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JOHN WICLIF (D. 1384)

THE GOSPEL OF MATHEU

THE GOSPEL OF MATHEW (FIRST VERSION)

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CHAP. V

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Jhesus forsothe,' seynge cumpanyes, wente up in-to an hill; and when he hadde sete,3 his disciplis camen nighe to hym. And he, openynge his mouthe, taughte to hem, sayinge, "Blessid be the pore in spirit, for the kingdam in hevenes is heren. Blessid be mylde men, for thei shuln welde the eerthe. Blessid be thei that mournen, for thei shuln be comfortid. Blessid be thei that hungren and thristen rightwisnesse, for thei shuln ben fulfillid. Blessid be mercyful men, for thei shuln gete mercye. Blessid be thei that ben of clene herte, for thei shuln see God. Blessid be pesible men, for thei shuln be clepid the sonys of God. Blessid be thei that suffren persecucioun for rightwisnesse, for the kyngdam of hevenes is herun. Yee shulen be blessid, when men shulen curse you, and shulen pursue you, and shulen say al yvel 10 ayeins " you leezing, 12 for me. Joye 13 yee with-yn-forth," and glade yee with-out-forth, for youre meede 15 is plenteVouse in hevenes; forsothe so thei han "7 pursued and 18 prophetis that weren before you. Yee ben salt of the erthe; that yif 1o the salt shal vanyshe awey, wherynne shal it be saltid? To no thing it is worth over,20 no bot 22 that it be sent out, and defoulid of men. Ye ben light of the world; a citee putt on an hill may nat be hid; nether men tendyn a lanterne, and putten it undir a busshel, but on a candilstike, that it yeve 24 light to alle that ben in the hous. So shyyne 25 youre light before men, that thei see youre good werkis, and glorifie youre Fadir that is in hevens. Nyle ye gesse, or deme," that Y came to undo, or distruye, the lawe, or the prophetis; I came not to undo the lawe, but to fulfille. Forsothe 28 I say to you trewthe, til heven and erthe passe, oon i, that is leste 30 lettre, or titil, shal nat passe fro the lawe, til alle thingis be don. Therfore he that undoth, or breketh, oon of these leste 30 maundementis,31 and techith thus men, shal be clepid 32 the leste in the rewme of hevenes; forsothe, this 34 that doth, and techith, shal be clepid grete in the kyngdame of hevenes. Forsothe Y say to you, no-but-yif 35 youre rightwisnesse shal be more

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(SECOND VERSION)

CAP. V

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And Jhesus, seynge the puple, wente up into an hil; and whanne he was set, hise disciplis camen to hym. And he openyde his mouth, and taughte hem, and seide, "Blessed ben pore men in spirit, for the kyngdom of hevenes is herne. Blessid ben mylde men, for thei schulen welde the erthe. Blessid ben thei that mornen, for thei schulen be coumfortid. Blessid ben thei that hungren and thristen rightwisnesse, for thei schulen be fulfillid. Blessid ben merciful men, for thei schulen gete merci. Blessid ben thei that ben of clene herte, for thei schulen se God. Blessid ben pesible men, for thei schulen be clepid Goddis children. Blessid ben thei that suffren persecusioun for rightfulnesse, for the kingdam of hevenes is herne.' Ye schulen be blessid, whanne men schulen curse you, and schulen pursue you, and shulen seie al yvel 10 ayens you liynge, for me. Joie ye, and be ye glad for youre meede 15 is plentevouse 16 in hevenes; for so thei han " pursued also profetis that weren bifor you. Ye ben salt of the erthe; that if the salt vanysche awey, whereynne schal it be saltid? To no thing it is worth overe,20 21 but 22 that it be cast out, and be defoulid of men. Ye ben light of the world; a citee set on an hil may not be hid; ne me teendith 23 not a lanterne, and puttith it undur a busschel, but on a candilstike, that it yyve light to alle that ben in the hous. So schyne youre light befor men, that thei se youre goode werkis, and glorifie youre Fadir that is in hevenes. Nil 26 ye deme," that Y cam to undo the lawe, or the profetis; Y cam not to undo the lawe, but to fulfille. Forsothe Y seie to you, til hevene and erthe passe, o 29 lettir or o 29 titel shal not passe fro the lawe, til alle thingis be doon. Therfor he that brekith oon of these leeste 30 maundementis," and techith thus men, schal be clepid 32 the leste in the rewme of hevenes; but he that doith, and techith, schal be clepid greet in the kyngdom of hevenes. And Y seie to you, that but your rightfulnesse be more plentevouse than of scribis and of Farisees, ye

