John Wycliffe, The Morning Star of the Reformation Although it be manifest that
there were divers before Wycliffe's time, who have wrestled and laboured in the same
cause and quarrel that our countryman Wycliffe hath done, whom the Holy Ghost
hath from time to time raised and stirred up in the Church of God, something to work
against the Bishop of Rome, to weaken the pernicious superstition of the friars,
and to vanquish and overthrow the great errors which daily did grow and prevail in
the world, yet notwithstanding, for so much as they are not many in
number, neither very famous or notable, we will begin with the story of John
Wycliffe, at whose time this furious fire of persecution seemed to take his first
original and beginning.
Through God's providence stepped forth into the arena the valiant champion of the
truth, John Wycliffe, our countryman, whom the Lord raised up here in England to
detect more fully and amply the poison of the Pope's doctrine and false religion.
Wycliffe, being the public reader of divinity in the University of Oxford,
was, for the rude time wherein he lived, famously reputed for a great clerk,
a deep schoolman, and no less expert in all kinds of philosophy, the which doth
not only appear by his own most famous and learned writings, but also by the
confession of Walden, his most cruel and bitter enemy, who in a certain epistle
written unto Pope Martin V, saith that he was wonderfully astonished at his most
strong arguments, with the places of authority which he had gathered,
and with the vehemency and force of his reasons.
It appeareth that this Wycliffe flourished about A.D.
1371, Edward III reigning in England.
This is out of all doubt that at what time all the world was in most desperate and
vile a state, and the lamentable ignorance and darkness of God's truth had
overshadowed the whole earth.
This man stepped forth like a valiant champion, unto whom that may justly be
applied which is spoken of one Simon, the son of Onias, even as the morning star
being in the midst of a cloud, and as the moon being full in her course,
and as the bright beams of the sun, so doth he shine and glister in the temple
and church of God.
In these days the whole state of religion was depraved and corrupted.
The name only of Christ remained amongst Christians, but his true and lively
doctrine was as far unknown to the most part as his name was common to all men.
As touching faith, consolation, the end and use of the law, the office of
Christ, our impotency and weakness, the Holy Ghost, the greatness and strength
of sin, true works, grace and free justification by faith, the liberty of a
Christian man, there was almost no mention.
The world, forsaking the lively power of God's spiritual word, was altogether led
and blinded with outward ceremonies and human traditions.
In these was all the hope of obtaining salvation fully fixed, insomuch that
scarcely any other thing was seen in the temples or churches, taught or spoken of
in sermons, or finally intended or gone about in their whole life, but only
heaping up of certain shadowy ceremonies upon ceremonies, neither was there any end
of this their heaping.
The church did fall into all kind of extreme tyranny, whereas the poverty and
simplicity of Christ were changed into cruelty and abomination of life.
With how many bonds and snares of ceremonies were the consciences of men,
redeemed by Christ to liberty, ensnared and snarled?
The Christian people were wholly carried away, as it were, by the nose,
with mere decrees and constitutions of men, even whither it pleased the bishops
to lead them, and not as Christ's will did direct them.
The simple and unlearned people, being far from all knowledge of the Holy
Scripture, thought it quite enough for them to know only those things which were
delivered them by their pastors, and they on the other part taught in a
manner nothing else but such things as came forth of the court of Rome,
whereof the most part tended to the profit of their order more than to the glory of
Christ.
What time there seemed to be no spark of pure doctrine remaining, this aforesaid
Wycliffe by God's providence sprang up, through whom the Lord would first waken
and raise up again the world, which was drowned and whelmed in the deep streams of
human traditions.
This Wycliffe, perceiving the true doctrine of Christ's gospel to be
adulterated and defiled with so many filthy inventions and dark errors of
bishops and monks, after long debating and deliberating with himself, with many
secret sighs and bewailing in his mind the general ignorance of the whole world,
could no longer abide the same, and at the last determined with himself to
help and to remedy such things as he saw to be wide and out of the way.
