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CHAP. heretofore by King John to the Pope's Legate, ought not to prejudice the kingdom of England; and did not at all oblige the present King. This, no doubt, was no way agreeable to the Court of Rome, who were very impatient of contradiction, and could not bear any opposition made to their pretensions, however unjust and unreasonable they were. And therefore we need not wonder that Mr. Wiclif was ejected, as has been shewn, from his wardenship. However, by this he seems to have been made known to the Court, and particularly to the Duke of Lancaster, the King's brother, who was at this time in great favour, and

A. D. 1368. to whom Mr. Wiclif, two years after, addressed some of his works which he published.

In this paper Mr. Wiclif styles himself the King's peculiar Clerk or Chaplain, and declares, that "he willingly " undertook the part of a respondent to defend and shew, " that the King might justly rule the kingdom of England, " and at the same time deny the payment of the 700 marks " a year, demanded as a tribute by the Pope: and that the "errors imposed on the kingdom are false and without " any evidence of reason or law; on this account however, "that his opponent undertook to shew, that it is false and "contrary to the Gospel, that temporal Lords may in any "case lawfully take away the goods of Churchmen." He adds, that he had been told, "there were three reasons "why this reverend Doctor put him on answering in the " present case. 1. That his person might be defamed at "Rome, and he loaded with ecclesiastical censures, and "deprived of his church benefices." So dangerous, it seems, was it at this time to oppose this pretension of the Pope's. 2. "That the Doctor himself might by this " means obtain the favour of the Roman Court for himself " and his Order. 3. That the Lord Pope ruling the king"dom of England with less control and at his own plea"sure, temporal domains might be heaped on the Abbies " without any restraint." To avoid therefore the personal injury designed to himself, Mr. Wiclif professes, " that " he is an humble and obedient son of the Roman Church,

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" and that he will assert nothing that may sound injurious CHAP. "to the said Church, or reasonably offend devout ears." He then refers his opponent to answer the arguments which, he says, he heard used by the secular lords in a

certain council, by which, I suppose, he means the parliament, in which this question was debated in the House of Lords. Accordingly he gives an abstract of the several speeches made by seven lords on this occasion, and concludes thus; "It is," says he, "therefore proved, unless "the Doctor demonstrates to me the reasonableness of the "condition alleged contrary to the reasons given by the " lords of England, that that reason is not good against the " right of our lord the King." But, adds he, " if I am not " mistaken, he will never be able to prove, that this con"dition was reasonable and honest, before that day comes " in which all exaction will be at an end." But whatever zeal might now be shewn by the Friars in behalf of this arrogant claim of the Pope's, of this kingdom's being tributary to them, it is plain no such tribute was ever paid, and that it was afterwards the opinion of the English Catho- Sir Thomas lics themselves, that "never could any King of England works, "give away the realm to the Pope, or make the land tri-P. 296, "butary, though he would."

More's Eng.

col. 1.

p. 379.

Mr. Wiclif having taken his Doctor of Divinity's de- A. D. 1372. gree, now publicly professed divinity, and read lectures in it; which he did with very great applause, having such an Leland de authority in the schools, that whatever he said was receiv- Script. Brit. ed as an oracle. In these lectures he frequently took notice of the corruptions of the begging Friars, which at first he did in a soft and gentle manner, until, finding that his detecting their abuses was what was acceptable to his hearers, he proceeded to deal more plainly and openly with them...

1

1

Religion, as one well observes, had now passed through Mr. Whar"so many ignorant and barbarous ages; the means of Bishop Pea"greater knowledge had been so studiously hidden from cock's Trea"the people, and the ignorance of the laity was so advan-p. 34. "tageous to the interest of the Clergy, that the true spirit

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CHAP. " of Christianity seemed to be wholly lost, and had degene"rated into shews and ceremonies, many of which were " unlawful, but almost all unuseful. And not only this "fatal stupidity and idle superstition had generally pos"sessed the minds of men, but all remedies were detest

Ibid. p. 36." ed, and all artifices used to continue the disease. The " incredible fables of legends, and incurable itch of lying "for the honour of their saints and patrons, which then "reigned among all the monastic orders, (which was al" most the only subject on which they preached,) and was " fondly received by the credulous multitude, were one of "the greatest scandals and most pernicious abuses in the "Church at that time. The greater and more necessary "articles of faith, and all genuine and rational knowledge " of religion, had generally given place to fabulous legends, " and romantic stories; fables, which in this respect only " differed from those of the ancient Heathen poets, that "they were more incredible, and less elegant.""

