Fifteenth Century Prose and Verse Part 19

_Over this, I believe that CHRIST suffered, most meekly and patiently, his enemies for to ding_ [beat] _out with sharp scourges, the blood that was between his skin and his flesh: yea, without grudging, CHRIST suffered wicked Jews to crown him with most sharp thorns, and to strike him with a reed. And, after, CHRIST suffered wicked Jews to draw_ [lay] _him out upon the Cross, and for to nail him there, upon foot and hand; and so, through this pitiful nailing, CHRIST shed out wilfully, for man's life, the blood that was in his veins: and then, CHRIST gave wilfully his spirit into the hands or power of his Father. And so, as he would, and when he would, CHRIST died wilfully, for man's sake, upon the Cross. And notwithstanding that CHRIST was wilfully, painfully, and most shamefully put to death as to the world, there was left blood and water in his heart, as he before ordained that he would shed out this blood and this water for man's salvation. And therefore he suffered the Jews to make a blind_ [ignorant] _Knight to thrust him into the heart with a spear; and this the blood and water that was in his heart, CHRIST would shed out for man's love._

_And, after this, I believe that CHRIST was taken down from the Cross, and buried._

_And I believe that on the third day, by the power of his G.o.dhead, CHRIST rose again from death to life. And forty days thereafter, I believe that CHRIST ascended up into heaven; and that he there sitteth on the right hand of G.o.d the Father Almighty. And the tenth day after his up going, he sent to his Apostles the HOLY GHOST, that he had promised them before._

_And I believe that CHRIST shall come and judge all mankind, some to everlasting peace, and some to everlasting pains._

_And as I believe in the Father, and in the Son, that they are one G.o.d Almighty; so I believe in the HOLY GHOST that is also, with them, the same G.o.d Almighty._

_And I believe_ [in] _an Holy Church, that is, all they that have been, and that now are, and always to the end of the world shall be, a people the which shall endeavour them to know, and keep the commandments of G.o.d; dreading over all things to offend G.o.d, and loving and seeking most to please Him. And I believe that all they that have had, and yet have, and all they that yet shall have the foresaid virtues, surely standing in the Belief of G.o.d, hoping steadfastly in His merciful doings, continuing to their end in perfect charity, wilfully patiently and gladly suffering persecutions by the example of CHRIST chiefly and His Apostles; and these have their names written in the Book of Life. Therefore I believe that the gathering together of this people living now in this life, is the Holy Church of G.o.d, fighting here on earth against the Fiend, the prosperity of the world, and their fleshly l.u.s.ts.

Wherefore, seeing that all the gathering together of this Church beforesaid, and every part thereof, neither coveteth, nor willeth, nor loveth, nor seeketh anything, but to eschew the offence of G.o.d, and to do His pleasing will: meekly, gladly, and wilfully, of all mine heart, I submit myself unto this Holy Church of CHRIST; to be ever buxom and obedient to the ordinance of it, and of every member thereof, after my knowledge and power, by the help of G.o.d._

_Therefore I_ [ac]_knowledge now, and evermore shall (if G.o.d will!) that, of all my heart, and of all my might, I will submit me only to the rule and governance of them whom, after my knowledge, I may perceive, by the having and using of the beforesaid virtues, to be members of the Holy Church._

_Wherefore these Articles of Belief and all others, both of the Old Law and of the New, which, after the commandment of G.o.d, any man ought to believe, I believe verily in my soul, as a sinful deadly wretch of my cunning and power ought to believe; praying the LORD G.o.d, for His holy name, for to increase my belief, and help my unbelief._

_And for because, to the praising of G.o.d's name, I desire above all things to be a faithful member of Holy Church, I make this Protestation before you all four that are now here present, coveting that all men and women that_ [are] _now absent knew the same; that what thing soever before this time I have said or done, or what thing here I shall do or say at any time hereafter, I believe that all the Old Law and the New Law given and ordained by the counsel of these three Persons in the Trinity, were given and written to_ [for]

_the salvation of mankind. And I believe these Laws are sufficient for the man's salvation. And I believe every Article of these Laws to the intent that these Articles were ordained and commanded, of these three Persons of the most blessed Trinity, to be believed. And therefore to the rule and the ordinance of these, G.o.d's Laws, meekly, gladly, and wilfully, I submit me with all mine heart: that whoever can or will, by authority of G.o.d's Law, or by open reason, tell me that I have erred, or now err, or any time hereafter shall err in any Article of Belief (from which inconvenience, G.o.d keep me, for his goodness!) I submit me to be reconciled, and to be buxom and obedient unto these Laws of G.o.d, and to every Article of them. For by authority specially of these Laws, I will, through the grace of G.o.d, be unied_ [united] _charitably unto these Laws._

_Yea, Sir, and over this, I believe and admit all the Sentences, authorities, and reasons of the Saints and Doctors, according unto Holy Scripture, and declaring it truly. I submit me wilfully and meekly to be ever obedient, after my cunning and power, to all these Saints and Doctors as they are obedient in work and in word to G.o.d and his Law: and further, not to my knowledge; nor for any earthly power, dignity, or state, through the help of G.o.d._

=ARCHBISHOP'S CONDITIONS TO WILLIAM.=

"But, Sir, I pray you tell me, if after your bidding, I shall lay my hand upon the book, to the intent to swear thereby?"