This holy man took great pains protesting, as they said, openly in the schools,
that it was his principal purpose to call back the church from her idolatry,
especially in the manner of the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ.
But this boil or sore could not be touched without the great grief and pain of the
whole world.
For first of all, the whole glut of monks and begging friars was set in a rage and
madness, who, even as hornets with their sharp stings, did assail this good man on
every side, fighting, as is said, for their altars, paunches, and bellies.
After them the priests and bishops, and then after them the archbishop,
being then Simon Sudbury, took the matter in hand, who, for the same cause,
deprived him of his benefice, which then he had in Oxford.
At the last, when their power seemed not sufficient to withstand the truth which
was then breaking out, they ran unto the lightnings and thunderbolts of the bishop
of Rome, as it had been unto the last refuge of most force and strength.
Notwithstanding, the said Wycliffe, being somewhat friended and supported by
the king, bore out the malice of the friars and of the archbishop, John of
Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the king's son, and Lord Henry Percy being his special
maintainers.
The opinions for which Wycliffe was deprived were these, that the pope hath no
more power to excommunicate any man than hath another.
That if it be given by any person to the pope to excommunicate, yet to absolve the
same is as much in the power of another priest as in his.
He affirmed, moreover, that neither the king nor any temporal lord could give any
perpetuity to the church or to any ecclesiastical person, for that when such
ecclesiastical persons do sin habitually, the temporal powers may meritoriously take
away from them what before hath been bestowed upon them.
And that he proved to have been practised before here in England by William Rufus,
which thing, said he, if he did it lawfully, why may not the same also be
practised now?
If he did it unlawfully, then doth the church err and doth unlawfully in praying
for him.
Beside these opinions he began something nearly to touch the matter of the
sacrament, proving that in the said sacrament the accidents of bread remain
not without the subject or substance, and that the simple and plain truth doth
appear in the Scriptures, whereunto all human traditions, whatsoever they be,
must be referred.
The truth, as the poet speaketh very truly, had gotten John Wycliffe great
displeasure and hatred at many men's hands, especially of the monks and richest
sort of priests.
Albeit through the favour and supportation of the Duke of Lancaster and Lord Henry
Percy, he persisted against their wolfish violence and cruelty, till at last,
about A.D.
1377, the bishops, still urging and inciting their Archbishop Simon Sudbury,
who before had deprived him, and afterward prohibited him not to stir any more in
those sorts of matters, had obtained, by process and order of citation,
to have him brought before them.
The Duke, having intelligence that Wycliffe should come before the bishops,
fearing that he, being but one, was too weak against such a multitude,
calleth to him, out of the orders of friars, four bachelors of divinity,
out of every order one, to join them with Wycliffe also, for more surety.
When the day was come, assigned to the said Wycliffe to appear, which day was
Thursday, the 19th of February, he went, accompanied with the four friars
aforesaid, and with them also the Duke of Lancaster and Lord Henry Percy,
Lord Marshal of England, the said Lord Percy going before them to make room and
way, where Wycliffe should come.
Thus Wycliffe, through the providence of God being sufficiently guarded,
was coming to the place where the bishops sat, whom, by the way, they animated and
exhorted not to fear or shrink a wit at the company of the bishops there present,
who were all unlearned, said they, in respect of him, neither that he should
dread the concourse of the people, whom they would themselves assist and
defend, in such thought as he should take no harm.
With these words, and with the assistance of the nobles, Wycliffe, in heart
encouraged, approached to the church of St. Paul in London, where a main press of
people was gathered to hear what should be said and done.
Such was there the frequency and throng of the multitude, that the lords,
for all the puresons of the High Marshal, with great difficulty could get way
through, insomuch that the Bishop of London, whose name was William Courtney,
seeing the stir that the Lord Marshal kept in the church among the people,
speaking to the Lord Percy, said that if he had known before what masteries he
would have kept in the church, he would have stopped him out from coming
there.
At which words of the Bishop, the Duke, disdaining not a little, answered that he
would keep such mastery there, though he say nay.
