ico

J*' a •

^y

THE HOLY BIBLE,

CONTAINING

THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS,

WITH THE APOCRYPHAL BOOKS,

IN THE EARLIEST ENGLISH VERSIONS

MADE FROM THE LATIN VULGATE BY

JOHN WYCLIFFE AND HIS FOLLOWERS;

EDITED BY

THE REV. JOSIAH FORSHALL, F.R.S. ETC.

LATE FELLOW OF EXETER COLLEGE,

AND

SIR FREDERIC MADDEN, K.H. F.R.S. ETC.

KEEPER OF THE MSS. IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

VOLUME I.

OXFORD, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

M.DCCC.L.

-

PREFACE.

1. THE versions now for the first time printed in an entire forma, may be regarded These versions as the earliest in the English language, which embrace any considerable portion

the Holy Scriptures. Though never used in the public service of the Church, they must have been widely circulated as well among the clergy as the laity, from the period of their completion in the latter part of the fourteenth century, until their place was occupied by the editions of the reign of Henry the Eighth b. The influence which they exercised upon the religious opinions and sentiments of the nation at large was, without question, extensive. In the interval between the years 1382 and 1526 they diifused a great amount of scriptural truth ; supplied to the opponents of the papal system the most effectual means of exposing its abuses and errors ; and thus laid a deep foundation for the reforms of the sixteenth century. The effect of these versions and the merit due to their authors will be better estimated, after a brief review of what had previously been done towards a translation of the Scriptures into the ver- nacular tongue.

2. To commence with the Anglo-Saxon period. The poem which bears the name Angio-sa of Caedmon, gives several passages of Scripture with tolerable fidelity, and it might ^^ require extended notice, if the epic and legendary character of the composition suffered ^" of c<ed' it to be ranked among the versions of holy writc. Aldhelm, bishop of Sherborn, who/iwAe/m,- ver- died in 709, is reported to have rendered the Psalter into his native language d, and the^/ms by him. Anglo-Saxon version, discovered in the Royal Library at Paris about the beginning of

the present century, has been supposed to be at least in part his production. The first fifty psalms are in prose, the others in verse6.

3. Bede wrote chiefly for the learned; yet that the common people might moreeede; easily be taught the elements of their religion, he turned the Apostles' creed and the Lord's prayer into Anglo-Saxon, and frequently presented copies of these formularies

to such illiterate priests as came under his notice'. He died in 735, and one of his

a When the present edition was commenced, no part H. R. H. the duke of Sussex, (now in the collection of

of the earlier of these two versions had ever been printed, the earl of Ashburnham,) by Messrs. Bagster, in The

with the exception of the Song of Solomon, given by English Hexapla, 4°. Lond.

Dr. Adam Clarke in his commentary on the Bible (8 vols. b The first printed edition of the New Testament in

4°. Lond. 1810-25), from a Ms. in his own library, English, was that by Tindal in 1526; the first of the

(now Brit. Mus. Eg. 618, 619.) In 1848 the NewTes- whole Bible, that by Coverdale in 1535. tament in the earlier version was printed by Mr. Lea c Caedmon was a -monk of Whitby, in the seventh

Wilson from a Ms. in his own possession, (now in the century. The poem as it now exists has, probably,

hands of the earl of Ashburnham,) under the title The been materially altered by the reciters and transcribers

New Testament in English, translated by John Wydi/e, of a later period. It has been twice published, first by

circa MCCCLXXX. etc. 4°. Lond. The New Testament Francis Jnnius in 1655, and next by Mr. Benjamin

in the later version was first published by the rev. John Thorpe in 1832.

Lewis, minister of Margate, fol. Lond. 1731, the text d Bale Scriptorum illustr. catalogus, ed. 1557, p. 84. being taken from two Mss., one belonging to him- « It was edited for the delegates of the Oxford uni-

self, (now Bodl. Gough Eccl. top. 5.) the other to sir versity press by Mr. Benjamin Thorpe, under the title,

Edw. Bering, bart. (now in the possession of the very Liber Psalmorum, versio antiqua Latino, cum Paraphrasi

rev. W. Conybeare, dean of Llandaff). Mr. Lewis's Anglo- Saxonica, etc. 8°. Oxon. 1835. edition was reprinted by the rev. H. H. Baber, 4". Lond. f Bedae ep. ad Egbertum ; see Hist. Eccl. ed. Smith,

1810. The New Testament in the same version was Cantab. 17*2, p. 306. again published in 1841, from a Ms. then belonging to

VOL. I. b

11

PREFACE.

King Alfred, anxious for the translation of Scripture.

Anglo-Saxon version of the four Gospels.

Anglo-Saxon gloises on the Gospels.

Anglo-Saxon glosses on the Psalter.

jElfric's Hep- tateuch, etc.

last efforts was a translation of the gospel of St. John, which he seems to have com- pleted, just as death put an end to his labours «.

4. Alfred, in his zeal for the improvement of his country, did not overlook the importance of vernacular Scripture. At the head of his laws he set in Anglo-Saxon the ten commandments, with such of the Mosaic injunctions in the three following chapters of Exodus, as were most to his purpose. What other parts of the Bible he translated, it is difficult to determine. A remarkable passage in his preface to the Pastoral of Pope Gregory11, leaves no room for doubt, that if the more necessary portions of holy writ were not made accessible to his subjects in their own tongue, it was only because this wise and pious prince failed of the opportunity to accomplish his wishes.

5. Whatever might be the extent of Alfred's biblical labours, it is beyond question that soon after his days the Anglo-Saxon church had her own interpretations of those parts of Scripture which were in most frequent use. The Psalter ascribed to Aldhelm, if it be not the work of that prelate, certainly cannot be later than the ninth century.' To the same period may be safely attributed the Anglo-Saxon translation of the Gospels '. Several Mss. of it are preserved ; but none of them appear to give the version in its original purity. Successive transcribers adapted the language to the idioms and inflexions of their own times and provinces. Some however of the copies are earlier and less degenerate than others. The latest seem to be considerably sub- sequent to the conquest, the most ancient may have been written more than a hundred years before itk.

6. But it was not solely to this version that the unlettered Anglo-Saxon was in- debted for a knowledge of what the Evangelists record. Access was also afforded to their narratives by means of verbal glosses made in copies of the Latin Gospels. These glosses were written between the lines of the text, rendering it in the same order word by word. Of the two glosses which are now exstant, one is found in the famous book of Durham1, and was made by the priest Aldred, probably in the tenth century ; the other of the same age is contained in a Ms. of the Bodleian Library m, and had for its authors Owun and Farmen, the latter a priest at Harewood.

7. Similar glosses had been made on the Psalter. A gloss of this kind, probably of the ninth century, was published in 1 640 from a Ms.n belonging to sir Henry Spelman, by his son, afterwards sir John0. Another gloss of the same period was published by the Surtees Society in 1 843 P. Variations from these glosses are found in several other Mss.i Glosses also occur on the canticles of the church, and the Lord's prayer ; on portions of Scripture in the ritual of Durham r, and on the more difficult words of the book of Proverbs s.

8. Towards the close of the tenth century ^Elfric translated, omitting some parts and greatly abridging others, the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, a portion of the books

g Cuthberti Vita Bedze ; see Hist. Eccl. p. 793.

h See Annales ./Elfredi, auct. Asserio, ed. Wise, p. 84.

' Published three times; i. by abp. Parker in 1571 ; 2. by Dr. Marshall, rector of Lincoln college, in 1665 ; and 3. by Mr. Benjamin Thorpe, in 1842.

k The Mss. still remaining are, i. Corp. Ch. Coll., Cambr. S. 4 ; 2. Brit. Mus. Cotton. Otho C. i ; 3. Bodl. 441 ; 4. Univ. Libr. Cambr. li 2. 1 1 ; 5. Brit. Mus. Old R. Libr. i A. 14; and 6. Bodl. Hatton 6j. The first two are the earliest.

1 Brit. Mus. Cotton. Nero D. 4.

m Bodl. Rush worth 3946.

n Afterwards in the Stowe collection No. xxviii. and now in the possession of the earl of Ashburnham.

0 With the title Psalterium Davidis Latino- Saxonicum Vetus. 4°. Lond. 1640.

P Anglo-Saxon and Early English Psalter. 2 vols. 8°. 1843 ; edited by the rev. J. Stevenson. The Anglo- Saxon gloss is taken from the Cotton Ms. Vespasian A. i, and besides the Psalter, comprises Ps. cli., nine of the Canticles, and hymns for matins, the evening, and the Lord's day.

q Of three Mss. partial collations are given by Spel- man; namely, i. Univ. Libr. Cambr. 256; 2.Trin.Coll. Cambr. 35; and 3. Brit. Mus. Arundel 60. A gloss also occurs in Brit. Mus. Old R. Libr. 2 B. 5 ; Cotton. Vitellius E. 18 and Tiberius C. 6 ; in Bodl. Junius 27 ; in the Lambeth Ms. 427, and in that of Salisbury Cathedral marked 141.

r Edited for the Surtees Society by the rev. J. Ste- venson, 8°. Lond. 1840.

s Brit. Mus. Cotton. Vespasian D. 6.

PREFACE. iii

of Kings, Esther, Job, Judith, and the Maccabees1. He also drew up in Anglo-Saxon a brief account of the books of the Old and New Testament u; and lastly, by the texts and quotations used in his numerous homilies, he added greatly to the knowledge of the sacred volume".

9. The writings which are still exstant shew that the Anglo-Saxon church

have had in her own tongue a considerable amount of scriptural instruction. But ture to,t. these cannot be the full measure of what our forefathers possessed. Much, it cannot be doubted, perished in the troubles and confusion attending the incursions and pillages of the Danes ; and much, subsequently, through the disfavour shewn by the Normans to the Anglo-Saxon language and literature w.

10. Before the year 1 200 the Anglo-Normans had translated into their own dialect, in prose, the Psalter and canticles of the church x; and towards the middle of following century appear to have possessed not only a history of the Old Testament in verse, as far as the end of the books of Kings, but also a prose version of the entire Bible y. The knowledge of Scripture communicated to the higher classes of society in England by means of these productions, contributed, by satisfying the demand of those who were the more powerful, to delay any attempt to put the sacred volume within the reach of the great mass of the people. Nevertheless, the Anglo-Saxon versions and glosses of the Gospels, and other portions of Scripture, remained partially in use, as is proved by the copies still exstant, transcribed in the eleventh and twelfth centuries2.

11. The earliest essays of biblical translation assumed in English, as in most other English iraru- languages, a poetical form. The Ormuluma, written perhaps about the commencement o^iu^ of the thirteenth century, is a paraphrase in verse of the narrative of the Gospels and

Acts of the Apostles. Highly valuable as it is in a philological point of view, yet, never proceeding probably beyond the original copy of the author, it could have been of little or no use in religious teaching. To a later period of the same century belongs Abstract of Ge. a poem reciting the principal events comprised in the books of Genesis and Exodus b. "* Before the conclusion of the century, however, an important step had been taken i scriptural interpretation by turning into verse the whole of the Psalter c. The transla- tion is a tolerably close rendering of the Latin, and has the additional merit of being simple and expressive d.

* What remains of this translation was printed in possession of Edw. Ayshford Sanford, esq. of Nynehead 1698 by Edw. Thwaites, from the Bodl. Ms. Laud E. 19, Somersetshire.

under the title Heptateuchus, liber Job et Evangelium z For instance, the Gospels in the Mss. Hatton 65,

Nicodemi, Anglo-Saxonice. Historic Judith fragmentum, and Brit. Mus. i A. 14; the Psalters in Trin. Coll. Cambr.

Dano-Saxonice. 4°. Oxon. 1698. Another Ms. occurs Ms. R. 17. i, and in Salisbury cathedral Ms. 141, and

in the Cotton collection Nero B. 4. part of vElfric's Genesis in a Ms. of the Univ. Libr.

" Edited by Will. L'Isle, with the title, A Saxon Trea- Cambr. li, 1.33.

tise concerning the Old and New Testament. 4°. Lond. a It is found in the Bodl. Ms. Junius i. 1623. b A single copy is preserved among Abp. Parker's

v His homilies, eighty in number, have been edited Mss. in Corp. Ch. Coll. Cambr. R. n. (Nasmith 444.) for the JElfric Society, by Mr. Benj. Thorpe, 2 vols. 8°. c Six copies remain, which occasionally differ much

1843-1846. from each other. The translation was edited for the

w See the remarkable verses of a writer of the I2th Surtees Society by the rev. J. Stevenson, from the

century, quoted in Wright's Biogr. Brit. Lit. (Anglo- Cotton Ms. Vespasian D. 7, in Anglo-Saxon and early

Saxon period) p. 60. English Psalter, 8°. Lond. 1 843 ; the other Mss. are,

* Ms. Cotton. Nero C-4; Trin. Coll. Cambr. R. 17.1; i. Brit. Mus. Egerton 614; 2. Brit. Mus. Harl. 1770; Bibl. Nat. Paris ii^bis; Colb. 278. In Ms. Harl. 43 88 3. Corp. Ch. Coll. Cambr. O. 6. (Nasmith 278); 4. Bodl. is preserved an Anglo-Norman translation of the book 3027 ; and 5. Bodl. 2325.

of Proverbs, accompanied by a gloss, written in verse d During the reign of the first three Edwards there

by Sanson de Nantuil, in the reign of K. Stephen. appeared a great variety of poetical compositions upon

T See P. Paris, Manuscrits Francois de la Bibl. du sacred subjects, containing large extracts from Scrip-

Roi, torn. i. p. i. torn. vii. pp. 183, 200. A Ms. of the ture. Some of these were taken from Anglo-Norman

first vol. of this prose translation of the Bible, executed and French originals. The principal were in the form

in England about the year 1 260, was recently in the of legends of saints, and for the fasts and festivals of

IV

PREFACE.

"Prose versions of Psalter : I. by Schor- ham.

12. The earliest version in English prose of any entire book of Scripture appears to have been made about the tune when Edward the Third ascended the throne, by William de Schorham, vicar of Chart-Sutton near Leeds in Kent6. It is found in a Ms.f recently acquired for the National collection, containing the Psalter in Latin and English, verse by verse. The translation is generally faithful and literal, except that the words of the gloss are frequently substituted for those of the texts. To the Psalms are added the usual canticles, including the Te Deum and Athanasian creed h.

13. Schorham's version of the Psalter could scarcely have been completed, when entary' by another was undertaken. This was the work of Richard Rolle, chantry priest at

Hampole near Doncaster, who died in 1349. Having written a Latin commentary on the Psalms', he was afterwards induced to translate the text, and to publish it with a commentary in English. Of this work numerous copies are exstantk; but they differ remarkably from each other, and shew that the original must have been altered to a very great extent. The preface, a few verbal variations excepted, is the same in all. In the text there is also a general agreement, though the language is, in the later copies, rendered conformable to the southern and more polished dialect, and frequent changes in single words and expressions have been from time to time introduced1.

2. Version with

comnti

Holle.

the church ; paraphrases of the Gospel lessons ; narra- tives of the passion and resurrection of our Lord ; rela- tions of the creation and fall of man ; expositions of the Pater Noster, the Creeds, the Ten Commandments, and the Ave- Maria; and exhortations to confession and pe- nitence.

e Schorham was admitted to the vicarage of Chart- Sutton in 1320. That he was the author of this version is inferred from the following facts. The Ms. is of the earlier half of the fourteenth century ; it is in one hand throughout : two poetical pieces which occur towards the end of the volume are expressly attributed to Schor- ham ; and in the rubrics of these pieces, as well as in other parts of the book, the welfare of his soul is com- mended to the prayers of the devout reader.

f Brit. Mus. Addl. Ms. 17. 376.

g For instance, the last clause of Ps. i. i . is given thus, " ne sat naujt in fals iugement," the translator rejecting cathedra pestilentite, and adopting the inter- linear gloss, judicio falsitatis.

^ As a specimen of this translation, a psalm is here subjoined :

Ps. xxii. Addl. Ms. 17.376.

Our Lord gouerneth me, and nothyng shal defailen to me ; in the stede of pasture he sett me ther.

He norissed me vp water of fyllynge ; he turned my soule fram the fende.

He lad me vp the bistijes of ri3tfulnes ; for his name.

For jif that ich haue gon amiddes of the shadowe of deth ; Y shal nou3t douten iuels, for thou art wyth me.

Thy discipline and thyn amendyng ; conforted me.

Thou madest radi grace in my sight ; ojayns hem that trublen me.

Thou makest fatt myn heued wyth mercy ; and my drynke makand drunken ys ful clere.

And thy merci shal folwen me ; alle dales of mi lif.

And that ich wonne in the hous of our Lord ; in lengthe of daies.

1 Printed with other works of Rolle at Cologne in 1536; a Ms. copy is in the Lambeth library, No. 352.

k Copies, either entire or in part, are found in Brit. Mus. Arundel 158 and Harl. 1806 ; Sidney Coll. Cambr. K. 5. 3 ; Corp. Ch. Coll. Cambr. 388 ; Bodl. Laud 286 ; Bodl. 2487; Univ. Coll. Oxf. 56 and 64; Brit. Mus. Old R. 1 8 D. i and 18 C. 26 ; Lambeth 34 ; Bodl. 2438, 3085, and 3089, and Tanner 16 ; Univ. Coll. Oxf. 74; Magd. Coll. Cambr. 2498; Trin. Coll. Cambr. 171, and Eton Coll. 10.

1 The following psalm is, in the left hand column, taken from a copy with the short comment, in the Harl. Ms. 1806, collated with the Ms. Laud 286; in the right hand column, from a copy having the long comment, in the Old Royal Ms. 18 D. i : the collations of this last are with the Arundel Ms. 158, which has a short comment.

Ps. Ixxviii. Harl. 1806.

God, gensa come in thin heritage ; thei filed thi holy tempul, thei sette Jerusalem in kepyng of appuls.

Thei sette the dyande bo- dyes of thi seruaunts'mete to theb fowles of the lyft ; flesche

Ps. Ixxviii. 1 8 D. i.

God, folkis1 come in to thyn heritage, thei defouledyn thin hooli temple ; thei setten Je- rusalem in to2 kepynge of applis.

Thei settyn the deede3 bo- dies of thi seruauntis meete4 to the5 foulis of heuene :

of thi halowes toc bestis of fleische of thyn halowis to

erthe.

Thei "spille hored blode as watir in vmgong of Jerusa- lem ; and none was for to graue.

Made we are reprofe toe cure neghbors ; skornynge and hething toe alle that in oure vmgong are.

Howe longe, Lord, shall { thou be wrothe in ende ; kyn- delt shal be thi luf as fire.

HeldeS/or ihet^, thi wrathe in gens' that thee not knew ; and in kyngdoms that thi nome incalde not.

beestis of erthe.

Thei 'heeld out6 'the bloode of hem7 as watir in the cum- pas8 of Jerusalem ; and' there was not9 to10 birye hem11.

' We ben 12 maad 13 repreef to oure neijboris ; scoornynge and hethyng to alle that ben 14 in oure" cumpas 16.

Hou longe, Lord, vschal thou17 be wroth in 'to thels eende ; thi19 loue as fijr'schal be kyndlid2°.

Heeld out thyn yre21 in to22 folkis23 that 'knewen thee not24; and in to25 rewmys26 that 'ban not inclepid27 thi name ^.

a genge. 1> metis til. c til. d spild thair. e til. * shal.

g Hell. h Om.

' genge.

1 folk. 2 Om. « for to. H Om.

18 alysted schalbe thi.

2/Om.

3 deyinge. 120m. 20 Om.

28 name nojt inclepede.

4 metes. 5 Om. 6 schedde. 7 here blod. 8 goyng aboute. 9 non was.

13 Mad we are. 14 Om. '5 the. 18 goyng about are. 17 shallow. 18 Om.

21 wrethe. 22 Om. 23 folk. 24 the nojt knewe. 25 Om. 26 kyngdomes.

PREFACE. v

In the commentary however the case is far otherwise. Here some copies so differ from others, that it is only in the first twenty or thirty psalms that any correspondence is found beyond an occasional trace of a common original. In the Mss. of the earlier text the commentary is brief; in those of the latter it extends to three or four times the bulk, and in respect to the greater part of the work may be regarded as an entirely new exposition. To a Ms. in the Bodleian Library™, containing the shorter comment, some verses are prefixed, which give several curious particulars of its history. The verses as well as the Ms. appear to be of the time of Henry the Sixth n. The writer states in them, that the work was undertaken at the request of dame Margaret Kirkby, a recluse, probably at Hampole ; that the autograph copy of the author was still remaining at the nunnery, attached by chains to his tomb ; that the writer's own Ms. was a faithful transcript from the original ; and that many copies in ordinary use had been corrupted by the Lollards. Upon examination, however, the enlarged com- mentary appears to contain no controversial matter, nor any sentiments indicative of the Lollard party. Indeed, a few passages of the shorter exposition, which reflect upon the luxury and worldliness of the higher clergy, are altogether omitted or greatly softened down. The character of these and like passages led Humphrey Wanley to ascribe the more compendious comment to Wycliffe himself in his younger days0. If Wanley's notion be received, it will be necessary to suppose that the larger com- mentary was composed by Wycliffe in later life, or what is perhaps not less probable, by one of the more moderate of his followers. One cannot, however, refuse to credit the main facts averred in the verses just quoted from the Bodl. Ms., and it seems therefore more likely, that the copy to which Wanley particularly referred, agreeing as it does with this Ms. except in a few unimportant variations, represents substan- tially the original of RolleP.

14. A translation of the Psalms is preserved in the library of Trinity c°Uege Dublin, in a volume' which contains likewise Wycliffe's commentary on the Apoca-#y<fe- lypse. The Ms. is of the fourteenth century ; and a note at the end of the Psalter, in the hand of the original scribe, gives the name of John Hyde as the owner of the bookr; it has thence been inferred, that he was also the author of the version8. From a few passages which the editors have had the opportunity of examining, they are inclined to believe that the Psalter of this Ms. will be found to be a revision of the version of Schorham rather than an independent translation*.

m Laud 286 (1151). ° See Catalogue of Harleian Mss. No. 1806.

n The following are a portion of these verses : p An accurate examination of the various copies of

Therfore a worthy holy man, cald Rychard Hampole, this work, and of other writings ascribed to Rolle,

Whom the Lord, that all thingus can, leryd lely on his scole, might possibly throw further light upon the history

Glosed the Sauter that sues here, in Englysch tong sykerly, both of the translation and of the commentary. At a worthy recluse prayer, cald dame Merget Kyrkby. q with the ess mark A. 4. 4 ; formerly H. 3 2.

This same Sauter in all degre, is the self in sothnes, _ .. . „ , . ,. T ,

That ly,t at Hampole in surte, at Richards own berynes, „ r Expbmt Psaltennm translatum tn Anghcum ; Johanm

That he wrote with his hondes, to dame Merget Kyrkby, HVde constat-

And ther it lyjt in cheyn bondes, in the same nonery. * It is attributed to him in the summary of the con- In 3orkshyre this nonry ys, who so desires it to know, tents prefixed to the volume in a hand of the xvii. cen- Hym thar no way go omys, thes ben the places all on row ; tury, and also by Le Long in his Biblioth. Sacra, vol. i. Hampole the nonry hyjt, betwene Dancastre and Pountfreyt, p. 425. This is the way to mannys syst, euen streyjth with out deseyt. t An opinion may be formed as to the extent of the

agreement from the subjoined verses :

Copyed has this Sauter ben, of yuel men of Lollardry, „ , .

And afturward hit has bene sene, ympyd in with eresy. Schorham. AddL^. 376. Hyde, A^4. 4.

Thei seyden then to leude foles, that it shuld be al entere, '' J 3<

A blessydboke of hurscoles, of Rychard Hampole the Sauter. Blesced be the man that Blyssyd be the man that

rm.- .«i ?ede noujt in the counseJ of hath noght go in the coun-

This the, seyd to make theim leue, on her scole there sotel e, *»* 3 ^ noujt in u ofB & d men . md

To bryng hem in, so hem to greue, ageyn the feyth in grete fole, th(J ^ of ginjere8) ne 8at hath not stond in the wey of

And sclaundrid foule this holy man, with her wykked waryed naujt m f^a iugement. synful men, and hath not syt

wyles, in the chayer of pestilence,

Hier fantom hath made mony a fon, thoro the fend that fele that is to seyne, of vengaunce,

begiles. or of fals iuggement.

