Wyclif’s Latin works

De ecclesia, chapter 14, part 7

Silvester received alms, not lordship; the two greatnesses of pope and emperor

Loserth pp. 322.5–326.31

¶1322.5–323.10

322Falsum ergo assumitur quod sacerdos Christi accipit dominacionem civilem a Christo, sicut nec Silvester accepit a cesare, sed elemosinam accepit ab eo. Prius ergo tempore et natura habuit Silvester omnia bona imperii, immo fuit dominus super astra et omnia inferiora homine in natura, sed non titulo civili, ymmo titulo gracie quo iusti sunt omnia; sed post accepit in usum corporalem titulo elemosine post donacionem cesaris, et adhuc in illa elemosinacione cesaris prius naturaliter sed non prius tempore egit Deus. Unde nec Constantinus nec Deus ipse potuit donasse dominacionem civilem beato Silvestro stante puro ordine clericali, ideo cum illa non habet auctoritatem a scriptura sacra, et cum secundum Augustinum si sit utilis, in scriptura sacra invenitur, manifesta patet quod non ad sensum catholicum intelligitur illa carta Constantini, posita in decretis, XCVIª d., Constantinus, quod resignavit sibi ibidem dominacionem civilem, sed elemosinam vocatam perpetuam vel stante civili dominio apud cesarem vel extincto. Et quantum ad dictum Nicolai Putanensis, patet quod equivocat vel blasphemat. Nam Christus facto et verbo precepit et docuit clericos suos subdi principibus, sic enim precepit Petro Matthei XVII°, 25, quod solveret didragmam cesari pro Christo et Petro figurante suam ecclesiam, et interrogatus si licet dare censum cesari, ostenso sibi denario cuius imago et superscripcio erat cesaris, sic subiungit: Reddite ergo 323que sunt cesaris cesari et que sunt Dei Deo. Et Petrus ex ista doctrina precepit suis (quod et facto docuit) ut sint subiecti regibus et ducibus eciam discolis (ut patet prima Petri II°, 18). Et Apostolus docet Rom. XIII°, 7, quomodo debemus obedire principibus, cui tributum dantes tributum, et cui vectigal vectigal, et multo magis nos qui sumus elemosinarii secularium principum debemus esse subiecti nostris elemosinantibus, cum tam graves et sancti apostoli non sic dotati a principibus ita fecerunt.

It is falsely assumed, therefore, that a priestsacerdos / presbiter: priest / presbyter of Christ receives civil exercise of lordshipdominacio: exercise of lordship from Christ, just as Silvester did not receive it from Caesar either, but received almselemosina: alms from him. Earlier, therefore, in time and in nature Silvester had all the goods of the empire; indeed he was lord over the stars and all things lower than man in nature, but not by civil titletitulus: title, rather by the title of grace, by which "all things belong to the just"; but afterwards he received [them] for bodily use by the title of alms, after Caesar’s donation; and even in that almsgivingelemosinacio: almsgiving of Caesar God acted first by nature, but not first in time. Hence neither Constantine nor God himself could have given civil exercise of lordship to blessed Silvester while the pure clerical order stood; therefore, since it has no authority from holy scripture, and since according to Augustine, "if it is useful, it is found in holy scripture", it is manifestly clear that that charter of Constantine, placed in the Decrees, dist. 96, Constantinus, is not understood in the catholic sense [as saying] that he there resigned civil exercise of lordship to him, but [as giving] so-calledvocatus (vocata bona, vocata ecclesia): so-called perpetual alms, with civil lordshipdominium: lordship either remaining with Caesar or extinguished.1 And as to the saying of Nicholas Putanensis, it is clear that he equivocates or blasphemes. For Christ by deed and by word commanded and taught his clericsclerus; clericus: the clergy; cleric to be subject to princes; for so he commanded Peter, Matthew 17:25, to pay the didrachma to Caesar for Christ and for Peter, who figured his church; and when asked whether it is lawful to give tribute to Caesar, a denarius having been shown him whose image and inscription were Caesar’s, he adds thus: "Render therefore to Caesar 323the things that are Caesar’s; and to God, the things that are God’s."2 And Peter, from this doctrinedoctrina: doctrine, commanded his own (which he also taught by deed) "to be subject to kings and governors, even to the frowarddiscoli: froward" (as is clear from 1 Peter 2:18).3 And the Apostle teaches, Romans 13:7, how we ought to obey princes, giving tribute to whom tribute, and custom to whom custom; and much more ought we, who are almsmenelemosinarius: almsman of secular princes, to be subject to our almsgiverselemosinans: almsgiver, since apostles so weighty and holy, not so endowed by princes, did so.4