At last, after much wrestling, they pierced through and came to Our
Lady's Chapel, where the Dukes and Barons were sitting together with the Archbishops
and other Bishops, before whom Wycliffe, according to the manner, stood to know
what should be laid unto him.
To whom first spake the Lord Percy, bidding him to sit down, saying that he
had many things to answer to, and therefore had need of some softer seat?
But the Bishop of London, cast, effsoons, into a fumished chaff by those
words, said he should not sit there.
Neither was it, said he, according to law or reason, that he, who was cited there to
appear to answer before his ordinary, should sit down during the time of his
answer, but that he should stand.
Upon these words a fire began to kindle between them, insomuch that they began so
to rate and revile one the other, that the whole multitude, therewith
disquieted, began to be set on a hurry.
Then the Duke, taking the Lord Percy's part, with hasty words, began also to take
up the Bishop.
To whom the Bishop again, nothing inferior in reproachful checks and rebukes,
did render and requite, not only to him as good as he brought, but also did so far
excel in this railing art of scolding, that the Duke blushed and was ashamed,
because he could not overpass the Bishop in brawling and railing, and therefore he
fell to plain threatening, menacing the Bishop, that he would bring down the
pride, not only of him, but also of the prelacy of England.
Thou, said he, barest thyself so brag upon thy parents, who shall not be able to help
thee, they shall have enough to do to help themselves, for his parents were the Earl
and Countess of Devonshire.
To whom the Bishop answered, that his confidence was not in his parents,
nor in any man else, but only in God.
Then the Duke, softly whispering in the ear of him next by him, said that he would
rather pluck the Bishop by the hair of his head out of the church, than he would take
this at his hand.
This was not spoken so secretly, but that the Londoners overheard him,
whereupon being sat in a rage, they cried out, saying that they would not
suffer their Bishop so contemptuously to be abused, but rather they would lose
their lives than that he should be so drawn out by the hair.
Thus that counsel, being broken with scolding and brawling for that day,
was dissolved before nine o'clock.
After, King Edward III succeeded his son's son, Richard II, who was no great
disfavourer of the way and doctrine of Wycliffe.
But the Bishops, now seeing the aged King to be taken away, during the time of whose
old age all the government of the realm depended upon the Duke of Lancaster,
and seeing the said Duke, with the Lord Percy, the Lord Marshal, give over their
offices and remain in their private houses, without intermeddling,
thought now the time to serve them to have some vantage against John Wycliffe,
who hitherto, under the protection of the aforesaid Duke and Lord Marshal,
had some rest and quiet.
Notwithstanding being by the Bishops forbid to deal in doctrine any more,
he continued yet with his fellows going barefoot and in long-freeze gowns,
preaching diligently unto the people.
Out of whose sermons these articles were collected.
Articles Collected Out of Wycliffe's Sermons The Holy Eucharist, after the
consecration, is not the very body of Christ.
The Church of Rome is not the head of all churches more than any other church is,
nor that Peter had any more power given of Christ than any other apostle had.
The Pope of Rome hath no more in the keys of the church than hath any other within
the order of priesthood.
The gospel is a rule sufficient of itself to rule the life of every Christian man
here without any other rule.
All other rules under whose observances divers religious persons be governed do
add no more perfection to the gospel than doth the white color to the wall.
Neither the Pope nor any other prelate of the church ought to have prisons wherein
to punish transgressors.
Wycliffe, albeit he was commanded by the bishops and prelates to keep silence,
yet could not so be suppressed, but that through the vehemency of the
truth he burst out afterwards much more fiercely.
For he, having obtained the goodwill and favor of certain noblemen, attempted again
to stir up his doctrine amongst the common people.
Then began the Pharisees to swarm together, striving against the light of
the gospel, which began to shine abroad.
Neither was the Pope himself behind with his part, for he never ceased with his
bulls and letters to stir up them who otherwise of their own accord were but too
furious and mad.
