maners and that they may teach the people effectually, and that they likewise may faithfully follow them in the same. And let us specially pray, that our pope may be preserved from all maligne and evill counsell, which we doe know that evill and envious men of his houshould would give him. And seeing the Lord will not suffer us to bee tempted above our power, much lesse then will he require of any creature to doe that thing which they are not able, forsomuch, as that is the plaine condition and maner of antichrist."

Thus much wrote John Wickliffe unto pope Urban. But this pope Urbane, otherwise tearmed Turbanus, was so hot in his warres against Clement the French pope his adversarie, that he had no leisure, and lesse list, to attend unto Wickliffe's matters. By the occasion of which schisme, God so provided for poore Wickliffe, that he was in some more rest and quietnesse; and returning againe within short space, either from his banishment, or from some other place where he was secretly kept, he repaired to his parish of Lutterworth, where he was parson, and there quietly departing this mortall life, slept in peace in the Lord, in the beginning of the yiere 1384, upon Silvester's day.

6

1 Otherwise tearmed Turbanus.] "Urban, in the eleven years that he held the pontificate, debased the dignities of the Church by promoting the meanest persons to the purple; and fomented wars between the Christian princes; for which cause, instead of Urbanus, he was generally called Turbanus. He exceeded all the popes that ever possessed the see of Rome in cruelty." Duck's Life of Archbishop Chichele, p. 10.

5 And lesse list.] See above, p. 210, note.

• Quietly departing.] His death was occasioned by the palsy.

"On this occasion" (says Mr. Lewis, History, p. 101) "is Dr. Wickliffe's memory unmercifully insulted by his adversaries. Thus one of them (Walsingham, Hist. Ang. p. 312) tells us: It was reported that he had prepared accusations and blasphemies, which he intended, on the day he was taken ill, to have uttered in his pulpit against the saint and martyr of the day (Thomas Becket), but that by the judgment of God he was suddenly struck, and the palsy seized all his limbs; and that mouth which was to have spoken huge things against God and his saints, or holy church, was miserably drawn aside, and afforded a frightful spectacle to the beholders. His tongue was speechless and his head shook, showing plainly that the curse which God had thundered forth against Cain, was also inflicted on him! Though it seems a report was all the ground of this censure, which is quite spoiled if what Horne attests be true, that Dr. W. was seized on Holy Innocents, the day before the feast of Thomas Becket." And still more is it spoiled, we may add, if that which Horne further attests be true, that W. had been a paralytic during two whole years before his death. [Lewis

VOL. I.

R

This Wickliffe' had written divers and sundrie workes, the which in the yeare of our Lord 1410, were burnt at Oxford, the

Lewis introduces, from Bale, an anecdote of a former sickness of Wickliffe, which may perhaps afford a little amusement to my readers.

"It seems that the fatigue which Dr. Wickliffe met with this year (A.D. 1378) by attending the pope's delegates, occasioned his having a dangerous fit of sickness, that brought him almost to the point of death. The friers mendicant hearing of it, they immediately instructed spokesmen to be sent to him in their behalf, namely, four solemn doctors, whom they called regents, every order his doctor. And that the message might be the more solemn, they joined with them four senators of the city (Oxford), whom they call Aldermen of the Wards. They, when they came to him, found him lying in his bed; and first of all wished him health, and a recovery from his distemper. After some time they took notice to him of the many and great injuries which he had done to them (the begging friars) by his sermons and writings, and exhorted him, that, now he was at the point of death, he would, as a true penitent, bewail and revoke in their presence, whatever things he had said to their disparagement. But Dr. Wickliffe immediately recovering strength, called his servants to him, and ordered them to raise him a little on his pillows, which, when they had done, he said with a loud voice, I shall not die but live, and declare the evil deeds of the friars. On which the doctors, &c. departed from him in confusion, and Dr. Wickliffe afterwards recovered." Lewis's History, p. 64.

