Wyclif, Dialogus

Chapter 24

The fall of the caesarean prelates

Pollard pp. 48.13–50.31

Falsehood and Truth48.13–50.31

48mendacium. Si ille qui se exaltat humiliabitur, videtur quod tam manifeste impugnans papam et inferiores prelatos ecclesie sit necessario suprimendus, si enim illi caruerint seculari dominio, status et dignitas eorum corrueret. Sed quis tunc concederet indulgencias ac privilegia, consecraret episcopos et sacerdotes alios, et alia dubia incumbencia secundum leges ecclesie terminaret? Numquid credimus quod oportet Christum de celo semper descendere quando noviter est sua ecclesia consulenda? Qualitercunque hic loquaris in angulis, non auderes ista defendere vel dicere coram papa. veritas. Confisus in fide audeo hec dicere coram deo. Et si mortem temporalem adhuc timeo, sicut petrus, reputo quod debeo istam sentenciam defendere coram papa. Et sic quantum ad exaltacionem evangelicam quam allegas debeo 49dicere istam sentenciam in spiritu humilitatis et sperare quod exinde humiliabor amplius in virtute. Dico ergo istam sentenciam pro bono pape atque ecclesie; et si occisio vel alia pena exinde eveniat, rogo deum meum dare mihi virtutem ad constanter et humiliter paciendum. Et quantum ad ruinam status et dignitatis prelati cesarii, non posses patencius ipsos in talibus accusare, quia innuis quod, contrarie Christo et suis apostolis, dependent a dominio seculari. Sed procul a fidelibus sit talis dignitas sacerdotis. Videtur enim quod illa dignificat ad prelaciam in tartaris, que fundatur in via super bonis terrenis vel mundanis honoribus, quia contra legem dei foret quod ista mundana extollencia quemquam directe in beatitudine exaltaret. Ideo sicut peccator, in quantum hujusmodi, est contrarius sibi ipsi, sic in quantum ita niteris loqui pro papa et prelatis caesariis loqueris contra illos. Et sic cum hoc nomen papa sit terminus extra fidem scripture, videtur quod in dotacione ecclesie presumpta per cesarem est inventum. Et sic, si connotet istam ordinacionem, ut innuis, salubre foret ecclesie quod non forent papa vel aliqui cardinales, quia episcopus animarum dominus jhs Christus cum servis suis fidelibus longe melius sine papa tali et prelatis aliis regeret ecclesiam militantem. Sic enim fecerunt post ascensionem domini petrus et alii sacerdotes pauperes antequam ecclesia est dotata, quare ergo non sic facerent hodie? Cum status illi sint seminarium dissencionis et pugne pro dominio seculari. Ideo si doleres propter casum hujusmodi, potissima materia dolendi videtur humiliacio antichristi. Nam blasfeme concessiones indulgenciarum in patria, tediose oneraciones fidelium hic in via, cum tradicionibus et persecucionibus antichristi cessarent in ecclesia; sed felix cessacio, et sic est de omnibus operibus 50que sic fiunt a prelatis hujusmodi extollenter; et sic prosperaretur ecclesia sequente persona que apud deum est excellencior vestigia Christi in moribus et vestigia sancti petri. Nec dubium quin tunc non dominaretur seculariter papa, episcopus vel aliquis clericorum, quia manifestum est ex fide scripture duplicis testamenti quod sic vixit et docuit dominus jhs Christus. Et quantum ad indulgencias, privilegia, et regulacionem ecclesie in lege nova, patet quod foret sibi expediens et toti ecclesie viatorum quod omnes novitates hujusmodi sint sopite. Sic enim fuit tempore Christi antequam antichristus sic regnaverat, et erit post diem judicii vel tempore anteriore quo placet domino jhu Christo. Omnia enim talia videntur esse fantasmata non fundata nec racionibus nec scriptura. Sicut ergo illis deficit fundacio racionis, sic profectus meriti beatitudinis, et sicut in declinacione a veritate claudicant, sic in profectu ad beatitudinem promerendam, ita quod omnes operaciones concernentes sacerdotes cesarios, in quantum tales, non proficiunt directe ad beatitudinem sed impediunt vel retardant. Et ita est de tribus dignitatibus sive officiis que episcopus sibi servat, que sunt juvenum confirmacio, clericorum ordinacio et locorum consecracio. Omnia enim ista sonant in cupidinem vel lucri temporalium vel honoris. Et sic non oportet propter tales cupidines Christum de celo descendere nec in terris ipsum talem vicarium reservare. Licet ergo antichristus videatur ad tempus supra fideles Christi tyrannice dominari, tamen fideles supponunt quod ante diem judicii pars Christi exaltabitur et pars contraria deprimetur; quia certum videtur quod vecordia potencium et timor servilis paciencium est in causa quare sic pars diaboli hodie in angulo habitabilis exaltatur.

