THE PREFACE. IT is the usual practice of the men of this world, who hate the light, and will not come unto it, to defame the persons and blacken the characters of those who tell them the truth. Instances of the justness of this observation we have too many in all countries and ages: but as flagrant an one as any, is what has been lately given us here at home by a pretended Presbyter of the Church of England. This man proposes to furnish the English reader with a history of the pretended Reformers. He begins with John Wiclif, John Huss, and Jerome of Prague, and assures his readers, that "when Wiclif (who, it seems, stands most "in the man's way) is dispatched, the world shall be obliged with a farther account of some more Reformers; "that they are under the curse of the Amalekites; not even an Agag shall be spared." To execute this doughty undertaking, he has, as he tells us, made English from the French original, the History of the Heresy of John Wiclif, &c: but, for what reason he knows best, he is not so kind as to let his reader know who wrote this history. Whether he knew the name of Varillas, which is infamous among even the Papists themselves for his want of even common honesty, would discredit his performance, or whatever reason he had for it, he wisely drops his author's name. But had he himself had any knowledge of the English history, he must surely have been ashamed to have been the translator of a writer, who writes in so open defiance of it; for thus he tells us very gravely," that Peter- E. Tr. p. 5. “pence was a tribute exacted yearly upon every chimney P. 13. P. 18. p. 4. p. 38. p. 20, 22. p. 20. p. 29, 4. p. 27. p. 25. P. 35. "in the kingdom: that before the Conquest the laws of "England were not written laws, but conveyed down by "the tradition of the magistrates: that the privileges of "Parliament are an usurpation upon the royal authority: "that the election to bishoprics, here in England, in Wic❝lif's time, absolutely depended on the voices of the Chap"ters, though the Court of Rome did often intervene." It is no wonder that a writer who could blunder at this rate should tell us, that "Thomas Arundel (who he says else"where was Archbishop of Canterbury 1386, ten years "before he was so) anathematized Wiclif, &c. in a Coun"cil at Canterbury 1377: that Wiclif was cited by the "Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London to appear before them almost a year before King Edward "III.'s death: that the Pope's schedule of nineteen "Conclusions held by Wiclif was a scroll of three er rors which he had advanced: that Wiclif was de"sirous to succeed Sudbury the Archbishop of Canter"bury, and that the ministers of the Court of Rome op"posed his election: that the rebellious boors were the "followers of Wiclif: that John Ball went to seek out "Wiclif, who received him with open arms, and after two "or three conferences gave him leave to preach his doc“trine; and that Wiclif recanted before a Council held by "Archbishop Courtney at London 1382." It can be no surprise to any one to find a writer, who is so full of perpetual impostures, calling places and persons by wrong names, as Leicester, Lancaster; Swinderby, Windarby; Wodford, Winchfort; unless these be the escapes of the translator, who calls William Wodford, John Woodford. But as gross a falsehood as any is what this fabulous and romantic writer says of the learned Sir Henry Spelman, the collector of our English Councils. Having asserted, that Wiclif being brought before his proper judges, Archbishop Courtney, &c. at London 1382, abjured all he had taught contrary to their sentiments, without exception; he adds, that "that piece [the form of abjuration] had yet "been to be found in its place among the acts of the Wic. p. 58. "Council, if the English compiler, too passionate for the "glory of his nation, &c. had not undertaken to suppress "it, and to place in its stead a confession of faith, which, properly speaking, is nothing more than a pure cunning "discourse, smoothing over the errors of Wiclif." For proof of this, he refers to one Wingeon, whom he else- Hist. du where calls Vingeon and Vington, a writer whom nobody Hist. de ever heard of before. But it is but looking into Sir Henry l'Heresie, Spelman's Collection to be satisfied that all this is forgery and pure invention: however, our translator, to shew his judgment, approves of the story. But so exceedingly transported is he with zeal against Wiclif, as to seem to think nothing amiss that serves to blacken his memory, and render it hateful. P. 42. For this purpose he tells his reader, that "Dr. Wiclif's Pref. p. 7. "cause was first patronized by one who endeavoured to "be a vile usurper, and by a whore, and was carried on 66 by no better means to its period: that his first motive "to reform was revenge for the loss of a bishoprick; that p. 9. " he went on through all his conduct with evident signs "of being a wicked man; that his notions were wicked p. 12. " and abominable, and his religion chiefly supported by "two main pillars, viz. sacrilege and rebellion: and that p. 33. "he was guilty of impiety and enthusiasm, in obviating "all the laws of God and man, and destroying the peace "of society: nay, that his notions animated all the rebel- p. 35. "lions we have had since, and under Henry VIII. plun"dered churches, destroyed monasteries, and wrought "such convulsions as have shocked religion ever since." So exceeding mad does our translator shew himself against the memory of this great Reformer. But the rest of his performance is like this. He offers to assert, that "the foreign Reformers have ever laid the p. 7. "foundations of their religion in blood." As if among the Papists there never were any state revolutions, nor civil commotions. He very reverently charges King Edward p. 11. III. with folly, for letting such a poisonous weed as Wiclif grow. He is so hardy as to affirm, that "temporal lords p. 22, 23, son's Ser mons, p. 211, 212. 66 "cannot take away the goods of the Church without sacrilege; nay, that it is blasphemy to assert that they "can transfer a monastery to any other than ecclesiastical property." As if by the Christian institution ecclesiastics were to have the property of all kingdoms and nations invested in them, and all other people were to be Bp. Sander- their tenants and slaves." It is well known how before "the Reformation both Church and commonwealth groaned "under the heavy burden of the abbey lubbers: the com"monwealth whilst they became lords of very little less "than the one half of the temporalities of the kingdom; "and the Church whilst they engrossed into their hands "the fruits of most of the best benefices of the realm." Bp. Bisse's Nor was this all; the zeal of these men, who were thus mufore the nificently provided for, was "constantly shewn in betraySons of the "ing the sovereignty and wealth of the kingdom to the Clergy, P. « usurpation of a detestable foreign power.” Sermon be 10. P. 59. He further represents Wiclif as an enemy to Episcopacy, and declaring that Archbishops, Bishops, Archdeacons, &c. are the pimps of Antichrist; but he seems on purpose to have omitted the other nine, viz. the Pope, Cardinals, Patriarchs, &c. lest his reader should see that Wiclif speaks only of the Papal hierarchy: who, it is plain, are Pont. Rom. sworn when they are made Bishops to "assist in main❝taining and defending the Roman Papacy, and the re"galities of St. Peter." What Dr. Wiclif's opinion was of Episcopacy is shewn in the following papers. He allowed the Pope to be "the highest Vicar that Christ has "here in earth," and Bishops to be the successors of the Apostles: but he denied that Bishops were of a different order from Priests, or that by virtue of their calling they had any power to do what Priests have not. And this was certainly the sense of the Church of England long before Dr. Wiclif's time. The seventeenth of the canons of Elfric to Bishop Wulfin in the Saxon language runs thus: Spel. Con- "Haud pluris interest inter Missalem Presbyterum et Episcopum, quam quod Episcopus constitutus sit ad or"dinationes conferendas, et ad confirmandum, et ad in cil. vol. i. corr. a W. Somner, |