Wyclif’s Latin works

Dialogus, chapter 9

The new chief priests

Pollard pp. 17.2–19.12

Truth17.2–19.12

17Adhuc pro declaracione ulteriori objectus heretici quem inculcas, notandum est quod sicut avari principes sacerdotum et pharisei legis veteris humanitatem Christi occiderant propter timorem amissionis bonorum temporalium, sic diciores principes sacerdotum pro tempore legis gracie divinitatem Christi, quia veritatem legis evangelice quantum suffecerant extinxerunt. Ideo ut multis videtur postquam majorem Christi gratitudinem perceperant tanquam plus ingrati magis peccaverant. Unde jo 11° sic scribitur: collegerunt pontifices et pharisei concilium adversus jhm et dicebant, quid facimus quia hic homo multa signa facit? Si dimittimus eum sic omnes credent in eum, et venient Romani et tollent locum nostrum et gentem. Sed principes sacerdotum et Pharisei tempore legis gracie habent scriptas bullas et cartas, que omnes sonant in suam avariciam et veritatem evangelicam nituntur extinguere, et promulgantes eam licet trepide persecuntur: et sic ut videtur multis nostri principes sacerdotum et pharisei multipliciter magis peccant, quia sunt sub majori ipocrisi plus ingrati, et non solum cum majori multitudine Christum persecuntur in membris, sed tanquam eis summum odibile contempnunt predicacionem evangelice veritatis. Cujus causa videtur quia sciunt ex fide catholica quod debent Christum sequi in moribus. Et evangelium docet cum vita eorum quod sunt vite et doctrine Christi nimis contrarii. Ideo odiunt quod istud populo declaretur... Et sic quantum ad gloriam quam fingis Christi sacerdotibus debere modo competere, patet quod ignominiam vocas gloriam, cum in statu plus periculoso hortaris quod clerus relinquat arma spiritualia, in quibus debet diabolum, carnem et seculum 18superare et preter hec imponis Christo manifestam blasfemiam quod ipse tanquam reditus istius ignarus, vel conversacionem ecclesie sue necgligens, istum reditum dereliquit. Et quantum ad nominacionem patrimonii crucifixi, patet quod multiplicas blasfemias contra clerum; quia magnum peccatum est prevaricari sic in mandatum domini, sed major blasfemia est imponere Christo quod ipse approbat et necessitat clericos sic peccare. Sic enim, tanquam alter adam, nititur clerus suam culpam in dominum retorquere: mulier inquit, quam dedisti michi sociam dedit michi de ligno et comedi ut patet gen 3° Clerus autem mentitur innuitive longe abjeccius cum dicat quod Christus in ligno fuerat crucifixus ut clerus suus postmodum taliter dominetur. Sed que major blasfemia quam Christo imponere talem culpam? Et per consequens est summa blasfemia quod clerus Christi virtute hujus passionis pauperis et humilis debet sic toto seculo dominari. Et quantum ad cartas et concessiones secularium dominorum patet quod clerus erubesceret inniti tam culpabili fundamento Nam imperator et domini alii in hoc per regem superbie sunt seducti. Ideo expergiscant sompno istius criminis soporati, et cognoscant hoc principium clare demonstrabile apud catholicos quod in nullo valet humana concessio, nisi prehabita licencia a domino capitali. Cum ergo non possunt docere quod ad hoc dominium habebant a Christo licenciam, patet quod tam lege humana quam divina est ista stulta donacio irritanda. Vel ergo oportet ipsos negare blasfeme Christi capitale dominium supra cesarem, vel concedere donacionem istius dominii esse illicitam et per consequens a catholicis respuendam, vel 3° ad hoc ostendere Christi licenciam specialem. Et de quanto clerus vel seculares 19domini in isto crimine diucius immorantur, de tanto in peccato maximo diabolice se indurant. Et quantum ad leges et vitas papales patet quod est confirmacio criminis sicut prius. Quid enim valent iste evidencie nisi probate fuerint racionibus vel scriptura. Sed, cum non sunt in Christo est et non, patet quod impossibile est istorum alterutro tradiciones istas papales vel leges hominum stabilire. Et vellem quod, clerus contra expropriacionem istam remurmurans, etiam papa ad istam racionem efficaciter responderet. Et certum est quod non superest fructuosa responsio, nisi reddicio rei tam diu injuste detente, et istud cum contricione, potest per dei graciam capitali domino complacere.