VI

PREFACE.

Version of the whole Bible; to be mainly ascribed to Wycliffe.

15. Down to the year 1360, the Psalter appears to he the only book of Scripture which had been entirely rendered into English. Within less than twenty-five years from this date a prose version of the whole Bible, including as well the apocryphal as the canonical books, had been completed, and was in circulation among the people. For this invaluable gift England is indebted to John Wycliffe. It may be impossible to determine with certainty the exact share which his own pen had in the translation, but there can be no doubt that he took a part in the labour of producing it, and that the accomplishment of the work must be attributed mainly to his zeal, encouragement, and direction". It was not probably until his later years that Wycliffe matured so extensive a design. He was led to the undertaking slowly and gradually ; and it was not completed until after several preliminary efforts. It is interesting to mark the several steps by which he advanced in the interpretation and diffusion of holy Scrip- ture. The evidence indeed which bears upon the point is scanty, and only sufficient, it should be remembered, to afford to the conclusions which it suggests, a presumption of their truth v.

Ac hijs wylle was in the wylle of oure Lord ; and he schal thenche in hijs lawe bothe dase and nyjt.

And he schal be as the tre that hijs sett by the ernynge of waters ; that schal seue his frut in hijs tyme.

Ps. Ixxviii. i — 6.

Ha! God, folk wyth outen lawe com fram the londe of Vs in to thyn heritage in to Jude ; and hij filden thyn holy temple, and sett Jeru- salem in the kepeinge of a maner of folk that was cleped Pomos.

Hij laiden the dede bodis of his seruaunt; mete to the foules of heuen ; the flesshe of thyn halwen to bestes of the erthe.

Hij hadden her blode as water a bouten Jerusalem ; and ther was non that biried hem.

We ben made in reproce- inge to our nesbuns ; scorn- ynge and desceit to hem that ben in our cumpasse.

Vnto wham, Lord, artov wrothe on ende ; thi luf shal be aly;t as fur.

Helde thyn ire in to the folke that ne knewe noujt the j and in to kyngdomes that ne cleped noust thy name.

Bot in the law of our Lorde the will of hym schal be ; and in hys law he schal haue mynde day and nyght.

And he schal be as a trow that is sett be syde the cours of watres ; that schal suld hys frute in hys tyme.

Ps. Ixxviii. i — 6.

O! Godd, folk with oute lawe com fram the londe of Vs in to thin herytage of Jude ; and thay defoilyd thin holy temple, and sett Jeru- salem in to the kepyng of a maner of folk that was clepyd Pomos.

Thai layde the dede bodys of thi seruantes mete to the foules of heuen ; and the flesch of thin holy men to the bestes of the erthe.

Thai sched her blode as water aboute Jerusalem ; and ther was none that schuld bery hem.

We beth made in reprou- yng to our nejburs ; scorn- yng and disseyte to hem that beth aboute vs.

How long, Lord, schaltow be wrothe in to the ende ; thi loue schal be alijt as fure.

Helde thin ire in to the folke that knew no?t the ; and in to the kyngdomes that clepid nojt thi name.

u Early authorities concur in attributing the transla- tion of the Scriptures to Wycliffe, nor do they appear to mention any other name in connexion with the sub- ject. Knighton, in a passage written probably before 1400, laments in forcible terms that Wycliffe should by this means have made the gospel common to the laity : " Hie magister Joannes Wyclif evangelium, quod Christus contulit clericis et ecclesiae doctoribus, ut ipsi laicis et infirmioribus personis secundum temporis exi- gentiam et personarurn indigentiam cum mentis eorum esurie dulciter ministrarent, transtulit de Latino in An- glicam linguam, non angelicatn ; unde per ipsum fit vulgare, et magis apertum laicis et mulieribus legere scientibus, quam solet esse clericis admodum literatis et bene intelligentibus ; et sic evangelica margarita spar-

gitur et a porcis conculcatur, et sic quod solet esse carum clericis et laicis, jam redditur quasi jocositas com- munis utriusque, et gemma clericorum vertitur in ludum laicorum, ut laicis sit commune sternum quod ante fue- rat clericis et ecclesise doctoribus talentum supermini. . . .... Et sic adimpletum est quod prsedixit Willielmus de S. Amore longo ante tempore, et potest applicari congrue de eodem populo, sic inquiens, ' Aliqui laborant ad mu- ' tandum evangelium Christi in aliud evangelium, quod ' dicunt fore perfectius et melius et dignius, quod appel- ' lant evangelium seternum, sive evangelium Spiritus ' Sancti. ^Eternum congrue dici potest, quia jam vul- ' gare et commune in materna lingua, et sic in seterna ' memoria.' " col. 2644. And again, " Magis tamen congruunt istis novis populis Lollardis qui mutaverunt evangelium Christi in evangelium seternum, id est, vul- garem linguam et communem materiam, et sic Beternam, quia laicis reputatur melior et dignior quam lingua La- tina." col. 2646. Hus, in his Replica contra Jo. Stokes, written in 1411, thus speaks, " Quod autem Wicliff non fuit Teutonicus sed Anglicus, patet ex suis scriptis. Nam. per Anglicos dicitur quod ipse tota Biblia transtulit de Latino in Anglicum, et sape in libris suis Latinis scribit resumendo ea qure dicta sunt in Anglico." Historia et Monumenta, t. i. p. 136. ed. 1715. A remarkable pas- sage bearing on the same point occurs in a letter said to have been written by abp. Arundel and his suffra- gans to John XXIII. It is found in the Cotton. Ms. Faustina C. 7, and is printed by Wilkins (Cone. t. iii. p. 350), who assigns it to the year 1412. " Hie enim est ille pestilens et damnandfe memorise miserrimus Jo- hannes Wycliff, serpentis antiqui films, imo et ipsius Antichrist! praevius et alumnus, qui dum vixerat, in va- nitate sensus ambulans, nesciens in semitis justitiae diri- gere gressus suos, non solum canones sacros, et monita paterna despicere, sed pis matris uterum, quantum in ipso fuerat, viperinis elegit conatibus laniare. Ex cujus denique plantse nequissimae radice nefaria, quia serpen- tini generis posteritas, nedum hortum, sed agrum parti- culariter occupans, antedictam status ecclesiastici digni- tatem et ministeriorum ejusdem famam et opinionem pro viribus sugillare, quin immo et ipsain ecclesiae sacro- sanctae fidem et doctrinam sanctissimam totis conatibus impugnare studuit, novse ad sua? malitiae complementum scripturarum in linguam maternam translationis prac- tica adinventa ; nos etc."

v In pursuing this inquiry, the reader will derive assistance from a sketch of the leading particulars of Wycliffe's life. — John Wycliffe, according to his bio- graphers, was born near Richmond in Yorkshire, in the

PREFACE.

vn

16. It seems probable that Wycliffe's first attempt at the interpretation of Scripture Avas his commentary on the Apocalypse. The fearful pestilence which between i345 and 1349 swept away a large portion of the human race, and other calamities, arising

year 1324, and at sixteen became a member of Queen's college, Oxford, then recently founded. He was after- wards a fellow of Merton, and the college muniments shew him to have performed the duties of seneschal in January of the year 1356.' In April 1361 he was mas- ter of Balliol college2; the same year he was presented by that society to the rectory of Fillingham in Lincoln- shire 3. At what time he vacated the mastership of Balliol is uncertain 4. In December 1365 he was ap- pointed by abp. Islip warden of Canterbury Hall5. This appointment was superseded by abp. Langham in March and April 1367.8 But Wycliffe having denied the le- gality of the abp.'s acts, and appealed to the pope, was not finally deprived until May 1370? In the mean time he had exchanged the rectory of Fillingham for that of Lndgershall in Buckinghamshire, but not distant more than twelve or fifteen miles from Oxford. This ex- change was effected in Nov. 13688, probably with a view to a more constant intercourse with the university. That such was his motive may be inferred from the terms of a license for non-residence at Fillingham, granted him for two years by the bishop of Lincoln in the preceding April9. He had previously been made chaplain to the king, as it seems from the words " peculiaris regis cle- ricus," used of himself in his Determination against the pope's claim of tribute, which tract cannot well be later than 1367." In April 1374 he was presented by the crown to the rectory of Lutterworth in Leicestershire11, and at the same time, as is presumed, resigned the living of Ludgershall 12. The same year he was sent with others to Bruges to treat with the pope13. On the 6 Nov. 1375 he was confirmed by the crown in the prebend of Aust in the church of Westbury14. There is no evidence to shew the date of his appointment, nor from whom he received it ; but he must have voided the preferment immediately after these letters of con- firmation, as the patent roll records a grant of it on the 1 8 of the same month of November to Robert de Faryngtone15. In Feb. 1377 Wycliffe appeared before

the convocation at St. Paul's to answer certain charges of false doctrine. In June following he was denounced from Rome in several papal bulls bearing date the 1 1 of this month, and transmitting nineteen conclusions drawn from his teaching16. In consequence, he was summoned before a meeting of papal commissioners at Lambeth in the early part of I378,17 and delivered a paper in answer to the articles objected against him. In 1381 a mandate was published by the chancellor of the university of Oxford, containing a definition of the doctrine of the eucharist, and condemnatory of the opi- nions supposed to be held by Wycliffe and his party 18. In May 1382 a synod was convened at the Preaching Friars in London, when twenty-four conclusions were pronounced some heretical and others erroneous19. Be- fore this synod Philip Repingdon (afterwards bishop of Lincoln), Nicholas de Hereford, and John Ashton, three of Wycliffe's principal adherents, were interrogated ; and on the 20 May Ashton was declared a heretic20. The proceedings were continued by adjournment at Otteford and Canterbury, and on the i st of July, in the chapter- house at this last place, Hereford and Repingdon, not then appearing, were pronounced excommunicate21. In the succeeding November, at a convocation held at Ox- ford, recantations were made by Repingdon and Ashton22. According to Knighton, Wycliffe appeared both before the synod at the Preaching Friars, and before this con- vocation, and delivered on each occasion a profession of his belief regarding the eucharist23. But from his name not occurring in the documents of the archiepiscopal register relative to these meetings, it seems more pro- bable that he had previously withdrawn himself from the university, and had taken up his residence at Lutter- worth. It is certain that his last years were spent there, and that he continued actively engaged in the duties of his parish, and in maintaining by his writings the prin- ciples he had taught, until death interrupted his occu- pations on the last day of December I384-24

1 Compotas Ric. Billingham, bursarii, 30 Edw. III., rot. in thesaurario ColL Merton.

2 Carta No. 10, in pyxide de Abbotesley in thesaurar. Coll. Balliol. — Reg. Gynwell. fol. 367 b.

3 He was admitted ij. id. Mali 1361 ; Reg. Gynwell. fol. 123.

4 In 1366 John Hugate was master; Carta No. 28 in pyxide S. Laurentii in Judaismo in thesaurar. Coll. Balliol.

5 Reg. Islip, fol. 306 b. Irresistible evidence of the identity of the warden of Canterbury Hall with the reformer is to be found in the following passage from Will. Wydforde's Septuaginta duo queestiones de Sacramento Eucharistite (Ms. Harl. 31, foL 31.), "et hsec contra religiosos insania generata est ex corrupcione. Nam priusquam per religiosos possessionatos et prselatos expulsus fuerat de aula monachorum Cantuarise, nichil contra possessionatos attemptavit, quod esset alicujus ponderis ; et priusquam per religiosos mendi- cantes reprobatus fuit publice de heresibus in Sacramento alt ar is, nichil contra eos attemptavit, sed posterius multipliciter eos diffamavit ; ita quod doctrinse suae malse et infestse contra religiosos et possessionatos et mendicantes generatse fuerunt ex putrefactionibus et melancohls."

6 By the appointment of John de Radyngate ij. kal. Apr. 1367 (Reg. Langham fol. 98), and, this being revoked, of Henry de Wodhulle x. kal. Mali 1367 (ibid. fol. 98 b).

^ Lambeth Ms. No. 104. fol. 213.

8 He was admitted to Ludgershall 12 Nov. 1368; Reg. Bokyngham, fol. 419.

9 The following is the entry in the register : " Idibus Aprilis anno dni. millesimo cccmo. Ixviij. apud parcum Stowe concessa fuit Hcencia magistro Johannis de Wyclefe, rectori ecclesite de Filyngham, quod posset se absentare ab ecclesia sua insistendo literarum studio in universitate Oxon. per biennium." Reg. Bokyngham, Memoranda, fol. Ivi b.

10 Printed in Lewis's Life of W. ed. 1820, p. 349. 11 Rot. pat. 48 Edw. III. p. I. m. 23.

12 Wycliffe was rector of Ludgershall n Nov. 1371 ; Will. Neubald was rector 29 May 1376. Reg. Bokyngham.

13 Rymeri Fcedera torn. vii. p. 41. In the exchequer account given in by Wycliffe, he acknowledges £60 received for his expences 31 July a°. 48 ; charges at 20 s. a day, from 27 July, when he set out from London for Flanders, to 14 Sept. following, on which day he returned, £50— and for passage and repassage 42 s. 3 d.; total 52 /. 2 ». 3 d.

14 Rot. pat. 49 Edw. III. p. 2. m. 8. 15 Id. m. 1 1.

16 The bulls and conclusions are printed in Lewis's Life of W. ed. 1820, p. 305 seqq.

17 See Wilkins t. iii. p. 123. 18 Printed in Lewis, ed. 1820, p. 360.

15 Reg. Courtney, fol. 25. 20 Ibid. fol. 28. 21 Ibid. 22 Ibid. fol. 33. 23 Knighton, col. 2647.

24 Reg. Bokyngham, fol. 199 At the time of his death he seems to have been employed in completing a summary or body of

divinity, comprising, in four books, his opinions both metaphysical (libb. i. ii.) and theological (libb. iii. iv.). The fourth book is divided into four parts ; the first two are an exposition of the sermon on the mount ; the third treats of Antichrist, from our Lord's

discourse in Mt xxiii xxv. ; and the fourth, of the discourse to the disciples at the last supper, John xiii. — xvii. This part is

unfinished, and ends abruptly in the 14th chapter with the words "sed differre potius disputator. Hsec Augustinus." After which, both in the copy in Trin. Coll. Cambr. B. 16. 2, and in that in Trin. Coll. Dublin C. I. 23, there occurs this note: "Auctoris vita ftnitur et hoc opus ita."

Vlll

PREFACE.

as well from the strife of nations and parties as from the discord of the natural elements, cast a general gloom over society. But perhaps nowhere within the realm of England was there a more melancholy spectacle than that which for some years subsequent to the pestilence was presented by the university of Oxford. Dwelling in such a spot, a man of sanguine temperament would almost of necessity become imbued with the notion then generally prevalent, that things were preparing themselves for their great consummation, and that Antichrist's personal appearance was shortly to be expected. This feeling prompted that which is believed to be the earliest production of Wycliffe's pen, The last age of the Church. It was written in 1356*. The single copy preserved affords indications, that it is neither a complete nor faithful transcript of the original. But there is enough to shew the sentiments of the author, and with these it was natural for him to turn his thoughts to the prophecies of the Apocalypse. It seems probable that Wycliffe's exposition of this book was written not long after. A paragraph of the text is first given, and then its commentary. This last is brief and simple *; the translation of the text is literal, but in some places slightly abridged from the original. Several Mss. of the work remain y, which differ widely in the translations of the text, the latest copies adopting very closely the second of the versions now printed, while the early copies have no agreement with either of them z. In the later copies the commentary also is more modern in its language, and is a little more or less full in its expression.

His comment- 17. Wycliffe's next exegetical work, though perhaps composed at some distance of

"pel,™ ">e G°s' time fr°m the preceding, appears to have been a commentary on the Gospels. That

on Matthew has a long prologue8, and still longer epilogue b. In the former the writer

urges, in strong language, the propriety of translating Scripture for the use of the

w Edited by the rev. Dr.Todd, of Trin. Coll. Dubl. The

last age of the Church by John Wycliffe, now first printed from a Ms. in the Univ. Libr. Dublin, with notes, etc.

1 6°. Dubl. 1840.

x The following passage will afford a specimen of the

commentary, ch. xiii. 11-17. " By the ymage of the

beeste ben bitokned the fals prelates that don by the

conseil and the enticement of hem that sechen erthelich

thinges; that he jiueth power to the beeste for to speken,

bytokneth the power that thai han to mysdon thorouj

enchesoun of her dignite ; that thai ben sleyn that nyl-

leth noujth honouren the ymage, bitokneth that thai

shullen acursen hem that nyllen noujth consenten to

the fals prelates and the wicked ; that the beest dude

merken alle in her rijth honde either in her forehede

bitokneth, that alle shullen folewen Antecriste, and none

;iuen hem to her prelates that don her synne of lecherye

priuelich ; and than han thai the merk in the bond priue-

lich, and afterward in the forhede openlich. And than

ne shal no man durre speke of God. That non ne may

bygge ne selle hot jif he haue the merk oither the name

of the beest, bitokneth, that non ne shal haue power to

jiue rentes ne to resceyue bot }if he haue merk of the

kynrede, that is to seie, that he be comen of grete kynde,

oither that he be in grete lordes seruise, oither that

he come therto thorou3 symonye, oither that he goo

to the ordre forto haue bodilich delices. Alle tliise ben

Antecristes prophetes and his ypocrites and his eretikes."

Harl. 874. /o/. 1 6.

y Copies are found in Brit. Mus. Harl. 171, 874, 1203 and 3913; Old R. Libr. 17 A. 26; Bodl. Laud 235 (1580), Laud 33 (661) ; St. John's Coll. Cambr. G. 25 ; Trin. Coll. Dubl. A. 4.4.

z An idea of the extent of these variations may be formed by means of the subjoined extract, ch. i. 9 — ii, taken from three Mss, in the British Mu- seum :

Harl. 874.	Harl. 1203.	Harl. 3913.
Ich John joure	I Jon joure bro-	Joon soure bro-
brother and parci-	thir and part taker	ther and partener
nere in tribulaci-	in tribulacioun and	in tribulacioun and
ouns and duelle in pacience in Jhesu	in kyngdam and in pacience in Crist,	kyngdom, and pa- cience in Crist Jhe-
Crist, was in an	was in an yle that	su, was in an yle
yle of the cee that	is clepid Patmos,	that is clepid Path-
is cleped Pathmos,	exilid for Goddis	mos, for the word
and was exiled for	word and witness-	of God and for the
Goddes wordes and	ing of Crist; and on	witnessyng of Jhe-
for I bare witnesse	a Sunday Y was in	su, Y was in spirit
of Jhesu Crist; and	spirit, and herde a	in the Lordis day,
on a sonenday in	gret vois biside me	and Y herde bi-
gost ich herd a	as if it were the	hynde me a grete
grete voice hiside	soun of a trumpe,	uoys as (of sec. m.)
me, as it were the soune of a trumpe,	seiynge to me, That that thou seest write	a trumpe, seiynge to me, Write thou
that seide to me,	thou in the book,	in book that thing
Write in the book	• • •	that thou seest . . .
that thou seest . . .

a The prologue commences " Seynt Austyn seith" etc. much as printed vol. i. p. 44 — p. 49, and after the words " by that we herynge, as drynkynge, ben more holsum," proceeds thus : " For this cause a synful caytif hauynge compassioun on lewed men, declarith the gospel of Mathew to lewid men in Englische, with exposicioun of syntis (sic) and holy writ" etc. The prologue ends, " but, gode Jhesu, for thi mechel myjt, mercy and cha- rite, encresse the knowynge and kepynge of thi lawe, and bate (abate sec. m.) soone Antecristis malice, ipo- crisie, and tirauntrie. Amen." Bodl. Laud 235.

t> The epilogue begins, " Blessid be almyjti God in trynyte. Here endith a schort glose on Matheu whiche takun of holy docturis ;" and ends, " and cumbren many men in endeles dispeyr." — A volume containing appa- rently the commentary upon Matthew, with a prologue, and also that upon John, is in the library of Trin. Coll. Cambr. B. 1.381

PREFACE.

IX

laity. The commentary runs to considerable length, but consists exclusively of extracts from the writings of previous expositors0, chiefly taken out of the Catena Aurea of Thomas Aquinas. No commentary has been found upon Mark. The com- mentaries upon Luked and John6 are of a similar character to that upon Matthew. The three appear to have been written and published at different times ; and in all, the translation of the text agrees Avith the earlier of the versions now printed.

18. It is a remarkable circumstance, that about the time when Wycliffe must have contemporary been employed upon the commentaries just mentioned, another also upon the Gospels ^c^/f, ^ should have appeared, compiled upon a like principle. The name of the author has not anolher «uthor- been discovered, but the preface implies that he knew of no previous exposition of the

c The quotations in these commentaries are made chiefly from Ambrose and Bede ; but sometimes from Augustine, Origen, Chrysostom, and various others.

il See Mss. in Bodl. 143 and 243 ; Univ. Libr. Cambr. Kk. 2. 9. The prologue to Luke, which has been found only in Bodl. 143, describes the method which Wyc- liffe took in these commentaries, and also shews the great value which he set upon holy Scripture. It be- gins, " Dauith spekynge in the person of Crist seith to God ;" and, after citing several texts, thus proceeds : " Herfore [a pore] caityf, lettid fro prechyng for a tyme for causes knowun of God, writith the gospel of Luk in Englysh, with a short exposicioun of olde and holy doc- touris, to the pore men of his nacioun whiche kunnen litil Latyn ether noon, and ben pore of wit and of worldli catel, and netheles riche of good will to please God. Firste this pore caitif settith a ful sentence of the text togidre, that it may wel be knowun fro the expo- sicioun ; aftirward he settith a sentence of a doctour declarynge the text ; and in the ende of the sentence he settith the doctouris name, that men mowen knowe verili hou fer his sentence goith. Oneli the text of holi writ, and sentence of olde doctouris and appreuyd, ben set in this exposicioun. Whanne Y alegge Ambrose here, ether Bede here, vndurstonde on the same text expowned. Whanne Y alegge eny doctour, and telle not in what place, vndirstonde that Y alegge hym as Alquyn on Luk .rehersith him. Ambrose, Jerom, Aus- tyn, and Gregori ben wel knowun for gloriouse lyueris and trewe doctouris of holy chirch. Bede is an olde expositour of holy writ, and telh'th no thing almest, no but the sentence of olde holy doctouris bifore hym, and he writith opynly and deuoutly and sum tyme sharply. Whanne Alquyn aleggith ony doctour and tellith not where, he takith hym on Luk, as he witnessith in his prologe. He aleggith seint Denyss the martir, seint Gregori Nasansene martir, and seint Cipryan martir ; he aleggith myche Teofile, Crisostom, Basill, Cirille, Athanasie, Damascene, and Gregori Nycene ; and alle these ben of a thousand jere ether more ; and her bookis ben appreuyd, as the law witnessith, xv. d. in fine, and xvi. d. confirmamus. Also Alquin alleggith myche the grete Origen, Epiphanye, Eusebie, and Maximus famouse in omelies. These ben of a thousend ;ere and more, and famouse doctouris and noble lyueris. Also he alleggith Ysidre, Tite, and [a] Greek doctour. Thes weren olde men and textual, declarynge wel the text. Whanne a sentence is set in this exposicyon and is aleggid for a glos, thanne it is takun of Alquyn aleg- gynge other doctours lesse than these biforeseid. If eny lernyd man se this exposicioun and suppose eny errour therynne, for Goddis loue loke he wel his ori- ginals, and sette ynne the treue sentence of these doc- touris ; for men desiren no thing in this exposicioun, no but profitable treuthe for cristen soulis. Y sette

VOL. I.

shortly and pleynly, as Y may and kan, the sentence of these doctouris, and not barely her wordis, in as myche as the: declaren the text, and seyen treuthe groundid on holi Scripture ether quyk resoun, and accordynge with the blessid lijf of Crist and his apostlis ; desirynge that no man triste more than thus to her sentence, nether to eny mannys seying, in what euer staat he be in erthe. Thus with Goddis grace pore cristen men mown sumdel knowe the text of the Gospel, with the comyn sentence of olde holy doctouris, and therynne knowe the meke and pore and charitable lyuyng of Crist and his apostlis, to sue hem in vertues and blys ; and also knowe the proude and coueitouse and veniable lyuyng of Antecrist and his fautouris, to fle hem and her cursid dedis, and peynes of helle. For no doute as cure Lord Jhesu Crist and his apostlis profesien pleynli, Antecrist and his cursid disciplis shulen come, and dis- seyue many men by ypocrisie and tyrauntrie ; and the beste armeer of cristen men ajens this cursid cheuenteyn with his oost, is the text of holy writ, and namely the gospel, and veri and opyn ensaumple of Cristis lijf and his apostlis, and good lyuyng of men ; for thanne thei shulen knowe wel Antecrist and his meynee bi her opyn dedis contrarie to Cristis techyng and lyuyng. Crist Jhesu, for thyn endeles power, mercy and charitie, make thi blessid lawe knowun and kept of thi puple, and make knowun the ypocrisie and tirauntrie and cursidnesse of Antecrist and his meynee, that thi puple be not disseyued bi hem. Amen, gode Lord Jhesu." Bodl. 143 (1913).

e The prologue to John is as follows : " Prologe Jon. Oure Lord Jhesu Crist, veri God and very man, cam to serue pore meke men, and to teche hem the gospel ; and for this cause Seynt Poul seith, that he and othere apo- stlis of Crist ben seruauntis of cristen men bi oure Lord Jhesu Crist. And eft he seith, Y am dettour to wise men and vnwise ; and eft, Bere je the chargis an other of an other, and so je schulen fille the lawe of Crist, that is of charite, as seynt Austyn expowneth. Herfor a symple creature of God, willinge to bere in party the chargis of symple pore men wel willinge to Goddis cause, writith a schort glos in Englisch on the gospel of Joon ; and settith onely the text of holy writ, and the opyn and schorte sentencis of holy doctours, bothe Grekis and Latyns, and alleggith hem in general, for to ese the symple wit and cost of pore symple men; remyttinge to the grettir gloos writun on Joon, where and in what bokis thes doctours seyen thes sentences. And sum tyme he taketh the cleer sentence of lawis of the chirche, maad of seyntis, wel groundid in holy writ and pleyn resoun, to dispise synnes and comende vertues. First the text is set, and thanne the sentence of a doctour is set aftir, and the doctour is aleggid in the ende of the same sentence." Bodl. 243 (1933).