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plentevouse than of scribis and Pharisees, yee shulen not entre in-to kyngdam of hevenes. Yee han herde that it is said to olde men, Thou shal nat slea; forsothe he that sleeth, shal be gylty of dome.' But I say to you, that evereche that is wrothe to his brother, shal be gylty of dome; forsothe he that shal say to his brother, Racha, that is, a word of scorn, shal be gylty of counseile; sothly he that shal say, Fool, that is, a word of dispisynge, shal be gylti of the fijr' of helle. Therfore yif thou offrist thi yift at the auter,' and there shalt bythenke, that thi brother hath sum-what ayeins thee, leeve there thi yift before the auter, and go first for to be recounseilid, or acordid, to thi brother, and thanne thou cummynge shalt offre thi yifte. Be thou consentynge to thin adversarie soon, the whijle thou art in the way with hym, lest peraventure thin adversarie take thee to the domesman,1o and the domesman take thee to the mynystre," and thou be sente in-to prisoun. Trewely I say to thee, Thou shalt not go thennes, til thou yelde the last ferthing. Ye han herd for it was said to olde men, Thou shalt nat do lecherye. Forsothe Y say to you, for-why 13 every man that seeth a womman for to coveite hire, now he hath do lecherie by hire in his herte. That yif thi right eiye sclaundre "thee, pulle it out, and cast it fro thee; for it speedith' to thee, that oon of thi membris perishe, than a thi body go in-to helle. And yif thi right hond sclaundre thee, kitt " it awey, and cast it fro thee; for it spedith to thee, that oon of thi membris perishe, than that al thi body go in-to helle. Forsothe it is said, Who-evere shal leeve his wyf, yeve 18 he to hir a libel, that is, a litil boke, of forsakyng. Sothely Y say to you, that every man that shal leeve his wyf, outaken 10 cause of fornicacioun, he makith hire do lecherie and he that weddith the forsaken wijf, doth avoutrie.20 Efte-soonys "1 yee han herd, that it was said to olde men, Thou shalt not forswere, sothely to the Lord thou shalt yeeld 23 thin œthis.24 Forsothe Y say to you, to nat swere on al manere; neither by hevene, for it is the trone of God; nether by the erthe, for it is the stole of his feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the citee of a greet kyng; neither thou shalt swere by thin heved,25 for thou maist not make oon heer whyt or blak; but be youre word yea, yea; Nay, nay; forsothe that that is more