[TRUTH.] Further, for a further exposition of the heretical objection which you press,1 it is to be noted that, as the avaricious chief priestssacerdos / presbiter: priest / presbyter and Pharisees of the old law killed Christ’s humanity for fear of losing their temporal goodstemporalia: temporal goods, so the richer chief priests in the time of the law of gracelex gracie: the law of grace [have killed] Christ’s divinitydeitas / divinitas: the Godhead / divinity, because they have extinguished the truth of the gospel lawlex dei / lex Christi / lex evangelica: God's law / the law of Christ / the gospel law as far as they were able. Therefore, as it seems to many, since they have received a greater kindness from Christ, they have sinned the more, as being more ungrateful.2 Hence it is written in John 11: "The chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council against Jesus and said: What do we, for this man doth many miracles? If we let him alone so, all will believe in him; and the Romans will come, and take away our place and nation."3 Now the chief priests and Pharisees in the time of the law of grace have bulls and charters in writing, all of which make for their avarice and strive to extinguish the gospel truth; and they persecute, albeit fearfully, those who proclaim it.4 And so, as it seems to many, our chief priests and Pharisees sin more, in many ways, because under a greater hypocrisy they are more ungrateful; and not only do they persecute Christ in his members with a greater multitude, but they despise the preaching of the gospel truth as the thing most hateful to them. The cause of which seems to be that they know from the catholic faithex fide: as faith teaches; with a genitive, from the faith of [scripture] that they ought to follow Christ in their conduct; and the gospel, together with their life, teaches that they are exceedingly contrary to the life and doctrinedoctrina: doctrine of Christ. Therefore they hate that this should be made plain to the people. And so, as for the glory which you pretend ought now to belong to Christ’s priests, it is clear that you call shame glory, since you urge that, in a more perilous state, the clergyclerus; clericus: the clergy; cleric should forsake the spiritual arms with which it ought to 18overcome the devil, the flesh and the world; and besides this you lay to Christ’s charge a manifest blasphemy: that he, as though ignorant of this return, or neglectful of the manner of life of his churchecclesia: church, passed this return over.5 And as for the naming of "the patrimony of the crucified", it is clear that you multiply blasphemies against the clergy;6 for it is a great sin to transgress the Lord’s commandment in this way, but a greater blasphemy to lay to Christ’s charge that he approves and necessitates clerics'clerus; clericus: the clergy; cleric sinning so. For so, like a second Adam, the clergy strives to turn its guilt back upon the Lord: "The woman," he says, "whom thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat," as is clear in Genesis 3. But the clergy lies by implication far more abjectly, since it says that Christ was crucified on the tree so that his clergy might afterwards lord itdominus; dominari: lord; to exercise lordship / to lord it in this way. But what greater blasphemy than to lay such a fault on Christ? And consequently it is the highest blasphemy [to say] that Christ’s clergy, by virtue of this poor and humble passion, ought thus to lord it over the whole world.7 And as for the charters and grantsconcessio: grant of the secular lordsdominus; dominari: lord; to exercise lordship / to lord it, it is clear that the clergy should blush to rest on so culpable a foundation. For the emperor and the other lords were in this led astray by the king of pride.8 Therefore let them, lulled asleep in the slumber of this crime, awake, and let them recognise this principle, clearly demonstrable among catholics: that a human grant is of no force in anything unless leave has first been had from the chief lordcapitalis dominus; tenere de: chief lord; to hold of. Since, therefore, they cannot show that they had leave from Christ for this lordshipdominium: lordship, it is clear that, by human law as much as by divine, this foolish donation is to be made void.9 Therefore they must either blasphemously deny Christ’s chief lordship over Caesar, or grant that the donation of this lordship is unlawful and consequently to be rejected by catholics, or, third, show Christ’s special leave for it. And by as much as the clergy or the secular 19lords linger the longer in this crime, by so much do they harden themselves devilishly in the greatest sin. And as for the papal laws and lives, it is clear that [this] is a confirmation of the crime, as before. For what are these evidencesevidencia: evidence worth unless they have been proved by reasons or by scripture? Now, since in Christ there is not "It is and It is not", it is clear that it is impossible by either of these to establish these papal traditions or the laws of men.10 And I would wish that the clergy, murmuring against this expropriation, and even the popepapa: pope, would answer this reasoning effectively.11 And it is certain that no fruitful answer remains except the restoration of a thing so long unjustly withheld; and this, with contrition, can by God’s grace please the chief lord.