PREFACE.

Wycliffe's translation of Clement of /Mnthont/'s Harmony.

Gospels in English f, and the language accords with the northern dialect in the middle of the fourteenth century?. The commentary extends to Matthew, Mark and Lukeh. The matter is chiefly extracted from the writings of others \ but original remarks are occasionally introduced. There seems to be nothing of controversial doctrine, and few traces of party feeling. At the same time the writer does not conceal his opinion of the too general corruption and worldliness of the clergy, especially those of the higher orders k.

19. No error will probably be made, if the next step in the progress of Wycliife's design be ascribed to his1 Monotessaron, or Harmony of the Gospels™, a translation from the Latin of Clement, prior of the monastery of Lanthony in Monmouthshire,

f The preface on Matthew is worthy of being tran- scribed. " Here begynnes the exposicyone of Seynt Mathew efter the chapytres that bene sette in the bibil, the chapytres of which gospel bene eghte and twenty. This werk som tyme I was styrde to begyne of one, that I suppose veraly was Goddys seruant, and oft tymys prayd me this werk to begyn, seyand to me, that sethyn the gospelle is rewle, be the whilk ich cristen man owes to lyf, and dyuers has draghen in to Latyn, the whilk tung is not knowen to ilk man but only to the leryd, and many lewd men are, that gladly wold kon the gospelle if it were draghen in to Englisch tung, and so it suld do grete profete to man saule, about the whilk profete ilk man that is in the grace of God, and to whome God has sent konnyng, owes hertely to bysy hym. Wherfor I, that through the grace of God began this werk, so styrd as I haue seid before, be sich word, thoghte in my hert, that I was holdun be charyte this werke to begyn ; and so this werke I began at the sug- gestyon of Goddys seruant, and gretly in this doyng I was comforted of other Goddys seruantes dyuers, to sich tyme that thurgh the grace of God I broghte this to ane ende. In the whilk oute draghyng I sette not of myne hede nor of myne owne fantasy, bot as I fond in other expositores. In the whilk draghyng I suppose certanly ther is no thing sette ageyne the feyth, ageyne the hele of sowle, or ellys ageyne the worschype of God. Also in this drawyng, for cawes that I wold not presume of myn owen wytt, I haf to the Latyne and to the sagghis of the doctours als euyn proporcyond the Englisch as I kouthe for the tyme, and as grace was gyfene me for the tyme of draghinge, that bac- byteres suld haf no cawse of chalyngynge. Wherfor to some I suppose it wylle becume the more un- safery in the redynge, bot I suppose, if thei wylle not our ryne, but esely tak with hem the sentence, thei salle fynde gostely edyfycacioun ther in, and no mater of ille spekynge. Wherfor I besek and with alle my hert pray them that this werk redyn, that for me thei pray the mercy of God, that I may fulfylle that is set in the draghing of this boke ; and that he at whos sog- gestyon I this werke began, and thei that [this] werk redyn, and alle cristen men with me, thurgh doynge of that that is wrytyn in this bok, may com to gider to that blisse that neuer salle ende. Amen." Univ. Libr. Cambr. li. 2. 12. Then follows a second long prologue. g Mt. ix. 12. is thus translated: "And Jhesus herand seid, The leche is not mystere to the myghti, bot to the ilk hauand." Lk. xvi. 9. thus : " And ther- fore I sey to jow, makys to ;ow frendys of mammone of vneuynhed, that when jee fayle, thei reseyue jow in to aylastand tabernakyls."

h That on Matthew is found in the Mss., Univ. Libr. Cambr. li. 2. 12, and Brit. Mus. Egerton. 842 ; that on Mark and Luke occurs in Corp. Ch. Coll. Cambr. Nasmith xxxii.

' As Origen, Augustine, Jerome, Hilary, Ambrose, Isidore, Gregory, Maximus, Rufus, Leo and Bede.

k The quotations which follow will shew the manner of the commentator: Mt. vii. 16. " Prechours thei calle hom self, and sey that thei be sent, bot contrary tho thinges to tho apostels thei telle ; thei magnyfie martirs, and bene pursuars of martirs. The apostels and martirs of Crist made no pursuynge, bot sufferd ; thei kursed none, bot sufferd cursynges and wariynges. Bot fals prophetes pursue men, and vndo cristen men, and blasfemen God, thof not in word, thei do in hor manere." Mt. ix. 38. " And se wele here, that Crist owes to be prayed for, to send prechours to gedere holy kirke. Bot how sal thei preche, bot if thei be sent ? and how sal the pepul here with outen the prechours ? Bot bischopes of this tyme put hom self wilfully to this charge, and are not chosen or sent, or elles, that wors is, thei thrynge in to this office be money. Alle tho then that com and are not sent, are robbers and theues." Mt. x. 10. " Crist biddes before, that men be warr of the wolues that lifen aUe of rauen, and gone in schepes clothynge .... for to schew that tho that thei preche to, owen to gif hom that hom nedes, and thei for to take it. I sey not, to take and to geder to hom and to other loyterers, and to here away with hom the godes of the pore pepul. Bot whether the reuerce be done in oure dayes, deme iche gud mon and wommon." Egerton 842. ff. 55*>. 83^. 87*.

1 That Wycliffe was the author of this translation is inferred, because, I. It has been, from the time of Bale, uniformly attributed to him, and never to any other person; 2. It has a very close agreement with his ver- sion of the Gospels; 3. The prologue is partly taken from that to his exposition of Matthew, and is altoge- ther in his style of writing.

m Many copies exist, as, Brit. Mus. Old R. Libr. 17 C. 33, and 17 D. 8; Harl. 1862 and 6333 ; Arun- del. 254; Bodl. 2553; and Phillipps 7157. That in the Old R. Ms. 176, 33, has much the appearance of being the autograph of the author. The vellum is rough, damaged, misshapen and soiled, not such as is usually prepared for a fair copy, and the writing is not that of a professional scribe, but thick, clumsy and irregular ; the mistakes of omission, repetition, and verbal inaccuracy are numerous; no sufficient space has been left for the rubrics ; the greater part of these have been inserted by a second hand, the same which has corrected many of the errors, and has also written several leaves in the latter part of the vo- lume. This hand is, however, contemporary with the other, as is evident from this last having written the catchwords upon some of these leaves. But a close examination of the errors committed does not sustain the first impression, and one is compelled to conclude that the Ms. has either been transcribed from a still rougher original, or has been taken down from dictation.

PREFACE.

XI

who lived in the middle of the twelfth century". The translation differs very slightly from the earlier of the two versions now printed. Besides the original prologue of Clement, some copies have two others added, apparently by the translator. The first of these? is the same with the first portion of that prefixed to Wycliffe's Com- mentary on Matthew. The latterP Avas, it is probable, originally designed by Wycliffe as the preface to the Harmony.

20. It seems to have been at first intended to attach to the Harmony of the Gospels Additions to portions of the Catholic Epistles, and important texts touching faith and practice, ,fc. selected from other parts of Scripture. The translations found at the end of the Harmony in the Old Royal Ms. 170. 33, have evidently been made with the object of supplying an epitome of the doctrines of the Bible. They appear to be first essays not reduced into any strict arrangement or order. Two different translators have employed themselves on the work, using their own, or two different pens. One has written the Harmony and the greater part of the selections ; the other has corrected the manuscript of the former, and has also furnished a small portion of the select passages. The selections include, besides a great number of less extensive extracts, the whole epistle of James, the first epistle of Peter, excepting the salutations, part of the second epistle of Peter, and an abridgment of the first epistle of Johni. The selections from the New Testament made by the first hand, approach for the most partr so nearly to the earlier version, as to afford a very strong presumption that they are by the same author, or if not, that they have been adopted as the basis of the corresponding passages in that version8. The passages in the Old Testament differ from both versions*.

'

n A copy of the original Latin is to be found in the Old R. Ms' 3 A. 10. fol. 2 ; others in Pembroke Hall, Cambr. 1972 ; Univ. Coll. Oxf. 19; Merton Coll. 240; and Trin. Coll. Oxf. 6.

0 Printed in vol. i. p. 44. It is extracted almost entirely from Augustine on Christian doctrine.

P It is printed hereafter, p. xiv.

q In the Bodl. Ms. 2553, at the end of Wycliffe's translation of the Harmony, is a like collection of pas- sages from Scripture ; they are extracted from the Ca- tholic Epistles, those of St. Paul, the Acts, and several parts of the Old Testament.

r There are some exceptions ; for example, the epi- stle of James differs much, and so the I Peter as far as ch. ii. 17; but this last afterwards agrees very closely with the earlier version, as do the other parts of the Catholic Epistles.

s The following are specimens of the translation of the first hand :

Deut. xxviii. i — 8. ij C. 33. fol. 297.

But if thou schalt here the vois of the Lord thi God, that thou do and kepe alle his maundementis that I bidde thee to dai, the Lord thi God schal make thee hijere than alle the folkis that dwellen in erthe. And alle thes blessyngis schulen comen vpon thee, and taken thee, if netheles thou here his biddyngis. Thou schalt be blissid in citee, and blessid in feld, blessid the fruyt of thi womb, and the fruyt of thi lond, and the fruit of thi beestis, the flockis of thi droues, and the foldis of thi schep ; blessid thi bernes, and blessid thi relikis. Blessid thou schalt ben in goynge and out goynge. The Lord schal make thin enemyes that schulen rise a3en thee, fallynge in thi si3te. Bi o weye thei schulen come ajens thee, and bi seuene thei schulen flee fro thi face. The Lord schal sencle out blessyng vp on thi celeres, and vpon the workis of thin hondis.

Mic. vi. 6 — 8. 17 C. 33. fol. 3oob.

What worthi thing schal Y offren to the Lord ? schal Y bowe my kne [kneis pr. «.] to hi3e God ? Whethir Y schal oftre to hym brend offryng, and o jeris calues ? Whethir the Lord may be plesid in thousund of we- theres or in manye thousundis of fatte got huckis ? Whethir Y schal jeue the firste goten for my felownye, the fruyt of my wombe for the synne of my soule ? Y schal schewe thee, thou man, what is good, and what the Lord axith of thee ; forsothe to do [iust pr. ».] dom and loue mercy, and besily to go with thi God. Eph. v. i — 5. 17 C. 33. fol. 229.

Therfore beth foleweris of God, as most dere sones, and goth in loue, as Crist hath loued vs, and bitaken hymself for us, offryng and ost to God in to sauour of swetnesse. But fornycacioun and alle vnclennesse or auarice be not named in jou, as it bi semeth seyntis, or filthe or foly speche or harlotrie, that parteneth not to [good pr. «.] thing, but more doinge of thank- yngis. Forsothe width this, vndirstondinge that eche fornicarie, or vnclene or auarous man, that is, seruice of mawmetis, hath not eritage in the rewme of Crist and God.

Phil. ii. 5— ii. 17 C. 33. fol. 231^.

And felith this in 3ou that and in Crist Jhesu ; the whiche whanne he was in the forme of God, he demede not raueyn him to ben euene to God, but he aneen- tischide hymsilf, takynge the forme of a seruaunt, in to licnesse of men maad, and in habite founden as man, he lowide hymsilf maad obedient to the deth, 3he, the deth of the cros. Wherfore and God hath enhauncid him, and 3ouen him a name that is aboue alle name, that in the name of Jhesu eche knee be bowid, of heuenly, erthely, and of hellis, and eche tunge knowleche for the Lord Jhesu Crist is in the glorie of God the fadir.

t It is however worthy of remark, that the ten com-

c2

Xll

PREFACE.

21. To the copy of the Harmony in the Harl. Ms. 1862. is subjoined a similar collection of passages from the Bible". Here however they are systematically arranged, in 166 chapters w, the whole forming a summary of doctrinal and practical theology, which indicates considerable care and judgment on the part of the compiler. The rendering, though literal, is not exact ; very frequent abridgments having been made, by omitting the words and clauses which seemed not important to the argu- ment. In some instances transpositions also have been adopted, with the view of making the sense more connected. The translation is executed with freedom and skillx. It seems to be perfectly independent, and not derived in any degree from other versions*1, and must be considered as antecedent to either of the two now printed. The Ms. is evidently the original copy of the author2.

version o/Epi- 22. About the same period, and, though not by either of the translators just men- tioned, by one of similar opinions, was produced a curious volume, preserved in the library of Corp. Ch. Coll. Cambridge8. It opens with a brief account of man's state in paradise, the fall, and the flood ; and proceeds, assuming the form of a dialogue, to describe the calling of the people of Israel, their deliverance from Egypt, and guidance into the promised land. It then treats shortly of the law, moral, civil and ceremonial; and in speaking of this last, breaks off suddenly from the subject of the Old Tes- tament. A few lines b then introduce the epistles of Peter c, James, John and

stles, etc. in C. C. Coll. Cambr. 434.

mandments, which form the first passage extracted from the Old Testament, agree verbatim with the later version, except that in our fifth commandment they read worship instead of honour.

u The excerpts from the Gospels are very few and very short, shewing that the collection was designed to be taken in connexion with the Harmony prefixed, and together with it, to comprise whatever in holy Scripture was thought necessary to be learned.

w Of these an index is prefixed, intitled, The table of sentences and matieris of holi writ. It commences thus :

" Cm. i. God made alle thingis of no3t. ij. Of his wil. iij. Of God merueilous in his dedis, of his myjt

and his wit.

iiij. Feithful, merciful, trewe and rijtful is God." x The subjoined passages will afford a specimen of the translator's manner :

Gen. iv. 10 — 15. Harl. 1862. fol. 183.

And the Lord seide to hym, What hast thou don ?

the vois of the blod of thi brothir crieth to me fro

erthe. Now therfore thou shalt ben cursid on erthe

that hath opened his mouth and sopen the blod of thi

brother, of thin hond ; whan thou wirkist it, it shal

not jyuen to thee hise frutis. Vagaunt and flhti thou

shalt ben on erthe. And Caym seide to the Lord,

More is myn wickidnesse than that I disserue mercy ;

therfore eche that findeth me, shal slen me. And the

Lord seide to Caym, It shal not be don so, but eche

that shal slen Caym, shal be seuenefold punshid.

Wisd. xvii. i — 3. Harl. 1862. fol. iji*.

Lord, grete ben thi domes, and thi wrdis vnable to

ben told ; for this thing vnlerid soulis han errid. For

whil wickede men han stiring to moun lordshipen to the

holi nacioun, thei fugitif han leyn, fetterid in bondis of

derknesses and of long nyjt, closid vnder roues of thin

euerelastinge wisdam. And whil thei wenen them to

moun lurken in derke synnes, in the derke veil of for-

3eting thei ben scaterid, dredinge hidously and with to

myche merueiling troublid.

i Tim. i. 8— ii. Harl. 1862. fol. 183. Sotheli wee witen that the lawe is good, if eny vse

it lawefulli, witinge this, for to the just man is not lawe put, but to vnjust and not soget, to faderslearis and modir slearis, to vnpitouse men and synneris, to fe- lounes and defoulid men, manslearis and fornycaries, sodomytus and wounderis, to lieris and forsworne men ; and if eny other thing is aduersarie to the doctrine that is vpe the gospel of the glorie of blissid God.

Apoc. xvii. i — 5. Harl. 1862. fol. ip7h. And oon of the seuene aungelis seide to me. Cum, I shal shewen to thee the dampnacioun of the grete hore that sitteth on manye watris, with whom the kingis of erthe han don fornycacioun, and thei that dwellen the erthe ben drunken of hire hordam. And he toe me in to desert in spirit, and I sawj a womman sittinge on a red beste, ful of names of blasfemye, hauynge seuene hedis and ten homes. And the womman was di}t about with purper and red silc, and gildid with gold and with precious ston and perlis, hauynge a goldene cuppe in hire hond, ful of abhominacioun and vnclen- nesse of hire fornycacioun ; and in hir forhed a name writen, Babilon the grete moder of fornycaciouns and of abhominaciounes of erthe.

.v The text of the Vulgate which the translator fol- lows, differs from that usually received ; for instance, fol. 121. Hebr. xi. he read v. 6. fit for sit; g. cavulis or cavernis for casulis ; 10. exspectabant for exspectabat ; 20. defunctus (?) for de futuris ; 31. et alia via ejiciens for cum pace.

z From a close comparison of the handwriting, as well as the orthography of the two Mss., it appears certain, that the insertions and corrections of the O. R.Ms. 17 C. 33, are from the same pen with Harl. 1862, which pen has also supplied the rubrics in both Mss. A series of passages from the Bible is also found, following Clement's Harmony, in Ms. Bodl. 77 1 . a Marked by Nasmith ccccxxxiv. b " Suster, the apostles that weren most priue with Crist, Peter and James and Jon, wrytith pisteles to the pepel, how thei schullen lyue ; and Peter seith on this wyse, Yblessed" etc.

c The translator had an indifferent Latin text ; for in- stance, in the first verse translated, i Pet. i. 3, it omitted et, and read nos for vos, and unam for vivam.

PREFACE.

Xlll

c.~

Juded. After these the dialogue is continued by way of preface6 to an abstract f of the several epistles of Paul, with the exception of that to Philemon. Then follow the Acts of the Apostles ; and, this book finished, the translator commences the gospel of Matthews. He seems, however, to have proceeded no further than the Lord's prayer in chap, vi., with which the volume ends. The Ms. is in the western dia- lect, and probably the original copyh.

23. Among these various essays to translate portions of the Scriptures, there is ven«m «/ one other, which, as being of the latter half of the fourteenth century, and also complete, deserves especial notice. It is a version of the whole of St. Paul's epistles. c°"' Cambr' The Latin and English are given paragraph by paragraph ; a few verbal glosses are admitted, the translator otherwise keeps closely to his original. The epistle to the Laodiceans is inserted in Latin, in its usual place after that to the Colossians, but without any translation1.

24. The persons who were thus engaged in preparing translations of Scripture, oppoatum «p- anticipated, it is evident, powerful opposition to its circulation among the people, and?A« inmtiaaag regarded the task upon which they ventured, as attended with danger to themselves.

From this apprehension it is, that the obscurity in part arises which attends the history of these translations ; since the authors never make known their names, and are careful to avoid the mention of circumstances which might lead to their detection.

d The following extract will shew the character of the translation. The salutation both here and at the end of the epistle is omitted in the Ms.

i Pet. i. 3—9. C. C. C. C. 434.

Yblessed be God, the fader of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, that of his grete merci hath begeten jow ajen into on hope, by the arisynge from deth to lyue of Jhesu Crist, and into an heritage incoruptibel, vndefouled, that may nat welewe, that is ykept in heuene in jow, that beth ykept in the vertu of God by feith, in to hele that is redy to ben yschewed in the laste tyme, in the whiche tyme 36 schulleth ioyen. And now jef it behoueth to sorwe to gedere a lytel in dyuerse temptaciounes, that the preuynge of joure feith be more precious than gold that is ypreued in the feer, and be founde in to preysynge and ioye and worschipe in the reuelacioun of Jhesu Crist, whom je loueth that je ne haueth nat yseye, in whom je beleueth that je seth nau3t, but whan je seth him je schulleth ioyen in a gladnesse that may nat ben ytold, yglorified, and ber- ynge the ende of joure feith, the hele of joure soules.

e This preface commences, " Suster, thus han Cristes principal aposteles, Peter and James and Jon and Jude, ywriten to the pepel, to techen hem how thei schulden lyuen vertuouslyche in forsakynge the lykynges of the world and the lykynges of the flesch, as Crist techith in the gospel. — Brother, Y se wel, that these aposteles techeth the pepel as Crist techeth in the gospel ; bote natheles, brother, these apostelys weren yordeyned to techen the chyldren of Israel ; for oure aunceteres weren hethen men, that weren yturned to bileuen in Crist by Poul the apostel." The preface ends, " The thridde thyng that Poule techeth is, how men schulleth forsake synne in kepynge Cristes lawe of charite ; and of this poynt, suster, thorw Goddes grace ich will telle thee what he seith in his pisteles, and of the other poyntes, whan ich haue grettere leyser, with the grace of God. Seynt Poule writeth to the Romaynes, and seith, [ch. v. 19,] Rijt as by the vnbuxumnesse of on man many men beth ymad synful men," etc.

f The author evidently intended to make at some future time a more complete translation, as the follow- ing passage in the part of the dialogue mentioned in the last note shews : " bote Y ne may not at this tyme write to thee alle his pisteles, as thei stondeth ; bote natheles, jef it be Goddes wille, thu schalt habbe hem heraftir." fol. 36b.

S The second chapter begins thus, " Werfore whan Jhesus was bore in Bethlem of the Jewery, in the dayes of kyng Heroude, loo ! the kynges come fro the est to Jerusalem, seyenge, Where is he that is bore the kyng of Jewys ?"

h Another copy, omitting the abstract of the Old Testament, and St. Paul's epistles, and giving some alterations of the version, is in the Bodl. Ms. Douce 250.

i The commencement of the epistle to the Romans is thus given :

Rom

. i. i— 10. C. C. C. C. 32.

" Pavlus servus etc. Poule seruaunt of Jhesu Crist, callid apostil, departid in to the euangelye of God, the whiche bifore he hadde behijt bi his prophetis in holy writtis of his sone, the whiche is maad to hym of the seed of Dauid after the flesch, the which is before or- deynyd Goddis sone in vertu, aftyr the spiryte of mak- yng holy of the resurreccioun of the deade of oure Lord Jhesu Criste, bi whom we hafe tane grace and ofice of apostil, or power of the office of apostyl, in alle folc to obeische to the feith for the name of hym, among the which jee be callid of Jhesu Criste. Omni- bus qui sunt, etc. To alle the whiche ben at Rome, lofd of God, callid holy, or in holynesse, grace to jOu and pees be of God oure fadyr and Lord Jhesu Criste. Primum quidem, etc. Firste namely I do thankyng to my God for alle jou, by Jhesu Crist, for ;oure feith is schewid in al the world. Testis, etc. For witness to me is God, to whom I serue in my spiryt in the euan- gelye of his sone, that without styntynge I haue maad mynde of jou euere in my prayeres, besekynge if any maner at the laste that I haue a gate profitable of com- ynge other while vn to 3ou in the wille of God."