I have council

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schulen not entre into the kyngdom of hevenes. Ye han herd that it was seid to elde men, Thou schalt not slee; and he that sleeth, schal be gilti to doom. But Y seie to you, that ech man that is wrooth to his brothir, schal be gilti to doom; and he that seith to his brother, Fy! schal be gilti to the counseil; but he that seith, Fool, schal be gilti to the fier of helle. Therfor if thou offrist thi yifte at the auter,' and ther thou bithenkist, that thi brothir hath sum-what ayens thee, leeve there thi yifte bifor the auter, and go first to be recounselid to thi brothir, and thanne thou schalt come, and schalt offre thi yifte. Be thou consentynge to thin adversarie soone, while thou art in the weie with hym, lest peraventure thin adversarie take thee to the domesman,1o and the domesman take thee to the mynystre," and thou be sent in-to prisoun. Treuli Y seie to thee, thou shalt not go out fro thennus, til thou yelde" the last ferthing. Ye han herd that it was seid to elde men, Thou schalt do no letcherie. But Y seie to you, that every man that seeth a womman for to coveite hir, hath now do letcherie bi hir in his herte. That if thi right iye sclaundre " thee, pulle hym out, and caste fro thee; for it spedith 15 to thee, that oon1 of thi membris perische, than that al thi bodi go in-to helle. And if thi right hond sclaundre thee, kitte " hym aweye, and caste fro thee; for it spedith to thee that oon 16 of thi membris perische, than that al thi bodi go in-to helle. And it hath be seyd, Who-evere leeveth his wiif, yyve he to hir a libel of forsakyng. But Y seie to you, that every man that leeveth his wiif, outtakun cause of fornycacioun, makith hir to do letcherie, and he that weddith the forsakun wiif, doith avowtrye. Eftsoone ye han herd, that it was seid to elde men, Thou schalt not forswere, but thou schalt yelde thin othis to the Lord. But Y seie to you, that ye swere not for ony thing; nethir bi hevene, for it is the trone of God; nether bi the erthe, for it is the stole of his feet; nether bi Jerusalem, for it is the citee of a greet kyng; nether thou shalt not swere bi thin heed, for thou maist not make oon heere white ne blacke; but be youre word, yhe, yhe; Nay, nay; and that that is more than these, is of yvel. Ye han herd that it hath be seid, Iye for iye, and tothe for tothe. But Y seie to you, that ye ayenstonde 26 not an yvel man; but if ony

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than this, is of yvel. Yee han herde that it is said, Eiye1 for eiye,' toth for toth. But Y say to you, to nat ayein-stonde yvel; but yif any shal smyte thee in the right cheeke, yeve to hym and the tother; and to hym that wole stryve with thee in dome,' and take awey thi coote, leeve thou to hym and thin over-clothe; and who-evere constrayneth thee a thousand pacis, go thou with hym other tweyne. Forsothe yif' to hym that axith of thee, and turne thou nat awey fro hym that wol borwe of thee. Yee han herd that it is said, Thou shalt love thin neighbore, and hate thin enmy. But Y say to you, love yee youre enmyes, do yee wel to hem that haten you, and preye yee for men pursuynge, and falsly chalengynge you; that yee be the sonys of Fadir that is in youre hevenes, that makith his sune to springe up upon good and yvel men, and rayneth upon juste men and unjuste men. For yif ye loven hem that loven you, what meed 10 shul yee have? whether and puplicans don nat this thing? And yif yee greten, or saluten, youre bretheren oonly, what more over shul yee don? whether and " 13 don nat paynymmys this thing? Therfore be yee parfit," as and3 youre hevenly Fadir is parfit. Take yee hede, lest ye don your rightwisnesse before men, that yee be seen of hem, ellis 15 ye shule nat han meed at youre Fadir that is in hevenes. Therfore when thou dost almesse,16 nyle 17 thou synge byfore thee in a trumpe, as ypocritis don in synagogis and streetis, that thei ben maad worshipful of men; forsothe Y saye to you, thei han resceyved her 18 meede. But thee doynge almesse,10 knowe nat the left hond what thi right hond doth, that thi almes be in hidlis," and thi Fadir that seeth in hidlis, shal yelde 2o to thee."

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smyte thee in the right cheke, schewe to him also the tothir; and to hym that wole stryve with thee in doom,' and take awey thi coote, leeve thou to him also thi mantil; and who-ever constreyneth thee a thousynde pacis, go thou with hym othir tweyne. Yyve 5 thou to hym that axith of thee, and turne not awey fro hym that wole borewe of thee. Ye han herd that it was seid, Thou shalt love thi neighbore, and hate thin enemye. But Y seie to you, love ye youre enemyes, do ye wel to hem that hatiden you, and preye ye for hem that pursuen, and sclaundren you; that ye be the sones of your Fadir that is in hevenes, that makith his sunne to rise upon goode and yvele men, and reyneth on just men and unjuste. For if ye loven hem' that loven you, what mede schulen ye han? whether pupplicans doon not this? And if ye greten youre britheren oonli, what schulen ye do more? ne doon not hethene men this? Therfore be ye parfit, as youre hevenli Fadir is parfit."

