Wyclif’s Latin works

De ecclesia, chapter 23, part 9

The cases are imaginary, but so is the power; any priest could make indulgences

Loserth pp. 574.33–576.2

¶1574.33–575.13

574Et si dicatur quod tales casus sunt ymaginarii solum possibiles de Dei potencia absoluta, revera sic potestas ficta de concessione indulgenciarum est 575imaginaria non colorabilis, nisi Deus specialiter assistat iuvando iuxta suam potenciam absolutam, et sibi foret facile dare potenciam vel subito vel successive laxandi peccata vel penam capacibus pro merito maiori vel minori; nec est viator cercior de uno quam reliquo, ut si Deus statuat quod per primam partem proporcionalem dati meriti remittatur prima pars proporcionalis pene date vel peccati, et per secundam secunda, et sic infinitum, tunc papa faciens isti conformiter ex sciencia et potestate sibi data posset absolvere quemcunque peccatorem a pena et culpa, et eque probabiliter posset unum fingi ut reliquum, cum toti isti materie deficit fundamentum.

And if it is said that such cases are imaginary, possible only by God’s absolute powerpotencia absoluta: absolute power: truly, in the same way the feigned power concerning the grantconcessio: grant of indulgencesindulgencie: indulgences is 575imaginary, not colourable, unless God specially assists, helping according to his absolute power; and it would be easy for him to give a power, either suddenly or successively, of loosing sins or punishment for those capable, for greater or lesser merit.1 Nor is a wayfarerviator: wayfarer more certain of the one than of the other: as, if God should establish that by the first proportional part of a given merit the first proportional part of a given punishment or sin is remitted, and by the second the second, and so [to] infinity, then the popepapa: pope, acting in conformity with this from the knowledge and power given him, could absolve any sinner whatever from punishment and guilt; and the one could be feigned with as much probability as the other, since the whole of this matter lacks a foundation.2

¶2575.14–575.32

575Item, videtur quod quilibet sacerdos potest facere indulgencias, nam quilibet sacerdos habet parem potestatem ordinis cum quolibet et ipso existente in gracia habet potestatem super thesaurum ecclesie. Ergo cum aliter populo digno preest, videtur quod ipse et ex parte sui et ex dignitate potest eis aliquam indulgenciam impertiri. Nam quadraginta dies quos dat episcopus non limitant minimum gradum indulgencie, quare ergo non posset inferior curatus dare unus viginti dies et alius decem vel varie secundum quod Deus decreverit? Confirmatur primo ex hoc quod ante publicacionem huius materie habuerunt ecclesiastici potestatem ut modo, sed tunc non fuit racio, quare papa potest pro infinitum magno tempore indulgere; quicunque autem episcopus pro anno vel quadraginta diebus et non aliter; ergo nec modo subest racio quoad Deum, nec potest fundari racio huius variacionis nec est vicarius Petri istius potestatis ut generaliter sit dignus dicere:

Again, it seems that any priestsacerdos / presbiter: priest / presbyter can make indulgences; for any priest has power of order equal with any other, and, being in grace, has power over the treasury of the churchthesaurus ecclesie: treasury of the church. Therefore, since he is otherwise set over a worthy people, it seems that he, both on his own part and from [their] worthiness, can impart some indulgence to them.3 For the forty days that a bishopepiscopus; dominus episcopus: bishop; the lord bishop gives do not limitlimitare; limites: to assign (an office); limits the least degree of indulgence; why, then, could not a lower curatecuratus: curate give, one twenty days and another ten, or variously, according as God shall have decreed?4 This is confirmed, first, from this: that before the publication of this matter the clergyecclesiastici: CONTEXTUAL: clergy / those who belong to the church had power as now; now there was then no reason why the pope can indulgeindulgere: to indulge for an infinitely great time, but any bishop for a year or forty days and not otherwise; therefore neither now is there a reason underlying it before God, nor can a reason for this variation be grounded; nor is the vicar of Peter of such power that he is in general worthy to say:5

¶3575.33–575.33

575Sic volo, sic iubeo; sit pro racione voluntas.

"Thus I will, thus I command; let my will stand for reason."6

¶4576.1–576.1

576Non ergo sequitur: Ecclesia non decrevit tali curato licenciam

It does not follow, then: the church has not decreed to such a curate a licence7

¶5576.2–576.2

576indulgendi, ergo non habet licenciam, quia tunc

to indulge, therefore he does not have a licence; because then

Notes

  1. 1 Si dicatur: the reply that the calculatory cases of 574.23 posit what only God’s absolute power could do. Revera sic: "truly, in the same way". Potestas ficta: the feigned power (cf. row ficcio). Non colorabilis: without colour, that is, without a plausible ground (cf. rows color, colorare). Vel subito vel successive: at once or by successive parts. Laxandi: of loosing (as at 574.8). T. B casus sunt ymaginum (574.33). R. Side-note 575.1.
  2. 2 De uno quam reliquo: of the one (that God gives such a power) than of the other (the power the pope claims): neither has a ground. Partem proporcionalem: a proportional part, a fixed fraction of what remains (a half, then a quarter …), so that the infinite series sums to the whole. Faciens isti conformiter: acting in conformity with this ordinance. Eque probabiliter posset unum fingi ut reliquum: either could be feigned with equal probability. T. The print reads sic infinitum; "[to]" supplies the usual in (our supply). B possent (575.10).
  3. 3 Potestatem ordinis: the power of order, given in ordination, the same in every priest. Ipso existente in gracia: he being in grace. Cum aliter populo digno preest: taken as "since he is otherwise (that is, already) set over a worthy people"; aliter is awkward here. Ex parte sui et ex dignitate: on his part (his power) and from the worthiness of the people; dignitate may be his own dignity. R. Side-note 575.14.
  4. 4 Non limitant minimum gradum: do not limit, that is, do not fix as the lowest, the degree of indulgence: forty days are not the least indulgence possible (row limitare, the restricting sense). Inferior curatus: a curate below the bishop (row curatus). Unus … et alius: one curate … another. Decreverit: its subject is God.
  5. 5 Ante publicacionem huius materie: before this doctrine of indulgences was published. Ecclesiastici: the clergy (row, CONTEXTUAL; here the usual sense). Pro anno vel quadraginta diebus: the year allowed a bishop at the dedication of a church and the forty days otherwise. Quicunque autem episcopus: potest indulgere is understood. Vicarius Petri: the pope as Peter’s vicar; not the row vicarius Christi. Istius potestatis: of such power. R. Side-note 575.25.
  6. 6 Juvenal, Satires 6.223, Hoc volo, sic iubeo, sit pro ratione voluntas. Loserth notes that the right text begins Hoc volo. T. B in the margin: Versus (575.33).
  7. 7 The sentence runs on through 576.2 into the next part (576.3): quia tunc nunquam incepisset ecclesia habere talem licenciam, "because then the church would never have begun to have such licence". The inference denied runs from the church’s not having decreed a licence to the curate’s not having one. R. Side-note 576.1.
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 574: ymaginarii (P is a margin letter)
    • 575: foret
    • 575: merito
    • 575: ut (English side-note "claim" glued in other scans)
    • 576: licenciam (English "power" dropped; print: curato / licenciam indulgendi,)