Falsehood. If "he who exalts himself shall be humbled",1 it seems that one who so openly attacks the popepapa: pope and the lower prelatesprelatus: prelate of the churchecclesia: church must necessarily be suppressed;2 for if they were to lack secular lordshipdominium: lordship, their estate and dignity would collapse. But who then would grant indulgencesindulgencie: indulgences and privileges, consecrate bishopsepiscopus; dominus episcopus: bishop; the lord bishop and other priestssacerdos / presbiter: priest / presbyter, and settle other doubtful matters that fall to them according to the laws of the church? Do we believe that Christ must always descend from heaven whenever his church is newly to be consulted? However you may speak here in corners, you would not dare to defend these things or say them before the pope.

Truth. Trusting in the faith, I dare to say these things before God. And if I still fear temporal death, as Peter did, I reckon that I ought to defend this teachingsentencia: teaching before the pope. And so, as regards the gospel exaltation that you allege, I ought 49to speak this teaching in a spirit of humility, and to hope that I shall thereby be humbled the more in virtue.3 I speak this teaching, therefore, for the good of the pope and of the church; and if slaying or other penalty should come of it,4 I ask my God to give me the virtue to suffer steadfastly and humbly. And as for the ruin of the estate and dignity of the caesarean prelateprelatus / sacerdos cesarius: caesarean prelate / priest, you could not accuse them more plainly in such matters, for you imply that, contrary to Christ and his apostles, they depend on secular lordship. But far from the faithful be such a dignity of a priest! For it seems that that [dignity] qualifies for a prelacy in hell which is founded, on the wayvia / patria: the way / the homeland, upon earthly goods or worldly honours; for it would be against God's lawlex dei / lex Christi / lex evangelica: God's law / the law of Christ / the gospel law that this worldly elevation should directly exalt anyone in blessedness. Therefore, as a sinner, inasmuch as he is such, is contrary to himself, so, inasmuch as you strive to speak thus for the pope and the caesarean prelates, you speak against them. And so, since this name "pope" is a term outside the faith of scripture, it seems that it was invented at the endowmentdotacio: endowment of the church presumed upon by Caesar.5 And so, if it connotes this ordinanceordinacio; ordinancia: ordinance; of the sacrament, ordination, as you imply, it would be wholesome for the church that there should be no pope or any cardinals; for the bishop of souls, the Lorddominus; dominari: lord; to exercise lordship / to lord it Jesus Christ,6 with his faithful servants, would rule the church militantecclesia militans / triumphans / dormiens: the church militant / triumphant / sleeping far better without such a pope and other prelates. For so Peter and other poor priests did after the Lord's ascension, before the church was endowed:7 why then should they not do so today? — since those estates are a seedbed of dissension and of strife over secular lordship. Therefore, if you should grieve over such a fall, the chief matter for grief seems to be the humbling of Antichrist. For the blasphemous grantsconcessio: grant of indulgences in the homelandvia / patria: the way / the homeland, the wearisome burdenings of the faithful here on the way, together with the traditions and persecutions of Antichrist, would cease in the church; but a happy cessation!8 And so it is with all the works 50that are done thus loftily by such prelates; and so the church would prosper, with the person who is more excellent before God following the footsteps of Christ in conduct and the footsteps of St Peter.9 Nor is there any doubt that then no pope, bishop, or any of the clerics would exercise lordshipdominus; dominari: lord; to exercise lordship / to lord it in a secular way, for it is manifest from the faith of the scriptureex fide: as faith teaches; with a genitive, from the faith of [scripture] of the twofold testament that so the Lord Jesus Christ lived and taught. And as for indulgences, privileges, and the regulation of the church under the new law, it is clear that it would be expedient for him, and for the whole church of wayfarersviator: wayfarer, that all such novelties be laid to rest.10 For so it was in Christ's time, before Antichrist had so reigned, and so it will be after the day of judgement, or at an earlier time, when it pleases the Lord Jesus Christ. For all such things seem to be phantasms, founded neither on reasons nor on scripture. As, therefore, they lack a foundation in reason, so [they lack] advance in the merit of blessedness; and as they limp in their swerving from the truth, so [they limp] in progress towards meriting blessedness; so that all operations concerning caesarean priests, inasmuch as they are such, do not advance directly towards blessedness but hinder or retard [it]. And so it is with the three dignities or offices that the bishop reserves to himself, which are the confirmation of the young, the ordination of clerics, and the consecration of places.11 For all these ring of desire, either of gain in temporal thingstemporalia: temporal goods or of honour. And so there is no need for Christ to descend from heaven for the sake of such desires, nor to keep such a vicar for himself on earth. Although, therefore, Antichrist seems for a time to lord it tyrannically over Christ's faithful, yet the faithful suppose that before the day of judgement Christ's party will be exalted and the contrary party pressed down; for it seems certain that the faint-heartednessvecors; vecorditer; vecordia: faint-hearted; faint-heartedly; faint-heartedness of the powerful and the servile fear of those who suffer is the cause why the devil's party is thus exalted today in a corner of the habitable [world].12

