vals, possessing equal learning, ambition, and versatility of manners, with superior activity and caution. They quarrelled among them`selves, and thus lost the favour and reverence of the people; and they were at last gradually sinking into insignificance, when they were swallowed up in the general wreck of monastic institutions.

"The magnificence of their edifices, which excited universal envy, was the frequent topic of Wicliffe's invective."

Wicliffe thus exposes their practice of inveigling the youth of the University into their

convents:

Freres', (says he) draweth children from Christ's religion, into their private order, by hypocrisy, lesings, and stealing. For they tellen that their order is more holy than any other, and that they shoulden have higher degree in the bliss of heaven than other men that bin not therein, and seyn that men of their order should never come to hell, but should dome other men with Christ at doomsday. And so they stealen children fro fader and moder, sometime such as ben unable to the order, and sometime such as shoulden sustain their fader and moder, by the commandment lying.

1 Friars.

of God; and thus they ben blasphemers taking upon full counsel in doubty1 things that ben not expressly commanded ne forbidden in holy writ; sith such councel is appropred to the Holy Ghost, and thus they ben therefore cursed of God as the Pharisees were of Christ.

The number of scholars in the two Universities in the thirteenth century was prodigious. The famous Richard Fitz-Ralph, archbishop of Armagh, in an oration against the mendicant friars, pronounced before the pope and cardinals in 1357, declares that in his time, the number of students had diminished from 30,000 to 6000, in the University of Oxford. This astonishing diminution he attributed to the arts of those friars, who enticed so many young men into their monasteries, that parents were afraid to send their sons to the University.

Of the ignorance of the clergy of his time, he assures us ;—

That there were many unable curates that kunnen not the ten commandments, ne read their sauter, ne understond a verse of it. Nay, that it was then no

1 doubtful.

2 appropriated.

3 knew.

torious that too many even of the prelates were sinners, in their being ignorant of the law of God, and that the friars supplied for the bishops the office of preaching, which they did in so false and sophistical a manner, that the church was deceived instead of edified.

The priests being too lazy and too ignorant to preach, excused themselves by saying that "Men shoulden cease of preaching, and geven to holy prayers and contemplation, for that helpen more christian men, and is better."

To this Wicliffe replies--

That true men seyn boldly that true preaching is better than praying by mouth, yea tho' it come of heart, and clean devotion; and it edifieth more the people; and therefore Christ commanded specially the apostles and disciples to preach the gospel, and not to close them in cloisters, ne churches, ne stoves, to pray thus. Thus preaching is algates best; netheless, devout prayer of men of good life is good in certain time, but it is against charity for priests to pray evermore, and no time to preach, sith Christ chargeth priets more for to preach the gospel, than to say mass or matins.

He afterwards exclaims

Lord! what charity is it to a cunning man to chese1 his own contemplation in rest, and suffer other men to go to hell for breaking of God's hests, when he may lightly teach them, and get more thank of God in little teaching, than by long time in such prayers! Therefore priests shoulden study holy writ, and keep it in their own life, and teach it other men truly and freely, and that is best and most charity; and in certain times pray devoutly, and have sorrow for their sins, and other mens. And then they shoulden be as the firmament over little stars, in comparison of other saints in heaven.

Of Monachism he thus speaks; blaming

Some priests for unwisely taking a vow of chastity, and defouling wives, widows, and maidens; (and observes that) sith fornication is so perilous, and men and women ben so frail, God ordained priests in the old law to have wives, and never forbid it in the new law, neither by Christ, ne by his Apostles, but rather approved it. But now by hypocrisy of feuds and false men, many binden them to priesthood and chastity, and forsaken wives by God's law, and shenden maidens and wives, and fallen foulest of all. For many ben priests, and religious in doing and other,

I choose. * commands. 3 hurt, wrong, violate.

for to have lustful life and easy, young and strong of complexion, and faren well of meat and drink, and wollen not travail neither in penance, ne study of God's law, ne teaching, ne labour with their hands, and therefore they fallen into lechery in divers degrees, and in sin against kind'.

Of Absolution.

Worldly prelates blasphemen against God, the fa ther of heaven, for they taken upon them power that is specially and only reserved to God; that is, assoiling of sins, and full remission of them. For they taken on them principal assoiling of sins, and maken the people to believe so, when they have only assoiling as vicars or massagers, to witness to the people that God assoileth for contrition; and else neither angel, ne man, ne God himself assoileth, but if the sinner be contrite, that is, fully have sorrow for his sins, and have will rather to suffer loss of cattle and worldly friendship, and house, and bodily death, than to do wittingly against commandment and will. And they chargen more their own assoiling, than assoiling of God. For if a man come to their schrifs and sacraments, they assoilen him, and maken him sicker, though the man lie upon himself, and be not assoiled of God. And

1 nature.

VOL. I.

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