The fourth sin is, finally unrepentant. That is he that will never do true penance, [or be sorrowful for his sins,] but leadeth his life continually after the desires of his flesh, overcome with the fiend, and the false world. For no man doeth true penance to God, but he that fully leaveth that sin for which he suffereth penance. Thus saith St. Augustine, “They make a feigned shrift to a priest, and take part of sacraments; they build churches, and find priests to read and sing. They relieve the poor needy, and mend places that are perilous, but still they are hard congealed as frost, in old custom of sin." Upon this saith Gregory, "He that giveth meat or clothing to the poor needy, and is defouled in wickedness of body and soul, that which is most, he giveth to sin, that which is least, he giveth to righteousness." His goods he giveth to God, himself to the devil. For he setteth more price by worldly riches, than he doth by the body or the soul, and loveth most that which God loveth least; wherefore his love is turned to hate.

God hath given to man five precious gifts. The least of all is worldly goods; better than these is man's body which God hath endowed with natural strength, and granted in reason to use this world, himself to chastise, clothe, and feed. Above these two is man's soul, which beareth God's image and his likeness. Lord! what profit were it to win this world, and put loss to this soul? and the body is a hateful carrion when the soul is gone therefrom. But God's grace passeth these three. For where this faileth, no wisdom availeth. Look these are not spent amiss, nor work beside their order; but that they stretch all to one end, to win the fifth, that is, the bliss of heaven, for ever. Thou that changest this order upside down, St. Paul asketh this question of thee; Whether despisest thou the riches of the goodness and patience, and long abiding of thy God? Knowest thou not that the goodness of God leadeth or ordaineth thee to penance? (repentance.) Yet after thine hardness, and unrepentant heart, thou treasurest to thee wrath in the day of wrath, and showing of righteous judgment of God, that shall yield to each man after his works, Rom. ii.

The fifth sin is, envy of thy brother's grace, as when thy neighbour is wise, well governed, praised, or borne up, rich, wealthy, strong, fair or virtuous in abundance of grace, then this envious man slanders, upbraids, reproves, despises, hates, hinders, scorns, and pursues to defoul his brother's grace as much as he may,] as the wise man saith, A man

walking in the highway, and dreading God, is despised of him that walketh in the wrong way.

When Jesus Christ cast out a devil from a man that was dumb, then scribes and pharisees, envious sects, that were a false private religion, slandered, that Christ wrought this miracle in Beelzebub that was prince of devils. Since these sects durst say thus to Christ, the head of man's soul, how much worse should they dare to his followers? Thus prelates and friars in these days shamefully slander their simple brethren, that travail through Christ's holy law to cast evil manners from their souls, preaching the gospel according to Christ's intent, to turn the people to virtuous living. They have brought their malice about to slander for LOLLARDS, those that speak of God, and they drive the people from the faith, that they dare not work or speak for slander. But assuredly they are not worthy Christ, that stay for the barking of these hounds. For none is worthy to be with this Lord who is ashamed to be in his service, in weal or in wo. And such men show themselves traitors to God, who with their slanders hinder their brethren, and say, the fiend may and will make wise his members that serve him in sin, but so will not Christ his loved servants, who live in cleanness, to serve him in virtue. This dispute stretches unto the Godhead, to be punished in the day of judgment. That a priest should not be hindered to preach the truth, nor God's people to speak of their belief, is openly taught in the book of Numbers xi. There it is read that Eldad and Medad prophesied, although they were not licensed by Moses. Joshua grudged against these men, and made his plaint unto Moses; and Moses said, Why art thou envious for me? Who may forbid that all the people prophesy? and God grant his Spirit unto them. This is confirmed in the gospel. St. John said unto Christ, We have seen a man casting out devils in thy name, who followeth not us, and we have forbidden him. Jesus said, Forbid him not. Alas! how dare our bishops for shame offend against these God's laws. Here the enemies of truth object, and bring Paul, where he saith, Rom. x. How shall they preach unless they are sent? With this they blind many folk, cutting the meaning from the words. For Paul meaneth that priests should preach, for they are sent both of God and of the bishop, to do that office. How shall these bishops maintain their constitutions against their God, and holy sects? It shall be more sufferable to Sodom and

Gomorrah, than to this people that disturb God's ordi

nance.

The sixth sin is, fighting against the truth which a man knoweth. That is, when the truth is told to the guilty who disposes himself not to be amended, then he makes blind ungrounded reasonings, with subtle arguments and foul sophistications, and damneth the truth against his conscience, with a bold forehead that cannot shame, as the prophet saith, Jeremiah iii. As Jannes and Jambres againstood Moses in the sight of Pharaoh, so these againstand the truth, men corrupted in their minds. St. Peter calleth these men by name, when he saith, These are master-liars that shall bring in among the people sects of perdition. Though ye rise with Lucifer, and make yourselves nests among the stars, from thence ye shall be drawn and thrown to the ground. When will ye mark the words of Christ, who curseth you for your apostacy, and for that ye pull children from their fathers ?* Christ saith unto you, Matt. xxiii. Wo to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, that compass about the sea and the land, to make you a novice ;† and when ye have found him, ye make him a hell-brand double than yourselves. As the foolishness of Pharaoh's philosophers was made known, so the false impugning of the truth by these subtle hypocrites shall speedily be made open. All men take heed of these six sins.

