Wyclif’s Latin works

Dialogus, chapter 36

The lords’ remedy: seven years of poverty

Pollard pp. 84.2–85.29

Truth84.2–85.29

84Cum ista sentencia sit tam multipliciter confirmata quod clerus debet servare pauperiem evangelicam instar Christi et apostolorum, sicut patet ex fide duplicis testamenti, et in contrario jacet tantum periculum tam futurum in anima quam temporale sensibile pro presenti, quelibet trium parcium ecclesie, sed specialiter temporales domini, debent istud periculum evitare, et primo in communi interloquio dicere istis prelatis cesariis quod nolunt propter amorem eorum, ymmo pocius propter eorum odium condempnari: et dictum est illis a catholicis quod si continuant in isto facinore clerum sic contra Christi regulam ditando, et non fructuose de ista stulticia penitendo, tunc sunt inexcusabiliter condempnandi, nec experimentum vel humana noticia de prosperitatibus vel aliis mundialibus docet oppositum: ideo volunt exonerare clerum de istis dominiis, sicut clerici fingunt se exonerasse per tempus brachium seculare: non dicunt quod per mille annos sed per septem vel tantum temporis in quanto clare doceant quod ista vita cleri sit fundata ex lege Christi et non cedat seculari brachio in periculum animarum. Et videtur quod istud sit racionabile cum tam clerus quam brachium seculare debet memorare solicite illud quod tantum concernit salutem sue anime; et tam opera Christi quam sua doctrina videntur illis expresse sonare in istam sentenciam. Clerus autem contra ipsam remurmurans in hoc innuit ipsum reum. Quomodo, rogo, domini temporales continuarent hoc opus misericordie per mille annos et clerici ipsum per tantum temporis acceptarunt, et tamen clerici remurmurarent quod 85per septem annos domini temporales exonerarent eos in quo tempore vivere possent facilius et conformius legi Christi! Numquid plus consonat racioni et fidei scripture quod domini temporales subeant istud onus quam quod clerus Christi sit per ipsum a Christi ministerio impeditus? Fratres volunt in isto puncto saltem ex sua professione et regula pro racionabilitate dictorum dominorum temporalium attestari. Et ista commutacio videtur posse prodesse cuilibet trium parcium ecclesie militantis. Prodesset enim clero cum ipsum poneret in numero et mensura quem deus disposuit, et excussis aliis secularibus officiis et vitis pompaticis, clerum ad officium assignatum a Christo pure et integre limitaret. prodesset 2° brachio seculari. Dimitto autem profectum sensibilem mundialem et considero profectum alium spiritalem, scilicet quod domini temporales non tunc necessitarentur indebitare se tercie parti ecclesie, nec esse suis tenentibus, ut dicitur modo, dotatos claustrales et alios onerosi. Quando enim innaturale dominium diabolice introducitur plus vexat subditos quam dominium a domino limitatum. Ideo creditur quod domini temporales forent plus misericordes et plus suis tenentibus graciosi quam clerici, qui contra Christi monita sunt dotati. Et sic prosperaretur tercia pars ecclesie tam in corporalibus quam in spiritualibus. Et totum corpus ecclesie foret secundum legem domini temperatum. Unde videtur quibusdam quod ille est infidelis domino, et cuicunque parti ecclesie tanquam proditor atque hereticus, qui isti sentencie contradicit. Rogo deum quod moveat cunctas tres partes ecclesie ut veritati fructuose consenciant in hac parte. Explicit speculum ecclesie militantis.

Truth. Since this teachingsentencia: teaching has been confirmed in so many ways, that the clergyclerus; clericus: the clergy; cleric ought to keep evangelical poverty after the pattern of Christ and the apostles, as is clear from the faith of the twofold testamentex fide: as faith teaches; with a genitive, from the faith of [scripture], and on the contrary side lies so great a peril, both future, in the soul, and temporal and perceptiblesensibilis: perceptible for the present, each of the three parts of the churchecclesia: church, but especially the temporal lordsdominus; dominari: lord; to exercise lordship / to lord it, ought to avoid this peril,1 and first, in common talk, to say to these caesarean prelatesprelatus: prelate that they do not wish to be damned for love of them, indeed rather for hatred of them.2 And it has been told them by catholics that if they continue in this crime, enrichingditare: to enrich the clergy thus against Christ’s rule and not repenting fruitfully of this folly, then they are to be condemned beyond excuse; nor does experience or human knowledge of prosperities or other worldly things teach the opposite. Therefore they wish to relieve the clergy of these lordshipsdominium: lordship, as the clericsclerus; clericus: the clergy; cleric pretend to have relieved the secular armbrachium seculare: the secular arm for a time. They do not say for a thousand years, but for seven, or for so much time as it takes them to show clearly that this life of the clergy is founded on the law of Christlex dei / lex Christi / lex evangelica: God's law / the law of Christ / the gospel law and does not result, for the secular arm, in the peril of souls.3 And it seems that this is reasonable, since both the clergy and the secular arm ought to call to mind with care that which so greatly concerns the salvation of his soul; and both the works of Christ and his doctrinedoctrina: doctrine seem to them expressly to sound in favour of this teaching. But the clergy, murmuring against it, in this signals itself guilty. How, I ask, should the temporal lordstemporales domini: temporal lords have continued this work of mercy for a thousand years, and the clerics have accepted it for so long a time, and yet the clerics murmur that 85for seven years the temporal lords should relieve them, a time in which they could live more easily and more in conformity with the law of Christ!4 Does it not accord more with reason and with the faith of scripture that the temporal lords should take up this burden than that Christ’s clergy should be hindered by it from Christ’s ministry? The friarsfrater: friar (of the mendicants) / brother, on this point at least, by their profession and rule, are willing to bear witness to the reasonableness of the said temporal lords.5 And this exchangecommutacio; commutare: exchange; to exchange seems able to profit each of the three parts of the church militantecclesia militans / triumphans / dormiens: the church militant / triumphant / sleeping. For it would profit the clergy, since it would put it in the number and measure that God disposed, and, other secular offices and pompous lives being shaken off, would assignlimitare; limites: to assign (an office); limits the clergy purely and wholly to the office appointed by Christ. Secondly, it would profit the secular arm. But I set aside the perceptible worldly profit and consider another, spiritual profit: namely, that the temporal lords would not then be driven to make themselves debtors to the third part of the churchtercia pars ecclesie: the third part of the church,6 nor would endoweddotacio: endowment cloisterersclaustrales: cloisterers and others have to be burdensome to their tenants, as is said now.7 For when an unnatural lordship is brought in by the devil’s working, it vexes subjects more than a lordship assigned by the Lord. Therefore it is believed that the temporal lords would be more merciful and more gracious to their tenants than clerics, who are endowed against Christ’s admonitions. And so the third part of the church would prosper both in bodily things and in spiritual. And the whole body of the church would be tempered according to the law of the Lord. Hence it seems to some that he is faithlessinfidelis: unbeliever; with a dative, faithless (to) to the Lord, and to every part of the church, as a traitor and heretic, who contradicts this teaching.8 I pray God that he move all three parts of the church to consent fruitfully to the truth in this matter. Here ends the Mirror of the Church Militant.9