7 This Wickliffe.] Here I subjoin Wickliffe's character from the pen of Henry Wharton (Appendix to Cave's Hist. Literaria, ii. p. 51, 52) as translated from the Latin, by Lewis in his Life of W. c. vii. p. 125.

"He was a man, than whom the Christian world in these last ages has not produced a greater; and who seems to have been placed as much above praise as he is above envy. He had well studied all the parts of theological learning, and was well skilled in the canon, civil, and our own municipal laws, and was endowed with an uncommon gravity of manners, and above all things had a flaming zeal for God, and love for his neighbour. Hence arose that earnest and vehement desire of restoring the primitive purity in the church in that ignorant and degenerate age in which he lived; which desire he was notwithstanding so far from suffering to go beyond its bounds, that he made it a matter of conscience to preserve all the rights of ecclesiastical discipline untouched, and often blames the religious, as they were called, for breaking in upon them (by getting themselves exempted from the episcopal jurisdiction). His excellent piety, and unblemished life, even the worst and most spiteful of all his adversaries, never dared to call in question: and his very excellent learning and uncommon abilities very many of them have sufficiently owned. And indeed in those writings of his which are yet remaining, Dr. Wiclif shows an extraordinary knowledge of the Scriptures for the time he lived in, discovers a very good judgment, argues closely and smartly, and breathes a spirit of excellent piety. Nothing is to be found in him that is either childish or trifling, a fault very common to the writers of that age; but every thing he says is grave, judicious, and exact. In fine,

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abbat of Shrewsburie being then commissarie, and sent to oversee that matter. And not onely in England, but in Boheme likewise, the bookes of the said Wickliffe were set on fire, by one Subincus archbishop of Prage, who made diligent inquisition for the same, and burned them. The number of the volumes, which he is said to have burned, most excellently written, and richly adorned with bosses of gold, and rich coverings (as Eneas Silvius' writeth) were above two hundred.

Johannes Cocleus in his booke De historia Hussitarum, speaking of the bookes of Wickliffe, testifieth that hee wrote verie many bookes, sermons, and tractations. Moreover, the said Cocleus speaking of himselfe, recordeth also, that there was a certaine bishop in England which wrote unto him, declaring that he had yet remaining in his custodie two huge and mightie volumes of John Wickliffe's works, which for the quantities thereof might seeme to be equall with the workes of saint Augustine.

Amongst other of his treatises I my selfe also have found out certaine, as De sensu et veritate Scripturæ. Item, De Ecclesia. Item, De Eucharistia confessio Wicklevi; which I intend hereafter, the Lord so granting, to publish abrode.

As concerning certaine answeres of John Wickliffe which he wrote to king Richard the second, touching the right and title of the king, and of the pope; because they are but short, I thought here to annex them. The effect whereof here followeth.

It was demanded, "whether the kingdome of England may lawfully in case of necessitie, for its owne defence, detaine and keepe backe the treasure of the kingdome, that it be not carried away to forren and strange nations, the pope himselfe demanding and requiring the same under paine of censure, and by vertue of obedience."

Wickliffe "setting apart the minds of learned men, what might be said in the matter, either by the canon law, or by the law of England, or the civil law, it resteth (saith he) now onely to perswade and prove the affirmative part of this doubt by the principles of Christs law.

"And first I prove it thus: Every naturall bodie hath power

he was a man who wanted nothing to render his learning consummate, but his living in an happier age." p. 125, 6.

8 By one Subincus.] Zbynko of Hasenburg, who is said to have been poisoned by the Hussites in 1411.

9 Eneas Sylvius.] Eneo Sylvio Piccolomini, afterwards pope Pius II.

given of God to resist against his contrarie, and to preserve it selfe in due estate, as philosophers know very well. Insomuch, that bodies without life are indued with such kind of power (as it is evident) unto whom hardnesse is given to resist those things that would breake them, and coldnesse to withstand the heate that dissolveth them. Forsomuch then, as the kingdome of England (after the maner and phrase of the Scriptures) ought to bee one body, and the clergie with the communaltie, the members thereof, it seemeth that the same kingdome hath such power given it of God; and so much the more apparant, by how much the same body is more precious unto God, adorned with vertue and knowledge. Forsomuch then as there is no power given of God unto any creature, for any end or purpose, but that hee may lawfully use the same to that end and purpose; it followeth that our kingdome may lawfully keep backe and detaine their treasure for the defence of it selfe, in what case soever necessitie do require the same.