+Archbishop.+ And the Archbishop said unto me, "Yea! wherefore else?"

+William.+ And I said to him, "Sir, a book is nothing else but a thing coupled together of diverse creatures [_created things_]; and to swear by any creature, both G.o.d's Law and man's law is against. But, Sir, this thing I say here to you, before these your Clerks, with my foresaid _Protestation_, that how, where, when, and to whom, men are bounden to swear or to obey, in any wise, after G.o.d's Laws, and Saints and good Doctors according with G.o.d's Law; I will, through G.o.d's grace, be ever ready thereto, with all my cunning and power!

"But I pray you, Sir, for the charity of G.o.d! that ye will, before that I swear as I have rehea.r.s.ed to you, tell me how or whereto that I shall submit me; and shew me whereof that ye will correct me, and what is the ordinance that ye will thus oblige me to fulfil?"

+Archbishop.+ And the Archbishop said unto me, "I will, shortly, that now thou swear here to me, that thou shalt forsake all the opinions which the Sect of Lollards hold, and is slandered [_charged_] with; so that, after this time, neither privily nor apertly, thou hold any opinion which I shall, after that thou hast sworn, rehea.r.s.e to thee here. Nor thou shalt favour no man nor woman, young nor old, that holdeth any of these foresaid opinions; but, after thy knowledge and power, thou shalt enforce thee to withstand all such distroublers of Holy Church in every diocese that thou comest in; and them that will not leave their false and d.a.m.nable opinions, thou shalt put them up, publis.h.i.+ng them and their names; and make them known to the Bishop of the diocese that they are in, or to the Bishop's Ministers. And, over this, I will that thou preach no more, unto the time that I know, by good witness and true, that thy conversation be such that thy heart and thy mouth accord truly in one contrarying [of] all the lewd learning that thou hast taught herebefore."

And I, hearing these words, thought in my heart that this was an unlawful asking; and I deemed myself cursed of G.o.d, if I consented hereto: and I thought how SUSANNA said, _Anguish is to me on every side!_

+Archbishop.+ And in that I stood still, and spake not; the Archbishop said to me, "Answer one wise or another!"

=HE IS TO BE THE BISHOPS' SPY.=

+William.+ And I said, "Sir, if I consented to you thus, as ye have here rehea.r.s.ed to me; I should become an Appealer, or every Bishop's Spy!

Summoner of all England! For an [_if_] I should thus put up and publish the names of men and women, I should herein deceive full many persons: yea, Sir, as it is likely, by the doom of my conscience, I should herein be cause of the death, both of men and women; yea, both bodily and ghostly. For many men and women that stand now in the Truth, and are in the way of salvation, if I should for the learning and reading of their _Belief_ publish them or put them therefore up to Bishops or to their unpiteous Ministers, I know some deal by experience, that they should be so distroubled and dis-eased with persecution or otherwise, that many of them, I think, would rather choose to forsake the Way of Truth than to be travailed, scorned, and slandered or punished as Bishops and their Ministers now use [_are accustomed_] for to constrain men and women to consent to them.

"But I find in no place in Holy Scripture, that this office that ye would now enfeoff me with, accordeth to any priest of CHRIST's sect, nor to any other Christian man. And therefore to do thus, were to me a full noyous bond to be bounden with, and over grievous charge. For I suppose that if I thus did, many men and women in the world, yea, Sir, might justly, unto my confusion say to me that 'I were a traitor to G.o.d and to them!' since, as I think in mine heart, many men and women trust so mickle in me in this case, that I would not, for the saving of my life, do thus to them. For if I thus should do, full many men and women would, as they might full truly, say that 'I had falsely and cowardly forsaken the Truth, and slandered shamefully the Word of G.o.d!' For if I consented to you, to do hereafter your will, for bonchief and mischief that may befall to me in this life, I deem in my conscience that I were worthy herefore to be cursed of G.o.d, as also of all His Saints! From which inconvenience keep me and all Christian people, Almighty G.o.d! now and ever, for His holy name!"

