not seruaunt, not handmaide, not oxe, not asse, nether alle thingis that ben hise.

THE ACCOUNT OF THE CREATION.

Genesis, chap. i.

In the bigynnyng God made of nought heuene and erthe. Forsothe the erthe was idel and voide, and derknessis weren on the face of depthe; and the Spiryt of the Lord was borun on the watris. And God seide, Light be maad, and light was maad. And God seigh the light, that it was good, and he departide the light fro derknessis; and he clepide the light, dai, and the derknessis, nyght. And the euentid and morwetid was maad, o daie. And God seide, The firmament be maad in the myddis of watris, and departe watris fro watris. And God made the firmament, and departide the watris that weren vndur the firmament fro these watris that weren on the firmament; and it was don so. And God clepide the firmament, heuene. And the euentid and morwetid was maad, the secounde dai. Forsothe God seide, The watris, that ben vndur heuene, be gaderid in to o place, and a drie place appere; and it was doon So. And God clepide the drie place, erthe; and he clepide the gadryngis togidere of watris, the sees. And God seigh that it was good; and seide, The erthe brynge forth greene eerbe and makynge seed, and appil tre makynge fruyt bi his kynde, whos seed be in it silf on erthe; and it was doon so. And the erthe broughte forth greene erbe and makynge seed bi his kynde, and a tre makynge fruyt, and ech hauynge seed by his kynde. And God seigh that it was good. And the euentid and morwetid was maad, the thridde dai. Forsothe God seide, Lightis be maad in the firmament of heuene, and departe tho the dai and night; and be tho in to signes, and tymes, and daies, and gheeris; and shyne tho in the firmament of heuene, and lightne tho the erthe; and it was doon so. And God made twei grete lightis, the gretter light that it schulde be bifore to the dai, and the lesse light that it schulde be bifore to the night; and God made sterris; and settide tho in the firmament of heuene, that tho schuldens chyne on erthe, and that tho schulden be bifore to the dai and night, and schulden departe light and derknesse. And God seigh that it was good. And the euentid and the morwetid was maad, the fourthe dai. Also God seide, The

watris brynge forth a crepynge beeste of lyuynge soule, and a brid fleynge aboue erthe vndur the firmament of heuene. And God made of nought grete whallis, and ech lyuynge soule and mouable, whiche the watris han brought forth in to her kyndis; and God made of nought ech volatile bi his kynde. And God seigh that it was good; and blesside hem, and seide, Wexe ghe, and be ghe multiplied, and fille the watris of the see, and briddis be multiplied on erthe. And the euentid and the morwetid was maad, the fyuethe dai. And God seide, The erthe brynge forth a lyuynge soul in his kynde, werk beestis, and crepynge beestis, and vnresonable beestis of erthe, bi her kyndis; and it was don so. And God made vnresonable beestis of erthe bi her kyndes, and werk beestis, and ech crepynge beest of erthe in his kynde. And God seigh that it was good; and seide, Make we man to oure ymage and liknesse, and be he souereyn to the fischis of the see, and to the volatilis of heuene, and to vnresonable beestis of erthe, and to ech creature, and to ech crepynge beest, which is moued in erthe. And God made of nought a man to his ymage and liknesse ; God made of nought a man, to the ymage of God; God made of nought hem, male and female. And God blesside hem, and seide, Encreesse ghe, and be ghe multiplied, and fille ghe the erthe, and make ghe it suget, and be ghe lordis to fischis of the see, and to volatilis of heuene, and to alle lyuynge beestis that ben moued on erthe. And God seide, Lo! Y haue ghoue to ghou ech eerbe berynge seed on erthe, and alle trees that han in hem silf the seed of her kynde, that tho be in to mete to ghou; and to alle lyuynge beestis of erthe, and to ech brid of heuene, and to alle thingis that ben moued in erthe, and in whiche is a lyuynge soule, that tho haue to ete; and it was doon so. And God seigh alle thingis whiche he made, and tho weren ful goode. And the euentid and morwetid was maad, the sixte day.

THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM.

The Lord gouerneth me, and no thing schal faile to me; in the place of pasture there he hath set me. He nurschide me on the watir of refreischyng; he conuertide my soule. He ledde me forth on the pathis of rightfulnesse; for his name. For whi though Y schal go in the myddis of schadewe of deeth; Y schal not drede yuels, for thou art with me. Thi gherde and thi staf; tho han coumfortid me. Thou hast maad redi a boord in

my sight; aghens hem that troblen me.

Thou hast maad fat

myn heed with oyle; and my cuppe, fillinge greetli, is ful cleer. And thi merci schal sue me; in alle the daies of my lijf.

And that Y dwelle in the hows of the Lord; into the lengthe of daies.

THE TWENTY-FOURTH PSALM.

3

The erthe and the fulnessether of is the Lordis; the world, and alle that dwellen therynne is the Lordis. For he foundide it on the sees; and made it redi on floodis. Who schal stie in to the hil of the Lord; ethir who schal stonde in the hooli place of hym? The innocent in hondis, and in cleene herte; whiche took not his soule in veyn, nether swoor in gile to his neighbore. This man schal take blessyng of the Lord; and mercy of God his helthe. This is the generacioun of men sekynge hym; of men sekynge the face of God of Jacob. Ghe princes, take vp ghoure ghatis, and ghe euerelastynge ghatis, be reisid; and the kyng of glorie schal entre. Who is this kyng of glorie? The Lord strong and myghti, the Lord myghti in batel. Ghe princes, take vp ghoure ghatis, and ghe euerlastynge ghatis, be reisid; and the kyng of glorie schal entre. Who is this kyng of glorie? The Lord of vertues, he is the kyng of glorie.