¶2323.11–324.16

323Ulterius conceditur quod sacerdocium est dignius civili imperio, et sic minimus sacerdos (in quantum talis) est maior quam temporalis dominus (in quantum talis), cum potestas spiritualis sit prestancior corporali. Sed notandum (ut supra dixi) quod est dare duplicem dignitatem et maioritatem, scilicet quoad iudicium Dei secundum leges suas vel quoad iudicium mundi secundum suas leges. Quoad iudicium Dei secundum suas leges diffinit Christus Matthei XI°, 11, quod inter natos mulierum non surrexit maior Johanne Baptista, nam persona humilior et ad utilitatem ecclesie ministrativior est quoad Deum maior (ut patet Luce XXII°, 27). Secundo modo ille qui secundum leges humanas habet primatum in reputacione eorum superiorem vocatur apud mundum maior et dignior, licet sit aput Deum indignior; et isto modo constituit Constantinus quod episcopus Romanus sit dignior aliis, ut patet XCVIª d., non respiciens sive fuerit dignior sive indignior quoad Deum. Unde nec imperator nec cardinales habent potestatem constituendi hominem in tali dignitate, nec licet fideli asserere quod, eo ipso quo isti sic decreverunt vel elegerunt, oportet Deum 324assistere dando constituto in tali primatu dignitatem et maioritatem simpliciter quoad Deum, quia illud sacramentum non est fundabile ex scriptura sacra. Istis premissis patet quod Christi sacerdocium et clericatus in exproprietariis sortis sue est dignius dominacione civili, sed summa stulticia foret ex istis concludere quod omnis sacerdos debet excellencius dominari civiliter. Nam iuxta istam vesaniam sequeretur quod Deus et omnes angeli excellencius quam papa dominarentur civiliter. Iste ergo dignitates in papa et imperatore sunt disparium specierum nec sunt compossibiles in eadem persona simplici propter imperfeccionem quam sapit civile dominium. Unde passiva elemosinacio est perfeccior quam civilis dominacio, et (ut alias dixi) vocata civilitas in mixto clerico facit subiectum imperfeccius, quam foret pure clericus ceteris paribus.

Further, it is granted that the priesthood is worthier than civil empire, and so the least priest (as such) is greater than a temporal lordtemporales domini: temporal lords (as such), since spiritual power is more excellent than bodily. But it is to be noted (as I said above) that there is a twofold dignity and greatnessprioritas; majoritas: priority; greatness: namely as to the judgment of God according to his laws, or as to the judgment of the world according to its laws.5 As to the judgment of God according to his laws, Christ defines, Matthew 11:11, that "there hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist"; for the humbler person, and the one more given to ministering for the usefulness of the churchecclesia: church, is greater as to God (as is clear from Luke 22:27). In the second way, he who according to human laws has a primacy superior in their reputation is called greater and worthier before the world, though he be less worthy before God; and in this way Constantine established that the Roman bishopepiscopus; dominus episcopus: bishop; the lord bishop should be worthier than the others, as is clear from dist. 96, not regarding whether he was worthier or less worthy as to God.6 Hence neither the emperor nor the cardinals have power to establish a man in such dignity, nor is it lawful for a believer to assert that, by the very fact that they have so decreed or elected, God must 324assist by giving to the one established in such a primacy dignity and greatness without qualificationsimpliciter / secundum quid: without qualification / in a certain respect as to God; for that sacrament cannot be founded from holy scripture.7 These things premised, it is clear that the priesthood of Christ, and the clerical stateclericatus: clerical state in the propertylessexproprietarii / exproprietarie: the propertyless / without property of his lot, is worthier than civil exercise of lordship;8 but it would be the height of folly to inferconcludere: to infer from these that every priest ought to exercise lordshipdominus; dominari: lord; to exercise lordship / to lord it civilly more excellently. For according to this madness it would follow that God and all the angels would exercise lordship civilly more excellently than the popepapa: pope. These dignities, therefore, in the pope and the emperor are of disparate species, and they are not compossiblecompossibilis: compossible in the same simple person, because of the imperfection which civil lordshipdominium civile / naturale / evangelicum: civil / natural / evangelical lordship savours of. Hence passive almsgiving is more perfect than civil exercise of lordship; and (as I have said elsewhere) so-called civil standingcivilitas: civil standing in a mixed cleric makes the subject less perfect than he would be as purely a cleric, other things being equal.9