XIV

PREFACE.

On the same ground they frequently enter upon a defence of their undertaking, and a refutation of the objections most commonly raised against it. Of this nature is a remarkable tract, or, as it might be called with greater propriety, connected series of tracts, found in a Ms. belonging to the University of Cambridge. The style is not unlike that of Wycliffe, plain and forcible, and the tracts may possibly be his own composition k.

k Univ. Libr. Cambr. li. 6. 26. It commences with- out any rubric or title ; " Alle cristene peple stant in thre maner of folke. Sum kunne rede and vnderstonde, as good clerkis and wel letterd men, and for hem ben ordeyned bookis of Ebruse, of Grwe and of Latyn. Summe cunnyn nether rede ne vnderstonde, as lewid peple that kunnen no letter, and for hem God hath or- deinede his creaturis in heuene, in erthe and in the see, to schewe his grace and kuyndnesse to men and wym- men that han discrescion, weereby thei schulden lerne to loue God and drede hym, and kepe his comaunde- mentis, and not by peynture and ymagerye madde by mannis hondus, for the Spirite of God seith in Dauith the profete, Confundantur omnes qui adorant sculptilia, etc. Summe ther ben that kunnen rede but litil, or no;t vnderstonde, and for hem ben ordent bookis of her moder tongue, to Frensche men bokis of Frensche, to Ytaliens bokis of Latyne corrupte, to Duche men bokis Duche, to Englische men bokis of Englische ; in whiche bokis thei mowen rede to konne God and his lawe, and to fulfille it in worde and dede, and so to slee synne in hem silf and ech in other, bi ther power and kunnynge, wher thorouj thei mowe desserue eendeles blisse. And that [it] is leful to cristyn peple [to] rede and connen holy Scripture, in destruccion of synne and in cresynge of vertu, it is opyne in many placis of God- dis lawe, bothe old and newe ; for thus seith oure Lord God, Erunt verba hec," etc.

Other extracts from the first piece are: p. j. "And for as moche as the curatis ben often so lewid, that thei vnderstonden not bookis of Latyn for to teche the peple, it is spedful not oonly to the lewed peple but also to the lewed curatis, to have bookis in Englisch of needful loore to the lewed peple ; for many curatis kunnen not construe ne expowne her pater noster, ne aue, ne crede, ne the ten comaundementis, ne the se- uene dedely synnes, ne many othere thingis, that thei ben bounden to knowe and to teche othere, as the lawe shewith." — p. 6. " Fewe ther ben that wolden be taujt, fewe that kunnen teche, and wol fewe that wolen teche; and so Goddis worde and Goddis lawe is nej fo^eten in this lond, vertu is forsaken and vice is taken, truthe is in dispit, falshed is in worschip, pees and charite ben exilid, synne and malice, baat and dissencioun regnen, for with outen kepynge of Goddis lawe is no pees."- p. 15. " But 3if the ten comaundementis, the crede, pater noster and aue, that al cristyn peple owith kunne, commene thingis of holy writte, gospellis and pisteles rede in holy chirche, ben welle translatid and truly, sentence for sentence, with good declaracioun, who so rede it, he schal the better vnderstouden it bothe in Latyn and in Englische." The piece concludes thus, p. 41, " Now, leue frendis, haue I schewed 3ou, that it is leful and nedful to the pepel for to knowe Goddis lawe and the feith of holy chirche in here langage, and that it is leefful and spedful to hem that kunne rede, and nameliche to gentellis, to haue Goddis lawe writen in bookis, that thei mowen red it, and so the better kunne ; for it is a comoun sawe, and soth it is, Worde

and wynd and mannes mynde is ful schort, but letter writen dwellith. And as seynt Austyn seith, ad Voluci- anum, that man or woman hath in writinge or in boke, he may rede it al wey ; whanne he hath tyme and tome to reden, he may rede whanne he wole, and letten whan he wole, withouten dissese, but he may not alway haue prechynge ne techynge whanne he wolde, and ofte whanne he may haue a techere, he hath no tome. And therfor, leue frend, sith then je kunnen rede, spende- dit (sic) ;oure kunnynge to the worship of God, and whanne je haue tome and tyme of deuocioun, and doth 3oure deuer after joure staat, to kunne and to vnder- stonde Goddis lawe. For Salamon seith, Acceptus est regi minister intelligens, Prouer. xiiij0. The seruaunt vnderstondynge Goddis lawe is acceptable and plesant to the kyng of heuene ; and the bettere that 36 vnder- stonden what 36 reden, the more deuocioun je schullen haue, and the more knowe Joure God, and the more 36 knowen him, the more 36 schullen loue him, and the more 36 louen him, the more he schal loue 3ou. Amen." The second tract in the series deserves to be given entire. It is here printed from the Arundel Ms. 254, collated with Harl. 6333^ In both Mss. it occurs as one of the prologues to Wycliffe's translation of Cle- ment's Harmony. " Oure Lord Jhesu Crist, very God and very man, seith in the gospel, Blessid ben they that heren Goddis word and kepen it. And eft Crist seith, 3e ben my friends, if 36 doon tho thyngis that Y co- maunde to 3ou. And eft, He that leuith1 myn comaunde- mentis and kepith hem, he it is that louith me. And eft Dauith seith, Blessid ben they that serchen Goddis witnessis2, and sekyn out God in al the herte. On the contrarie side Dauith seith, They ben cursid that bowyn awey fro Goddis hestis. And Foul seith, He is cursid, that louith not oure Lord Jhesu Crist. But Crist seith, If eny man louith me, he schal kepen my word, and he that louith nat me, kepith not my wordis. God seith by Salamon, The preyer of hym is cursid, whiche turn- eth;i awey his ere, that he here not the lawe of God. And Poul seith, He that knowith not Goddis lawe, schal not be knowen of Crist at domesday, for his trewe seruaunt. Crist seith, The wordis whiche Y haue spoken to jow ben sperit and lyf. Therfore Petir seith to Crist, Lord, to whom schul we goo; thou hast wordis of euere lastyng lyf. The wyse man seith in the per- sone of holy writ4, They that declaren me, schullen haue euerlastyng lyf. And Dauith seith, Lord, the declaring of thy wordis Iy3tenith and 3yuith vndirstondyng to meke men. The prophete Danyel seith, They that techen many men to ry3tfulnes, schullen schyne as the firma- ment. Sithen [thanne5] men doyng iustly bodely almesse to nedy men schullen be saued, as Crist seith in the gospel, moche more they schullen be in hi3 degre of blis, that 3yuen charitably the greet almes of Goddis word, declaryng it ry3tly to cristene puple. Cristen men owe moche to traueile ny3t and day aboute textf of holy writ, and namely the gospel in her modir tunge, sith Jhesu Crist, very God and very man, tau3t this 7 gospel with his owne blessid mouth, and kept it in his

t The Cambridge Ms. has many variations. The text printed by the Rev. Dr. Barrett agrees generally with Ms. Harl. 6333. 1 louith. 2 witnessyngis. 3 bowith. 4 chirche. 5 Om. Ms. Aruud. 6 textis. ^ the.

PREFACE.

xv

25. By the several productions which have been noticed, and probably by others rite ea,ne>t of a like kind now lost, the way was prepared for a more complete and correct version ^[/IT ' of the holy Scriptures. The New Testament was naturally the first object. The text

lyf ; and for kepyng and halewyng and confermyng ther- of, schedde8 his prescious blod, and jaf it writen by his gospeleris to his chirche in erthe, that eche cristen» man reule his lyf therby ; for if he kepe this gospel, he schal be saued, and ellis in no maner. And thouj he coude neuere other lawes maad of synful men, he may come sufficiently and esely to heuene. Alas ! ho may for drede of God lette lewid men to knowe and kepe the gospel, and comwnly speke therof in mekenesse and charite, to distrie synnes and plaunte uertues in cristen soulis ? But10 coueitous clerkisH of this world replyen and seyen, that lewed men mowe soon erre, and ther- fore they schul not dispute of cristen feith. Alas! alas! what cruelte is this, to reeve al bodely mete fro al's a rewme, for a fewe folis vmowen be13 glotons, and do harm to hem self and othere men, be this mete take mesurably14. As Iy3tly may 'a proud worldly15 prest erre ajeyns the gospel writen in Latyn, as a symple lewid man erreis a3eyns the gospel writyn in Englische. Symple men owen not dispute aboute holy writ, wher it is17 soth or profitable for'8 mannes soule, but they owen stedfastly bileue that it is verrely19 soth, and pro- fitable to alle cristen men. For with oute kunnyng and kepyng therof, no man may be delyuered fro peynes of helle ; therfor lewed men schullen lerne it of God prin- cipally, and by good lyuyng of hem self, and bisy tra- ueil 'of studie20, and in axyng trewe clerkis bothe of lyuyng and kunnyng, the verrei exposiscioun therof, wher it is derk. For, as seynt Austyn seith, the same truthe is seid openly in holy writ, whiche truthe is sette in derk figuris, profesies and parablis. What resoun is this, if a child faile in his lessoun at the first day, to suffre neuere children21 come at lettrure for this defaut ? who schulde be a clerk by this processe ? Euery cristen man takith the state, auctorite and bond of God, jhe, in his cristendome, to be a disciple of holy writ, and a real techere therof in al his lyf, vp peyne of dampna- cioun, and vp wynnyng of the blisse of heuene. 'What Antecrist22 dar23 for schame of cristen men lette lewed men to lerne her holy lessoun, so hard comaundid of God ? Eche man is bounden to do so, that he be saued, but eche man that schul be saued, is a real prest mad of God, as holy writ and holy doctours witnessen pleynly. Thanne eche lewed man that schul be saued, is a real prest maad of God, and eche man is bounden to be suche a verri prest. But wordly clerkis crien that holy writ in Englische24 wole make cristen men at debate, and sugettis to rebelle ajeyns her souereyns ; and therfor it schal not be suffrid among lewed men. Alas ! how may they more openly sclaundre God, auc- tour of pees, and his holy lawe, fully techyng meke- nesse, pacience and charite28 ; or ellis they moten seye, that the comwnte of cristen puple is obstinat in her synnes, as fendis ben ; or ellis they moten seye, that worldly prestis representyng the state of Cristis vickeris, ben in dispeir for her symony and othere robberis of cristen men, bothe in temporal goodis and spiritual. Thus the false Jewis, namely, hy3e prestis, scribis and pharisees, cryeden on Crist, that he maad dissencioun in the puple. Jhesu Crist, that deidist to conferme thy lawe, and for raunsome of cristene soulis, stoppe these blasphemyes of Antecrist, and worldly clerkis, and make

thyn holy gospel knowen and kept of thy symple bre- theren, and encrese hem in feith, hope and charite, and meknesse and pacience, to suffre deth ioyfully for thee and thy lawe. Amen, Jhesu, for thy mercy !"

The seventh piece in the series is thus intitled, This tretis that folewth, proueth that eche nacioun may lefully haue holy writ in here moder tunge. The fol- lowing passages occur in it: p. 85, " And thus oure Antecristis now, suynge the Farisees, tellen not verilich the truthe of the gospel, for thei lyuen contrariously therto." — p. 87, " And thus jif, thorouj necligence of oure bischopis and prelatis and other fals techeres that ben in the chirche, the truthe of Goddis word be not sowen to the pepel, praie we," etc. — p. 88, " Loke whe- ther oure clerkis don now as yuel or worse, and namely oure religious, that ben fayners of holines, the whiche pursuen Crist in hise membris, as the Farisees diden his owne person." — p. 89, " So now in these daies thei shewen hem faynet loueres and vntrwe children of Crist, that pursuen symple pepel, for thei wolden lerne, rede, and teche the lawe of God in here moder tunge."

Many passages from other writings of the time might be quoted, to shew the apprehensions which the translators felt for their own personal safety, and the opposition which they had to encounter in circulating the Scriptures. The two following are remarkable.

The author of the volume (Corp. Ch. Coll. Cambr. ccccxxxiv.) before noticed, when requested to teach the lewed and uncunning what is needful for their souls, replies, " Brother, I knowe wel, that I am holde by Crystis lawe to parfortne thyn axinge, bote natheles we beth now so fer yfallen awey fram Cristis lawe, that if Y wolde answere to thyn axingus, I moste in cas vnderfonge the deth ; and thu wost wel, that a man is yholden to kepe his lyf as longe as he may. And perawnter it is spedful to holden oure pes awhile, tyl that God foucheth saf, that his wille be yknowe ; for now the world is ful of wikkednesse," etc.

Wycliffe in a homily on the text, Cum persecuti vos fiterint, writes, " And algates they dyspysen that men schulden knowe Cristus lyfe, for thenne prestus schul- den scheme of byre lyues, and specyaly these hye pres- tus, and for they reuersen Crist bothe in worde and in dede. And herfore on gret byschop of Englelond, as men sayen, is yuel payed that Goddes lawe is wryten in Englysche to lewede men, and he pursueth a prest, for he wryteth to men this Englysche, and sompnet hym, and traueleth hym, that hyt is harde to hym to route ; and thus he pursueth another prest by the helpe of Pharysees, for he precheth Cristus gospel frely with outen fables. O men that ben on Cristus halfe, helpe 36 nowe ajeynes Antecrist, for the perelouse tyme is comen, that Crist and Poule tolden byfore. But on coumfort is of knyghtes, that they saueren muche the gospel, and haue wylle to rede in Englysche the gospel of Cristus lyf, for afterwarde, 3ef God wul, the lorde- schype schal be taken fro prestes, and so the stafe, that maketh hem hardy a3eynus Crist and hys lawe." Ms. Magd. Coll. Cambr. Pepys, 2616. p% 192. — Copies of this homily also occur in Corp. Ch. Coll. Cambr. cccxxxvi. p. 52, and Brit. Mus. Old R. L. 18 B. 9. fol. 137-

8 schedyng. 9 Om. 10 But summe. 11 persoones. 12 Om. 13 that ben. 14 vnmesurabli. 15 sum simple lettride. 1« Om. 17 Om. Ms. Arund. 18 to. 19 verri. 20 Om. 21 child to. 22 Who sec. m. 23 dar thanne. 24 Englisch tunge. 25 The remainder erased in Harl. 6333.

xvi PREFACE.

of the Gospels was extracted from the commentary upon them by Wycliffe, and to these were added the Epistles, the Acts, and the Apocalypse, all now translated anew. es- This translation might probably be the work of Wycliffe himself; at least the simi- ^byw^vffe. larity of style between the Gospels and the other parts favours the supposition. Pro- logues1 were prefixed to the several books, agreeing with those commonly found in Latin Mss. of the fourteenth century. It seems questionable, whether the prologues were translated by the same hand as the text, and if they were added subsequently, it will account for the circumstance of their being wanting in several of the copies™. Short verbal glosses are frequently introduced into the text".

some copies of 26. It is to be observed, that the copies now existing give the original translation ,™nt revised" with various degrees of fidelity, and that in some it has undergone considerable and altered. revisjon an(j alteration. Of the fifteen which have been collated, it may be assumed for certain, that the Mss. A, K, W, and Y represent most accurately the text as it stood at first. With these G, M, and P generally agree. These three seldom differ from each other, except through the errors made by the first scribe of G, or in con- sequence of the alterations by the second. S substantially agrees with the four first- mentioned Mss., but has a few readings peculiar to itself, or in common with X or 0. X also substantially agrees with the four first-mentioned Mss., but. is singular in almost uniformly omitting the textual glosses, and has some readings of its own. N has a general agreement with the same four Mss., but has readings which are often erroneous, and which at other times correspond with those of 0 and V. Q agrees for the most part with G, M, and P. It often omits the ordinary glosses, and in the epistles of St. Paul offers long expository glosses, which as far as the epistle to the Ephesians are peculiar to itself, but subsequently are found in T likewise. These glosses in Q end with the epistle to Titus, but in T are continued through Philemon and the Hebrews. T, besides the peculiarity just noticed, has a few readings of its own, not important. It generally agrees with G, M, P, and Q. V is a copy remarkable for its variations. In the Gospels it frequently omits the ordinary glosses, and throughout offers textual glosses of its own. It has very numerous readings found in no other Ms. These are more frequent after the Gospels, and approach the second version much more nearly than those of any other copy. Indeed the agreement with the second version is sometimes so marked, that one is induced to suppose the Ms. a revision of the earlier text made by the second translator previously to the adoption of the principles by which he was finally guided in preparing his version. It has also, subsequently to 1 Cor. vi., large marginal glosses, some of which have not been discovered elseAvhere, and the greater part of them only in this volume and in the Harl. Ms. 5017, which is of the later version, {/presents in part of Matthew, in Mark, and in Luke, so frequent a concurrence with V, that there can be no doubt of these

1 The prologues to the Gospels are those usually the ordinary argument of i Tim., and Mss. G and V

ascribed to Jerome: I. Mattfueus ex Judea — non tacere. give another version of that to Philemon. The Acts

-i. Marcus evangelista — Deus est. 3. Lucas Syrus na- have the prologue beginning, Lucas Antiochensis, and

tione—fastidientibus prodidisse. 4. Hie est Johannes — ending, proficeret medicina. To the Catholic Epistles is

doctrina servetur. The prologue to the Romans is made prefixed the epistle of Jerome to Eustochium, beg. Non

up of the general prologue to the Pauline epistles, ita, and ending, poscentibus denegabo ; and lastly, the

Primum quteritur — manentem substantiam ; and the spe- Apocalypse is introduced by the shorter of the two pro-

cial prologue to this particular epistle, Romani sunt — logues usually given in the editions of the Vulgate,

concordlam cohortatur ; this last however being in parts beg. Johannes apostolus, and ending, doctrina servetur. abbreviated. It is remarkable, that in four Mss. G, K, "» The Mss. A, M, P, W, have no prologues to the

Q and Y, a large portion of this prologue is inserted in Gospels ; G, M, P, Q, X, and generally A, are without

that of the gospel of Luke ; which mistake has appa- prologues to the other books.

rently arisen from the misplacing of a leaf in one of the n As Mt. i. 2, gendride, or bigate ; 19. iust, or riyt-

original copies. To each of the epistles of Paul is prefixed ful; pupliche, or lede ferther ; 20. sleepe, or sweuea;

the usual brief argument. The Ms. O has an addition to 23. interpretid, or expowned.

PREFACE. xvii

Mss. having been copied one from the other, or both from a common original. In parts of Matthew V differs from U, and in other parts has been made to agree with it by a second handnn. 0 throughout Matthew agrees very closely with U and V; in John it has the later version ; in the other books it has more frequently readings of its own, or follows the generality of Mss. It often omits the textual glosses, and occasionally adopts the gloss instead of the text. It is a singular circumstance, that in the gospels of Luke and John K ceases to be a transcript of the original text, and agrees in its readings with U and V.

27. Probably while the New Testament was in progress, or within a short time of its completion, the Old Testament was taken in hand by one of Wycliffe's coadjutors. The original copy of the translator is still exstant in the Bodleian Library0. It is corrected throughout by a contemporary hand. A second copy, also in the Bodleian Library P, and transcribed from the former previously to its correction, has a note at the end, assigning the translation to Nicholas de Hereford''. This note was evidently made not very long after the Ms. was written, and there need be no hesitation in giving full credence to its statement1". It is remarkable, that both these copies end abruptly in the book of Baruch, breaking off in the middle of a sentence1"1". It may thence be inferred, that the writer was suddenly stopped in the execution of his work ; nor is it unreasonable to conjecture further, that the cause of the interruption was the sum- mons which Hereford received to appear before the synod in 1382. Soon after that event he left England, and was absent for some time. The translation itself affords proof, that it was completed by a different hand, and not improbably by Wycliffe himself8.

nn It is remarkable that the Mss. U and V, and these John Purvey in Saltwood castle7. But from a mandate

only, either in this or the later version, have the four of the bishop of Worcester it would appear, that in Aug.

introductory verses of Luke; which are given as they 1387 he was still at liberty, and actively engaged in

appear in Wycliffe's Commentary on that gospel, and spreading doctrines considered objectionable8. He

are evidently borrowed thence. could not, it is certain, have remained in prison for

0 Bodl. 959 (3093). any very great length of time, since on the i2th Dec.

P Bodl. Douce 369. 1391. he received from the crown letters of protection

°. Nicholas de Hereford, D.D. of Queen's College, against those who might trouble him, on account, as it Oxford1, was in 1382 one of the leaders of the Lollard seems, of his former Lollard opinions9. In Oct. 1393 party in that University. On Ascension day in the he appears to have been present at the examination of same year, he preached, by the appointment of the Walter Brute at Hereford, accused of heresy10. On the chancellor, at St. Frideswide's. A few days subse- 1 6th Feb. 1,394 he was made chancellor of the church quently, on the i8th May, he appeared upon citation be- of Hereford11, and on the aoth March 1397 treasurer in fore the synod at the Preaching Friars in London2, where that cathedral. It is probably to these preferments that on the aoth of the same month he delivered a paper allusion is made by Thorpe, in the narrative of his ex- containing his opinions, and at an adjourned meeting, animation before archbishop Arundel in 1407 12. Here- held at Canterbury on the ist July, was pronounced ford resigned his office of treasurer in I4i713, and excommunicates. From this sentence he appealed to entered the Carthusian monastery of St. Anne, Coventry, the pope 4, and is said, in prosecution of his appeal, to where he died14.

have proceeded to Rome, and there to have been placed r See a facsimile of this note in the description of the

in confinement ; but having with other prisoners been Mss., annexed to the present Preface, released by the populace during an insurrection, to have rr Bar. iii. 20. The last words are, " place of hem.

returned to England, and soon after to have been com- The junge "

mitted by the archbishop to prison for life5. A letter s Hereford translates very literally, observes strictly

of the archbishop, dated 15 Jan. 1386, is exstant, re- the order of the original, and is usually careful to ren-

questing the issue of a writ for his caption6. Ant. der the same Latin words or phrases in an uniform

Wood also states, that Hereford suffered much with manner. He never introduces textual glosses. The

1 Ant. Wood Hist, and Antiq. ed. Gutch, vol. i. p. 492. 2 Reg. Courtney, fol. 27". 3 Ibid. fol. 28 seq. 4 Ibid. fol. 3O>>. 5 Knighton, col. 2657. 6 Reg. Courtney, fol. 69. 7 Hilt, and Antiq. vol. i. p. 493; probably borrowed from Bale's notes

in a copy of Walden's Fasciculus Zizaniorum, Ms. Bodl. e Mus. 86 (formerly, in Hyperoo 163.) 8 Wilkins, t. iii. p. 202. See also the story told by Walsingham, Hist. Angl. p. 328. 9 Rot. pat. 15 Ric. II. p. 2. m. 35. lo Foxe, Acts and Monuments, cd. 1610. vol. i. p. 461, where see a letter to Hereford, upbraiding him for his recantation, and charging him with great want of grammatical knowledge. 11 Rot. pat. 17 Rich. II. p. 2. 12 See this narrative in Bodl. Ms. Rawlinson 1030. Another copy is in the Impl. libr. at Vienna. Denis Codd. Mss. Theol. Lot. col. 2022. It is printed by Foxe, Acts and Manwn, vol. i. p. 485, and reprinted in Words- worth's £ccl. Biography, vol. i. p. in. Thorpe speaks of Hereford, Purvey and Bowland, as having recanted at Paul's Cross. 13 Willis, Survey of Cathedrals, p. 547. 14 " De supradicto magistro Nicholao Herforde certum est, quod in senectute sua intrevit

ordinem Cartus' apud Coventr', in domo sancte Anne matris beate Marie virginis, et in eadem domo catholics visit et obiit." Ms. Bodl. ill (1979). fol. 3zi>.

VOL. I. d

XV111

PREFACE.

Mss. of the Old Testament offer 11 few variations. Lue

It comprises, besides the Canonical books, all those commonly reckoned among the Apocryphal, except the fourth book of Esdras.

28. The prologues in the Old Testament as in the New, are for the most part those usually found in contemporary Mss. of the Vulgate4. The Old Testament has no marginal glosses, neither does it appear to have been the intention of Hereford to admit glosses into the text; those which occur in it previously to Baruch iii. 20, are the insertions of a second hand". Subsequently to this place textual glosses are frequent".