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sowtherne, and middel speche in the myddel of the lond, as they come of thre manere peple of Germania, notheles by comyxtioun and mellynge firste with Danes and afterward with Normans, in meny the contray3 longage is apayred, and som useth straunge wlafferynge, chiterynge, harrynge, and garrynge grisbayting. This apayrynge of the burthe of the tunge is bycause of tweie thinges; oon is for children in scole ayenst the usage and manere of alle othere naciouns beeth compelled for to leve 1o hire owne langage, and for to construe hir" lessouns and here" thynges in Frensche, and so they haveth 12 seth 13 the Normans come 14 first in-to Engelond. Also gentil-men children beeth i-taught to speke Frensche from the tyme that they beeth i-rokked in here cradel, and kunneth 15 speke and playe with a childes broche; 18 and uplondisshe men wil likne hym-self to gentil-men, and fondeth 18 with greet besynesse for to speke Frensce, for to be i-tolde 19 of. Trevisa.20 This manere was moche i-used to-for " [the] Firste Deth 22 and is siththe 13 sumdel 23 i-chaunged; for John Cornwaile, a maister of grammer, chaunged the lore in gramer scole and construccioun of 24 Frensche in-to Englische; and Richard Pencriche lerned the manere 25 techynge of hym and othere men of Pencrich; so that now, the yere of oure Lorde a thowsand thre hundred and foure score and fyve, and of the secounde kyng Richard after the conquest nyne, in alle the gramere scoles of Engelond, children leveth Frensche and construeth and lerneth an Englische, and haveth 12 therby avauntage in oon side and disavauntage in another side; here "avauntage is, that they lerneth her " gramer in lasse 27 tyme than children were i-woned 28 to doo; disavauntage is that now children of gramer scole conneth 20 na more Frensche than can 30 hir 11 lift heele, and that is harme for hem 32 and 33 they schulle passe the see and travaille in straunge landes and in many other places. Also gentil-men haveth now moche i-left 4 for to teche here" children Frensche. R.35 Hit semeth a greet wonder how Englische, that

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1 nevertheless 2 mixing country, native corrupted stammering chattering snarling howling gnashing of teeth 10 leave, give up 11 their 12 have 13 since 18 came 17 16 brooch (ornament in general) can try attempt 19 accounted 20 What follows, to R., is Trevisa's addition. 21 before 22 the First Plague,

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is the burthe tonge of Englisshe men and her 1 owne langage and tonge, is so dyverse of sown in this oon 3 ilond, and the langage of Normandie is comlynge of another londe, and hath oon manere 5 soun 2 among alle men that speketh hit aright in Engelond. Trevisa.® Nevertheles there is as many dyvers manere 7 Frensche in the reem of Fraunce as is dyvers manere Englische in the reem of Engelond. R. Also of the forsaide Saxon tonge that is i-deled 10 athre" and is abide 12 scarsliche

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with fewe uplondisshe men is greet wonder; for men of the est with men of the west, as it were undir the same partie 1 of hevene, acordeth more in sownynge 10 of speche than men of the north with men of the south; therfore it is that Mercii, that beeth men of myddel Engelond, as it were parteners of the endes, understondeth bettre the side langages, northerne and southerne, than northerne and southerne understondeth either other. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro tertio." Al the longage 18 of the Northhumbres, and specialliche at York, is so scharp, slitting, and frotynge 19 and unschape, that we southerne men may that longage unnethe 20 understonde. I trowe " that that is bycause that they beeth nyh to straunge men and naciouns that speketh strongliche, and also bycause that the kynges of Engelond woneth 24 alwey fer from that cuntrey; for they beeth more i-torned 25 to the south contray, and yif they gooth to the north countray they gooth with greet help and strengthe.26 27 The cause why they beeth more in the south contrey than in the north, is for 28 hit may be better corne londe, more peple, more noble citees, and more profitable havenes."

