Wyclif’s Latin works

De ecclesia, chapter 20, part 5

The reward of the valiant woman, and the plan of the song (Prov. 31:31)

Loserth pp. 490.5–490.34

¶1490.5–490.34

490Unde quia talem vitam laboriosam imperfectam oportet habere finaliter complementum, ideo quarto et ultimo sic infertur: Date ei de fructu manuum suarum: et laudent eam in portis opera sua. Quia nunquam in cursu vie in qua oportuit matrem nostram de nocte consurgere, pannum texere, egentes pascere et cetera opera misericordie secundum vitam activam perficere, non potest esse talis successiva continuacio in eternum, ideo precipit sponsus pro die finalis iudicii ut filii ecclesie reciproce dent sibi in quiete perpetua de fructu operum; quod est premium beatificum meritorum. Nam Luce VI°, 38 scribitur: Mensuram bonam et confectam et coagitatam et supereffluentem dabunt in sinum vestrum. Beati enim dant beatitudinem essencialem in via iniciative ex vi communionis reciproce promerendo, et dant beatitudinem accidentalem in patria obiective de sua gloria reciproce congaudendo, et sic finaliter laus erit unicuique a Deo secundum numerum meritorum; proporcionaliter enim ut predestinatus ex maiori gracia plus proficit ecclesie, habebit in portis nedum in die iudicii sed toti mundo perpetuo patulo gloriam ampliorem. Sicut enim opera dampnatorum erunt in die iudicii et post patulo toti mundo ad sui confusionem, sic opera beatorum erunt perpetuo mundo patencia ad sui glorificacionem. Et patet in parte sentencia huius Cantici continentis viginti duas proposiciones secundum numerum literarum alphabeti ebraici, cuius primus binarius hic in quatuor est divisus. Inter alia interlocutoria aspersi quod in preceptis neutris christiane fidei legimus tale.

Hence, since such a laborious and imperfect life must finally have its completion, therefore fourthly and lastly it is inferred thus: "Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her works praise her in the gates."1 Since never, in the course of the wayvia / patria: the way / the homeland in which our mothermater nostra: our mother had to rise by night, weave cloth, feed the needy and perform the other works of mercy according to the active life, can there be such a successive continuitycontinuacio: continuity for eternity, therefore the bridegroomsponsa / sponsus: bride / bridegroom commands, for the day of the final judgment, that the sons of the churchecclesia: church in return give to her, in perpetual rest, of the fruit of [her] works; which is the beatific reward of merits.2 For in Luke 6:38 it is written: "Good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom." For the blessed give essential blessedness on the way, by way of beginning, by meriting for one another by force of the communion; and they give accidental blessedness in the homelandvia / patria: the way / the homeland, as its object, by rejoicing with one another in their glory; and so finally "every man shall have praise from God" according to the number of [his] merits.3 For in proportion as a predestinatepredestinatus, -i: the predestinate (sg. "a predestinate [person]") [person] profits the church more out of greater grace, he will have in the gates a fuller glory, not only on the day of judgment but openly to the whole world perpetually. For as the works of the damned will be open to the whole world on the day of judgment and after, to their confusion, so the works of the blessed will be perpetually manifest to the world, to their glorification.4 And the teachingsentencia: CONTEXTUAL: teaching / sentence of this song is clear in part, which contains twenty-two propositions according to the number of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, of which the first pair is here divided into four.5 Among other interlocutory [remarks] I have sprinkled [in] that in the neutral precepts of the christian faith we read such a thing.6

Notes

  1. 1 Proverbs 31:31 (Wyclif opera sua for the Vulgate’s opera ejus). C. Quarto et ultimo: the fourth and last verse of the third part, the matron’s praise (488.19). R. Side-note 490.6.
  2. 2 Quia nunquam … non potest esse: the doubled negative is taken as emphatic, "never … can there be", not as cancelling. Successiva continuacio: the succession of labours in time, which cannot go on for ever and must end in rest. Dent sibi: give to her, the mother; date ei of the verse is addressed to her sons. Consurgere … texere … pascere: verses 15, 19 and 20.
  3. 3 Luke 6:38 (Wyclif confectam for the Vulgate’s confertam). Laus erit unicuique a Deo: 1 Corinthians 4:5. C. Beatitudinem essencialem … accidentalem: the scholastic pair, the essential blessedness of the vision of God and the accidental joy added to it. Iniciative: by beginning it, through merit on the way; obiective: as the object of others’ joy in the homeland. R. B in the margin at 490.16: Nota quod beati (the codex bene) dant duplicem beatitudinem.
  4. 4 Patulo: openly, adverbial. In portis: the gates of the verse, the place of judgment (485.19–20). T. The codices read meritorium; meritorum is Loserth’s (490.23).
  5. 5 Sentencia: the glossary’s "teaching", the sense of the song as a whole, not a sentence. Viginti duas proposiciones: Proverbs 31:10–31 is an alphabetic song of twenty-two verses. Primus binarius … in quatuor est divisus: the first two verses (31:10–11) are treated as the "fourfold proposition" of the marriage (476.10), so that four, sixteen (488.17) and four propositions make up the twenty-two letters.
  6. 6 AA₁ lack Inter alia … legimus tale (490.33); B reads legius (490.34). C. The sentence does not construe as printed. Aspersi is taken as the first person perfect of aspergere, "I have sprinkled [in]"; in preceptis neutris may mean precepts that neither command nor forbid. A word may have been lost; the sentence may look forward to the next chapter.