¶3324.17–325.21

324Et quantum ad auctoritatem apostoli, Hebreorum VII°, 7, dicitur quod (sic habet textus noster) sine ulla autem contradiccione quod minus est a meliori benedicitur; quod intelligendum de benediccione auctoritativa, non positiva obice in benedicente. Nam omnia opera domini benedicunt creatori, et sacerdos, membrum diaboli, benedicit predestinato, carissimo filio Dei. Ideo maneat quicunque sacerdos sine hoc quod contradicat suo ordini et est melior layco (in quantum huiusmodi) cui potestative benedicit. Sed longe hoc ad inferendum quod clericus debet dominari civiliter, cum racione maioritatis infertur oppositum. Clericus ergo debet aufugere primatum, gloriam et excellenciam quoad mundum, et in hoc consistit eius maioritas quoad Deum. Nec video quomodo fundabitur pure ex fide scripture quod oportet imperatorem accipere imperium a suo pontifice. Consonum tamen est quod benedicat electo tamquam superior quoad 325Deum, sed non oportet si confirmaverit imperatorem quod ipse sit excellencius imperator, quia tunc foret coniugatus et omnis ordinis. Sicut ergo Deus potest conferre alteri denominacionem creatam, licet in se non habeat hanc vel talem, sed habet in se virtutem excellenciorem, sic est de prepositis ecclesie. Nec movet consideracio de monade, quia solus Christus est caput universalis ecclesie, sanccior in clero militante, ad cuius ducatum maior pars militantis ecclesie ambulat vias domini, est caput militantis ecclesie quoad Deum. Sed ille in quem militans ecclesia consenserit ut primatem est caput militantis ecclesie quoad mundum. In alio autem genere primatus est imperator, et sic tam papa quam imperator uterque alteri subiectus, sed papa simpliciter superior si non ponat contradiccionem in nomine. Et sicut materia prima et forma sunt duo genera causarum quarum est dare materiam causam primam in suo genere, et formam causam primam in suo genere, et mundum primum ex eis compositum utroque genere perfeccionum, sic est in elementari composicione militantis ecclesie.