29. The Mss. of the Old Testament are remarkably uniform in the readings of tt. They may probably be classed according to date in the following order,

E, C, B, K, Y, A, F, H, G, D, X. This last copy always omits the glosses, and offers greater variations than any of the others, but they are frequently unauthorised and erroneous".

style subsequent to Bar. iii. 20 is entirely different. It is more easy, no longer keeps to the order of the Latin, takes greater freedom in the choice of words, and fre- quently admits textual glosses. In the course of the first complete chapter the new translator inserts no less than nine such glosses. He does not admit prologues.

The translation of this last part of the Old Testament corresponds with that of the New Testament, not only in the general style, but also in the rendering of parti- cular words. Dilectus, for instance, though sometimes rendered loued, is generally translated dereworth, as Bar. iii. 37 ; Dan. iii. 35 ; Rom. xvi. 8 ; Eph. i. 6 ; James i. 16; ii. 5 ; whereas by Hereford it is rendered either loued, as Deut. xxxii. 15 ; Ps. xxviii. 6; xliv. i; lix. 7; Ixvii. 13 ; cxxvi. 2 ; Wisd. iv. 10 : Is. v. i ; xxi. 4 ; Jer. xi. 15 ; or leef, or lemman, as Prov. xxxi. 2 ; Song of S. i. 12, 13, 15 ; ii. 3 ; vi. i, 2, etc.

Again, the word secundum, which by Hereford is uni- formly translated after, is subsequently to Bar. iii. 20, and in the New Testament very frequently rendered up, as Dan. ii. 45 ; Hos. ii. 3 ; Mic. vii. 15 ; Zech. i. 6 ; i Mace. i. 15, 42, 44; iii. 39, 56; Rom. vii. 22; n Cor. viii. 3 ; i Pet. i. 2, 3, ij, 1 7 ; iii. 7 ; iv. 6 ; v. 2, etc.

The word insanio is by Hereford uniformly rendered to wexe wood, as iv Kings xix. 28 ; Is. xxiv. 6 ; Jer. xxv. 1 6 ; but by the translator of the remaining portion of the Old Testament and in the New, though some- times to wexe wood, yet more frequently to be wood, as Ezek. xxiii. 9 ; n Mace. iv. 4 ; i Cor. xiv. 23 ; and sometimes to mad, with one or other of the former ex- pressions as a gloss, or without any gloss, as Joh. x. 20 ; Acts xii. Ij; xxvi. TI, 24, 25.

The word puella is by Hereford translated, accord- ingly as the person referred to is presumed to be un- married, wife, widow, or servant, mayde-child, mayde- seruant, mayde, womman, child-womman, hand-womman, but never, so far as it has been observed, damsel or wenche ; but in the latter part of the Old Testament and in the New, not only mayde-child and mayde, but much more frequently damsel, as Dan. xiii. 15, 19, 20, 36 ; or wenche, as Amos ii. 7 ; Mt. ix. 25 ; xiv. 1 1 ; Mk. v. 39 ; vi. 22 ; vii. 30 ; Lk. viii 50 ; Acts xii. 13 ; xvi. 16.

The word preepositus seems to be uniformly rendered by Hereford provost, as Gen. xl. 23; i Par. xxiii. 4; Esth. ii. 3; Is. xxii. 15; Ix. 17; Jer. xxxvii. 14; Iii. 25 ; but in the other parts of the early version, prepost or souereyn, as Dan. i. 3 ; i Mace. xii. 45 ; Acts vii. 10 ; or prepost, as Dan. i. 7, 8 ; i Mace. xiii. 37 ; or prepost or governour, as i Mace. xiv. 42 ; or souereyn, as Hebr. xiii. 7, 24 ; or provost or prelate, as Hebr. xiii. j 7 ; and once only provost, 11 Cor. xi. 3 2.

The word vultus is translated by Hereford cheer ; but by the other translator, semblaunt, as Ezek. i. 10 ; ii. 6 ; Lk. xxiv. 5 ; sometimes face, as Mai. i. 9 ; or cheer or face, as Ezek. ii. 21 ; Hebr. ix. 24.

The word idolum is by Hereford translated mawmet, but by the other translator idol, as Ezek. vi. 4 ; xiv. 5 ; Amos i. 5 ; i Mace. i. 43 ; Acts xxi. 25 ; i Cor. v. 10; vi. 9; viii. i, 7, 10 ; x. 14; i Pet. iv. 3; Apoc. xxii. i j ; and at Rom. ii. 22, idol or mawmet.

1 To Genesis is prefixed the epistle of Jerome to Paulinus, and also his epistle to Desiderius ; these two are joined together so as to make one preface, the last- mentioned epistle forming the ninth chapter. Joshua and i Kings have each the usual prefaces of Jerome. To the i Paralip. is prefixed Jerome's epistle to Chro- matius, with another brief argument ; to the n Paralip. Jerome's epistle to Dominio and Rogatian. The i Es- dras has the usual epistle of Jerome, a brief argument, and a brief " Commendation of Esdras." Before Tobit is placed Jerome's epistle to Chromatius and Heliodo- rus, and before Judith and Esther the prefaces designed by him for those books. Judith has also a short argu- ment. The book of Job has Jerome's two prologues. The Psalms have also two prologues ; the latter found in some Mss. of the Vulgate. To Proverbs is prefixed Jerome's epistle to Chromatius and Heliodorus, and to Ecclesiastes that to Paula and Eustochium. Wisdom has a short prologue. Isaiah is preceded by Jerome's epistle to Paula and Eustochium. Jeremiah has two prologues, the former being the epistle of Jerome to the same individuals. Baruch has the short prologue, usually found in copies of the Vulgate. The succeeding books of the Old Testament have no prologues.

u There are none in any of the books until Proverbs, where four or five are found ; there is a single gloss in Ecclesiastes, and six or seven in Wisdom ; but in Ecclesiasticus they are numerous, and the succeeding books down to Baruch iii. 20 have several. All these glosses, with the exception of one or two peculiar to G, have their origin in the corrections introduced by the second hand of the original copy E. (Bodl. Douce

3^9-)

w In this subsequent part a few of the glosses have been added on some after revision or transcription : these are found chiefly in the Mss. G or H, or both. See Bar. vi. 60; Ez. xxxiii. 17; Dan. ii. 29; xiv. 1 2 ; Hag. i. 9 ; i Mace. v. 42 ; vii. 1 8, 20, 22; x. 74 ; ii Mace. vii. 2, 5 ; xi. 4.

x The Mss. X and Y were not obtained by the editors in time to print from them collations of the text of the Old Testament. The following is a specimen of their

PREFACE.

xix

30. The translation of the whole Bible having been thus completed, the next care Talk was to render it as extensively useful as possible. With this view, a table of the portions of Scripture read as the epistles and gospels of the church service on the Sundays, feasts and fasts of the year, was framed y. This table was inserted in certain copies of the newly translated Bible2, and the passages were marked in the text by letters placed in the margin over against the beginning and end of the several por- • tions ; or sometimes the margin contained a rubric stating at length the service for which the lesson was appointed3. To some copies of the New Testament such portions

of the Old were annexed, as were used in the church service instead of epistlesh. In order also to render those parts of Scripture in most frequent use accessible at a less cost, books were written containing nothing more than the gospels and epistles read in the service of the mass0.

31. In the Cambridge University Library is an abridgment of the books of the Abridgment of Old Testament, from n Paralipomenon to n Maccabees, made from this version. In making this abridgment the language is sometimes slightly changed. No other copy

has been met withd.

32. Wycliflfe must have greatly rejoiced to see the accomplishment of an obj ect,^ which, it is evident, he had long and ardently desired. Numerous passages both in taken. his controversial6 and pastoral f writings prove the supreme authority he assigned to

variations, being all which they offer in the course of the chapters specified :

Josh. xxiv. 7. betwe X. 10. lyuerede X. u. Ethee, Gergese X. 15. jee han serued and joure X. 32. pos- session to the X. Is. Ixvi. i. no hot Y. the porelet X Y. 3. sleth X Y. breyneth X Y. 7. er he bar child with ynne, he bar X. Om. gloss X. he bar X. 9. to bern, I X . 10. on it X. 1 1. and delices X. 12. doun on X. and on the knees X. one shul X. daunten, or chirschen Y. 15. in flawme^TF. 17. Om. gloss X. 19. I shal seenden Y. 24. thei shul gon out X Y. fallinge X. Mai. ii. 3. caste to on 5011 X. 7. Om. gloss X, is aungel X. 8. many in the X. 9. Om. gloss X. token face XY. 13. to 3oure sacrifice X. 14. bitwen X. Om. gloss X. parceneres, wijf of X. i 5. Jouthe X. Lord toX.

y A table of this kind in Latin may be seen in the Old R. Ms. i B.io. fol. 34.

z It is found in Mss. Corp. Ch. Coll. Oxf. 4, and Brit. Mus. Addl. 15,580.

a This is the case in the Addl. Ms. 15,580.

b See Mss. Univ. Libr. Cambr. LI. i. 13 ; Sidney Suss. Coll. Cambr. A. 5. 14; Trin. Coll. Cambr. B. x. 20, etc.

c As in the Harl. Mss. 1029, 1710, both written probably before the end of the fourteenth century. The initial rubric in each is the same, Here byginnyth the Gospels and the Epistlis of alle the festis in the yer, stondyng by ordir, as thei ben redde in the messebuk, after the vse of Salsbery.

d See the description of Ms. Univ. Libr. Cambr. Ee. i. 10, given in the list subjoined to this Preface.

e See extracts from the Speculum secularium domino- rum, given by Lewis, Life of Wiclif, ed. 1820, p. 86; extracts from the treatise De veritate Scripture, in James's Apologie for J.Wickliffe, p. 7 seq.; the Protestatio ad curiam Romanam, printed by Lewis, p. 382, art. 5 ; and the tract, How Antichrist and his clerkis traueilen to destroie holy writt, Mss. Corp. C. Coll. Cambr. ccxcvi. p. 209, and Trin. Coll. Dubl. C. iii. 12. Extracts from this last are given by Vaughan, Life of Wydiffe, vol. ii. p. 205, and in Tracts and Treatises, p. 59.

{ Wycliffe's Homilies deserve a more extended notice. In these the whole epistle or gospel of the day is gene- rally given in English, and explained paragraph by paragraph. The translation agrees with neither of the printed versions, as will be seen from the following ex- ample.

Mt. ii. 13 — 1 8. The gospel on children masse day. The Lordis aungel apperide to Joseph, and seide, Rise, take the child and his modir, and fle in to Egipt, and be thou there til that I seie to thee ; for it is to come, that Heroude seke the child, for to leese him. And Joseph roos up, and took in the nyjt the child and his modir, and fledde in to Hegipt ; and Joseph was there to the deeth of Heroude. And this was don of Joseph to fulfille that that was seid hi the profete, Out of Egipt I clepide my sone — And thanne Heroude saie, that he was disseyued of the kingis, and was ful wrooth, and sente into Bethlem, and sloow alle the children that were in Bethlem, and in alle the coostis biside, that weren of two jeer and withyn, aftir the tyme that he soujte out of these kynges. — And thanne was fulfillid that was seid by Jeremye, A vois was herd in hij, which vois was a weping and greet weilyng, Rachel was wepinge hir children, and sche wolde not be coumfortid, for thei weren not. Old R. Libr. 18. B. 9. fol. 14.

The Ms. from which the above quotation is made contains a large collection of these homilies, both on the epistles and gospels. The collection is divided into three parts ; the first, comprising 1 20 homilies for the Sundays and ferials ; the second, 3 1 homilies for the Commune sanctorum ; and the third, 27 homilies for the Propre sanctorum ; to which is added an exposition of our Lord's prophecy on the mount, reciting the whole of the xxiv. chap, of S. Matthew. This it would seem from the preface, was not delivered as a homily, but designed for circulation as a written tract. It be- gins, " This gospel tellith moche wisdom that is hid to many men, and special! for this cause, that it is not al red in chirche. But sith it is of euene autorite with othir gospels of Crist, and of hid sentence and good, that were profitable to the chirche, summen wolden seie it in ther modir langage, as thei can. And al if

d2

XX

PREFACE.

Holy Scripture, and the importance he attached to its general circulation. Yet the new version was not altogether satisfactory. The part translated by Hereford differed in style from the rest ; it was extremely literal, occasionally obscure, and sometimes incorrect ; and there were other blemishes throughout incident to a first essay of this magnitude, undertaken under very unfavourable circumstances, by different persons and at different times, upon no agreed or well defined principle. These defects could not have escaped the attention of Wycliffe, and it is by no means improbable that he suggested, if he did not himself commence, a second or revised version of the whole Bible. But whatever part he might take in its origin, it is

thei witen wel, that this text is of bileeue, netheles the expownyng is supposid bynethe bileeue. And thei ben redi to take mekeli beter witt, if it be taujt hein, and to forsake ther owne witt, if ony teche that it is fals." Ibid. fol. 176.

The matter of these homilies is practical, and the language bold, the author excluding the legends and tales in which much of the pulpit teaching of those days consisted. Touching this point he observes in his pos- till on Lk. ii. 33, "To summen it plesith for to telle the talis that thei fynden in seyntis lyues, or with- outen hooli writt. And such thing plesith ofte more the puple. But we holden this manere good to leue suche wordis, and truste in God, and telle surely his lawe, and specialy hise gospels ; for we trowen that thei camen of Crist, and so God seith hem alle. And these wordis, sith thei ben Goddis, schulden be takun as bileeue, and more wolen thei quykene men, than othir wordis that men knowen not." Ibid. fol. 14^. The con- trast is striking between the style of Wycliffe's homilies and of those most widely used in the following century. Such may be found in the book commonly intitled The Festial, of which copies exist in Mss. Harl. 2347, 2391 ; Line. Cath. A. 2. 15, etc.

A very early collection of postills occurs in a book called 77(e Mirrur, in the Harl. Ms. 5085. They are upon the gospels for the Sundays and some of the prin- cipal feasts of the year. The preface shews the writer to have had just views as to teaching the gospel in English, and not to have been free from apprehension of blame or mischief to himself in consequence. " Ther- fore whan 36 han wille for to reden, taketh forth this boke. The godspelles of the sonundaies and a parti of other massedaies je schul finde here inne ; first the texte, and thanne the vnderstondinge therof. Sotheliche wit 36 wel, ther nis noujt o word writen inne, that it nis drawen out of holy writ, and out of the bokes that thes holi men han made, that weren here to foren. Latin ne wil I sette non ther inne, for it semeth as it were a prid for to telle another that he ne vnderstondeth nou;t. And so it is a gret folie for to speke Latin to lewed men. For iche man schal ben vndernommen at the dai of dome efter his owen langage." fol. ib. "Mi name ne wil I noii3t nemni, for the enemis that mijht heren it, and mi3t drawen joure hertes fram gode that had wille to here it. For it is the maner of the enemis for to ben grucchand and noious, and wil blethelich coniecten the wordes of holy writ, and wil tellen it on hir maner, and ne letten noujt for to blamen other ; the wikked wenen for to amenden it, for to blamen the gode and coniecten hem." fol. 2. " Nou iche biseche 3ou alle that heren this writ, that hu biseche to God almijti that he defende me fram all iuels, and so for to maken this werke that it mai plesen to God ; so that efter the pass- ing out of this lif, that I mai be in the compaine of his holi halwen. For this werk I do sothe for me and for

alle men. For alle ne han noujt al holi writ. Swiche heren the godspel and reden it, that ne vnderstondeth noujt it what it saith. And for to don alle men for to vnderstonden it, in God ich dar take this werk on honde, that alle men mai vnderstonden openliche what the godspel techeth hem. For al he mai sen in this writt, what the Latin amounteth. Suffissauntliche hij moun heren here al that nedeth to hem. I ne sai nou3t for the clerkes that ben founded in holi writ, ac for hem that ben lasse vnderstondinge, as ich am mi seluen, that ne mai nou3t serchen al, ac vnnethes pare the fruite." fol. 6 t>.

The subjoined specimen will afford an idea of the translation.

Lk. xvi. 19 — 3 i . Dominica prima post festum Trinitatis.

Jhesus saide to his disciples, It was a riche man, and was clad in pourper and bis, and ich dai was fedde deliciouslich. And ther was a begger that hi3t Lazarus, that lai at his jate ful of biles, that couaited for to ben fild of the crummes that fel fro the riche mannes bord. And no man 3af him hem ; ac houndes com and licked his biles. And the begger died, and was borne with aungels into the bosom of Abraham. And the riche is ded, and beried in helle. And he loked vp with his ei;e as he was in turment, and sau3 Abraham fro fer, and the laser in his bosom. Harl. 5085, fol. 86*>.

There is exstant also another collection of postills on the gospels for the Sundays and great festivals, not Wycliffe's, but composed about the same time as his. Copies are in the University Libr. Cambr. Kk. 6. 2. and Kk. 6. 28. The following is the translation of part of the gospel for Septuagesima Sunday.

Mt. xx. i — 10. The kyngdom of heuenes is lijk to an housebonde man, that 3ede out first in the morewnynge for to hiire werke men in to his vyne 3erd ; and coue- naunt maad with the werk men for a peny huyre a day, he sent hem into his vyne jerd. And whanne he was goon oute aboute the thirdde hour of the day, he saw othere stondynge ydile in the market. And he seide to hem, Goth 366 also in to my vyne 3erd, and that that is ri3twise I shall jeue to 3ou. And thei 3eden forth. And eft soones he 3ede forth aboute the sixte and the nynthe hour, and dide on lyk maner. Also he 3ede forth aboute the elleuenthe hour, and fond othere stondynge ; and he seid to hem, What stonden yee here al day ydile ? Thei seiden to hym, For no man hath huyred us. He seide to hem, Gooth 3ee also in to my vyne 3erd. And whanne euen was maad, the lord of the vyne 3erd seide to his proketour, Clepe the werkmen, and 3elde hem her meede, bygynnynge at the laste, and so to the firste. And so whanne thei weren come aboute the elleuenthe hour, thei token single penyes. And thanne comen the firste, and wenden thei schulden haue take moore. But thei token also sengle penyes." Univ. Libr. Cambr. Kk. 6. 28.

PREFACE. xxi

certain that he did not live to witness its completion It was not published until some time after his death.

33. That the version which has been described in the preceding paragraphs is to a Great error, a, greater or less degree the work of Wycliffe; that it is the earlier of the two versions '"eMiv^^fy now printed, and the earliest translation of the whole Bible in the English language, ^J*' "ro ver~ admits of no reasonable doubt. Yet when the present edition was commenced, an opposite opinion prevailed, and it was generally believed that the version which is really the later in point of date preceded the other. Indeed from an early period very confused and erroneous notions seem to have been formed regarding our vernacular translations of Scripture. Sir Thomas More in his Dialogues, anxious to save the Romish party from the scandal of withholding the word of God from the laity, main- tains that long before the days of Wycliffe the whole Bible had been translated into the English tongue, and vouches for himself having seen copies of this kinds. Thomas James, though he had the opportunity of examining several Mss. of the Wycliffite versions, was led into a similar mistake, and he describes one of them as a Bible in the English tongue, long before the coming of Wycliffe11. From him archbishop Usher adopted the error, assigning the translation to the year 1290, or thereabouts'. Henry Wharton in his Auctarium to the archbishop's work, which, it should be observed, was posthumous and unfinished, truly determined the respective characters and dates of the two versions ; rightly giving the earlier to Wycliffe, and the later to the author of the General Prologue, whom however he erroneously conjectured to be John Trevisak. Dr. Waterland, who greatly assisted Lewis in obtaining information for his History of the English translations of the Bible, was at first inclined to think that both versions were the work of Wycliffe ', but afterwards concluded that the later version and the General Prologue were by John Purvey"1. Unfortunately having but little leisure for the investigation, he was induced by a comparison of the style and language employed in the versions, to reject the criteria of Wharton, and to take for the earlier of the two that which was in fact the later". Lewis adopted the opinions of Dr. Waterland, and interweaving in his narrative the information supplied to him much as it came to his hands, has compiled an account which is not only confused but sometimes incon- sistent with itself. Mr. Baber when he reprinted Lewis's edition of the New Testa- ment, which is not the version of Wycliffe but of the later translator, repeated this mistake °. He appears to have been misled by passages of Scripture in Wycliffe's Homilies, which, he imagined, generally agreed with the later version. The truth is, that in these homilies Wycliffe translated from the Latin before him at the time, with

g Dyalogues, ed. 1530, foil, cviii. cxi. cxiv.b They first version of the whole Bible. It is true that a curious

are described as Bibles fair and old, written in English, tract, which must have been written between 1399 and

which had been known and seen by the bishop of the 1414, (see hereafter, p. xxxiii.) mentions a Bible possess-

diocese. Such must have been copies of one or both of ed by one Wering of London, which had been seen by

the Wycliffite translations : of these we know that at many, and seemed two hundred years old. If any de-

the reformation manuscripts were in the hands of pre- pendance can be placed on the presumed age, this must

lates of the church, and other persons of distinction, have been some Anglo-Saxon version, perhaps ^Elfric's

One (now Lambeth 25), belonged to bp. Bonner, and a Heptateuch.

second (now Magd. Coll. Cambr. Pepys 2073), to Will. h Treatise of the Corruption of Scripture; table of

Weston, prior of St. John's Clerkenwell. If any other authors, p. 30. See also the treatise itself, p. 74- 4to-

translation of the whole Bible had been in existence, Lond. 1612.

some traces of it would undoubtedly have remained in > De scripturis et sacris vernaculis, p. 1 55 •

modern times. The Constitution of abp. Arundel in k Auctarium Historic Dogmatics J. Usserii, p. 424 seqq.

1408, upon which sir T. More is commenting in the Anth. Harmer's [Hen. Wharton's] Specimen of Errors

above cited passage, appears to refer to two transla- in History of Reformation, 12°. Lond. 1693, p. 16.

tions and to two only, one of them composed lately in l Waterland's Works, ed. 1823, vol. x. p. 27 j.

the time of John Wycliffe and the other since his death. m Ibid. p. 362.

Nor, in case of a previous translation, would the Wye- n Ibid. pp. 355> 35^' 3^°-

liffites have failed to cite the fact in j ustification of their ° In the Historical account of the Saxon and English

own proceeding. But their writings clearly imply that versions of the Scriptures, prefixed to his edition of the

they knew of none such, and regarded their own as the New Testament, p. Iv.

xxii PREFACE.

no attempt at great exactness, and the passages which can be selected from them differ no less, or perhaps more, from the later, than from the earlier text P.

The earlier 34. A very cursory examination of the two texts now published will be sufficient to convince any one, who is qualified to form a judgment, that the version printed by "7 Lewis is the later of the two. The other text is found in those Mss. which are the

prologue. earlier in point of date. These are comparatively rare, as, when superseded by a later translation, they would naturally become. In one or two Mss. which contain partly one text, and partly the other, the early text occupies the first place i. The language is rather the more antiquated, and the style more involved and difficult, whilst the variations of the second text are such as would arise from the alterations of a revising hand. But it is the General Prologue which is decisive of the question. The author who speaks of the Bible of late translated, as requiring correction1", in giving the rules which he adopted in order to make the required improvement, lays them down with sufficient precision to identify the corrected version without any chance of mistake.

i. AS to the 35. The method, he tells us, which he took was this8. He first, with the assistance of several fellow labourers, corrected the Latin text by comparison of old Bibles,

later version. ^Q^org an(j glosses'. Secondly, he studied the text thus corrected with the gloss and other authorities, particularly Lyra on the Old Testament". He then made special reference to the works of grammarians and theologians, for the meaning of difficult words and passages. And lastly, he translated, not literally, but according to the sense and meaning as clearly as he could v; taking care to have many persons of ability present at the correction of the translation.

