Of oure order ther beth bichopes wel manye, I must not quit our Ploughman without obferving, that some other fatirical pieces anterior to the Reformation, bear the adopted name of PIERS THE PLOWMAN. Under the character of a plowman the religious are likewise lashed, in a poem written in apparent imitation of Longland's VISION, and attributed to Chaucer. I mean the PLOWMAN'S TALE *. The measure is different, and it is in rhyme. But it has Longland's alliteration of initials as if his example had, as it were, appropriated that mode of verfification to the fubject, and the fuppofed character which fupports the fatire". All these poems were, for the most part, founded on the doctrines newly broached by Wickliffe: who main * Perhaps falfely. Unlefs Chaucer wrote the Crede, which I cannot believe. For in Chaucer's PLOWMAN'S TALE this Crede is alluded to. v. 3005. And of Freris I have before And yet I could tell worfe and more. y It is extraordinary, that we should find in this poem one of the abfurd arguments of the puritans against ecclefiaftical eftablishments. v. 2253. Urr. edit. For Chrift made no cathedralls, But fee what follows, concerning Wickliffe. z It is remarkable, that they touch on the very topics which Wickliffe had juft published in his OBJECTIONS ON FRERES charging them with fifty berefies. As in the following. "Alfo Freres buildin many "great churches, and cofty wast houses : "and cloisteres, as it wern caftels, and that "withouten nede, &c." Lewis's WICKLIFF, p. 22. I will here add a paffage from Wickliffe's tract entitled WHY POOR PRIESTS HAVE NO BENEFICES. Lewis, App. Num. xix. p. 289. " And yet they [lords] wolen not prefent a clerk able "of kunning of god's law, but a kitchen "clerk, or a penny clerk, or wife in build ing caftles, or worldly doing, though he "kunne not reade well his fauter, &c." Here is a manifeft piece of Satire on Wykeham, bishop of Winchester, Wickliffe's cotemporary; who is fuppofed to have recommended himself to Edward the third by rebuilding the caftle of Windfor. This was a recent and notorious inftance. But in this appointment the king probably paid a compliment to that prelate's fingular talents for business, his activity, circumfpection, and management, rather than to any fcientific and profeffed skill in architecture, which he might have poffeffed. It feems to me that he was only a fupervifor or comptroller on this occafion. It was common to depute churchmen to this department, from an tained, among other things, that the clergy fhould not poffefs eftates, that the ecclefiaftical ceremonies obftructed true devotion, and that mendicant friars, the particular object of our Plowman's CREDE, were a public and infupportable grievance. But Wickliffe, whom Mr. Hume pronounces to have been an enthusiast, like many other reformers, carried his ideas of purity too far; and, as at least it appears from the two firft of thefe opinions, under the defign of destroying fuperftition, his undistinguishing zeal attacked even the necessary aids of religion. It was certainly a lucky circumftance that Wickliffe quarrelled with the pope. His attacks on superstition at first probably proceeded from refentment. Wickliffe, who was profeffor of divinity at Oxford, finding on many occafions not only his own province invaded, but even the privileges of the university frequently violated by the pretenfions of the mendicants, gratified his warmth of temper by throwing out fome flight cenfures against all the four orders, and the popes their principal patrons and abettors. Soon afterwards he was deprived of the wardenship of Canterbury hall, by the archbishop of Canterbury, who fubftituted a monk in his place. Upon this he appealed to the pope, who confirmed the archiepifcopal sentence, by way of rebuke for the freedom with which he had treated the monaftic profeffion. Wickliffe, highly exafperated at this ufage, immediately gave a loose to his indignation, and without restraint or distinction attacked dea of their fuperior prudence and probity. Thus John, the prior of St Swithin's at Winchester in 1280, is commissioned by brief from the king, to fupervise large repairs done by the theriff in the castle of Winchester, and the royal manor of Wolmer. MS. Regiftr. Priorat. Quat. 19. fol. 3. The bishop of S. David's was mafter of the works at building King's College. Hearne's Elmh. p. 353. Alcock, bishop Ely, was comptroller of the royal buildings Parker Hift. under Henry the feventh. Rr 2 in in numerous fermons and treatises, not only the scandalous enormities of the whole body of monks, but even the usurpations of the pontifical power itself, with other ecclefiaftical corruptions. Having expofed these palpable abuses with a just abhorrence, he ventured still farther, and proceeded to examine and refute with great learning and penetration the abfurd doctrines which prevailed in the religious fyftem of his age: he not only exhorted the laity to study the fcriptures, but tranflated the bible into English for general use and popular inspection. Whatever were his motives, it is certain that thefe efforts enlarged the notions of mankind, and fowed those feeds of a revolution in religion, which were quickened at length and brought to maturity by a favourable coincidence of circumftances, in an age when the encreasing growth of literature and curiofity naturally led the way to innovation and improvement. But a visible diminution of the authority of the ecclefiaftics, in England at least, had been long growing from other caufes. The disgust which the laity had contracted from the numerous and arbitrary encroachments both of the court of Rome, and of their own clergy, had greatly weaned the kingdom from fuperftition; and confpicuous fymptoms had appeared, on various occafions, of a general defire to shake off the intolerable bondage of papal oppreffion. SECT. SE CT. X LONGLAND's ONGLAND's peculiarity of style and versification, seems to have had many cotemporary imitators. One of these is a nameless author on the fashionable history of 、 Alexander the Great: and his poem on this fubject is inferted at the end of the beautiful Bodleian copy of the French ROMAN D'ALEXANDRE, before mentioned, with this reference'. "Here fayleth a proffeffe of this romaunce of "Alixaunder the whiche proffeffe that fayleth ye schulle fynde at the ende of thys boke ywrete in Engeliche ryme." It is imperfect, and begins and proceeds thus '. Was wift and wonderfull peple That weren proved ful proude, and prys of hevi helde That Alixaundre with his oft at lede thidince That newe tythinge is tolde in this wife с The gentil Geneofophiftians that gode were of witte This is worfchip of word worthi to have Us is fertefyed feg as we foth heren That thou haft ment with the man among us ferre The thou fonde with thi folke to fighte us alle |