Accordingly, in the year of our Lord 1377, being the first year of King Richard II,
Pope Gregory sendeth his bull directed unto the University of Oxford,
rebuking them sharply, imperiously, and like a pope, for suffering so long the
doctrine of John Wycliffe to take root, and not plucking it up with the crooked
sickle of their Catholic doctrine.
Which bull, the proctors and masters of the university, joining together in
consultation, stood long in doubt, deliberating with themselves whether to
receive it with honor or to refuse and reject it with shame.
The copy of this wild bull sent to them from the Pope was this.
It hath been intimidated to us by many trustworthy persons that one John
Wycliffe, Rector of Lutterworth, in the diocese of Lincoln, Professor of
Divinity, hath gone to such a pitch of detestable folly, that he feareth not to
teach, and publicly preach, or rather to vomit out of the filthy dungeon of his
breast, certain erroneous and false propositions and conclusions, savoring
even of heretical pravity, tending to weaken and overthrow the status of the
whole church and even the secular government.
These opinions he is circulating in the realm of England, so glorious for power
and abundance of wealth, but still more so for the shining purity of its faith,
and want to produce men, illustrious for their clear and sound knowledge of the
Scriptures, ripe in gravity of manners, conspicuous for devotion, and bold
defenders of the Catholic faith.
And some of Christ's flock he hath been defiling therewith, and misleading from
the straight path of the sincere faith into the pit of perdition.
Wherefore, being unwilling to connive at so deadly a pest, we strictly charge that
by our authority you seize, or cause to be seized, the said John, and send him under
trusty keeping to our venerable brethren the Archbishop of Canterbury and the
Bishop of London, or either of them.
I find, moreover, two other letters of the Pope concerning the same matter,
the one directing that in case Wycliffe could not be found, he should be warned by
public citation to appear before the Pope at Rome within three months, the other
exhorting the bishops that the King and the nobles of England should be admonished
not to give any credit to the said John Wycliffe or to his doctrine.
The letters, being received from the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and other
bishops, took no little heart, for being encouraged by them and pricked
forward by their own fierceness and cruelty, it is to be marveled at,
with what boldness and stomach they did openly profess before their provincial
council that all fear or favor set apart, no person, neither high nor low,
should let them, neither would they be seduced by the entreaty of any man,
neither by any threatenings or rewards, but that they would follow straight and
upright justice and equity, yea, albeit that danger of life should follow
thereupon.
But these so fierce brags and stout promise, with the subtle practices of
these bishops, who thought themselves so sure before the Lord, against whom no
determination of man's counsel can prevail, by a small occasion did lightly
confound and overthrow.
For the day of the examination being come, a certain personage of the Prince's court,
and yet of no great noble birth, named Louis Clifford, entering in among
the bishops, commanded them that they should not proceed with any definite
sentence against John Wycliffe, with which words all they were so amazed,
and their combs so cut, that they became mute and speechless.
And thus, by the wondrous work of God's providence, John Wycliffe escaped the
second time out of the bishops' hands.
This good man ceased not to proceed in his godly purpose, laboring as he had begun,
unto whom also, as it happened by the providence of God, this was a great help
and stay, for that in the same year the aforesaid Pope Gregory XI., who was the
stirrer up of all this trouble against him, turned up his heels and died.
Whose death was not a little happy to Wycliffe, for immediately after his
disease, there fell a great dissension between the Romish and the French popes,
and others succeeding them, one striving against another, that the schism therefore
endured the space of thirty-nine years until the time of the Council of
Constance, A.D.
1417.
About the same time also, about three years after, there fell a cruel dissension
in England between the common people and the nobility, the which did not a little
disturb and trouble the commonwealth.
In this tumult, Simon of Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury, was taken by the
rustical and rude people and was beheaded, in whose place succeeded William Courtney,
who was no less diligent in rooting out heretics.
Notwithstanding, Wycliffe's sect daily grew to greater force, until the time that
William Burton, Chancellor of Oxford, about A.D.