=ARUNDELL THREATENS TO BURN WILLIAM.=

+Archbishop.+ And then the Archbishop said unto me, "O thine heart is full hard, endured [_hardened_] as was the heart of PHARAOH; and the Devil hath overcome thee, and perverted thee! and he hath so blinded thee in all thy wits, that thou hast no grace to know the truth, nor the measure of mercy that I have proffered to thee! Therefore, as I perceive now by thy foolish answer, thou hast no will to leave thine old errors.

But I say to thee, lewd losell! [_base lost one!_ or _base son of perdition!_] either thou quickly consent to mine ordinance, and submit thee to stand to my decrees, or, by Saint Thomas! thou shalt be disgraded [_degraded_], and follow thy fellow in Smithfield!"

And at this saying, I stood still and spake not; but I thought in mine heart that G.o.d did to me a great grace, if He would, of His great mercy, bring me to such an end. And in mine heart, I was nothing [a]fraid with this menacing of the Archbishop.

And I considered, there, two things in him. One, that he was not yet sorrowful, for that he had made WILLIAM SAUTRE wrongfully to be burnt [_on Feb. 12, 1401, at Smithfield_]. And as I considered that the Archbishop thirsted yet after more shedding out of innocent blood. And fast therefore I was moved in all my wits, for to hold the Archbishop neither for Prelate, nor for priest of G.o.d; and for that mine inward man was thus altogether departed from the Archbishop, methought I should not have any dread of him. But I was right heavy and sorrowful for that there was none audience of secular [_lay_] men by: but in mine heart, I prayed the LORD G.o.d to comfort me and strengthen me against them that there were against the Soothfastness. And I purposed to speak no more to the Archbishop and his Clerks [_Chaplains_] than me need behoved.

=HOW WILLIAM CAME TO WYCLIFFE, ABOUT 1377.=

And all thus I prayed G.o.d, for His goodness, to give me then and always grace to speak with a meek and an easy spirit; and whatsoever thing that I should speak, that I might thereto have true authorities of Scriptures and open reason.

+A Clerk.+ And for that I stood still, and nothing spake, one of the Archbishop's Clerks said unto me, "What thing musest thou? Do thou, as my Lord hath now commanded to thee here!"

And yet I stood still, and answered him not.

+Archbishop.+ And then, soon after, the Archbishop said to me, "Art thou not yet bethought, whether thou wilt do as I have here said to thee?"

+William.+ And I said then to him, "Sir, my father and mother (on whose souls G.o.d have mercy! if it be His will) spent mickle money in divers places about my learning; for the intent to have made me a priest to G.o.d. But when I came to years of discretion, I had no will to be priest; and therefore my friends were right heavy to me. And then methought their grudging against me was so painful to me, that I purposed therefore to have left their company. And when they perceived this in me, they spake some time full fair and pleasant words to me: but for that they might not make me to consent, of good heart, to be a priest, they spake to me full ofttimes very grievous words, and menaced me in divers manners, shewing to me full heavy cheer. And thus, one while in fair manner, another while in grievous, they were long time, as methought, full busy about me, ere I consented to them to be a priest.

"But, at the last, when, in this matter, they would no longer suffer mine excusations; but either I should consent to them, or I should ever bear their indignation; yea, 'their curse,' as they said. Then I seeing this, prayed them that they would give me license for to go to them that were named wise priests and of virtuous conversation, to have their counsel, and to know of them the office and the charge of priesthood.

"And hereto my father and my mother consented full gladly, and gave me their blessing and good leave to go, and also money to spend in this journey.

=WYCLIFFE'S CO-WORKERS IN TRANSLATING THE _BIBLE_, HEREFORD & PURVEY, GIVE UP LOLLARDISM.=

"And so then I went to those priests whom I heard to be of best name and of most holy living, and best learned and most wise of heavenly wisdom: and so I communed with them unto the time that I perceived, by their virtuous and continual occupations, that their honest and charitable works [sur]pa.s.sed their fame, which I heard before of them. Wherefore, sir, by the example of the doctrine of them, and specially for the G.o.dly and innocent works which I perceived of them and in them; after my cunning and power I have exercised me then, and in this time, to know perfectly G.o.d's Law: having a will and desire to live thereafter, willing that all men and women exercised themselves faithfully thereabout.

"If then, Sir, either for pleasure or displeasure of them that are neither so wise, nor of so virtuous conversation (to my knowledge, nor by common fame of other men's knowledge in this land) as these men were, of whom I took my counsel and information; I should now forsake, thus suddenly and shortly, and unwarned, all the learning that I have exercised myself in, this thirty winter [_i.e., from 1377_] and more, my conscience should ever be herewith out of measure unquieted. And as, Sir, I know well that many men and women should be therethrough greatly troubled and slandered; and (as I said, Sir, to you before) for mine untruth and false cowardness many a one should be put into full great reprefe [_reproof_]. Yea, Sir, I dread that many a one, as they might then justly, would curse me full bitterly: and, Sir, I fear not but the curse of G.o.d (which I should deserve herein) would bring me to a full evil end, if I continued thus.