2. AS to the 36. This last process of avoiding too literal a translation, and rendering the Eng- p7r"Sa" °J Msh as plain or plainer than the Latin, is exemplified in several particulars. First, the author of the prologue proceeds to say, an ablative absolute may be resolved into the verb with a particle prefixed, such as, the while, for, if, when, after, or andw. Se- condly, a participle of the present or preterite tense may be resolved into the same tense and a copulative conj unction x. Thirdly, the relative may be resolved into its antecedent with a copulative y. Fourthly, a word, though only once set in the original,

P See passage quoted from Mt. ii. in note f. at p. xix. i v. fidei, 2 v. spei. It will be observed, that the read-

1 As Lambeth Ms. No. 25, and Brit. Mus. Addl. ing adopted in the second version is not always that of

1 1,858. the greatest authority.

r See vol. i. p. 58. u In the earlier version of the Old Testament Lyra

8 Ibid. p. 57. is never quoted; but perpetually in the glosses of the

1 The following are a few among very numerous later version.

emendations of the Latin text made in the second ver- v Examples may be found in every page, as, Gen.

sion : — Gen. i. 2. i vers. Dei, 2 vers. Domini ; ix. 12. iii. i .it), lifers, 2 v. lyuynge beestis ; iii. 7. i v. hem-

i ». hoc, 2 v. hoc est ; x. 31. i v. isti, 2 v. isti sunt; silf to be nakid, 2 v. that thei weren nakid ; iii. 14.

xii. 20. i v. viris duobus, 2 t;. viris ; xvi. i v. genu- i v. soul-hauers, 2 v. lyuynge thingis ; vii. 14. i v. iu-

erat sibi, 2 v. genuerat ; xxx. 33. i v. argues, 2 v. ar- mentis, 2 v. werk-beestis ; ix. 15. i v. to al flesh to be

guent ; xxxvi. 24. i v. asinus, 2 v. asinos ; xl. i. i v. don awei, 2 v. to do awei al fleish. itaque, 2 v. ita. Exod. ix. 19. i v. aquis, 2 v. agris. w The instance he gives, vol. i. p. 57, is from Lk.

Num. xi. 31. i v. arreptas, 2 t;. arreptans. Deut. xxxii. i. xxi. 26, and men shulen wexe drie for drede. Lat. are-

i v. loquor, 2 v. loquar ; xxxii. 1 1 . i v. eum, 2 v. eos ; scentibus hominibus pr<e timore. This in the first ver-

xxxiii. 23. i v. mane, 2 v. mare ; xxxiii. 26. i v. rec- sion is rendered, men waxinge drye for drede ; and in the

tissimus, 2 t;. rectissimi. Job xiii. 9. i v. nostris, 2 v. second, for men schulen wexe drye for drede. Other ex-

vestris. Mt. iv. 16. i t;. sedebat, 2 v. ambulabat ; iv. amples may be found at Gen. viii. 10. xiii. 10. xiv. 15,

1 8. I ». rete, 2 v. retia ; x. 28. i v. et animam, 2 v. and passim.

animam ; xi. 13. i v. Johannem baptistam, 2v. Johan- x The example is seiynge, Lat. dicens ; which may be

nem ; xiii. u. i v. mysterium, 2 v. mysteria ; xiii. 17. rendered, and seith, or that seith. See Gen. ii. 16. Mt.

1 f. Amen quippe, 2 v. Amen. Mk. v. u. it;, grex, i. 20, 24, and numberless other places.

2 v. grex magnus. i v. pascens in agris, 2 v. pascens ; Y As qui currit may be translated and he renneth. x. 41. i v. indignati sunt, 2 v. coeperunt indignari ; See Gen. iii. 6. qui comedit, i v. the which ete, 2 v. and xi. 6. i v. eos, 2 v. eis. i Cor. iii. 13. i v. dies, 2 v. he eet; xxvii. 25. quos cum oblatos comedisset, i v. The dies enim. n Cor. i. 6. i v. exhortatione, 2 v. tribula- which offryd whan he hadde eet, 2 v. And whanne Isaac tione. <ial. iv. 6. i v. spiritual filii sui, 2 v. spiritum hadde ete these metis broujt ; Mt. xiii. 1 1 . qui respon- suum. Col. i. 1,2. i v. Deo patri, 2 v. Deo et patri. dens ait, i v. The whiche answerynge seith, 2 v. And Hebr. iii. 6. i v. fidem firmam, 2 v. finem firmam; iv. il he answeride and seide.

PREFACE. xxiii

may be repeated in the translation as often as the sense allows and perspicuity may require2. Fifthly, the word autem, or vero, may stand for forsothe, or but, or even and*. Sixthly, when literal translation is impossible, by reason of the different position of the words in Latin and English, the relative and antecedent may be interchanged, and the order otherwise required by the English idiom adopted b. Lastly, he notices the difficulty of translating equivocal words, and instances after Jerome, the word ex, as signifying sometimes of, sometimes by, and the word enim, as sometimes standing for forsothe, and also for cause thus, forwhic; and likewise instances the word secundum, as being commonly rendered after, but signifying by or upA. All these particulars very exactly agree with the version, of which the New Testament was printed by Lewis and by Baber as Wycliffe's, and leave no doubt that that version is the one which the author of the General Prologue claims as his own6.

37. The date of the later version is determined by that of the General Prologue. Date of the This last Lewis places, though not without some doubt and reserve, soon after 1395f.

He is induced to come to this conclusion, in consequence of the references which the '39S- prologue makes to several passing or recent events. These events are, as Lewis interprets them, 1. The revival in 1387 of an old statute at Oxford, requiring that every one taking a degree in divinity, should first have passed through arts ; 2. The contests there between the northern and southern scholars in 1388 and 1389; and, 3. The conclusions said to have been exhibited by the Lollards to the Parliament of 1395.

38. Mr. Baber adopts the same date, and finds in support of it another argument Mr. in the mention which the prologue makes of Parisience*. Understanding by this name ^7 Jean Charlier of Gerson, born in 1363, he conceives that his authority could not have untenahie- been alleged during Wycliffe's lifetime, nor for some years after his deathb. But not

to urge that Gerson could scarcely have been cited under the name of Parisiensis, even so early as 1395 or 1396, it is almost certain that the person meant in the General Prologue is William of Auvergne, bishop of Paris from 1228 to 1240, whose writings are frequently quoted by the Wycliffites'.

z Examples of this are, Gen. xxiv. 10. bonis ejus, three times; i. in 1536, by John Gough, under the

1 v. the goodis of hym, 2 v. the goodis of his lord ; Lev. title of The (lore of holy Scripture; 2. in 1540, by the xiii. 3. arbitrium ejus, i v. dom of hym, 2 v. doom of the same printer, and under the same title. In the preface preest ; Jer. li. 37. in tumulos, habitatio, i v. mynde of the printer the following passage occurs, " This ori- hepis, the dwelling, 2 v. biriels, it schal be the dwell- ginall, wherout as I have penned thys lytell codicill, is a yng ; i Mace. xi. 53. et vexabat, i v. and traueilide, very auntyent thynge, and, as my simple judgement can

2 v. and Demetrie trauelide ; Rom. xi. 16. et massa, esteme it, to be wryten more then two hondred yeares

1 v. the hool gobet, 2 v. the hool gobet is hooli. past, very hard and difficile for any man to read now 8 Autem is in the i v. translated forsothe, in the 2 v. lyuynge, and to make therof ful sentence ; the which

but, at Lev. iv. 43; Is. xiv. 19; Rom. vi. 17; i Cor. auncient old wrytinge is the prologue of the fyrste

xi. 3, 5. In the i v. forsothe, or sothely, and in the translatoure of the byble out of Latyn into Englyshe."

2 v. and, at Mt. iv. 22 ; v. i ; viii. 5, 21, 22, etc. In 3. in 1550, by Robert Crowley, with the title, The path- the Old Testament autem and vero are almost always way to perfect knowledge. Crowley printed from a Ms. translated in the i v. forsothe, or sothely; and very fre- then in the king's chamber, which is now preserved in quently so in the 2 v.; at other times in the 2 v. but. the Univ. Libr. Cambr. Mm. 2. 15. See Ames Typ. In the New Testament they are generally rendered in Antiq. ed. Herbert, vol. i. pp. 492, seqq.

the i v. by forsothe, or sothely, in the 2 v. always but, { History of the English Translations of the Bible, ed.

or and, or they are not rendered at all. Lond. 1818, p. 36.

b The example given is from i Kings ii. 10, The ad- 6 See Gen. Prol. vol. i. p. 32.

uersaries of the Lord shulen drede him, instead of, The h Memoirs of the life of Wycliffe, prefixed to Mr.

Lord hise aduersaries shulen drede. Lat. Dominum for- Baber's edition of the New Testament, p. Hi. Mr. Baber

midabunt adversarii ejus. In i v. this is rendered, The was misled by the printed copy of the prologue, ed. 1550,

Lord shulen drede the aduersaries of him ; in 2 v. Aduer- in which the name of Gerson is introduced by the edi-

saries of the Lord schulen drede him. See Gen. iii. 8. tor. A like mistake is made in the earlier editions of

abscondit se Adam, etuxor ejus, i v. Adam hid him, and his Thomas Walden's Doctrinale. So also Dr. Vaughan

urijf, 2 v. Adam and his wijf hidden hem, etc. is betrayed into the same error, in speaking of the Ec-

c See Gen. iii. 5. i v. forsothe, 2 v.forwhi. clesia Regimen. Life of W. vol. ii. p. 396.

d Secundum is at Gen. i. 24. in i v. aftir, in 2 v. by. ' He is twice quoted under the name Parisience, in

e This General Prologue appears to have been printed the Ecclesice Regimen, Ms. Cott. Titus D. i. fol. 62b,

xxv

PREFACE.

Mr. Lewis'*

1388 a more

Reasons of Dr.

Waterland for

39. As to the first of the arguments alleged by Lewis, it may be remarked, that the impediment to students for a degree in divinity is spoken of in the prologue as a measure newly attempted, and not yet established in practiced Such language could scarcely have been used after 1395, of a regulation revived in 1387 ', even if it had been enforced during the interval. But there is no proof, that the attempts to put the statute in force were made before the commencement of 1388, and the continuance of them was strictly prohibited by the King's letters of the 17th March, and again, by those of the 1st of August of that year1". The expression, sleeinge ofquyke men, upon which Lewis builds his second argument, may indeed, and probably does, refer to the fray which took place at the end of April 1388, when several students were killed"; but even in this case, the passage is far from proving so late a date as Lewis desires. The remaining argument, drawn from the allusion to the last parliament, and its cognizance of depravities prevalent in the University, seems to have greater weight. But the terms used imply specific charges or proceedings, rather than such a general allegation of the evils arising from vows of chastity as the third of the Lollard con- clusions exhibits °. Imputations of this nature were, no doubt, frequent among those opposed to the celibacy of the clergy, and might very probably have been brought under the notice of parliament previously to 1395?.

40. After careful consideration of the passages cited in favour of the date of 1396, it is impossible to affirm that they are sufficient to establish it ; on the contrary, they rather concur in pointing out the summer of 1388 as the time when the prologue was composed. This view is confirmed by other circumstances. In August, 1387, a mandate was issued by the bishop of Worcester, prohibiting Nicholas Hereford, John Ashton, or Aston, John Purvey, John Parker, and Robert Swynderby from preaching in his diocese ; and mentioning them as leagued together in a certain college unlicensed and disallowed by law*. Purvey is said to have preached at Bristol in that diocese r; and from the prologue it is evident5 that the version of the Old Testament was pre- pared at a distance from the University, at some place where it was not easy to obtain the use of many books, and also that several persons assisted in its correction'.

41. It was the prominence of Purvey" as the leader of the Lollard party after the

and fol. 6811, and no less than four times in the piece printed by Dr. Todd, under the title of Wicliffe's Apology, 4°. Lond. 1842. pp. 53, 57, 73 and 74.

k Prologue, vol. i. pp. 51, 52.

1 See Wood, Hist, and Antiq. vol. i. p. 517.

m Rott. Claus. 1 1 Ric. II. m. 15, and 1 2 Ric. II. m. 45.

n Knighton, col. 2705.

0 These conclusions are printed by Lewis, Life of Wiclif, ed. 1820. p. 337.

P See Walsingham, p. 327. ed. 1602. Foxe, vol.i. p. 466. col. 2.

1 "in collegio illicito et a jure reprobate nomine seu ritu Lollardorum confoederati." Mandatum Ep. Wigorn. apud Wilkins, Concil. t. iii. p. 202.

r Knighton, col. 2660.

s General Prologue, pp. 52, 57.

* See also the commissions to seize the writings of Wycliffe and Hereford, dat. 30 Mar. (1388) Rot. pat. 11 Ric. II. p. 2. m. 20 ; and 16 Apr. (1388) Rot. pat. ii Ric. II. p. 2. m. 22 ; and of Wycliffe, Hereford and Aston, 23 May (1388) Rot. pat. n Ric II. p. 2. m. 26 ; and the commissions to seize their writings, and those likewise of Purvey, dat. 29 May (1388) Rot. pat. n Ric. II. p. 2. m. 10 ; 1 8 Jan. (1389) Rot. pat. 1 2 Ric. II. p. i. m. 3 ; and 16 Dec. (1389) Rot. pat. 13 Ric. II.

p. 2. m. 21. — Dr. Waterland inclined to 1388 or 1389, as the date of the prologue. Works, vol. x. pp. 3 6 1 , 3 85 . u A John Pyrvey received letters dimissory from bishop Bokyngham on the 13 March 1377. He *s de- signated in the register as of Lathebury, a village near Olney, in Buckinghamshire'. This might possibly be the same individual. Purvey lived with Wycliffe in his later years, and after his death preached at Bristol*. A mandate of the bishop, dat. Aug. 1387, forbids him to preach in that diocese3, and his books are among those which the bishops of Worcester, Salisbury, and Hereford were authorised to seize, 29 May, 1388, and 18 Jan. and 16 Dec. 1389. In 1390 he is said to have written while in prison a comment on the Apocalypse, compiled from lectures delivered by Wycliffe4. Previ- ously to 1396 he must have attained to some note as an author, since from a Ms. dated in that year Foxe drew Purvey's opinions collected by his opponent Ri- chard Lavingham as heretical or erroneous5. In 1400 he made a recantation at St. Paul's CrossS. On the n Aug. 1401, he was admitted on the presentation of the archdeacon of Canterbury, to the vicarage of Westhithe in Kent?, which he resigned on the 8 Oct. 1403 8- He is said to have been a second time imprison- ed under archbishop Chicheley in 1421 9. His death

1 See Bokyngham Memoranda, in reg. Lincoln. 2 Knighton, col. 2660. 3 Wilkins, torn. iii. p. 202. 4 See Bale, p. 541. This work was printed at Wittemberg in 1528, with & preface by Luther. Panzer Annales, vol. ix. p. 87. S Foxe, vol. i. p. 503. 6 The recantation is printed at length in Wilkins, t. iii. p. 260 seqq. 7 Reg. Arundel, fol. 278. 8 Ibid. fol. 29ob. 9 Bale's Notes in Fustic. Zizaniorum. Ms. Bodl. e Mus. 86. — Foxe, vol. i. p. 500.

PREFACE.

XXV

VMJ*

c"

death of Wycliffe, which principally led Dr. Waterland to attribute to him the revised >upponng the version of the Scriptures ; but he was confirmed in his opinion by a volume in Trinity ^terv^-nmt College, Dublin v, which, containing the New Testament and also the General Prologue,*8 bears the name of Purvey as its former possessor. This circumstance seemed to con-, nect Purvey both with the General Prologue and with the translation in which this copy of the New Testament is written ; being the same which Dr. Waterland had alreadyvv, upon other grounds, erroneously surmised to be Purvey's, and the later ver- sion, but which, as it has been already shewn, is undoubtedly the earlier.

42. The present editors, upon carefully examining the volume in Trinity College Library, found that though the New Testament and the General Prologue had both belonged to Purvey, and had probably been in his time parts of the same volume, the two had no necessary connexion, and were originally distinct Mss.; they also observed, that while the books of the New Testament were in the earlier version, the prologues or arguments to these books, as well as certain parts supplied by a second scribe, were in the later ; and they further discovered, that these prologues were in the hand- writing of Purvey himself. These facts seem sufficient to point out the version which Purvey preferred, and with which, supposing the General Prologue to be of his composi- tion, he identified himself.

43. That the General Prologue is by Purvey, is capable however of more certain The General

J J . Prologue and

demonstration. There is exstant a remarkable treatise w, commonly designated, EC- the £«&«« clesice Regimen, or Thirty-seven Articles against Corruptions in the Church, written, &$>sam™uthor. it seems, before 1395 *. This treatise must have been compiled by the same author as the General Prologue. The style, language, arguments, manner of quotation, and authorities quoted in the two, have a resemblance so close, as not to admit of any doubt upon the point ?.

could not have taken place before 1417, as in that year Henry Beaufort was raised to the cardinalate, and on a memorial from the curate of Chedingfold to the cardinal, found in the Trinity coll. Dublin Ms. A. I. 10. Purvey's writing occurs. Thomas Walden speaks of him as a follower of Wycliffe, magnus authoritate, doctor eximius, and quotes his book, De compendiis scripturarum, pa- ternarum doctrinarum et canonum ; and further states that he himself had a copy of it, taken from Purvey when he was put in prison, and that it comprised three chapters. Doctrinale, torn. i. coll. 619, 637. ed. Ven.

1757- v Marked A. i. 10, and described in the annexed list

of MSB.

»» See Waterland's Works, vol. x. p. 361.

w Copies are found, in the Cotton Ms. Titus D. i, and in the Bodl. Ms. No. 540 (2262), and again in the Trin. Coll. Dublin Ms. 208 (68).

* The twelve Conclusions presented to Parliament, about the i8th of Richard II. (if dependance can be placed on the date in the title, in the Fasc. Zizanior. Ms. Bodl. e Mus. 86.) and printed by Lewis, (Life of W. ed. 1820. p. 337,) appear to be drawn, at least in part, by the same hand with the Ecclesite Regimen; (See Conclusions, p. 33 7, last line, and Titus D. i . foil. 24, and 42.) and if so, this last is no doubt the other book treating of the same matters more at large, and in the language of the people, to which reference is made at the end of the Conclusions. (See Conclusions, p. 343.)

y The following are examples : —

This proces of Paralypo- Cristene kinges and tem- mynon. . schulde stire cris- poral lordis snulden teche tene kingis and lordis to. . here meyne and sugetis the make Goddis lawe to be comaundementis of God ....

VOL. I.

knowe and kept of her pu- ple. . and thous kingis and lordis knewen neuere more of hooly Scripture than . . the storie of king Josaphat, the storie of king Ezechie, and the storie of king Josie, thei miste lerne sufficiently. . king Josaphat sente..to ech citee of his rewme. . to teche opinly Goddis lawe to the pu- ple. — Josie prechide opinly Goddis lawe in the temple to al the puple. Gen. Prologue, pp. 29, 30.

Now it is a comune pro- tection against persecuscioun of prelatis and of some lordis, if a man is customable to swere nedeles and fals, and unavised, bi the boonys, nailes, and sidis, and other membris of Crist. Gen. Prol. P-33-

. . in so myche that ech lord and greet prelat comynly makith to him an ydole of sum seint, whom he wor- schipith more than God. Ibid'.

But for Goddis loue, ;e symple men, be war of pride and veyn iangling, and chyd- ing in wordis aaens proude clerkis of scole and veyn re- ligious. Gen. Prol. p. 49.

Thus, manie feithful kinges, as Dauith, Josaphat, Ezechie and Josie, prechiden excellent- li Goddis lawe general! bi here owne mouth to here puple, and bi pistlis sente bi here messangeris to al the rewme, as it is opin bi the proces of bokis of Kingis and of Paralipomenon. Titus, D. i. foil. I7b. 1 8.

A! se cristene lordis, hou dore je suffre joure seruauntis to blasfeme God in soure pre- sence bi dispitous sweringe, herte, boonis, and nailis, and othere membris of Crist, sith 36 doren not suffre hem to dis- pise soure ertheli king in 3oure heringe? Titus, D. i. fol. i8b.

. . sith comounli ech bisshop and hij prelat swerith by the patroun either special seynt of his chirche, and holdith that oth more solempne and stidefast, than if he swerith bi God almysti. Titus, D. i. fol. 2ib.

If ony man ful of stryf other of chidinge in wordis, seith. . Symple cristene men nylen stryuen in wordis, bi the techinge of Poul. Titus, D. l.fol. i8b.

XXVI

PREFACE.

44. Now the Ecclesife Regimen, in various passages, very nearly coincides as well the confession made by Purvey at his recantation in 1400 z, as with the articles

See, 36 lordis and prelatis that maken unable curatis for fleschly affeccioun and jiftis. . . what tresoun se doon to God, and what harm to Cristis church and joure auaunseeis. Gen. Prol. p. 32.

. . in lesing a part of mannis blood, wherbi a child myte be fourmed. Gen. Prol. p. 51.

This symonie, with porte- nauncis thereof, is myche worse and more abomynable than bodily . Ibid.

And as Parisience seith, whanne. Gen. Prol. p. 32.

Grostede seith this pleynly, and preueth it opinly before the pope and al his clergie. Ibid.

Grostede seith in his ser- moun, Premonitus a venera- bili patre . . . also in his ser- moun, Dominus noster Jhesus Cristus. Ibid.

Seint Gregory seith in i°. part of Pastoralis ij°. c°. Ibid.

Prelatis, other seculer lordis, that ordeynen vnable curatis, and most for fleshli affeccioun, othir for temporal lucre, ben euel enemyes of holi chirche, and traitouris of Jhesu Crist, and of al cristen puple. Titus, D. i. fol. 72.

. . lesen euele mannis seed, bi which thei myjten myn- istre mateer of a childis bodi. Titus, D.I. fol. 3.

. . ben worse as withouten comparison than bodili — . Ibid.

As Parisience, in his treetis of symonie, and the lawe wit- nessen. Titus, D. i . fol. 3b.

The worshipeful clerk Gro- sted, bisshop of Lincolne, preuith opinli al this sentence in his sermoun, Dominus no- ster Jhesus Cristus, and in his sermoun, Notts et educa- tis, and in his sermoun, Pre- monitus a veuerabili patre. Titus, D. i. fol. 3.

Seynt Gregory seith in the ij. book of Pastoralis the v. c°. Ibid.

z The passages ensuing may probably be considered a sufficient proof : —

. . in sacramento altaris post sui consecrationem nee est nee esse potest accidens aliquod sine subjecto, sed ibi remanet veraciter eadem substantia, et verus panis visibilis et corruptibilis (incorruptibilis Ms.), et idem vinum similiter, quse ante consecrationem pone- bantur in altari. Confession of Purvey, Old R. Ms. 8 F. 12. fol. 17.

Forwhi holi writ afiermith not in ony place that this worshipeful sacrament is an accident without suget, neither kindeli reesoun techith this, neither experience, neithir mannis wit, neither holi doctouris of the chirche bi a thousand jeer and more taujten this. Titus, D. i . fol. 24.

Also greete doctouris of scole affermen general!, that manuis vndirstondinge mai not comprehende an acci- dent withouten suget. Ibid.

The sacrament of the auteer . . is breed which we breken. Ibid. fol. 22.

Vocalis confessio sive privata peuitentia est qusedam auriculatio destruens evangelii libertatem, et noviter in- troducta per papam et clerum. Confession of Purvey.

Jerom. . Ambrose. . Crisostom. . and Decrees. . witnes- sen opinli . . that verri confessioun made to God suffis- ith to saluacioun ; and sith this confessioun suffiside in the tyme of Crist and hise apostlis, seie worldli preestis, if thei kunne, whi this suffisith not now as wel as thanne. Whethir a synnere or Antecrist mai distrie that God hath ordeinid, and lette the werkis of the Trinite, or worldli preestis wolen dampne now alle these grete seyntis, as eretikis ; for Innocent the thridde hath maad vnreesonable statute of confessioun, for pride and wynnynge of prestis. Titus, D. i. fol. i ib.

Quicunque receperit officium sacerdotis, etiam si cu- ram non habuerit animarum sibi per morem ecclesiae delegatum, nedum potest, immo debet, evangelium po- pulo Dei libere prsedicare. Confession of Purvey.

Symple prestis of the chirche that han no beneficis bi doom of the chirche now, owen to be apaied . . and in jeuinge tent to werk of the gospel. Titus, D. i. fol. 52.

So it is ouir greet foli, whanne oure cristene britheren liggen in the depe dich of orrible synne, for brekinge of Goddis heestis and in poynt of drenchinge into helle, to suffre him ligge stiJle therinne, and renne to a worldli bisshop, enemy of Cristis lawe and of cris- tene soulis, to axe him licence to saue here soulis bi Goddis word. But it is most woodnesse to prestis, to preche not Goddis word, sith Crist and his seyntis and comoun lawe byndith hem therto, for a worldli bisshop forbedith it. — Therfore ech prest do truli his office enioynid of God, and with charitable entent, thouj a worldli bisshop grucche ajens him, and thouj deth of bodi sue therfore. Ibid. fol. 53b.

