Wyclif’s Latin works

Dialogus, chapter 4

The second law: Deuteronomy 18

Pollard pp. 7.12–9.10

Truth7.12–9.10

7veritas. Secundum testimonium legis veteris scribitur deut 18° sub hiis verbis Non habebunt sacerdotes et levite et omnes qui de eadem tribu sunt partem et hereditatem cum reliquo populo israel, quia sacrificia domini et oblaciones comedent et nichil aliud accipient de possessione fratrum suorum. Dominus enim ipse est hereditas eorum sicut locutus est illis. Ex ista lege cum interpretacione legislatoris domini Jhu Christi patet expresse fidelibus cum facto vocate romane ecclesie quam expresse sunt sacerdotes moderni contrarii legi dei. Nam ubi deus mandat negativam, quod non habebunt sacerdotes et levite partem et hereditatem cum reliquo populo, clerus cum papa ex concessione stulta cesaris stabilit sibi pro lege 8perpetua quod sacerdotes et levite habebunt capitaliter hereditatem perpetuam, que per totum Christianismum a suis fratribus et dominis debeat ocupari. Unde cum hoc violentum et tam innaturale, a deo proibitum, sit abhominabile deo et angelis ac ecclesie militanti, non mirum si conversantes cum illis de isto dominio tam abhominabili dedignantur. Et ideo non mirum necessitantur dicti clerici arma crudelius macabeis arripere et pugnare. Et sic officium prime partis et secunde ecclesie simpliciter est subversum. Ideo si officium heretici, in quantum talis, sit false dogmatizare scripture sacre contrarie, etiam in sermone, patet ex hoc facto quod ipsa curia dogmatizans in opere tam pertinaciter et false dicte scripture contrarie sit hereticus manifestus, et eo patencius quo pupplicat dictam heresim tam manifeste per ecclesiam militantem. Quomodo rogo non verecundaretur hec sinagoga sathane pupplicare populo quod sit immediatus et proximus vicarius Christi et suorum apostolorum. Et tamen in vita ipsis tam notorie adversantur. Frons quidem meretricis facta est illi et ideo est signum evidens quod sit diabolus induratus. Nec valet excusacio antichristi quod non sunt heretici nisi probatum fuerit judicialiter quod sunt tales, et non superest homo super terram qui de ipsis summis partibus ecclesie poterit hoc probare; nam facta eorum cum vita hoc satis innuunt esse verum. Et per consequens apud Christum summum judicem deum nostrum, qui intuetur singula opera humana antequam fiant est luce clarius hoc probatum. Et 9probacioni sue atque judicio oportet fidelem stare plusquam judicio pilativo. Christus enim ex fide dixit jo 10 judeis perfidis Si non facio opera patris mei nolite mihi credere Si autem facio etsi michi non vultis credere operibus credite. Si autem Christus deus et homo ex fide reliquit judeis judicium ex suis operibus judicandum, quis est iste antichristus qui non vult ex operibus in malicia tam patentibus ab hominibus judicari. Non enim requiritur nobis processus in foro cesario sed processus in foro consciencie, ad sic quomodo Christus exigit operandum.

Truth. The second testimony of the old law is written in Deut. 18, in these words: "The priestssacerdos / presbiter: priest / presbyter and Levites, and all that are of the same tribe, shall have no part nor inheritance with the rest of the people of Israel, because they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord, and the oblations, and they shall receive nothing else of the possession of their brethrenfrater: friar (of the mendicants) / brother: for the Lord himself is their inheritance, as he hath said to them."1 From this law, with the interpretation of the lawgiver, the Lord Jesus Christ, together with the deed of the so-called Roman churchecclesia: church, it is expressly clear to the faithful how expressly the modern priests are contrary to God’s lawlex dei / lex Christi / lex evangelica: God's law / the law of Christ / the gospel law. For where God commands the negative, that the priests and Levites shall not have part and inheritance with the rest of the people, the clergyclerus; clericus: the clergy; cleric with the popepapa: pope, by Caesar’s foolish grantconcessio: grant, establishes for itself as a perpetual 8law that priests and Levites shall have in chief a perpetual inheritance, which throughout all Christendom is to be occupied from their brethren and lordsdominus; dominari: lord; to exercise lordship / to lord it.2 Hence, since this violent and so unnatural thing, forbidden by God, is abominable to God and to the angels and to the church militantecclesia militans / triumphans / dormiens: the church militant / triumphant / sleeping, no wonder if those who live among them are indignant at this so abominable lordshipdominium: lordship.3 And therefore, no wonder, the said clericsclerus; clericus: the clergy; cleric are compelled to seize arms and fight more cruelly than the Maccabees. And so the office of the first part and of the second part of the church is overturned without qualificationsimpliciter / secundum quid: without qualification / in a certain respect. Therefore, if the office of a heretic, insofar as he is such, is to teach falsely what is contrary to holy scripture, even in word, it is clear from this deed that the curia itself, teaching in deed so obstinately and so falsely what is contrary to the said scripture, is a manifest heretic, and the more plainly so as it publishes the said heresy so manifestly throughout the church militant. How, I ask, would this synagogue of Satan not be ashamed to publish to the people that it is the immediate and nearest vicar of Christ and of his apostles? And yet in life they oppose them so notoriously. Indeed a harlot’s forehead is made for it, and therefore it is an evident sign that it is a hardened devil.4 Nor does Antichrist’s excuse avail, that they are not heretics unless it has been proved judicially that they are such, and that there remains no man on earth who could prove this of those very highest parts of the church; for their deeds, with their life, sufficiently indicate this to be true. And consequently, before Christ, the highest judge, our God, who beholds every human work before it is done, this is proved clearer than daylight. And 9by his proof and judgement the believer must abide, rather than by a Pilate’s judgement. For Christ, as faith teachesex fide: as faith teaches; with a genitive, from the faith of [scripture], said to the faithless Jews in John 10: "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though you will not believe me, believe the works."5 Now if Christ, God and man, as faith teaches, left to the Jews the judgement to be made from his works, who is this Antichrist who will not be judged by men from works so patent in malice? For what is required of us is not a process in Caesar’s court but a process in the court of conscience, for acting in the way Christ requires.6