1381, had the whole rule of that university, who, calling together eight
monastical doctors and four others, and putting the common seal of the
university unto certain writings, set forth an edict, declaring that no man,
under a grievous penalty, should be so hardy hereafter to associate themselves
with any of Wycliffe's abettors or favorers.
And unto Wycliffe himself he threatened the greater excommunication and farther
imprisonment, and to all his forters, unless that they, after three days'
admonition or warning, canonical and preemptory, as they call it, did repent
and amend.
The witch thing, when Wycliffe understood, forsaking the pope and all the clergy,
he thought to appeal unto the king's majesty.
But the Duke of Lancaster, coming between, forbade him, saying that he ought rather
to submit himself unto the censure and judgment of his ordinary, whereby
Wycliffe, being beset with troubles and vexations, as it were in the midst of the
waves, was forced once again to make confession of his doctrine.
Here is not to be passed over the great miracle of God's divine admonition or
warning, for when the archbishop and suffragiants, with the other doctors of
divinity and lawyers, with a great company of babbling friars and religious persons,
were gathered together to consult touching John Wycliffe's books, when they were
gathered together at the Black Friars in London to begin their business upon St.
Dunstan's Day, after dinner, about two of the o'clock, the very hour and instant
that they should go forward, a wonderful and terrible earthquake fell throughout
all England, whereupon divers of the suffragiants, being affrighted by the
strange and wonderful demonstration, doubting what it should mean, thought it
good to leave off from their determinate purpose.
But the archbishop, as chief captain of that army, more rash and bold than wise,
interpreting the chance which had happened, clean contrary to another
meaning or purpose, did confirm and strengthen their hearts and minds,
which were almost daunted with fear, stoutly to go forward in their attempted
enterprise, who then, discursing Wycliffe's articles, not according unto
the sacred canons of the Holy Scripture, but unto their own private affections and
men's traditions, gave sentence that some of them were simply and plainly heretical,
others were erroneous, others irreligious, some seditious and not consonant to the
church of Rome.
Besides the earthquake aforesaid, there happened another strange and
wonderful chance, sent by God, and no less to be marked than the other.
If it be true, that was reported by John Hus' enemies.
These enemies of his, amongst other principal points of his accusation,
laid this to his charge at the Council of Constance, that he should say openly unto
the people as touching Wycliffe, that at what time a great number of
religious men and doctors were gathered together in a certain church to dispute
against Wycliffe, suddenly the door of the church was broken open with lightning,
in such thought that his enemies hardly escaped without hurt.
This thing, albeit that it were objected against Hus' by his adversaries,
yet, for so much as he did not deny the same, neither, if he so said, it seemeth
that he would speak it without some ground or reason.
I have not thought it good to leave clean out of memory.
Of like credit is this also, which is reported of Wycliffe, that when he was
lying very sick at London, certain friars came unto him to counsel him.
And when they had babbled much unto him, touching the Catholic church, the
acknowledgement of his errors, and the Bishop of Rome, Wycliffe,
being moved with the foolishness and absurdity of their talk, with a stout
stomach, setting himself upright in his bed, repeated this saying out of the
Psalms 118.17, I shall not die, but I shall live, and declare the works of
the Lord.
The mandate of the Archbishop of Canterbury, directed to the Bishop of
London, against John Wycliffe and his adherents.
It is come to our hearing, that although, by the canonical sanctions, no man,
being forbidden or not sent, ought to usurp to himself the office of preaching,
publicly or privily, without the authority of the Apostolic See, or of the Bishop of
the place, yet notwithstanding, certain, being sons of perdition under the
veil of great sanctity, are brought into such a doting mind, that they take upon
them authority to preach, and are not afraid to affirm, and to teach,
and generally, commonly, and publicly to preach, as well in the churches as in the
streets, and also in many other profane places of our said province, certain
propositions and conclusions, erratical, erroneous, and false, condemned by the
church of God, and repugnant to the determinations of Holy Church,
who also infect therewith very many good Christians, causing them, lamentably,
to err from the Catholic faith, without which there is no salvation.
