This story, gentle reader, although the author thereof, whom I follow, doth give it out in reproachful terms to the great discommendation of the Londoners for so doing, yet I thought not to omit, but to commit the same to memory; which seemeth to me rather to tend unto the worthy commendation both of the Londoners and the aforesaid John of Northampton, the mayor. 🞼[1]A notable and worthy example, doubtless, of a true magistrate; which man, if they that follow him now in like office, would also follow him in like severity and diligence, I doubt not but that it would be better with the city of London, for the good reformations of the people: so that, we had not either fallen into this tempest of great misery, wherewith all the realm of England is now plagued, or else, we should yet the sooner shake off the plague, and put it away. But now, while the princes do attend and give ear to blind prophecies, the bishops play the tyrants,[2] the divines are drowned in ambition, the prophets slain, the noblemen fall into all kinds of lascivious wantonness, the magistrates wink at vice unpunished, the common people run into all kinds of lasciviousness; while prostitution, divorcements, adultery, avarice and covetousness, craft and deceit, drunkenness, contentions, usury and perjury, with all other kinds of vice and wickedness, overflow now the realm, what marvel is it, if all the joints and frames of the commonwealth being loosed asunder, all things run in heaps, to ruin and decay.[3]
Hitherto it may be thought, that we are sufficiently instructed by the great scourges, plagues, and miseries which have happened; and except we are so, nothing will teach us what it is to fall into the hand of the Lord, and what it is to abuse his holy gospel. Time it is, yea, and high time doth require it, that we now, forsaking and wearing weary of our old corruptions and evils, may at length convert and turn the wrath and displeasure of God, into his mercy and favour; which thing we shall soon do, if we first of all ourselves, do correct and amend our lives, and change our vice into virtue; but of this matter (God willing) we will find another place to treat. Now we will return again to the favourers of Wickliff, amongst whom is to be counted the lord Cobham, who is reported openly to have confessed (as Walden writeth) that he did never with his heart hate sin, before he was instructed and taught by Wickliff. All these were noble men, yet was there no want amongst the meanest sort of such as, with all their diligence, did defend his doctrine; and especially among the Oxford men, of whom there was not one that escaped free without some kind of mark; for either they were most shamefully forced unto recantation, or most cruelly judged to the fire.🞼 After these things thus declared, let us now add the testimonial of the university of Oxford in favour of John Wickliff.
The Public Testimony given by the University of Oxford, touching the great Learning and good Life of John Wickliff.[4]
- ↑ See edition, 1563, p. 100. Also the Lat. edition, p. 18.—Ed.
- ↑ "Play the tyrants." "Episcopi τυραννευουσι, ambitione insaniunt theologi." Lat. edition, 1559, p. 18.—Ed
- ↑ "What marvel," &c. "Quid mirum, si luxatis undique reipublicæ compagibus, ruinam demum ac πανολεθριαν spectare omnia videantur." Lat. ed. 1559, p. 18.—Ed.
- ↑ The enemies of Wickliff have endeavoured to overthrow the authenticity of this valuable