"Secondarilie, the same is proved by the law of the gospell. For the pope cannot challenge the treasure of this kingdome, but under the title of almes, and consequently under the pretence of the workes of mercy, according to the rules of charity.

"But in case aforesaid, the title of almes ought utterly to cease: ergo, the right and title of challenging the treasure of our realme shall cease also in the presupposed necessitie. Forsomuch as all charitie hath his beginning of himselfe', it were no worke of charitie, but of mere madnesse, to send away the treasures of the realme unto forren nations, whereby the realme it selfe may fall into ruine, under the pretence of such charitie "."

This Wickliffe albeit in his life time he had many grievous enemies, yet notwithstanding hee had many good friends, men not only of the base and meanest sort, but also nobility, amongst

1 Of himselfe.] Charity begins at home.

2 Of such charitie.] "Richard II. at his beginning, caused John Wickliffe, esteemed the most knowing man of those times, to consider the right of stopping the payment of Peter-pence: whose determination in that particular yet remains . . . . He therein shows, that those payments, being no other than alms, the kingdom was not obliged to continue them longer, than stood with its own convenience, and not to its detriment or ruin; agreeing therein with that of the divines, "extra casus necessitatis et superfluitatis eleemosyna non est in præcepto." Twisden's Historical Vindication, p. 76. Compare Lewis's Life, &c. p. 54, 55.

whom these are to be numbered; John Clenbon, Lewes Clifford, Richard Sturius, Thomas Latimer, William Nevill, John Mountegew who plucked downe all the images in his church. Besides all these, there was the earle of Salisburie3, who for contempt in him noted towards the sacrament, in carrying it home to his house, was enjoyned by Radulf Ergom, bishop of Salisburie, to make in Salisburie a crosse of stone, in which all the storie of the matter should bee written, and he every Friday during his life to come to the crosse bare-foot, and bare-headed in his shirt, and there kneeling upon his knees, to do penance for his fact.

The Londoners at this time somewhat boldly trusting to the maiors authoritie, who for that yeare (1381-2) was John of Northampton, tooke upon them the office of the bishops, in punishing the vices (belonging to civil law) of such persons as they had found and apprehended in committing both fornication and adulterie. For first they put the women in the prison which amongst them then was named Dolium. And lastly bringing them into the market-place, where every man might behold them, and cutting off their golden lockes from their heads, they caused them to be caried about the streetes, with bagpipes and trumpets blowne before them, to the intent they should bee the better knowne and their companies avoided: according to the maner then of certain theeves that were named Appellatores, (accusers or peachers of others that were guiltlesse) which were so served. And with such other like opprobious and reprochfull contumelies, did they serve the men also that were taken with them in committing the forenamed wickednesse and vices.-Here the storie recordeth how the said Londoners were incouraged hereunto by John Wickliffe and others that followed his doctrine to perpetrate this act, in the reproch of the prelats being of the clergie For they said, that they did not so much abhor to see the great negligence of those to whom that charge belonged, but also their filthie avarice they did as much detest: which for greedinesse of money were choked with bribes, and winking at the penalties due by the lawes appointed, suffered such persons favourably to continue in their wickedness. They said furthermore, that they greatly feared, lest for such wickednesse perpetrated within the

3 William de Montacute, who died in 1397.

4 Named Dolium.] "In the year 1403, the prison in Cornhill, called the Tun, was turned into the conduit, there now standing." Fox, p. 477.