We therefore admonish and warn, that no man henceforth, of what estate or
condition soever, do hold, teach, preach, or defend the aforesaid heresies
and errors, or any of them, nor that he hear or hearken to any one preaching the
said heresies or errors, or any of them, nor that he favor or adhere to him,
either publicly or privily, but that immediately he shun and avoid him,
as he would avoid a serpent putting forth pestiferous poison, under pain of the
greater curse.
And furthermore, we command our fellow brethren, that of such presumptions they
carefully and diligently inquire, and do proceed effectually against the
same.
The Chancellor at the same time in Oxford was Master Robert Rigg, who, as it
seemeth, favoring Wycliffe's part, as much as he could or durst, many times
dissembled and cloaked certain matters, and oftentimes, as opportunity would
serve, helped forward the cause of the gospel, which was then in great danger.
When the time was come that there must needs be sermons made unto the people,
he committed the whole doings thereof to such as he knew to be great favorers of
John Wycliffe.
The two proctors were John Huntman and Walter Disch, who then, as far as they
durst, favored the cause of John Wycliffe.
In so much that the same time and year, which was A.D.
1382, when certain public sermons should be appointed customarily at the Feast of
the Ascension and of Corpus Christi to be preached in the cloister of St.
Frideswide, now called Christ's Church, before the people, by the Chancellor
aforesaid and the proctors, and the doings hereof the Chancellor and proctors had
committed to Philip Reppington and Nicholas Hereford.
Hereford, beginning, was noted to defend John Wycliffe openly, to be a faithful,
good, and innocent man, for the which no smaller do without cries, was among the
friars.
This Hereford, after he had long favored and maintained Wycliffe's part,
grew in suspicion amongst the enemies of the truth, for as soon as he began
somewhat liberally and freely to utter anything which tended to the defense of
Wycliffe, by and by the Carmelites and all the orders of religion were on his top,
and laid not a few heresies under his charge, the which they had strained here
and there out of his sermons, through the industry of one Peter Stokes, a Carmelite,
a kind of people prone to mischief, uproars, debate, and dissension,
as though they were born for that purpose.
Much like thing do divers writers write of the nature of certain spiders,
that whatsoever pleasant juice is in herbs, they suck it out and convert it
into poison.
But these cowled merchants, in this behalf, do pass all the spiders,
for whatsoever is worst and most pestilent in a man, that they do hunt out for,
and with their teeth even, as it were, gnaw it out.
And of the opinions which be good and agreeable with verity, they do make
schisms and heresies.
After this the feast of Corpus Christi drew near, upon which day it was looked
for that Reppington should preach, who in the schools had shown forth and
uttered that which he had long hidden and dissembled, protesting openly that in all
moral matters he would defend Whitcliffe.
But as touching the sacrament, he would as yet hold his peace until such
time as the Lord should illuminate the hearts and minds of the clergy.
When the friars understood that this man should preach shortly, these Babylonians,
fearing lest that he would scarce civilly or gently rub the galls of their religion,
convented with the Archbishop of Canterbury, that the same day,
a little before Philip should preach, Whitcliffe's conclusions, which were
privately condemned, should be openly defamed in the presence of the whole
university, the doing of which matter was committed to Peter Stokes, friar,
standard-bearer, and chief champion against Whitcliffe.
The Chancellor, having received the Archbishop's letters and perceived the
malicious enterprise of the Carmelite, was wonderfully moved against him,
and falling out with him and his like, not without cause, for troubling the state
of the university, said that neither the bishop nor the archbishop had any power
over that university, nor should not have, in the determination of any heresies.
And afterward, taking deliberation, calling together the proctors with other
regents and non-regents, he did openly affirm that he would by no means help the
Carmelite in his doings.
These things thus done, Reppington, at the hour appointed, proceeded to his
sermon, in the which he was reported to have uttered, that in all moral matters he
would defend Master Whitcliffe as a true Catholic doctor.
