spiritual supremacy of Rome. Throughout all ranks, however, it had been more or less deeply felt, that her power had frequently been exercised in a spirit of intolerable arrogance and rapacity; and it was likewise known that the sword of temporal and spiritual dominion had been often wielded with atrocious severity, by the successor of St. Peter, against those who questioned or resisted his authority. The exactions and usurpations of the Pontifical court could be readily estimated by those, who were profoundly indifferent to her aberrations from the primitive purity of faith; and the exterminating fury with which she had smitten her adversaries, must have begun to raise up certain misgivings, as to the legitimacy of that power, which could be maintained only by fire and sword. And hence it was that England, although a citadel of orthodoxy in matters of mere belief, was, in those times, by no means the seat of contented allegiance to the Apostolic See. She might, perhaps, have been satisfied to slumber for centuries longer, under the sedative influence of the Romish superstition, if the burden of Romish dominion had been less galling and oppressive. As it was, she had an ear to hear the lessons of any teacher, endowed with address, and energy enough to expose the corruptions, which had so long insulted her patience, and exhausted her resources.

It his hoped that the foregoing survey, imperfect

articles maintained, that "there is in man only one form, namely, the rational soul, and no other substantial form," from which opinion, all the forenamed heresies are said to issue. Wilk. Conc. vol. ii. p. 123.

as it is, may furnish the reader with some conception of the progress of feeling and opinion, in this country, relative to ecclesiastical affairs; and may enable him to discern something of the process by which the public mind was, at least partially, ripened for the labours and services of Wiclif.

CHAPTER III.

1324-1367.

Birth of Wiclif-Wiclif admitted at Queen's College, OxfordRemoves to Merton College-Acquires the title of Evangelic Doctor-His mastery in the scholastic learning-His Tract on the Last Age of the Church, occasioned by the Plague of 1348— He commences his attacks on the Mendicant Orders-Notice of the first institution of the Mendicants—Their efficacy on their first Establishment―Their enormous increase—Their rapacity and turbulence-Their introduction into England in 1221—Its bad effects-Richard Fitzralph's opposition to them, followed up by Wiclif―The sum of Wiclif's objection to them contained in a Tract of his, published twenty years later—Letters of Fraternity-Oxford Statute in restraint of the Mendicants—Interference of Parliament-Wiclif presented to the Rectory of Fillingham, which he exchanges afterwards for that of Lutgershall -Promoted to the Wardenship of Baliol College, which he resigns for the Headship of Canterbury Hall, founded by Archbishop Islep-His appointment pronounced void by Archbishop Langham-Wiclif appeals to the Pope, who ultimately ratifies Langham's decree-The Pope's decision confirmed by the Crown -Wiclif vindicated against the suspicion of being impelled by resentment to hostilities against the Papacy-The Pope revives his claim of homage and tribute from England-Edward III. lays the demand before Parliament, who resolve that it ought to be resisted-Wiclif challenged to defend the Resolution of Parliament His reply to the challenge.

ABOUT six miles from the town of Richmond, in Yorkshire, is the small village of Wiclif, which, from the Conquest to the end of the sixteenth century, was the residence of a family of the same name, who

were lords of the manor, and patrons of the rectory. In this village, or its immediate vicinity, Birth of Wiclif, there is good reason to believe that John 1324.

Wiclif1 was born, about the year 1324. It is, further, probable, that he was a member of the family who were possessors of the property. Some doubt may, indeed, be raised respecting this point, from the facts, that the name of John Wiclif, is not to be found in the extant records of the household 2; and that no reference to his parentage has yet been discovered in his writings. His own silence, however, and that of his relatives may, reasonably enough, be ascribed to the alienation which would be unavoidably occasioned by his defection from the religious principles of the age. The Wiclifs, if they were faithful to their creed, would, not unnaturally, be slow to claim any connection with the reputed heretic and the persecuted teacher, on the other hand, would find but little delight in adverting to his kindred, if he perceived that his opinions were such as made them willing to forget him. It has been surmised by his latest biographer 3, that something of this feeling is betrayed in his Treatise on Wedded Men and Wives, in which he says, that "if a child yield himself to meekness and poverty, and flee covetousness and pride, from a dread of sin, and to please God ..... by so doing he getteth many

:

1 The orthography of the name, in different writers, is so perplexing by its variety, that I have thought it expedient to adopt that which has the smallest number of letters. With Lewis, therefore, I shall write the Reformer-WICLIF.

2 Vaughan, vol. i. p. 234.

3 Ibid, p. 235.

enemies to his elders; and they say that he slandereth all their noble kindred, who were ever held true men and worshipful1."

At the distance of five centuries, and in the absence of positive documents, it would be vain to hope for absolute certainty in a question of this description. It is, however, satisfactory to think that we live in times, when the most distinguished families would be as proud to claim consanguinity with Wiclif, as the obscurest in his own days may have been anxious to disclaim it. We are now living in the enjoyment of blessings, in the acquisition of which he may justly be reckoned among the foremost and most illustrious adventurers. It is, therefore, nothing more than justice, that the widest possible diffusion should be given to the history of his services and benefactions to the cause of scriptural truth amongst us. If any thing can rally our fainting energies in times which savour so rankly of "things that be of men," it is the contemplation of noble and elevated examples of heroism and self-devotion, displayed in support of "the things that be of God."

Of the childhood of Wiclif nothing whatever is known. Oxford was the scene of his maturer studies, and of his future glory. His name occurs in the list of students first admitted at Queen's Col

Wiclif admitted

at Queen's Col- lege, a seminary then of very recent lege, Oxford. foundation. It was established in the year 1340, chiefly by the munificence of Philippa, Queen of Edward the Third, influenced and directed

1 M.S. C. C. C. Cambridge: "On Wedded Men and their Wives, and their Children also."