Notes

  1. 1 Luke 14:11 and 18:14 (Matt. 23:12), cited loosely: Wyclif's ille qui se exaltat humiliabitur for the Vulgate's omnis qui se exaltat, humiliabitur (DR "every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled"). The English follows his Latin. Truth takes up the text at 48.27 ("the gospel exaltation that you allege").
  2. 2 Tam manifeste impugnans: "one who so openly attacks", i.e. Truth; Falsehood applies the gospel text to him, as one who exalts himself. At 48.14 the apparatus reports diffamans (B, corrected from infamans; C) and infamans (B¹), "defaming", with inferiores. 48.16: B, B¹, C read corruerent (plural) and dignitates.
  3. 3 48.27 exaltacionem: B, B¹, C read excitacionem, "the gospel incitement". 49.1 dicere: B¹ has docere with dicere in the margin by another hand; C docere, "teach".
  4. 4 Pena exinde eveniat (49.4) was run together in every digitised witness; divided from the plate (n80).
  5. 5 In dotacione ecclesie presumpta per cesarem: presumpta agrees with dotacione, "the endowment presumed upon", i.e. undertaken without warrant, by Caesar; we take it of Constantine's endowment of the church, the usual target of Wyclif's cesareus. Connotet: the logical term, the name "pope" signifying this ordinance secondarily.
  6. 6 Episcopus animarum: 1 Pet. 2:25, "the shepherd and bishop of your souls". 49.20: B, B¹, C read alii for aliqui and dominus noster.
  7. 7 49.24 est dotata: B, B¹, C read erat dotata; the English "was endowed" gives the sense of either.
  8. 8 49.29 in patria: B has patria corrected by another hand from papa; B¹ reads papa, with patria in the margin by another hand. With papa, "the pope's blasphemous grants of indulgences". With patria, the grants that claim effect in the homeland are set against the burdens here on the way. 49.31 sed: B, B¹, C read esset, "it would be a happy cessation".
  9. 9 Sequente persona: an ablative absolute. Que apud deum est excellencior describes whoever leads by holiness before God, not the pope by office; vestigia echoes 1 Pet. 2:21. 50.1 extollenter, "loftily": B¹, C read excellenter. 50.6: B, B¹, C read testimonii for testamenti (B¹ has testamenti in the margin by another hand).
  10. 10 Sibi: we take it of the pope, the head of the list at 50.5; it may be the church, with et toti ecclesie viatorum then widening it. 50.11: B, B¹, C omit antichristus; 50.12 anteriori, B, B¹, C.
  11. 11 Clericorum ordinacio: "the ordination of clerics", the sacrament of orders, not ordinacio as "ordinance" (49.18, tagged there). The glossary row covers only the latter.
  12. 12 In angulo habitabilis: "in a corner of the habitable [world]", answering Falsehood's in angulis (48.21). B, B¹, C read ab illis for habitabilis: "is exalted today in a corner by them".
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 48: CAPITULUM 24m.
    • 49: ∅ (side-note "If it is as you say")
    • 50: Christi
  • Omitted per §3.5 (margin matter): MS marks C. 15 a. (48.15); B. 13 b. (49.1); B¹. 156 c. (49.28); B. 13 c. (49.29); 111 b. (49.31); C. 15 b. (50.2); B. 13 d. (50.26).
  • Side-notes read on plates n79–n81. The draft's 48.1–48.9 notes belong to chapter 23 and were dropped.
  • Latin fixed from the plate: 49.4 penaexindeeveniat divided as pena exinde eveniat (; n. 4).
  • Apparatus consulted: as given in nn. 2–3 and 6–12.