CHAPTER IV.

What is Antichrist, in special, with his three parties.

Of the great chief antichrist, that in a special manner bringeth forth false laws against Jesus Christ, and pretendeth himself to be most holy, the Lord God thus teacheth by the prophet Isaiah ix. (ver. 15.) A man of great age, and worshipful, holden of the world, he is head and chief antichrist. A prophet or a preacher teaching leasing, he is the tail of this antichrist. Of this tail speaketh St. Peter more plainly, and saith, These are spiritual merchants that shall chaffer with the people in feigned words, and with their sugar-likerous speech, they beguile the hearts of

This is an allusion to the arts of the friars, who induced children to forsake their parents and family duties, and even laudable studies, to become members of their orders. See the life of Wickliff, p. 12. † One just entered into monastic orders.

innocents.* For Jude saith, They shall worship the persons of men because of winning. This tail of antichrist shall not preach freely.

[Various passages are then quoted, Rev. xiii. 16, 17. xiv. 9-11. Zech. xi. 15. 17. Rom. viii. 9. Rev. xvi. 10, 11. with an application of them to the Romish prelates of that day. Then follows,] Lincolnt saith, "I quake, I dread, I am in horror, I am afraid, but I dare not be still, lest peradventure that sentence fall on me which the prophet saith, Isaiah vi. Wo to me, for I have stilled. The well, the beginning, and the cause of all ruin and mischief, is THE COURT OF ROME." Now, by the one authority of God, and one accordance of his holy saints, follows an open conclusion firmly grounded in true belief, that in the court of Rome is the head of antichrist, and in prelates is the body of antichrist, but in these clouted sects, as monks, canons, and friars, is the venomous tail of antichrist.

How this antichrist shall be destroyed, God himself teacheth by the prophet Daniel, and saith, This antichrist shall be destroyed without hands, that is, without power of man. For Paul saith, 2 Thess. ii. Christ shall slay antichrist with the spirit of his mouth, that is, with the holy word of his law. And the Lord shall destroy him with the shining of his coming, that is, with turning of men's hearts by his grace, to his law, a little before the doom.

CHAPTER V.

What is Antichrist in special, with five conditions.

HOLY David the king, had given to him the full spirit of prophecy; and he, seeing the coming of antichrist, his living, and his fall, marked five hideous assaults which he shall commit against the servants of God. The first assault of antichrist, is constitution, as the prophet saith, Lord, suffer thou to ordain a law maker upon thy people, in pain of their sin, for they will not consent to the truth. That is to mean, antichrist uses false, lucrative, or winning laws, as absolutions, indulgences, pardons, privileges, and all other Simple people.

+ Grosthead. He resisted the pope's profligate demand that he should allow an Italian boy to hold a benefice in his diocese. For this he was cited to Rome; the near view he had of the papal court fully convinced him it was antichrist. See History of the Church of Christ, vol. iv.

heavenly treasure that is brought to sale, to spoil the people of their worldly goods; and principally these new constitutions, by whose strength antichrist interdicts churches, examines preachers, and deprives them of their benefices; curses hearers, and takes away the goods of them that further the preaching of a priest, yea, though it were an angel of heaven, unless that priest show the mark of the beast, which is turned into a new name, and called a special letter of license, for the more blinding of ignorant people.*

The second assault of antichrist, is tribulation, as the prophet saith, antichrist vexes the people by might, and hunting them to doing of idolatry. God saith by the prophet, Isaiah v. Wo to you that say good is evil, and evil is good, putting light into darkness, and darkness into light, turning sweet into bitter, and bitter into sweet. And thus doth antichrist, when he transposes virtues into vices, and vices into virtues; as pilgrimage into outrage, and outrage into pilgrimage.†

The third assault of antichrist is, inquisition, as the prophet saith, antichrist inquires, searches, hearkens where he may find any man or woman that writes, reads, learns, or studies God's law, in their mother tongue, to lead their life after the pleasing will of God, and soon he catches them in his censures, and afterwards smites, as he may most grievously hurt them. But he shall not make this inquisition after the greatness of his wrath, for God shall refrain, and abridge the power of his malice, so that he shall do no more than God shall suffer him.

The fourth assault of antichrist is, persecution. Antichrist sitteth and sotteth in the peace of this world, with rich men in their dens. But the poor, meek, simple, and lowly, them he espies and pursues, and destroys them both bodily and spiritually. Ever in a country that is fat and abounding with worldly goods, there antichrist with his clerks build their nests, and if thou look about thee thou shalt find them among woods and waters. [The writer then applies Rev. xvi. 13. as betokening the monastic orders.] They purchase

• Allusion probably is here made to archbishop Arundel's constitutions, enacted A. D. 1408,

+ The crusades undertaken at the instigation of the popes; particularly those against the Albigenses in the twelfth century, when the pope's troops were called pilgrims.

The sites of the principal ancient abbeys and monasteries, in the parts of the country then most fertile, sufficiently prove the truth of this statement.