And as to the authority of the Apostle, Hebrews 7:7, the answer isdicitur multipliciter: is said in many ways that (so our text has it) "And without all contradiction, that which is less is blessed by the better"; which is to be understood of authoritative blessing, with no positive obstacle in the one blessing.10 For all the works of the Lord bless the Creator, and a priest who is a membermembrum: member of the devil blesses a predestinate manpredestinatus, -i: the predestinate (sg. "a predestinate [person]"), a most dear son of God.11 Therefore let any priest whatever remain without contradicting his order, and he is better than the layman (as such) whom he blesses with power.12 But this is far from inferring that a cleric ought to exercise lordship civilly, since by reason of greatness the opposite is inferred. A cleric, therefore, ought to flee primacy, glory and excellence as to the world, and in this consists his greatness as to God. Nor do I see how it will be founded purely from the faith ofex fide: as faith teaches; with a genitive, from the faith of [scripture] scripture that the emperor must receive the empire from his pontiff. Yet it is fitting that he bless the one elected, as superior as to 325God; but it does not follow, if he has confirmed the emperor, that he himself is emperor more excellently, for then he would be married and of every order.13 Just as, therefore, God can confer on another a created namingdenominacio; denominare: naming; to name, though he does not have this or such a one in himself, but has in himself a more excellent power, so it is with the superiorsprepositi: superiors of the church. Nor does the consideration of the monad move [us], because Christ alone is headcaput: head of the universal church; the holier [man] in the clergy militant, under whose leadership the greater part of the church militantecclesia militans / triumphans / dormiens: the church militant / triumphant / sleeping walks the ways of the Lord, is head of the church militant as to God. But he on whom the church militant has agreed as primate is head of the church militant as to the world.14 And in another genus of primacy is the emperor; and so pope and emperor are each subject to the other, but the pope is superior without qualification, if he does not set a contradiction in the name.15 And just as prime matter and form are two genera of causes, of which one must posit matter as first cause in its genus, and form as first cause in its genus, and the first world composed of them with both genera of perfections, so it is in the elemental composition of the church militant.

¶4325.22–326.11

325Unde absit fidelem credere quod quilibet sacerdos Christi (in quantum huiusmodi) sit superior in dominacione civili quam aliquis rex vel dominus secularis, ut dicit doctor predictus. Si tamen papa haberet dominacionem illam immediate a Christo et non ex titulo elemosine cesaris, non video quin oporteret concedere quod papa et totum genus sacerdotum dominaretur seculariter super singulos reges terre, ita quod sicut quelibet superficies dicitur infinitum maior quam linea, sic quelibet sacerdotis dominacio civilis foret infinitum maior quam aliqua dominacio principis secularis. Et potest hoc confirmari, cum sacerdos et 326specialiter papa potest iniungere cuicunque principi virtute potestatis clavium quod renunciando toti dominacioni sue det ecclesie in perpetuam elemosinam cuncta que possidet. Vicarius ergo Christi potest virtute clavium habere quotquot bona voluerit ex privilegio concesso Petro Matthei XVI°. Sed (ut dixi superius) nec tenetur secularis pandere sibi peccata, quantumcunque restrinxerit potestatem clavium, nec talem penam acceptare sive consilium pro salutari penitencia nisi gratis voluerit, et si vicarius Christi inordinate urgeat, tenetur resistere.

Hence far be it from a believer to believe that every priest of Christ (as such) is superior in civil exercise of lordship to any king or secular lord, as the aforesaid doctor says.16 Yet if the pope had that exercise of lordship immediately from Christ, and not by the title of Caesar’s alms, I do not see but that one would have to grant that the pope and the whole race of priests would lord it in secular fashion over every one of the kings of the earth, so that, just as any surface whatever is said to be infinitely greater than a line, so any priest’s civil exercise of lordship whatever would be infinitely greater than any exercise of lordship of a secular prince. And this can be confirmed, since a priest, and 326especially the pope, can enjoin on any prince whatever, by virtue of the power of the keys, that, renouncing his whole exercise of lordship, he give the church as perpetual alms all that he possesses. The vicar of Christvicarius Christi: vicar of Christ, therefore, can by virtue of the keys have as many goods as he wishes, by the privilegeprivilegium / privilegiare / privilegiacio: privilege / to privilege / privileging granted to Peter, Matthew 16. But (as I said above) a secularecclesia laycalis / secularis: the lay church / the secular church is not bound to lay open his sins to him, however hard he has pressed the power of the keys, nor to accept such a penalty or counsel as a salutary penance unless he freely wishes; and if the vicar of Christ presses inordinately, he is bound to resist.17

¶5326.12–326.26

326Nec moveat quod Gregorius XI fuerit in genere secularis dominii capitalis dominus regni nostri, ex hoc quod potuit catholicare omnes cartas religiosorum possessionatorum in Anglia, quo facto fuissent exempti a iurisdiccione regali. Item, potuit arrestare per bullas suas quemcunque hominem legium regis nostri eciam infra regnum nostrum, non petita licencia a rege, et tercio (quod maximum est) ipse potest hereticare quod domini temporales possunt auferre temporalia ab ecclesia delinquente, et per consequens catholicare eius oppositum. Ista, inquiunt quidam, fecit de facto satis legitime. Sed deliramenta sunt ista, quia sic rex Anglie teneret de utroque archiepiscopo in capite, non econtra; sicut enim papa se habet ad cesarem, sic archiepiscopus noster se habet ad regem quoad illud genus dominii.