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1 their sound one comer, immigrant kind of Trevisa adds a very intelligent observation. 7 kinds of 8 realm What follows is from Higden. 1o divided 11 in three (dialects) 12 has remained 18 scarcely 14 country 18 part 18sounding, pronouncing 1The historian, William of Malmesbury, is Higden's authority for what follows 18 language 19 chafing, harsh 30 scarcely 21 believe 22 nigh 23 harshly, or (perhaps) strangely 24 live 25 turned i.e. with a large army 7 Higden adds a remark of his own to his quotation, 28 because 29 land 30 havens, harbors 31an astronomical instrument; consult the dictionary 32 Lewis

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sciencez touchinge noumbres and proporciouns; and as wel considere I thy bisy preyere in special to lerne the Tretis of the Astrolabie. Than, for as mechel as a philosofre seith, "he wrappeth him in his frend, that condescendeth to the rightful preyers of his frend," therfor have I yeven thee a suffisaunt Astrolabie as for oure orizonte, compowned after the latitude of Oxenford; upon which, by mediacion of this litel tretis, I purpose to teche thee a certein nombre of conclusions apertening 10 the same instrument. I seye a certein of conclusiouns, for three causes. The furste cause is this: truste wel that alle the conclusiouns that han" ben founde, or elles 2 possibly mighten be founde in so noble an instrument as an Astrolabie, ben 13 unknowe perfitly to any mortal man in this regioun, as I suppose. Another cause is this: that sothly," in any tretis of the Astrolabie that I have seyn,15 there ben 13 some conclusions that wole 16 nat in alle thinges performen hir " bihestes;18 and some of hem ben 13 to 19 harde to thy tendre age of ten yeer to conseyvę.20 This tretis, divided in fyve parties, wole I shewe thee under ful lighte rewles and naked wordes in English; for Latin ne canstow 24 yit but smal, my lyte 25 sone. But natheles,20 suffyse to thee thise trewe conclusiouns in English, as wel as suffyseth to thise noble clerkes Grekes thise same conclusiouns in Greek, and to Arabiens in Arabik, and to Jewes in Ebrew, and to the Latin folk in Latin; whiche Latin folk han" hem 27 furst out of othre diverse langages, and writen in hir" owne tonge, that is to sein,28 in Latin. And God wot,29 that in alle thise langages, and in many mo, 30 han" thise conclusiouns ben suffisantly lerned and taught, and yit by diverse rewles,23 right as diverse pathes leden diverse folk the righte wey to Rome. Now wol I prey meekly every discret persone that redeth or hereth this lite tretis, to have my rewde 2 endyting 33 for excused, and my superfluite of wordes, for two causes. The firste cause is, for-that curious dyting 33 and hard sentence is ful hevy atones 38 for swich 39 a child to lerne. And

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the seconde cause is this, that sothly1 mesemeth betre to wryten unto a child twyes a good sentence, than he forgete it ones.* And, Lowis, yif so be that I shewe thee in my lighte English as trewe conclusiouns touching this matere, and naught only as trewe but as many and as subtil conclusiouns as ben shewed in Latin in any commune tretis of the Astrolabie, con me the more thank; and preye God save the king, that is lord of this langage, and alle that him feyth bereth 1o and obeyeth, everech" in his degree, the more 12 and the lasse. But considere wel, that I ne usurpe nat to have founde this werk of my labour or of myn engin." I nam " but a lewd 16 compilatour" of the labour of olde Astrologiens, and have hit translated in myn English only for thy doctrine; and with this swerd 18 shal I sleen i

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BOETHIUS: DE CONSOLATIONE PHILOSOPHIAE

BOOK III

PROSE IX

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"For-sothe," quod I, "I see wel now that suffisaunce may nat comen by richesses, ne power by reames, ne reverence by dignitees, ne gentilesse 25 by glorie, ne joye by delices." 26 "And hast thou wel knowen the causes," quod she, "why it is?"

"Certes," me-semeth," quod I, "that I see hem right as though it were thorugh a litel clifte; 28 but me were levere 20 knowen hem 30 more openly of thee."

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