Omnis vero presbiter sanctus vel sacerdos Dei vera- citer est episcopus et prselatus atque curatus fidelium. Confession of Purvey.

Sumtyme ago the same was prest which and bisshop, that is, prest and bisshop was al oon . . therfore as prestis witen, that bi the custum of the chirche thei ben suget to him that is here souereyn, so knowe bisshopis, that more bi custum than bi the truthe of Goddis ordenaunce, thei ben grettere than prestis. Titus, D. i. fol. 8ob.

Jerom preuith opinli . . that the same ben bisshopis that ben prestis. Ibid. fol. 81.

Quod prselati quidam, sicut clerici, male vivunt con- tra doctrinam et exemplum Christi et apostolorum ip- sius, ideo ipsi qui sic vivunt, non habent claves regni crelorum, sed claves inferni, nee aliquis christianus plus appreciare debet eorum censuras quam sibilum serpenti- num ; immo si papa forsitan interdiceret nostrum reg- num, non posset nobis nocere, sed magis prodesse. Confession of Purvey.

Prelatis or curatis that lyuen euele in the sijt of the puple, techen errour in dede a3ens cristene feith . . Titus, D. i. fol. 26^.

Prelatis or curatis that prechen not duli the gospel, but jeuen opinli ensaumple of perdicioun to the puple, ben Antecristis and eretikis, and Satanas transfigurid into aungel of lijt. Ibid. fol. 3.

If the bisshop of Rome, or ony othir Antecrist, make a decretal, other constitucioun, contrarie to this part in endullynge the regalie and power of seculer lordis foundid in holi Scripture, holi doctouris and quik ree- soun, alle cristene men, and souereynli alle feithful lige men to oure king, owen to despise it, as venym disturb- linge holi chirche. Ibid. fol. ijb ; see also fol. 43.

Innocentius papa tertius, et sexcenti episcopi, cum aliis mille prelatis et toto residue cleri, qui cum eodem papa determinaverunt concorditer in concilio Lugdun. quod in sacramento altaris . . accidens eorundem panis et vini remanent ibidem, sine aliquo subjecto proprio eorundem . . omnes illi fuerunt in hoc stulti et fatui, heretic! et blasphemi, ac seductores populi Christiani ; quare non est credendum determinationibus eorundem . . nisi fundentur in sacra scriptura expresse vel ratione cui non potent obviari. Confession of Purvey.

Cristene men ben not holden for to bileue that ech determinacioun of the chirche of Rome is trewe on ech side. Titus, D. i . fol. 39.

A ! how suspect seraeth the determinacioun of Inno- cent the thridde with the multitude of fleschli prelatis, othir of religioun, the possessioneris of beggeris en-

PREFACE.

XXVll

collected out of his writings by his opponent Lavenham, and printed by Foxea. A full and accurate comparison of these documents on the one hand, and the Ecclesia Regi- men on the other, cannot fail to produce complete conviction1*, that Purvey was the

ducyng him herto, that the sacrament of the auteer is an accident withouten suget . . hi what presumpcioun bryngith in this synful man this nouelrie, not foundid opinli in the lawe of God, neither in resoun ? Ibid. fol. 4i»>.

a The following are instances : — Such as be true Christians receive none such as priests, unless . . neither doe they beleeue that thei make the sacrament of the altar, when it pleaseth them . . And therfore such as be symple men will worship that sacrament in this doubtfulness with a silent condi- tion, that is, if it be made by God's authority, and to haue their devotion to the body of Christ in heaven. Foxe, vol. i. p. 501. col. 2.

Therfore if oni man haue doute of conscience, that this euil man makith not the sacrament . . 1st him worshipe the sacrament with a stille condition, and in as moche as it were duli maad, and lat him reste bi verri feith in the veri bodi of Crist that. . now is glori- fied in heuenis. Titus, D. i. fol. 67.

Innocentius the third . . after the letting loose of Satan invented . . that the sacrament of the altar is an accident without a substance . . is very and substantial bread and no fals nor fained bread. Foxe, vol. i. p. 501. col. 2.

. . so this sacrament is verri breed, not feynid neither fals . . Thanne if Innocent the thridde . . aftir the vn- byndynge of Satauas, affermen that this worshipeful sa- crament is an accident without suget. Titus, -D. i. fol. 23b.

That chapter Omnis utriusque sexus, by which a cer- taine new found auricular confession was ordained is full of hypocrisie, heresie, couetousness, pride and blas- phemy, he saith and reproueth the same chapter verba- tim, . . whereby the priests do oppresse the simple laymen, . . compelling them to confesse themselves to blinde and ignorant preests, . . having such in con- tempt as are learned and wise. Foxe, vol. i. col. 500.

. . and in the decretal Omnis utriusque sexus de peni- tenciis et remissionibus, he maketh a perlous statute ajen the olde decre put on Austyn, and a;ens kyndeli resoun and profyt of cristene soulis . . and if for the blyndnesse of the preest, or for othir vnablete, he that is repentaunt wole go to another preest kunnynge in this gostli office, he shal not do this withouten licence axid. Titus, D. i. fol. 42b.

All Christian kings and lords ought to exclaime against the pope and those that be his fautors, and banisch them out of their londs, till such time as they will obey God and his gospell, kings and other ministers of God's justice. Foxe, vol. i. p. 502. col. 2.

. . the king and seculer lordis han power and autorite to punshe what euere persoone trespassinge opinli in here londis, thouj he be bisshop or erchebisshop, jea and the bisshop of Rome. Titus, D. i . fol. 15.

If ony suche constitucions be founde, kinges and se- culer lordis shulden make tho to be don awei, and pri- sone other exile the auctouris and fautouris of tho. Ibid. fol. 1 6.

b It should be observed, that the passages from Scripture recited in the Ecclesia Regimen, for the most part agree very closely with the later version, indeed so closely, that they must have been taken from it, though not with scrupulous accuracy. Compare, for instance : — Exod. xviii. 21. Purveie thou of al the puple myjti men and dredinge God, in whiche is truthe, and haten

auarice ; and ordeyne thou of hem tribunis, that is, so- uereyns of a thousand, and centurions, that is, souereyns of an hundrid, and souereyns of fifti, and souereyns of ten, that shulen deme the puple in ech tyme. Titus, D. i. fol. 57".

Numb. xi. 16, 17. The Lord seide to Moises, Gadere thou to me Ixx. men of the eldere men of Israel, whiche thou knowist that thei ben the olde men and maistris of the puple ; and thou shalt lede hem to the dore of the tabernacle, and thou shalt make hem to stonde there with thee, that I come doun and speke with thee, and that I take awei of thi spiryt and jeue to hem, and that thei susteyne with thee the birthene of the puple, and not thou aloone be greuid. Ibid.

Deut. i. 12, 13, 15 — 17. Moises seide to the puple, I aloone mai not susteine joure bisinessis and wei3te and stryuis ; jeue je of jou wise men and prudent, whos conuersacioun is preuid in joure linagis, that I sette hem princis to jou . . And I took of joure linagis wise men and noble, and I ordeinide hem princis and tribunis and centuriens and quinquagenaries and deenis, that shulden teche jou alle thingis. And I comaundide to hem and seide, Here je hem, and deme je that that is iust, whethir he be a citeseyn, othir a pilgrym no differ- ence of persoone shal be ; je shulen here to a litil man as a greet man, neither 36 shulen take the persoone of ooni man, for it is the doom of God. Ibid. fol. 58.

Ps. ii. 10, ii. And now, kinges, vndirstonde je ; be je lernid that demen the erthe. Serue je to the Lord in drede, and make je ful out ioie to him with trem- blinge. Ibid. fol. 15.

Is. i. 15. Whanne je shulen holde forth joure hondis, I shal turne awei myne eeris fro jou ; and whanne je shulen multiplie preieris, I shal not here ; for whi joure hondis ben ful of blood, that is, •yture werkis ben ful of synnis. Ibid. fol. 10.

Mt. xviii. 4. Who euere mekith himsilf as this litil child, he is the grettere in the rewme of heuenis. Ibid. fol. 80.

Mk. xvi. 15. Go je into al the world, and preche je the gospel to eueri creature. Ibid. fol. 2b.

i Pet. ii. ii. Derwortheste britheren, I biseke jou as comelinges and pilgrimis, that je absteine jou fro fleshli desiris that fijten ajens the soule, and haue je joure good conuersacioun among hethene men, that in that that thei bacbiten of jou, as of euil doeris, thei biholde jou of gode werkis, and glorifie God in the dai of visita- cioun. Ibid. fol. 57.

Lastly, the author of the Ecclesice Regimen thus quotes : — " And God seith in the xviij. c°. and xxxiij. c°. of Ezechiel, bi oon translacioun, ' In what euere hour a synnere is inwardli soon, he shal be saaf.' And the same sentence is in oure translacioun, in the xxxiij. c°. (v. 12), that hath thus, 'The wickidnesse of a wicked man shal not anoie him, in what euere dai he shal be conuertid fro his wickednesse ;' and in the xviij. c°. (v. 21.) thus, ' If a wickid man doth penaunce for alle his synnis whiche he wroujte, and kepith alle myne heestis, and doth doom and ri3tfulnesse, he shal lyue by lif, and shal not die. I shal not haue mynde of alle the wickidnessis of him, whiche he wrou3te.'" Titus, D. i. fol. iob. These passages, as quoted from oure translacioun, agree closely with the later version; but the passage first quoted does not agree at all with the earlier version. Mr. Lewis supposes two translations into English to be meant, and understands by ovre

xxviii PREFACE.

author of that treatise. And it may therefore be regarded as undeniable, that Purvey was also the author of the General Prologue, and consequently of the later version of the Bible, to which it belongs.

ay whom Pur- 45. It is impossible now to ascertain to whom Purvey alludes0, as aiding him in e^w'Tcwtain. the preparation of this version. William Thorpe, in the narrative of his examination before archbishop Arundel in 1407d, mentions John Ashton, Philip Repingdon, Nicholas Hereford, Dan Jeffrey Pickeringe, and John Purvey, with many others which were holden right wise men and prudent, as those who were diligent in teaching and writing the doctrine of Wycliffe. Repingdon seems to have deserted the Lollard party at an early period ; the others mentioned, and perhaps Thorpe himself, may possibly have contributed some assistance to the completion of the design. But, if the sug- gestion which has been already made regarding the date and place of the version be well founded, it becomes highly probable that Purvey's principal associates were the persons specified in the bishop of Worcester's mandate, namely, Hereford, Ash ton e, Parker and Swynderbyf.

The old Tes- 46. The General Prologue was evidently designed as a preface to the Old Testament fortTfas't' onty> an<l not to the New. Of this last it makes no mention, except in a single sen- tence of the first chapter. It is also worthy of remark, that the prologue was written before the author had completed his intended gloss on the minor prophets?; and it bears other marks of having been finished in haste h. It may, perhaps, be no unreason- able conjecture, that the Old Testament was put forth by itself, and before the New was revised ; which last required less alteration in order to make it conform with the views of the author of the prologue. He might have intended to prefix a similar prologue to the New Testament, and have been prevented by the opposition and per- secution he had to encounter, from carrying his intention into effect, as he appears to have been in his purpose of glossing the minor prophets. The enlarged prologues to the several books of the New Testament, presently to be noticed', strengthen this supposition.

character of the 47. The version put forth by Purvey, whether made for the Old and New Testa- ments at the same or at different times, followed in all essential points the same general plan. It is every where founded upon the previous translation, and, in the later books of the Old Testament which were not rendered by Hereford, and in those of the New, it is often little more than a mere revision of the former text, presenting but few substantial differences of interpretation. The principles upon which Purvey proceeded have been already specified, so far as they are given by himself. They were designed to render the version more correct J, intelligible and popular; and it

translacioun that usually but erroneously ascribed to Wye- ' See p. xxx.

liffe. Hist, of Translations of the Bible, ed. 1818. p. 39. J The following are a few among many instances, in

c Gen. Prol. p. 57. which the translator has amended the interpretation,

d Printed in Foxe, vol. i. p. 485. where it was, or was supposed to be, defective or errone-

e See particulars of him in Lewis's Life of Wiclife, ous : — Gen. ix. 13. I v. the signe of couenaunt of pees

p. 262. shal be, 2 v. and it shal be a signe of boond of pees.

1 He is called in the mandate of the bishop of Wor- Exod. xxix. 2. i v. puyr whete meele, 2 v. whete flour.

cester Robert ; but it seems probable that this is a mis- Deut. xxxii. 2. i v. cornes, 2 v. gras. Deut. xxxiii. 7. i v.

take, and that he is the same person as "William Swyn- fijt for it and helper of it he shal be, 2 v. fi3te for hym, and

derby, of whom an account is given in Lewis, p. 271. the helpere of hym shal be. Josh. v. 15. i v. felie redi,

See also Pat. 15, Ric. II. p. 2. m. 20. 2 v. felde lowe. Josh.vi. 25. i v. curside, 2 v. preiede

s See Gen. Prol. p. 41. hertli. Job x. i. i v. me, 2 v. my soule. Ibid, i v. to

h It ends abruptly. Chapters xii. — xv. are unskil- my soule, 2 v. of my soule. Job xi. 12. i v. asse, 2 v.

fully connected with what precedes. And the prologue wilde asse. Job xiv. 12. i v. to the time that he be to-

to the prophetical books set at the beginning of Isaiah, treden, heuene shal not wake out, 2 v. til heuene be

should rather have formed part of the General Prologue, broken, that is, be maad newe, he schal not wake. Mt.

particularly as a large part of it is repeated in the be- xii. 5. J v. grete synne, 2 v. blame. Mt. xiii. 52. i t;,

ginning of chap. xii. wryter, 2 v. wise man of lawe. i Cor. iii. 13. i v. for

PREFACE. xxix

manifestly becomes more easy and familiar as the translator advances k. There is one remarkable distinction between the Old and New Testaments, that in the first he has inserted numerous textual glosses, only occasionally omitting those of the earlier version, whereas in the New Testament he has made no such insertions, and carefully excluded all the glosses which it previously contained.

43. The Old Testament, in the greater number of copies of the later version, omits Prologue, «/ the prologues of Jerome, and it seems as if Purvey had supposed his own general preface to be a sufficient substitute for them. In the Lincoln College Ms. 15, th preface is broken up into portions, which are severally prefixed to the books to which they belong. In all the copies there is prefixed to Isaiah a prologue by Purvey upon the prophetical books, and to Baruch the short argument found also in the copies of the earlier versions.

49. A few Mss., forming an exception to the general rule, require to be specially Except •» noticed. First, to speak of O (New Coll. 66), F (Sion Coll. 18), and X (Hereford 206)/""' copies' In all three the epistle of Jerome to Paulinus is given before Genesis, and divided,

not into eight, as in the other version, but into nine chapters. The epistle to Desi- derius is correctly made a separate prologue, with a rubric prefixed. The prologues to Joshua, i Kings, i and n Paralipomenon, i Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Esther, the two to Job, and the two to the Psalms, are found only in O ; of these the three first men- tioned are alone intitled to be considered a new translation, the others being mere tran- scripts from the earlier version, with some very slight alterations. In the Ms. K (Bodl. Fairfax 2), the prologues are in the earlier version, with the exception of those to Isaiah and Baruch. The Ms. R (Univ. Libr. Cambr. Dd. 1. 27) which has the two prologues to Job and the two to the Psalter in the earlier version, has, in a version of its own, the prologue to Wisdom, and likewise the Greek translator's prologue to Ecclesiasticus. In the Ms. T (Trin. Coll. Dubl. A. 1. 10), formerly belonging to Purvey, containing the New Testament and the General Prologue, are found the prologues to the Psalter in a revise of the earlier version1. The Ms. M (Queen's Coll. 23) is peculiar in having a short prologue of its own prefixed to each of the books from Exodus to Ecclesiasticus, and also to Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the i Maccabees. The same prologues upon Ezekiel and Daniel are also found in the Ms. R.

50. In the New Testament, Matthew has the prologue, with some inconsiderable prologues m variations introduced, which is found in many Mss. and editions of the Vulgate, and" begins, Matihaem cum primo. The prologues to Mark and Luke are abridgments of

those in the earlier version. John has the same prologue as in that version, but more freely rendered, and with the last sentence omitted. The epistles of Paul have the short arguments found in the earlier version, but with variations implying the use of a different Latin original"1. The Catholic Epistles here, as in the earlier version, have the epistle of Jerome to Eustochium. Lastly, to the Apocalypse is prefixed the prologue frequently found in Latin Mss. and attributed to Gilbert of Poitiers".

ech mannis work schal be schewid in fyer, what maner ! Printed from this Ms. in vol. i. p. 37.

it is ; the fier schal proue, 2 v. for it schal be schewid m To the Romans is likewise prefixed in several Mss.

in fier; the fier schal preue the werk of ech man, what which for the most part appear to be of a later date, the

maner werk it is. i Cor. iii. 15. i v. it schal suffre peyr- special prologue noticed when speaking of that epistle

inge, 2 v. he schal suffre harm. in the earlier version, p. xvi. n. These Mss. are, k, 1,

k In connexion with this observation it may be no- m, n, o, p, q and r. A different and somewhat more

ticed, that the words forsothe and sothli, which are of recent translation of the same prologue is found in a

such repeated occurrence in the earlier version, (see single copy, Ms. Brit. Mus. Addl. 11,858, from which

Dr. Waterland's Works, vol. x. p. 354) are frequently it has been printed, vol. iv. p. 308.

retained in the former half of the Old Testament; are n See Biblia vulgatx editionis, fol. Basil, 1508, torn,

less common in the latter half, and are scarcely to be vi. fol. 240. The prologue begins, Omnes qui pie. and

met with in the New Testament. ends, Salamonis hac sunt.

xxx PREFACE.

Additional 51. TWO or three copies of this version occur, in which prologues, subsequently certain copies, compiled, seem to have been added to the books of the New Testament, and which demand some remark. The first to be noticed belongs to the library of Emanuel College, Cambridge. This Ms. °, besides the prologues and arguments found in the ordinary copies, has generally a second prologue prefixed to each book. The exceptions which occur are, the epistle to the Romans, which has only the special prologue men- tioned above, and the short argument, the second epistle to the Thessalonians, the first epistle of Peter, and the second and third of John, which have no preface of any kind. In the greater part of these prologues the matter is taken, more or less, from the ordinary gloss, or from that of Lyra. The style is that of Purvey, and it scarcely admits of doubt that they are from his pen?. The additional prologue in Matthew, or, as it is more correctly called, the addition to the ordinary prologue on that evangelist, appears as if it did not belong to the same series; and it is remarkable, that it is found in the same form in two other Mss.i The second copy to be noticed is one which in the year 1731 belonged to Thomas Granger, of Milk Street, London. It is not known where it is now deposited. Ames states that it was written in the year 1424r, and he transcribed from it a series of additional prologues to the books of the New Testament8. These prologues partly, as in the epistle to the Hebrews, and in the first of Peter, are not found in any other Ms. ; partly, as in most of St. Paul's epistles, are enlarged from those in the Emanuel College Ms. ; and in one or two instances, as in the first epistle of John and in the Apocalypse, are nearly identical with them. The epistle to the Romans has only the special prologue and the short argument ; the second and third epistles of John and the epistle of Jude have no prologue. A third copy belonging to sir Peregrine Acland, Bart., is singular in having prefixed to the Galatians, after the usual short argument, no less than three prologues4, the first of which agrees partially with that in the Emanuel College Ms. ; the two others have not been found in any other copy.

Marginal 52. In two passages of the General Prologue Purvey alludes to his glosses on the Old Testament. In the first" he states, that he had explained the greater prophets and in part the lesser prophets, and that he intended shortly to complete his gloss on the latter". In the second passage" he informs us, that where, according to Jerome, Lyra, and other expositors, the Hebrew differed from the Latin, he had set in the margin, by way of a gloss, what the Hebrew had?, and sometimes how it was to be understood z, and this chiefly in the Psalter. These marginal glosses, which are absent from all copies of the earlier version, are found in those of the later. They occur however to a far greater extent in one or two Mss., than in the generality. They are most numerous in the Cotton Ms. Claudius E. 2 (C), and next to this, in the Old Royal Ms. 1 C. 9 (B). The glosses on the Psalms have been found only in the Bodl. Ms. 2326 a. The marginal glosses on certain parts of the New Testament,

0 Having the press mark i. 4. 33 ; and designated in l The three are printed in vol. iv. p. 688b. the collations by the letter p. u Vol. i. p. 41. 1. 39.

P These prologues are printed vol. iv. pp. 68ib. seqq. w Very few glosses on the minor prophets occur in

1 Univ. Libr. Cambr. LI. i. 13 and Jesus Coll. any copy known to the Editors, perhaps altogether not Cambr. Q. 8.13. It is printed vol. iv. p. 68 111. more than ten or twelve.

r This date appears to have been inferred from the x Vol. i. p. 58. 1.4.

calendar prefixed, which began with that year. — See y See Gen. xli. 45 ; Exod. viii. 21. xii. 8. xvii. 13. xxi.

Waterland's letter to Lewis, Works, vol. x. p. 392. 23 etc. z See Exod. xix. 5 etc.

s These transcripts were made into a copy of Lewis's a The glosses in this Ms. were discovered, the editors

edition of the New Testament, folio, 1731, now in the regret to state, too late to be printed. It is singular,

British Museum, and designated Addl. Ms. 15. 521. and that the scribe of C should in the Psalter have omitted

in the collations as y. These prologues are printed vol. all glosses, except those which refer to the titles of the

iv. pp. 68lb. seqq. Psalms.

PREFACE. xxxi

occurring in the Mss. New Coll. 66 ( V.) and Harl. 5017 (e), which last Ms. was origin- ally a portion of 1 C. 9 (B), have been already noticed b.

53. The table of lessons, epistles and gospels, annexed to copies of the earlier Table »/ version was revised and enlarged, and the quotations were adapted to the new1*"0"*' translation. It is found inserted in several Mss.c

54. The copies of this later version present so great an uniformity, that their uniformity of peculiarities scarcely admit of an observation. E, L, and P frequently agree together in^'vlrLn. differing from the other copies, but their variations are not of an important character.

They consist, for the most part, in the substitution of an equivalent particle, or of a relative for a conjunction, or the expression of a word understood. K (Fairfax 2) has several short marginal glosses not found elsewhere ; and, in the New Testament, k (Lansd. 455) has peculiar textual readings, but many of these last arise from errors either of the first or of the correcting scribe.

55. Within a few years after the completion of the later version some imperfect Attempt* to attempts appear to have been made to revise it. One of these revised copies is pre-»^L. served in a Ms. of the Bodleian Library, which formerly belonged to king Henry the Sixth"1. The re visor seems, as he proceeded, to have grown weary, or to have become dissatisfied with the result of his labours, and he gave up his plan, after having advanced

into the Psalter; the alterations made in the subsequent parts being comparatively few and unimportant. His object was to render the version more plain and intelligible, which he endeavoured to accomplish by introducing numerous explanatory phrases8, substituting nouns for pronouns, and antecedents for relativesf, supplying words understood in the originals, changing expressions to those more familiar and modern1', and using connective particles, either more simple than those of the later version or in addition to them". In making these alterations he seems scarcely to have consulted the Latin, from which he sometimes unwarrantably departs, but he has frequently had recourse to the earlier version, and adopts its expressions'5. This revised text is followed in several parts by a Ms. in the library of Corp. Ch. Coll., Cambridge1. In the books from Joshua to iv Kings inclusive, and after the book of Job, this last mentioned copy agrees with the usual text, but elsewhere it adopts many of the variations of 'the Bodleian Ms, sometimes, however, rejecting them for readings of its own. In these readings it proceeds upon the same principle, interpolating numerous paraphrastic and explanatory words. It is singular, that from the begin- ning of the ii Paralipomenon to the fifth chapter of the n Esdras the Ms. belonging to the library of St. John's College, Oxford™, generally coincides with one or both of the before-mentioned copies.

56. The third book of Esdras had formed part of the early version, but was rejected m£"rfras

found in a

by Purvey as devoid of authority in matters of faith". Accordingly it had no place in single copy.

b See above, p. xvi. 20. relikis, 2 ti. aftircomers, I. Esth. ii. 14. bond, 2 v.

c Old R. Libr. i B 6 ; Harl. 1212, 1862. 4890 and kepyng, I. etc.