Nor let it move [us] that Gregory XI was, in the genus of secular lordship, chief lordcapitalis dominus; tenere de: chief lord; to hold of of our kingdomregnum: kingdom, on the ground that he could declare catholiccatholicare / hereticare: to declare catholic / to pronounce heretical all the charters of the religiousreligiosi: the religious who are possessionerspossessionati: the possessioners in England, which done, they would have been exempt from the royal jurisdiction.18 Again, he could arrest by his bulls any liege man of our king whatever, even within our kingdom, without asking leave of the king; and thirdly (what is greatest) he can pronounce hereticalcatholicare / hereticare: to declare catholic / to pronounce heretical [the proposition] that temporal lords can take away temporal goodstemporalia: temporal goods from a delinquent church, and consequently declare its opposite catholic.19 These things, some say, he did in fact quite lawfully. But these are ravings; for so the king of England would hold ofcapitalis dominus; tenere de: chief lord; to hold of each archbishop in chiefin capite (tenure): in chief, not the reverse; for as the pope stands to Caesar, so our archbishop stands to the king as to that genus of lordship.20

¶6326.27–326.31

326Item, tunc omnes fratres ex vi potestatis clavium dominarentur seculariter toti mundo, quod est contra professionem eorum et (ut ipsi vere credunt) contra legem Christi. Sic enim quilibet dominus secularis iniuriaretur presbitero detinendo sua temporalia.

Again, then all the friars, by force of the power of the keys, would lord it in secular fashion over the whole world, which is against their profession and (as they truly believe) against the law of Christlex dei / lex Christi / lex evangelica: God's law / the law of Christ / the gospel law. For so every secular lord would wrong a presbytersacerdos / presbiter: priest / presbyter by withholding his temporal goods.21