Notes

  1. 1 No speaker is named in this chapter: the voice continues Truth’s from cap. 35, and at the close (85.26–28) it becomes the author’s own prayer and explicit. Quelibet trium parcium ecclesie … debent: a singular subject with a plural verb, construed by sense. The three parts are the clergy, the temporal lords (the secular arm) and the commons, the tercia pars ecclesie of 85.15 and 85.22.
  2. 2 Propter amorem eorum, ymmo pocius propter eorum odium: eorum is the prelates. Ymmo corrects upward: to go on enriching them would be not love of them but hatred, since it ruins them. The alternative takes eorum odium as subjective ("for their hatred"), which fits the correction less well.
  3. 3 Sicut clerici fingunt se exonerasse per tempus brachium seculare: the clergy’s claim, rehearsed in cap. 35 (p. 82), that the pope relieves the emperor by bearing "the burden of earthly lordship". The lords offer the relief back, not per mille annos (the span of the endowed church in cap. 35) but for seven years, or tantum temporis in quanto clare doceant: "so much time as it takes them to show clearly"; Pollard’s side-note: "till you can show that you ought to hold property". Non cedat seculari brachio in periculum animarum: we take cedat as "result", with a dative of the party affected; "does not yield to the secular arm" is also possible.
  4. 4 84.28 et tamen clerici remurmurarent: B reads cum (corrected from tamen), C cum, B¹ tamen (corrected from cum): with cum, "since the clerics murmur". We translate the print. The sentence is printed with an exclamation mark: an indignant question.
  5. 5 Pro racionabilitate dictorum dominorum temporalium: "of the said temporal lords"; dictorum could also be the noun, "the reasonableness of the temporal lords’ sayings". The friars’ profession of poverty is itself the witness.
  6. 6 Indebitare se tercie parti ecclesie: "to make themselves debtors to the third part", i.e. to lie under obligations to (or to exact dues from) the commons. Pollard’s side-note at 85.14 reads it as "the need of oppressing labourers".
  7. 7 Printed onerosi, agreeing with domini ("nor [would they need] to be burdensome to their tenants"), leaves dotatos claustrales et alios without construction. B, B¹, C read onerosos, which makes the cloisterers the accusative subject of esse; we translate it. Suis tenentibus may then be the cloisterers’ tenants or the lords’. Ut dicitur modo: "as is said now", i.e. by common report.
  8. 8 Infidelis domino: with a dative, "faithless to the Lord", not the row’s "unbeliever", which would lose the construction; the sense is disloyalty, matched by proditor. Cuicunque parti ecclesie: literally "to whatever part of the church", i.e. to every part.
  9. 9 85.26: B, B¹ read Rogo igitur, C Rogo ergo; B, C read istas for cunctas; B¹ omits veritati. After parte the apparatus records, without siglum, "To whom be honour and imperial power for infinite ages of ages. Amen etc." (then in red letters); B: "Corrected in the year of the Lord 1414, the Friday after the feast of George"; B¹: "Here ends the Dialogue of Master John Wic."; and, again without siglum, "And so is the end of the little treatise of M. Jo. W., namely the dialogue".
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 84: CAPITULUM 36m.
    • 84: temporis (tem-|poris)
    • 85: prodesset 2° (2° dropped; scan OCR + Fordham)
  • Side-notes corrected against plates n0115–n0116. The note at 84.26 runs on to 85.1–2 and is given whole at 84.26. At 85.9 the plate shows Christ' (the s not printed or broken); given as Christ’s.
  • MS folio marks omitted per: B. 20 c. (84.10), C. 23 b. (84.20), B. 20 d. (85.9), B¹. 160 c. (85.22).