"And if through remorse of conscience, I repented me at any time, returning into the Way which you do your diligence to constrain me now to forsake; yea, Sir, all the Bishops of this land, with full many other priests, would defame me, and pursue me as a Relapse: and they that now have (though I be unworthy) some confidence in me, hereafter would never trust to me, though I could teach and live never so virtuously more that I can or may.

"For if, after your counsel, I left utterly all my Learning: I should hereby, first wound and defile mine own soul; and also I should herethrough give occasion to many men and women of full sore hurting.

Yea, Sir, it is likely to me, if I consented to your will, I should herein by mine evil example in it, as far as in me were, slay many folk ghostly, that I should never deserve for to have grace of G.o.d to the edifying of His Church, neither of myself, nor of none other man's life, and [be] undone both before G.o.d and man.

"But, Sir, by example chiefly of some, whose names I will not now rehea.r.s.e, [NICHOLAS DE] H[EREFORD], of J[OHN] P[URVEY], and B[OWLAND]; and also by the present doing of PHILIP of REPINGTON that [_after being a Lollard_] is now become Bishop of LINCOLN [_consecrated on March 28, 1405; and about a year following this Examination was made, on September 19, 1408, a Cardinal_]: I am now learned, as many more hereafter through G.o.d's grace shall be learned, to hate and to flee all such slander that these foresaid men chiefly hath defiled princ.i.p.ally themselves with. And in it that in them is, they have envenomed all the Church of G.o.d; for the slanderous revoking at the Cross of Paul's, of H[EREFORD], P[URVEY], and of B[OWLAND], and how now PHILIP REPINGTON pursueth CHRIST's people.

And the feigning that these men dissemble by worldly prudence, keeping them cowardly in their preaching and communing, within the bonds and terms, which, without blame, may be spoken and shewed out to the most worldly livers, will not be unpunished of G.o.d. For to the point of truth that these men shewed out some time, they not will now stretch forth their lives: but by example, each one of them, as their words and works shew, they busy them, through their feigning, for to slander and to pursue CHRIST in his members, rather than they will be pursued."

+Archbishop.+ And the Archbishop said to me, "These men the which thou speakest of now, were fools and heretics, when they were counted wise men of thee and other such losells: but now they are wise men, though thou and such others deem them unwise. Nevertheless, I wist never none, that right said; that any while were envenomed with your contagiousness, that is contaminated and spotted doctrine."

+William.+ And I said to the Archbishop, "Sir, I think well that these men and such others are now wise as to this world, but as their words sounded sometime and their works shewed outwardly, it was likely to move me that they had earnest of the wisdom of G.o.d, and that they should have deserved mickle grace of G.o.d to have saved their own souls and many other men's, if they had continued faithful in wilful poverty and in other simple virtuous living; and specially if they had with these foresaid virtues, continued in their busy fruitful sowing of G.o.d's Word, as, to many men's knowledge, they occupied them a season in all their wits full busily to know the pleasant Will of G.o.d, travailing all their members full busily for to do thereafter purely, and chiefly to the praising of the most holy name of G.o.d and for grace of edification and salvation of Christian people. But woe worth false covetise! and evil counsel! and tyranny! by which they and many men and women are led blindly into an evil end."

=J. PURVEY, VICAR OF WEST HYTHE, 1401-3.=

+Archbishop.+ Then the Archbishop said to me, "Thou and such other losells of thy sect would shave your beards full near, for to have a benefice! For, by Jesu! I know none more covetous shrews than ye are, when that ye have a benefice. For, lo, I gave to JOHN PURVEY a benefice but a mile out of this Castle [_i.e., the vicarage of West Hythe, near Saltwood Castle in Kent, which PURVEY held from August 11, 1401, till he resigned it on October 8, 1403_], and I heard more complaints about his covetousness for t.i.thes and other misdoings, than I did of all men that were advanced within my diocese."

+William.+ And I said to the Archbishop, "Sir, PURVEY is neither with you now for the benefice that ye gave him, nor holdeth he faithfully with the learning that he taught and writ before time; and thus he sheweth himself neither to be hot nor cold: and therefore he and his fellows may sore[ly] dread that if they turn not hastily to the Way that they have forsaken, peradventure they be put out of the number of CHRIST's chosen people."

+Archbishop.+ And the Archbishop said, "Though PURVEY be now a false harlot [_debased man. This term was at this time applied also to men_], I quite me [_absolve myself in respect_] to him: but come he more for such cause before me, ere we depart, I shall know with whom he holdeth!

But I say to thee, Which are these holy men and wise of whom thou hast taken thine information?"

=THE FIRST LEADERS OF THE LOLLARDS.=