Notes

  1. 1 Decretum D. 96 c. 14 (Constantinus), the editor’s reference (322.21 foot: "Dec. I pars, dist. XCVI, c. XIV"); the modern form is ours. The alms are "perpetual" whether Caesar’s civil lordship continues beside them or is extinguished. S. "If it is useful, it is found in holy scripture" (322.18–19, italic in the print): Augustine, De doctrina christiana II.42.63, si utile est, ibi invenitur (PL 34:65), paraphrased.
  2. 2 Matt. 17:25 in the editor’s numbering (the stater is at Vulgate 17:26, "give it to them for me and thee"); in Matthew the didrachma is asked by its collectors, and Wyclif’s "to Caesar" is his reading of the episode. Matt. 22:21 (the editor, 322.28 foot).
  3. 3 The command to be subject to kings and governors is 1 Pet. 2:13–14; "even to the froward" is 2:18, said of servants and their masters.
  4. 4 The manuscripts read Rom. XII; the editor corrects the chapter (323.5 foot). Rom. 13:7 in DR wording; Wyclif’s dantes ("giving") replaces the Vulgate’s Reddite ... omnibus debita.
  5. 5 A omits dare (323.15); B omits quoad — leges (323.17). Dignitas is "dignity" throughout, dignior "worthier"; maioritas is "greatness".
  6. 6 The same canon of D. 96, Wyclif’s reference without a canon number, c. 14 (Constantinus, a palea), where the Roman pontiff is made celsior et princeps cunctis sacerdotibus (Friedberg I, 343–44). A and A₁ read episcopus suus (323.27); B reads ministracior for ministrativior (323.22).
  7. 7 Tali dignitate: the dignity as to God just denied to the electors. Illud sacramentum is taken as "that sacrament", a sacred bond by which election would bind God to confer worth; "mystery" is possible.
  8. 8 Sors is the clergy’s lot (clerus, Greek klēros); in exproprietariis sortis sue: in those of that lot who own nothing.
  9. 9 Persona simplex and mixtus clericus: the unmixed person against the cleric who also holds civil lordship. A reads ceteris pauperibus (324.16), corrected in A₁.
  10. 10 Heb. 7:7, as the Vulgate (a meliore) and the editor (320.15 foot). Non positiva obice in benedicente is taken as "with no positive obstacle in the one blessing"; it may stand for the scholastic non posito obice, "no obstacle being placed" (324.19).
  11. 11 Cf. Dan. 3:57, "All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord." The manuscripts read membra; membrum is the editor’s (324.23 foot).
  12. 12 Maneat ... sine hoc quod contradicat suo ordini: provided he does not contradict his order, the priest as such is better than the layman he blesses.
  13. 13 The pope who blesses the emperor no more becomes emperor than, blessing marriages and conferring orders, he becomes married and of every order (side-note 324.34). B’s margin (324.32): the receiving of the empire is not founded in faith or scripture.
  14. 14 The editor glosses monade as unitate (325.7 foot). A and B note in the margin de triplici capite: Christ, head of the universal church; the holier cleric, head of the church militant as to God; the primate, its head as to the world. The clause sanccior in clero militante ... est caput (325.9–10) stands without a connective, perhaps with one lost.
  15. 15 Si non ponat contradiccionem in nomine: if the pope does not contradict his own name, living against what "pope" means (cf. contradicat suo ordini, 324.21).
  16. 16 Doctor predictus: Nicholas Putanensis (320.11, 322.24).
  17. 17 The subject of restrinxerit is taken to be the vicar of Christ: however hard he has pressed the power of the keys. Secularis is the lay prince. The argument from 325.33 is a reductio, the confirmation granting what the pope’s direct lordship would imply.
  18. 18 Catholicare / hereticare: to pronounce catholic / heretical. The second and third claims refer to Gregory XI’s bulls of 1377, which ordered Wyclif’s arrest and condemned his conclusion on taking temporalities from a delinquent church (Fasciculi zizaniorum, pp. 242–4, 248); the first, a power to confirm all the possessioners’ charters, is a general papal claim.
  19. 19 Among the conclusions condemned in 1377 was that temporal lords may take away temporal goods from a delinquent church (the sixth article; Fasciculi zizaniorum, p. 248). B reads bullas suas quidcunque (326.16).
  20. 20 The reply turns the feudal claim back: if the pope were chief lord over the empire, the archbishops would by the same proportion be chief lords over the king of England, who would hold of them in chief.
  21. 21 Sua temporalia is taken as the presbyter’s goods withheld from him; it may be the lord’s own goods, kept back from the priest.
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 322: acci- (acci-/pit; main token holds first half (R is margin letter)) [NW]
    • 322: pit (second half of acci-/pit) [NW]
    • 322: XCVIª
    • 322: Christus
    • 323: II°
    • 323: 18 (old-style 1 at x-height + 8)
    • 323: 11 (leaf zoom: old-style 11 after XI°)
    • 323: XCVIª
    • 324: ∅ ('it' is the English side-note (Nor does it); main already has Istis at 21)
    • 324: patet
    • 324: subiectum
    • 325: habeat (174c folio mark)
    • 325: superior [NW]
    • 325: cum
    • 326: XI (print 'Gregorius XI. fuerit'; main lacks XI between Gregorius and fuerit)
    • 326: dominii [NW]
    • 326: capitalis [NW]
    • 326: dominus
    • 326: regni
    • 326: nostri
    • 326: legium [NW]
    • 326: quod (print (quod; 3 is a margin argument numeral)
    • 326: hereticare [NW]
    • 323: que (174a folio mark glued; italic que)
    • 325: ∅ (second half of mun-dum; neighbour 93 already mundum.) [DELX]