Notes

  1. 1 Deut. 18:1–2. Wyclif has cum reliquo populo israel for the Vulgate’s cum reliquo Israel, and oblaciones without the Vulgate’s ejus ("his oblations"; B, C oblaciones eius). Otherwise as the Vulgate, and in DR’s wording. Secundum testimonium legis veteris: taken as the ordinal, "the second testimony", which suits the chapter’s sequence (ch. 3 gave the "first law"); secundum could also be the preposition, "according to the testimony of the old law, it is written".
  2. 2 Capitaliter: "in chief", the tenure word of capitali domino (2.19). Christ alone is chief lord there; here the clergy make themselves holders in chief. A suis fratribus et dominis … ocupari: we take a as "from", the "possession of their brethren" of Deut. 18:2 taken over. Read as an agent ("to be occupied, i.e. held as tenants, by their brethren and lords") it also makes sense beside capitaliter: the clergy hold in chief and the laity occupy under them, an inversion of 2.19. Ex concessione stulta cesaris: the emperor’s endowment of the church, which the Dialogus later calls ista stulta donacio (p. 18) and lays at Constantine’s door (p. 72). B¹ omits cesaris; B, C stabiliunt.
  3. 3 Conversantes cum illis … dedignantur: "those who live among them" (the laity) "are indignant at" the lordship. Another hand in B glosses in the margin scilicet qui aufugiunt dominacionem secularem, "namely, those who flee secular lordship". B, C read non mirum quod in the next sentence (8.7).
  4. 4 Sinagoga sathane: Apoc. 2:9, 3:9. Frons … meretricis facta est illi: Jer. 3:3, where the Vulgate has Frons mulieris meretricis facta est tibi ("thou hadst a harlot’s forehead"); Wyclif drops mulieris and turns it to the third person.
  5. 5 Ex fide: "as faith teaches", i.e. on the authority of scripture; so again at 9.5. It could be "in good faith", set against judeis perfidis; we keep the sense Wyclif gives the phrase at 9.24 and 11.7. John 10:37–38 in DR’s wording: Wyclif’s nolite mihi credere only reverses the Vulgate’s order. B, B¹, C omit Si autem … credite (9.3–4).
  6. 6 Judicio pilativo (9.2): "a Pilate’s judgement", the verdict of a worldly court like Pilate’s (B¹, C pilatino). In foro cesario … in foro consciencie: the external court and the court of conscience, the internal forum. Ad sic quomodo Christus exigit operandum: construed as ad sic operandum quomodo Christus exigit.
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 7: CAPITULUM 4m.
    • 7: 18° (degree sign)
    • 8: pupplicare (print form (only 3 voters))
    • 8: ∅ (duplicate of the second half of in-|duratus)
    • 8: non
    • 9: Si
    • 9: facio
  • Omitted per §3.5 / kept in the English (margin matter): reference Deut. xviii. 1 (7.12); reference John x. 37, 38 (9.2). The draft also listed John viii. (7.6) and Ezekiel xliv. 28 (9.13), which fall outside this chunk.
  • Side-notes read on plates n38–n40. The draft glued 8.6 and 8.9 into one note; on the plate "The Papal Court is thus heretical…" is a separate block at 8.9. The 7.21 note runs over the page to 8.1 and is joined. The draft’s 7.1–7.10 notes belong to chapter 3, and 9.14 to chapter 5.
  • Apparatus consulted: 7.15 oblaciones eius, B, C; comedunt, C (n. 1); 7.19 vocato, C; 7.23 (n. 2); 8.6–7 (n. 3); 8.9 subversum corr. ex submersum, B; 8.18 adversatur, B, B¹, C; 8.20 sint, B¹, C; 9.1 iudicem for iudicio, B; 9.2 pilatino, B¹, C (n. 6); 9.3–4 (n. 5).