Dr. Wiclif therefore, in exposing the follies and superstitions of the Friars, struck at the root of all the abuses Object. of which at that time had got into the Church. Of this he Freres. MS. was very sensible: for to them he imputes all the disturDialog. lib. bance of the Christian Church, and the mischiefs of this iv. c. 34.

c. 50.

of Freres.

world; and affirms, that the infatuated Church is involved in infinite blasphemies, principally by the tail of that dragon mentioned in the Revelations, i. e. the sects of the

Friars which minister to that delusion, and other Luciferian Objections seductions of the Church. The particulars with which MS. Dr. Wiclif charged the Friars may be seen in a tract, which he published about ten years after this, in which he charges them with holding fifty heresies and errors, and many moe, if men wole seke them well out. These he names as follows.

1. "First," says he, "Freres seyn that their religion foun"den of sinful men, is more perfit than that religion or "Order the which Christ himself made, that is both God "and man..

2. Also, Freres seyn privily that it is apostacy and he

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"resy for a priest to live, as Christ ordained a priest to CHAP. " live, by form of the Gospel, viz. to traveile to sow God's " word among the people; to do this office freely going fro "country to country where he may most profit, and ceese " not for Priour, ne any other satrap, and charge not sin"gular P abite, and begg not, but be payed with common " meat and drink, as Christ and his Apostles weren.

3. Also, Freres seyn, if a man be once professed to their " religion, he may never leave it and be saved, though he " be never so unable thereto, for all time of his life.

4. "Also, Freres seyn, if a man be professed to their "holy Order, he shall not preche freely and generally the "Gospel to christen men, without licence of his Sovereign "for virtue of obedience, be his Sovereign never so cursed

"

a man of life, and unkunning of God's law, and enemy " to christen men's souls, and in caas a foul devil of hell, "though this man professed have received of God never so " much kunning of God's law, and power and will to work "after this kunning.

5. " Also, Freres meyntene that begging is lawful, the "which is damned by God, both in the Old Testament, " and also in the New.

6. "Also, Freres seyn indede, that it is medeful to leave "the commandment of Christ, of geving of alms to poor "feble men, to poor crooked, to poor blind men, and to " bedrede men, and geven this alms to hypocrites that feyn " them holy and needy when they ben strong in body, and " have overmuch riches, both in great waste a houses, and

CHAP. "precious clothes, and great feasts, and many jewels and

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"tresour.

7. "Also, Freres chargen more breking of their own " traditions, than breking of the commandments of God. 8. "Also, Freres feynen them as hypocrites to kepe "streitly the Gospel and poverty of Christ and his Apo"stles, and they mosten [do] contrary to Christ and his " Apostles.

9. "Also, Freres drawen children fro Christ's religion " into their private Order by hypocrisie, lesings, and stel“ing.

10. "Also, Freres for pride and covetisse, drawen fro "curates their offices and sacraments, in which lieth wyn"nyng or worship, and so maken dissencion between cu" rates and their gostly children.

11. "Also, Freres comen in under the name of saints, " and forsaken the saints rule and life, and putten their " own errors to the saints, and so slandren both them and " God.

12. "Also, Freres pursuen true priests, and letten them " to preche the Gospel, notwithstanding that Christ en"joyned priesthood, and teching of the Gospel; and so "they departen that thing that God joyned togeder.

13. "Also, Capped Freres that ben cleped Masters of "Divinity, have their chamber and service as lords and "kings, and senden out idiots full of covetisse to preche, "not the Gospel, but chronicles, fables, and lesings, to "plese the people, and to robb them.

14. " Also, Freres shewen not to the people their great "sins stably as God biddeth, and namely to mighty men " of the world; but flatteren them or glosen and nourishen "them in sin.

15. " Also, Freres by letters of fraternity deceiven the