Moreover, that the Duke of Lancaster was very earnestly affected and minded in this
matter, and would that all such should be received under his protection,
besides many things more, which touched the praise and defense of Whitcliffe.
When the sermon was done, Reppington entered into St. Fridewide's church,
accompanied with many of his friends, who, as the enemies surmised, were privily
weaponed under their garments.
Friar Stokes, the Carmelite, suspecting all this to be against him, and being
afraid of hurt, kept himself within the sanctuary of the church, not daring to put
out his head.
The Chancellor and Reppington, friendly, saluting one another in the
church porch, sent away the people, and so departed every man home to his own
house.
There was not a little joy throughout the whole university for that sermon.
John Whitcliffe, returning again within short space, either from his banishment or
from some other place where he was secretly kept, repaired to his parish of
Lutterworth, where he was parson, and there, quietly departing this mortal
life, slept in peace in the Lord, in the end of the year 1384, upon
Sylvester's day.
It appeareth that he was well aged before he departed, and that the same thing
pleased him in his old age which did please him being young.
This Whitcliffe, albeit in his lifetime, he had many grievous enemies, yet was
there none so cruel to him as the clergy itself.
Yet, notwithstanding, he had many good friends, men not only of the meaner sort,
but also of the nobility.
Amongst them, these men are to be numbered.
John Clenbourne, Lewes Clifford, Richard Sturry, Thomas Latimer,
William Neville, and John Montague, who plucked down all the images in his
church.
Besides all these, there was the Earl of Salisbury, who, for contempt in him noted
towards the sacrament, in carrying it home to his house, was enjoined by Ralph
Urgham, Bishop of Salisbury, to make in Salisbury a cross of stone, in which all
the story of the matter should be written, and he, every Friday during his life,
to come to the cross barefoot and bareheaded in his shirt, and there,
kneeling upon his knees, do penance for his deed.
And for the residue, we will declare what cruelty they used, not only against the
books and articles of John Whitcliffe, but also in burning his body and bones,
commanding them to be taken up many years after he was buried, as appeareth by the
decree of the Synod of Constance, A.D.
1415.
This holy Synod declareth, determineth, and giveth sentence, that John Whitcliffe
was a notorious heretic, and that he died obstinate in his heresy, cursing alike
him, and condemning his memory.
This Synod also decreeeth and ordaineth, that his body and bones, if they might be
discerned from the bodies of other faithful people, should be taken out of
the ground, and thrown away far from the burial of any church, according as the
canons and laws enjoin.
This wicked and malicious sentence of the Synod would require here a diligent
apology, but that it is so foolish and vain, and no less barbarous, that it
seemeth more worthy of derision and disdain, than by any argument to be
confuted.
What Heraclitus would not laugh, or what Democritus would not weep,
to see these so sage and reverent caters, occupying their heads to take up a poor
man's body, so long dead and buried, and yet, peradventure, they were not able
to find his right bones, but took up some other body, and so of a Catholic made a
heretic.
Albeit, herein Whitcliffe had some cause to give them thanks, that they would at
least spare him till he was dead, and also give him so long respite after
his death, forty-one years, to rest in his sepulchre, before they ungraved him,
and turned him from earth to ashes, which ashes they also took and threw into
the river.
The decree of the Synod was not carried out until after the lapse of several years
from its meeting.
And so was he resolved into three elements, earth, fire, and water,
thinking thereby utterly to extinguish and abolish both the name and doctrine of
Whitcliffe for ever.
Not much unlike the example of the old Pharisees and the sepulchre knights,
who, when they had brought the Lord unto the grave, thought to make him sure never
to rise again.
But these and all others must know that, as there is no counsel against the Lord,
so there is no keeping down of verity, but it will spring up and come out of dust
and ashes, as appeared right well in this man.
For though they digged up his body, burnt his bones, and drowned his ashes,
yet the word of God and the truth of his doctrine, with the fruit and success
thereof, they could not burn.