6333 ; Arundel 104 ; Lansd. 407 ; Queens Coll. Oxf. ' See n Kings xix. 27, forsothe, 2». but I. HI Kings

23 ; Univ. Libr. Cambr. Dd. i. 27 ; Emanuel Coll. 2 ; xvi. 12, and, 2 v. also and J. n Esdr. xii. 28, sothely,

Hereford 206, etc. 2 v. and I. etc. etc.

d Bodl. 277 (2124), marked in the collations I. k For example, Exod. xxviii. 38, jiftis, 2 v. jiftis to

« See Gen. xxxii. 8. xli. 56; Num. vi. 5, 13; men, i o., I. fre jiftis, 2 v. 3iftis to God, i »., I. Deut.

n Paral. xviii. 10 ; Job xxxii. 5, 6, 7, 10, and passim. xi. 14, tymeful, 2 v. tymely, i v., I. n Paral. xxiii. 8,

* For instance, Gen. xlviii. 20, he, 2 v. Jacob, I. alle, 2 v. alle thei, i v., I. — 10. iv Kings xiv. 10, excit-

Exod. xv. 23, he, 2 v. Moises, I. i Esdr. ix. 12, her ist, 2 v. stirist, i v., I. i Esdr. iv. 3, oure Lord God,

dojtris, 2 v. dojtris of thes peplis, I. Tob. ii. 23, hym, 2 v. the Lord oure God, i ».,!. Tob. i. i, and, 2 v. and

2 v. hir husbonde, I. etc. of the, a »., I.

g See Gen.xxxvi. 3 ; Exod. xxix. 23, etc. 1 No. 147, and marked in the collations by the let-

ta Deut. xxvii. 19, peruertith, 2 v. turneth vnjustly, I. ter S.

Josh.ii. i. Raab bi name, 2 v. that hijt Raab.I. Tob. v. 6. m No. 7, and marked in the collations N.

grette, 2 v. saluede, I. Tob.ii.2, linage, 21-. kyn, I. xiii. n See Gen. Prol. vol. i. p. 2.

XXX11

PREFACE.

Epistle to the Laodiceans.

Table of Matters.

Copies of the new version rapidly mul- tiplied.

the copies of the second version. But the Bodleian Ms. 277, containing the revised text just described, gives it in a translation of its own0. This is founded upon the early version, and formed upon the same principle which guided the writer in pre- paring other parts of his revision. The order is conformed to the English idiom, textual glosses are introduced, and many explanatory words are supplied. The re- visor does not appear to have translated from the Latin, bnt merely to have recast the early version, so far as he thought it necessary, in order to render it uniform with the preceding part of his Ms.

57. The epistle to the Laodiceans was excluded as spurious both by Wycliffe and Purvey. Subsequently, however, it was translated together with its argument, and is found in several Mss. of the later version, none of which appears to have been written early in the fifteenth century P. Another, but nearly coeval, version of the same epistle occurs in a single copy!

58. Several copies of the later version contain a table of matters, or summary of the contents of the chapters in the several books of the New Testament1". These summaries differ in different Mss.; in some being much more full than in others8. A summary of the contents of the whole Bible, of a like kind, is written by way of run- ning titles to the several chapters, in the upper margin of the Bodl. Ms. Fairfax 2 ; which has also a table of contents to the New Testament, affixed at the end of the Apocalypse.

59. The Bible thus completed by Purvey caused the earlier translation to fall into dis- use. The new version was eagerly sought after, and read. Copies passed into the hands of all classes of the people*. Even the sovereign himself and the princes of the blood royal did not disdain to possess them. The volumes were in many instances executed in a costly manner, and were usually written upon vellum by experienced scribes. This implies not merely the value which was set upon the word of God, but also that the scribes found a reward for their labours among the wealthier part of the com- munity. The multiplication of copies must have been rapid. Nearly one hundred

0 It is printed from this Mss. vol. ii. p. 542.

P The epistle and argument are printed from the Harl. Ms. 6333, vol. iv. p. 438.

Q Magd. Coll. Cambr. Pepys 2073, from which the version is printed, vol. iv. p. 438.

r These tables are found in Brit. Mus. Eg. 1 165 ; Trin. Coll. Cambr. B. x. 20 ; Jes. Coll. Cambr. Q. A. 6 ; Lambeth 547 ; Bodl. Fairfax 2 ; Ch. Ch. Oxf. G. 10 ; Ms. belonging to Dan. Rock, D.D. ; Bodl. Hatton 1 1 1, e Mus. no, and Selden supra 51.

s The table for instance in Eg. 1165, as will be seen by the subjoined specimens, is more diffuse than that in the Ms. of Dr. Rock, e Mus. no, and Selden supra 51, which agree together.

Mt. ix. Dr. Rock's Ms. Hou Jhesu helide a man bi feith of othere. Of the chesing of Matheu. Hou Crist was chalengid of fastinge. Of helinge a womman in flux. Of reisynge of a damsel in the hous. Of helynge of a doumb man. Of myche rype corn.

Mt. ix. Egerton 1165. Hou Crist for3af a man his sinnes, and also helide him

of the palesie.

Hou Crist seide to Matthew, Sue thou me. Hou Crist was chalengid of fastinge. Hou a prince worschipide Crist, and seide, Lord, my

dorter is nyj deed.

Hou a womman that hadde the flux xii. jeer was heelid.

Of reisynge of a damysele in the hous.

Hou ij. blinde men cryinge sueden him.

Of heling of a doumb man.

Of mych ripe corn and fewe werk men.

Apoc. iii. Dr. Rock's Ms. Of him that shal ouercome. Of him that is neithir cold ne hot. How God chastisith for loue and knockith.

Apoc. iii. Egerton 1 165. To the aungil of the chirche of Sardis, write thow, How

owre Lord seith I schal come as a nyjt theef. Of hem that schulen be clothid in whijt clothis. Of him that hath the keie of Dauith, which openeth

and no man closith. How he that schal ouercome schal be maad a piler in

the temple.

Of him that is neither coold neither hoot. The Lord seith, I repreue and chastise worn I loue. How the Lord soupith with man that openith the jate

to him.

4 As early as the year 1394, a copy of the Gospels in English is bequeathed to the chantry of St. Nicholas, in the church of the Holy Trinity at York, by John Hopton, chaplain there, (Testamenta Eboracens. p. 196.) and in 1404, Philip Baunt, merchant of Bristol, gives a copy of the Gospels in English to John Caunterbury, chaplain of Redcliffe church, (Barrett, Hist, of Bristol, P- 583.)

PREFACE.

XXXlll

and fifty Mss. containing the whole or parts of Purvey's Bible, the majority of which were written within the space of forty years from its being finished, have been ex- amined for the present edition. Others are known to have existed within the last century ; and more, there can be no doubt, have escaped inquiry ; how many have perished it is impossible to calculate. But when it is remembered that from the first the most active and powerful measures' were take to suppress the version, — that strict inquisition was made for the writings and translations of Wycliffe, Hereford, Ashton and Purvey, — that they were burnt and destroyed as most noxious and per- nicious productions of heretical depravity, — and that all who were known to possess them were exposed to severe persecution" ; — and then if there be taken into account the number of Mss. which in the course of four or five centuries have been destroyed through accident or negligence, it is not too much to suppose that we have now but a small portion of those which were originally written.

60. The effect of this circulation of Scripture among the people in their own tongue Effects was just what might have been expected. Men reading with their own eyes the"* words of the Saviour and of his apostles, found a marked contrast between the prin- ciples which they inculcated and many parts of the system upheld by the Romish church. Which of the two should be rejected could not be matter of hesitation. The progress of religious truth met however with serious impediments. These chiefly arose from two sources ; the extravagances into which some of those who embraced

1 These measures were of various kinds. Wycliffe in his Treatise against the orders of Friars, chap. 36, writes, " and thus they pursue priests, for they reprove their sins as God bids, both to brenne them and the Gospel of Crist, written in English to most learning of our nation." Vaughan's Tracts and Tr. p. 247. The commissions issued to seize the books written by Wyc- liffe, Hereford, Ashton and Purvey have been mentioned before p. xxiv. Knighton, speaking of the visitation of Leicester by archbishop Courtney in 1392, and of Will. Smyth, then compelled to do penance in the market- place there, tells us, " Libros eciam solempnes, quos in materna lingua de evangelic et de epistolis et aliis epi- stolis et doctoribus conscripserat, et ut fatebatur, per annos octo studiose conscribere laboraverat, archiepi- scopo coactus tradidit." col. 2736. In 1390 a bill, if we may credit the Compendious treatise presently to be noticed, was brought into the house of lords for the sup- pression of the English translation ; which was however thrown out by the exertions of the duke of Lancaster. The translation was opposed in the schools, and among others by Will. Butler, a Franciscan, whose Determination against it, written in 1400, is still exstant,but imperfect,in the library of Merton College (No. 68, p. 202). In 1408, at a convocation in Oxford, archbishop Arundel published a constitution forbidding the reading of any book of Scripture translated into English, composed lately in the time of John Wycliffe or since his death. (fVilkins Cone. torn. iii. p. 317.) The Wycliffites on their part were not backward to defend their right to have the Scriptures in their own language. The series of tracts in a volume in the Univ. Libr. Cambridge has been already largely quoted. Between the years 1398 and 1405, during which period archbishop Scrope held the see of York, was probably composed a treatise in Latin of considerable extent, on the lawfulness of having the Scriptures in the vernacular tongue. The third and most important division of this work is preserved in the Imperial Library at Vienna, in a Ms. of the fifteenth cent. ( See Denis Codd. Theol. Lot. Bibl. Vienn. vol . i . p . 3 . col. 842 seqq.) The author is anonymous, but appa-

VOL. I.

rently a theologian of Oxford, where he tells us, two valentes doctores successively disputed in public lec- tures on either side of the question. He repeats the arguments used on the negative side, adding some of his own, and then replies on the affirmative. Shortly after this, in the time of archbishop Arundel, and there- fore compiled between 1399 and 1414, appeared a treatise in defence of the vernacular version of Scrip- ture, in which some of the passages in the Latin tract mentioned above are introduced. No more than a frag- ment of this treatise is preserved in its original form, and this only in manuscripts of the sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries. Three of these are found in Mss. Harl. 325, Cott. Vitell. D. 7, and C.C.C. Cambr. 171, all made from a fragment in Worcester Cathedral ; a fourth transcript is among the Lambeth Mss. No. 594. fol. 57, made by Wharton from a Ms. formerly in the library of Westminster Abbey. The entire treatise in a somewhat modernised form, and with interpolations, (as for in- stance, the notice of bishop Fleming's death in 143 1 ,) was printed, probably at Tindal's instigation, by Hans Luft, at Marlborow in the land of Hessen, in 1530; and reprinted in England by Richard Banckes, under the title of A Compendyous aide treatyse, shewynge howe that we ought to haue the Scripture in Englyshe, (see Dib- din's Ames, vol. iii. p. 257 ;) in the preface to which edition it is described as " a treatyse wryten about the 3ere of our Lorde a thousande fower hundred." It was introduced by Foxe into the first edition of his Actes and Monuments, 1563, p. 452 seqq., hut omitted in the subsequent impressions. It is to this treatise that archbishops Parker and Ussher, as well as Foxe, were indebted for their notices of archbishop Arundel's sermon on queen Anne, and of the bill in parliament brought in by the archbishops and clergy alluded to above.

u See in Foxe, Acts and Man. extracts from the Norwich registers, vol. i. 755 ; from the registers of London, vol. ii. pp. 73,5, 745 ; and from those of Lincoln, ibid. pp. 751 — 764.

xxxv

PREFACE.

in the earlier

the new opinions speedily fell, and the wars and distractions from which England suffered during the greater part of the fifteenth century. Notwithstanding these obstacles truth maintained its own cause. The versions of Wycliffe and his followers continued to be read and circulated ; they contributed largely to the religious know- ledge which prevailed at the commencement of the Reformation ; and at that period they supplied an example and a model to those excellent men, who in like manner devoted themselves at the hazard of their lives to the translation of Scripture, and to its publication among the people of the land.

sources of the 61. Little now remains, except to give an account of the method which the editors have pursued in preparing these volumes for the press. The texts have been printed from the Mss. with scrupulous exactness. For this purpose, four copies have been selected in the earlier version, namely, a Ms. in the library of Corpus Christi Coll. Oxford, marked No. 4, two Mss. in the Douce collection, Bodleian Library, Nos. 370 and 369, and a Ms. in the Old Royal collection, British Museum, marked 1 B. 6. The text has been collated either verbatim or in various readings with nineteen other copies. These have been, with little exception, examined throughout their extent. In addition, eight copies have been collated for prologues and smaller portions.

62. For the later text, one manuscript has been followed throughout, marked 1 C. 8, in the Old Royal collection. This has been collated either verbatim, or in the various readings with no less than thirty-four other copies. The greater part of these have been examined throughout. Thirteen more have been consulted for prologues and portions. The two printed editions of the New Testament in the later text, by Lewis w and Bagster, have likewise been collated throughout, in the various readings.

®^' ^n tne General Prologue the text is printed from the Harl. Ms. 1666, as far as chap. xv. vol. i. p. 57, 1. 3, and thence to the end from a Ms. in the Cambridge Uni- versity Library, Mm. 2. 15. An accurate collation has been made of eight other copies. The epistles of Jerome prefixed to Genesis are taken, in the later version, from the New College Ms, 66 ; elsewhere the source of the prologues, if it differ from that of the book which follows, is noted in the margin. For the table of lessons etc. the text has been copied from the Mss. Corp. Ch. Coll. No. 4, and Brit. Mus, Addl. 15,580, except it be otherwise stated in the margin, and has been collated with six other copies x.

64. The great extent to which the collations have been carried, will be more fully and accurately perceived by means of the subjoined table, which will also explain the letters by which the several copies are designated.

in the later

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

Earlier Version.

A. Corp. Ch. Coll. Oxford, 4> ; forms the text from Genesis to in Kings, and from Ezekiel i. 26 to

xxxii. 23 ; collated verbatim elsewhere. [94-^]

B. Bodl. Libr. Douce 370 ; forms the text from iv Kings to u Paralipomenon ; collated verbatim else-

where. [88.]

C. Bodl. Douce 369, i st. part ; forms the text from i Esdras to Baruch iii. 20 ; collated verbatim

elsewhere. [87.]

w As reprinted by Mr. Baber, 4°. Lond. 1810.

x Namely, Brit. Mus. i B. vi. (M) ; Arundel 104 (E) ; Queen's Coll. Oxf. 23 (M) ; Univ. Libr. Cambr. Dd. i. 27 (R); Hereford 206 (X); and Lansdowne 455 (k). The quotations of the beginning and end of the respective lessons do not precisely agree in the different Mss., being sometimes taken from the earlier version,

and sometimes from the later, and occasionally varying slightly from both. It has not been thought necessary to note these variations.

y The numbers here affixed designate the order in which these Mss. are described in the list subjoined to this Preface.

PREFACE. xxxv

D. Archiep. Libr. Lambeth 25, ist. part, containing the Pentateuch; collated verbatim from Genesis

to Numbers xx ; with various readings elsewhere. [46.]

E. Bodl. 959 ; collated verbatim throughout. [65.]

F. Trin. Coll. Dublin, A. 1.9; collated with various readings throughout. [150.]

G. Brit. Mus. Egerton 617, 618 ; collated with various readings throughout. [32.]

H. AUanson ; collated verbatim i Paralipomenon, Ezekiel i — xxxii. and i Maccabees xi. — n Maccabees,

end ; and with various readings from Genesis to iv Kings. [155.] /. Bodl. Fairfax 2 ; Prologues to books from Genesis to Ecclesiasticus, except to i Paralipomenon

[where marked K]; collated verbatim. [71.] K. Bodl. Douce 369, 2nd. part ; forms the text from Baruch iii. 20 to Ezekiel i. 26, and from

Ezekiel xxxii. 23 to Deeds xxviii. 15; collated verbatim elsewhere. [87.] K. New Coll. 66; Prologue to i Esdras only; collated verbatim. [97.] L. Bodl. 183 ; Prologues from Tobit to Wisdom; collated verbatim. [59.]

0. New Coll. 66 ; Prologues from n Paralipomenon to Psalter, except that to i Esdras ; collated ver-

batim. [97.]

R. Univ. Libr. Cambr. Dd. i. 27 ; Prologues from Job to Ecclesiastes ; collated verbatim. [106.] Z. Univ. Libr. Cambr. Ee. 1. 10; Prologue to n Paralipomenon only; collated verbatim. [107.]

Later Version.

A. Old Roy. Libr. Brit. Mus. i C. 8; forms the text throughout. [6.]

B. Old Roy. Libr. Brit. Mus. i C. 9 ; collated verbatim from Genesis to Deuteronomy ; with various

readings elsewhere. [8.]

C. Cotton Claudius E. 2 ; collated verbatim from Genesis to Ecclesiasticus ; with various readings else-

where. [9.]

D. Lansdowne 454 ; collated verbatim Genesis and Exodus ; with various readings elsewhere. [27.]

E. Arundel 104; collated verbatim from Genesis i. to Exodus xvii., iv Kings, n Maccabees viii. 11.

to end ; with various readings elsewhere. [29.]

F. Sion Coll. 18; collated verbatim Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus; i and n Maccabees; with various

readings elsewhere. [42.]

G. Lincoln Coll. 15 ; collated verbatim in Genesis ; with various readings elsewhere. [96.] H. Corp. Ch. Coll. Oxf. 20 ; collated with various readings throughout. [95.]

1. Bodl. 277 ; collated verbatim throughout. [60.]

K. Bodl. Fairfax 2 ; collated verbatim from Genesis to iv Kings, and Psalms i — Ixxv. ; with various readings elsewhere. [71.]

L. Bodl. 296 ; collated with various readings throughout. [61.]

M. Queen's Coll. Oxf. 23; forms the text of special Prologues; collated with various readings else- where. [101.]

N. St. John's Coll. Oxf. 7 ; collated verbatim from n Paralipomenon to Esther, Isaiah to n Maccabees; with various readings elsewhere. [103.]

0. New Coll. 66 ; forms the text of Prologues from Genesis to i Paralipomenon ; collated with various readings elsewhere. [97.]

P. Emanuel Coll. 2 ; collated with various readings throughout. [118.]

Q. Univ. Libr. Cambr. Mm. 2. 15 ; collated verbatim from Ezekiel to i Maccabees; with various read- ings elsewhere. [112.]

R. Univ. Libr. Cambr. Dd. i. 27 ; forms the text of Prologues to Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus; col- lated verbatim from Zechariah viii. to n Maccabees ; with various readings elsewhere. [106.]

S. Corp. Ch. Coll. Camb. 147; collated verbatim from Genesis to Psalms; with various readings else- where. [116.]

T. Trin Coll. Cambr. B. II. 8 ; the Pentateuch; collated with various readings throughout. [133-]

U. Archiep. Libr. Lambeth 25, 2nd. part ; collated verbatim from Ecclesiasticus xxxix. to Isaiah xii. ; Lamentations to Zechariah viii. ; with various readings elsewhere. [46.]

V. Archiep. Libr. Lambeth 1033 ' collated with various readings throughout. [50.]

W. Norwich Corporation 54; collated verbatim Exodus and Leviticus ; with various readings elsewhere.

[I44-]

X. Hereford Cathedral 206 ; collated verbatim from i Kings to Esther ; with various readings else- where. [137.]

Y. Trin. Coll. Dubl. A. i. 5; collated with various readings throughout. [149.]

f 2

xxxvi PREFACE.

a. Bodl. 183; Tobit to Ecclesiasticus ; collated with various readings throughout. [59.]

b. Harl. 2249 ; Joshua to Psalms ; collated with various readings throughout. [17.] 9. Tenison 83 ; collated with various readings throughout. [44.]

d. Magd. Coll. Cambr. Pepys 1603 ; collated in Genesis with various readings. [123.]

e. Harl. 5017; i and n Maccabees; collated with various readings throughout. [22.]

f. Harl. 3903 ; Tobit and Job; collated with various readings throughout. [19.]

g. Brit. Mus. Addl. 10,596 ; Tobit and Daniel xii. ; collated with various readings throughout. [38.] h. Bodl. Douce 36; Tobit; collated with various readings throughout. [84.]

i. Brit. Mus. Addl. 10,046; Psalms; collated with various readings throughout. [36.]

k. Brit. Mus. Addl. 10,047 i Psalms i — Ixxiii; collated with various readings throughout. [37.]

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

Earlier Version.

A. Corp. Ch. Coll. Oxf.,4 ; collated with various readings thoughout. [94.] C. Cotton, Claudius, E 2; Luke xix. 12 — xx. 10, Epistle to Philemon; collated verbatim. [9.] G. Brit. Mus. Egerton 617, 618; collated with various readings throughout. [32.] K. Bodl. Douce 369, 2nd. part ; forms the text as far as Deeds xxviii. 15. [87.]

M. Old. R. Libr. Brit. Mus. i B. 6 ; forms the text from Deeds xxviii. 15 to the end of the New Testa- ment ; collated verbatim elsewhere. [4.] 2f. Sidney Coll. Cambr. A. 5. 14; collated verbatim throughout. [127.]

0. Magd. Coll. Cambr. L. 5. 19 ; collated verbatim throughout. [126.] P. Bodl. Rawlinson C. 258 ; collated verbatim throughout. [79-]

Q. Advocates' Libr. Edinburgh, A. 6. 34; collated verbatim throughout. [143-]

S. Banister; forms the text of the Prologues to the Epistle to the Romans, and to the Catholic

Epistles; collated verbatim elsewhere. [162.]

T. Trin. Coll. Dubl. A. i. 10; collated verbatim throughout. [151.]

U. Brit. Mus. Addl. n, 858 ; ist. part, as far as Luke xix. 13; collated verbatim throughout. [39.] V. New Coll. 67 ; collated verbatim throughout. [98.] W. Phillipps, 9302 ; collated verbatim throughout. [168.] X. Christ Church E 4 ; collated verbatim throughout. [91.] Y. Brit. Mus. Addl. 15, 580; collated with various readings, and the latter part verbatim. [41.]

a. Bodl. 277 ; Prologue to Romans only ; collated verbatim. [60.]

b. Bodl. Rawlinson C. 259 ; Prologue to Romans only ; collated verbatim. [80.]

Later Version.

A. Old R. Libr. Brit. Mus. i. C. 8; forms the text. [6.]

C. Cotton Claudius, E 2 ; collated verbatim in Matthew, and from Mark xi. to Apocalypse; with various

readings elsewhere. [9.] E. Arundel 104; collated with various readings throughout. [29.]

1. Bodl. 277 ; collated verbatim throughout. [60.]

K. Bodl. Fairfax 2 ; collated with various readings throughout. [7 1 .]

M. Queen's Coll. Oxf. 23 ; collated partially with various readings. [101.]

N. Sidney Coll. Cambr. A. 5. 14; Prologues only ; collated verbatim. [127.]

O. Magd. Coll. Cambr. L. 5. 19; John, and Prologues to Mark, Luke, and John; collated verbatim. [126.]

P. Emanuel Coll. 2 ; collated with various readings, from Matthew to John. [118.]

Q. Univ. Libr. Cambr. Mm. 2. 15 ; collated verbatim from Acts viii. to Apocalypse ; with various read- ings elsewhere. [112.]

R. Univ. Libr. Cambr. Dd. i. 27 ; collated verbatim from Acts viii. to Apocalypse ; with various readings elsewhere. [106.]

S. Corp. Ch. Coll. Cambr. 147 ; collated with various readings from Matthew to John. [116.]

T. Trin. Coll. Dubl. A. i. 10 ; Romans i. — xi. 20, and certain Prologues; collated verbatim. [151.]

X. Hereford Cathedral 206; collated verbatim Matthew and Mark; with various readings else- where. [137.]

Z. Advocates' Libr, Edinburgh, A. 6. 34; Prologue to Matthew only; collated verbatim. [145.]

PREFACE. xxxvii

a. Brit. Mus. Addl. 1 1, 858, 2nd. part, from Luke xix. 13 to Apocalypse; collated verbatim. [39.]

b. Emanuel Coll. i.