holy Church in Shrewsbury and in other places also, are in the true faith of Holy Church. For as their words sound and their works shew to man's judgement, dreading and loving faithfully G.o.d; their will, their desire, their love, and their business, are most set to dread to offend G.o.d and to love for to please Him in true and faithful keeping of His commandments.
”And again, they that are said to be in the faith of Holy Church at Shrewsbury and in other places, by open evidence of their proud, envious, malicious, covetous, lecherous, and other foul words and works, neither know nor have will to know nor to occupy their wits truly and effectuously in the right faith of Holy Church. Wherefore [none of] all these, nor none that follow their manners, shall any time come verily in the faith of Holy Church, except they enforce them more truly to come in the way which now they despise. For these men and women that are now called Faithful and holden Just, neither know, nor will exercise themselves to know, of faithfulness, one commandment of G.o.d. And thus full many men and women now, and specially men that are named to be ”princ.i.p.al limbs of Holy Church,” stir G.o.d to great wrath; and deserve His curse for that they call or hold them ”just men” which are full unjust, as their vicious words, their great customable swearing, and their slanderous and shameful works shew openly and witness. And herefore such vicious men and unjust in their own confusion call them ”unjust men and women,” which after their power and cunning, busy themselves to live justly after the commandment of G.o.d.
”And where, Sir, ye say, that I have distroubled the comminalty of Shrewsbury and many other men and women with my teaching; if it thus be, it is not to be wondered [at] of wise men, since all the comminalty of the city of Jerusalem was distroubled of CHRIST's own person, that was Very G.o.d and Man, and [the] most prudent preacher that ever was or shall be. And also all the Synagogue of Nazareth was moved against CHRIST, and so full-filled with ire towards him for his preaching, that the men of the Synagogue rose up and cast CHRIST out of their city, and led him up to the top of a mountain for to cast him down there headlong. Also according hereto, the LORD witnesseth by MOSES, that He shall put dissension betwixt His people, and the people that contrarieth and pursueth His people. Who, Sir, is he that shall preach the truth of G.o.d's Word to that unfaithful people, and shall let [_hinder_] the Soothfastness of the gospel, and the prophecy of G.o.d Almighty to be fulfilled?”
+Archbishop.+ And the Archbishop said to me, ”It followeth of these thy words, that thou, and such other, thinkest that ye do right well for to preach and teach as ye do, without authority of any Bishop. For ye presume that the LORD hath chosen you only, for to preach as faithful disciples and special followers of CHRIST!”
=THE OFFICE OF EVERY PRIEST IS TO PREACH.=