ST. PAUL ON CHARITY.

1 Corinthians, Chap. xiii.

If Y speke with tungis of men and of aungels, and Y haue not charite, Y am maad as bras sownynge, or a cymbal tynkynge. And if Y haue prophecie, and knowe alle mysteries, and al kunnynge, and if Y haue al feith, so that Y meue hillis fro her place, and Y haue not charite, Y am nought. And if Y departe alle my goodis in to the metis of pore men, and yf Y bitake my bodi, so that Y brenne, and if Y haue not charite, it profitith to me no thing. Charite is pacient, it is benygne; charite enuyeth not, it doith not wickidli, it is not blowun, it is not coueytouse, it sekith not tho thingis that ben hise owne, it is not stirid to wraththe, it thenkith not yuel, it ioyeth not on wickidnesse, but it ioieth togidere to treuthe; it suffrith alle thingis, it bileueth alle thingis, it hopith alle thingis, it susteyneth alle thingis. Charite fallith neuere doun, whether prophecies schulen be voidid, ethir langagis schulen ceesse, ethir science

schal be distried. For a parti we knowun, and a parti we prophecien; but whanne that schal come that is parfit, that thing that is of parti schal be auoidid. Whanne Y was a litil child, Y spak as a litil child, Y vndurstood as a litil child, Y thoughte as a litil child; but whanne Y was maad a man, Y auoidide tho thingis that weren of a litil child. And we seen now bi a myrour in derknesse, but thanne face to face; now Y knowe of parti, but thanne Y schal knowe, as Y am knowun. And now dwellen feith, hope, and charite, these thre; but the most of these is charite.

WYCLIF ON THE BIBLE IN ENGLISH.

As the faith of the Church is contained in the Scriptures, the more these are known in their true meaning, the better; and inasmuch as secular men should assuredly understand the faith they profess, that faith should be taught to them in whatever language it may be best known to them. Forasmuch also as the doctrines of our faith are more clearly and exactly expressed in the Scriptures, than they may probably be by priests; seeing, if I may so speak, that many Prelates are too ignorant of Holy Scripture, while others conceal many parts of it; and as the verbal instruction of priests have many other defects, the conclusion is abundantly manifest, that believers should ascertain for themselves what are the true matters of their faith, by hav ing the Scriptures in a language which all may understand.

WYCLIF ON PREACHING.

The highest service to which man may attain on earth is to preach the law of God. This duty falls peculiarly to priests, in order that they may produce children of God, and this is the end for which God has wedded the Church. And for this cause Jesus Christ left other works, and occupied himself mostly in preaching, and thus did the Apostles, and on this account God loved them. But now priests are found in taverns and hunting; and playing at their tables, instead of learning God's law and preaching.

Prayer is good, but not so good as preaching; and accordingly, in preaching and also in praying, in the administering of the Sacraments, and the learning of God's law, and the rendering of a good example by purity of life, in these should stand the life of a good priest.

WYCLIF ON THE RIGHT OF PRIVATE JUDGMENT.

We are not careful to explain how it has come to pass, but manifest it is that the Church has erred in this matter; and we claim accordingly to be exempt from its authority in this respect, and to be left to the guidance of reason and Scripture.

WYCLIF ON ABSOLUTION AND INDULGENCES.

There is no greater heresy for a man than to believe that he is absolved from sin if he give money, or because a priest layeth his hand on his head and saith, "I absolve thee;" for thou must be sorrowful in thy heart, else God does not absolve thee.

It is plain to me that our Prelates in granting indulgences `do commonly blaspheme the wisdom of God, pretending in their avarice and folly that they understand what they really know not. They chatter on the subject of grace as if it were a thing to be bought and sold like an ass or an ox; by so doing they learn to make a merchandise of selling pardons, the devil having availed himself of an error in the schools to introduce after this manner heresies in morals.

WYCLIF ON THE AUTHORITY OF PARLIAMENT.

I appeal to the Church of the first thousand years since our Lord's time. I challenge the existing Church to dispute these questions with me. My adversaries reply that the Church has settled the matter, and have, in fact, condemned me beforehand. I cannot expect at their hands anything else than to be silenced, and what is more, according to a new Ordinance, imprisoned. I know what that means. I demand, therefore, that the lay voice be heard. I have appealed to the King against the University; I now appeal to the King and Parliament against the Synod which is about to use the secular arm - the arm of Parliament. If I am to be tried, let me have a fair trial, and argue my case before the world. If that is not to be, I will at least have care that Parliament shall understand the ecclesiastical points at issue, and the use that is to be made of its power.

That very thing is a mark of the corruption of the Church; but the laity are responsible for its purity. They only conserve the endowments and institutions of the clergy under the condition of that purity. And it has now become a personal matter for them; it affects their lives and fortunes. If they see their way to clearing off some of its most open corruptions, the Eng