Notes

  1. 1 The chapter continues Truth’s reply begun at 15.19. The print gives no speaker’s name here (plate n48), so "[TRUTH.]" is supplied. Objectus heretici quem inculcas: Falsehood’s objection at 15.6–18 (chapter 8). Truth now takes its points in their order: the clergy’s "former glory", "the patrimony of the crucified", the grants of the temporal lords, and the popes’ lives and laws.
  2. 2 The second clause has no verb of its own. Occiderant is understood with divinitatem Christi, and quia … extinxerunt says how they kill it. The pluperfects perceperant and peccaverant speak of the present clergy and are rendered as perfects. Gratitudinem is the kindness shown to them, not their thankfulness; it answers ingrati. Postquam is taken as causal ("since"); temporal "after" is possible.
  3. 3 John 11:47–48 in DR, with Wyclif’s changes: he omits ergo ("therefore") and adds adversus jhm, "against Jesus", which the Vulgate lacks. At 17.10 B, B¹, C read peccaverunt for peccaverant.
  4. 4 Promulgantes eam licet trepide persecuntur: we take licet trepide ("albeit fearfully") with persecuntur, recalling the fear of the priests in John 11. It may instead go with promulgantes: "they persecute those who proclaim it, though timidly".
  5. 5 Reditus is taken as the clergy’s "return" to wealth: Falsehood’s clerus ad priorem gloriam revertatur (15.9) and Truth’s redire (15.21). The medieval sense "revenue" is possible: "as though ignorant of this revenue … he gave up this revenue". Dereliquit, literally "abandoned", is rendered "passed over".
  6. 6 "The patrimony of the crucified": Falsehood’s name for the church’s estates at 15.10.
  7. 7 Gen. 3:12 in DR; Wyclif adds inquit, "he says". Wyclif plays on the tree: Adam’s de ligno, Christ crucified in ligno. Innuitive: "by implication". Dominari is pejorative here, "to lord it". Virtute hujus passionis throws back Falsehood’s virtute passionis sue (15.12). At 18.9 B, B¹, C read deum for dominum ("upon God"); at 18.11 they omit de ligno; at 18.14–16 they omit quam … blasfemia, running the two sentences together: "But what greater blasphemy than that Christ’s clergy … ought thus to lord it".
  8. 8 Rex superbie: the devil, from Job 41:25, "he is king over all the children of pride". Imperator: Constantine, whose endowment of the church is ista stulta donacio below (18.27) and is laid at his door at p. 72.
  9. 9 Dominus capitalis: the feudal chief lord of whom land is held; Christ is chief lord over Caesar (18.28), so no grant to the clergy holds without his leave. Compare the English mortmain law, under which land passed to the church only by licence (Statute of Mortmain, 1279). At 18.23 B reads contraria for humana, with humana in the margin. At 18.27 irritanda, "to be made void", has evitanda ("to be shunned") written above it by another hand in B; B¹ and C read evitanda, with irritanda in the margin in another hand.
  10. 10 Est et non: 2 Cor. 1:19, "was not: It is and It is not. But, It is, was in him". Christ does not contradict himself, so neither reasons nor scripture (istorum alterutro) can establish the papal traditions. At 19.5 B¹ reads nisi est est et non.
  11. 11 Clerus … remurmurans, etiam papa … responderet: the verb is singular. We take clerus and papa as joint subjects. Alternatively clerus … remurmurans stands absolute: "since the clergy murmurs against this expropriation, I would wish that even the pope would answer". Expropriacionem: the taking of their property from the clergy. B, B¹, C omit contra; B reads exprobracionem ("reproach") with correpcionem between the lines; B¹ has exprobracionem in the margin in another hand.
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 17: CAPITULUM 9m.
    • 17: jo 11° (print: jo 11° (John xi))
  • Omitted per §3.5 / kept in the English (margin matter): reference Johnxi. 47. (17.10); Gen. iii. 12 (18.10).
  • Side-notes read on plates n48–n50 (n49 fetched from archive.org this session). The draft’s 18.26 line is two notes on the plate (18.26, 18.28); the 19.4–19.7 fragments are two notes (19.4, 19.6). The draft’s 19.14–19.22 notes belong to chapter 10. The draft’s "C. 5 b." and "Gen. iii." are folio and scripture references, not side-notes.
  • Plate check, 17.26 declaretur...: the plate prints declaretur. with a full stop and no ellipsis. A working transcription artefact; the Latin block is left as frozen and translated as the plate reads.
  • Apparatus consulted (pp. 17–19; on p. 17 the apparatus keys sacerdotum to line 2, but the word stands at 17.3): 17.3 sacerdotum om. B, B¹, C; 17.10 peccaverunt (n. 3); 17.18 et om., sacerdotum om., B, B¹, C; 17.30 mundum for seculum, B, B¹, C; 18.9 deum, 18.11 de ligno om., 18.14–16 quam … blasfemia om. (n. 7); 18.23 contraria, 18.27 evitanda (n. 9); 18.25 habeant, B, B¹, C; 18.30 2° for 3° and ostendere ad hoc, B, B¹, C; 19.2 diabolico, B, B¹, C; 19.5 (n. 10); 19.8 (n. 11); 19.10 frivola for fructuosa, B, B¹, C (print kept: the variant does not construe well with non superest … nisi).