The Dead Yet Speaking, Biography 2
IOH…N WICKLI….
The Life and Deth of John Wicklief.
AMongst many famous Writers in this Nation, as Beda, Alckvine, Iohn Carnotenesis, Nigellus, Neckam, Sevall, Bacanthorpe, Ockam, Hampoole of Armach, this Wicklief is not the least of worth, he was famous both for Life, and Learning; he was brought up in the famous Vniversity of Oxford, in Merton Coll…dge; he gave himselfe, after he was Master of Arts, to the study of Schoole Divinity, wherein having an …xcellent acute wit, he became excellently well qualified, and was admired of all for his singular Learning, and swe…tn…sse of behavior, in King Edward the thirds time: who protested that his chiefe end and purpose was to call backe the Church from her Idolatry, especially in the matter of the Sacrament. He was much favoured by Iohn of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster, and the Lord Henry Percy, who defended and protected him from his raging adversaries and Bishops.
And when Pope Gregory the eleveeth sent his Bull to Oxford to require them to root out Wickl…ef's Tares (as he called them) the Proctors, and Masters were in long debate whether they should receive it, or reject it. In the time of King Richard the second, this Wicklief was brought before the Bishops at Lambeth, and had many Articles put in against him, but what by the meanes of some Courtiers, and Citizens of London, he was again released. After this William Barton Vice-chancellor of Oxford, wi…h some other Doctors, set forth an Edict against him, and his followers: whereupon he published a confession of his Doctrine. Anno Christi 1382. the Archbishop of Canterburie held a Convocation at London, and condemned the Articles of Wicklief as Heretical: and when the said Archbishop with many of his adherents were gathered together about this business, just as they were readie to begin their debate, there fell out a great and generall Earthquake, which so affrighted manie of them, that they desisted from their business: yet all means were used for the suppressing of his opinions; but through God's merciemercy they could never bee exstirpated to this daie. He was a great enemie to the swarms of begging Friers, with whom it was harder to make war, then with the Pope himselfe. He denied the Pope to be the Head of the Church, and pronounc'd him to be Antichrist: he confuted, and condemned his Doctrine about Bulls, Indulgences, &c. The Bishop of Rome lost by his Doctrine the power of making and ordaining Bishops in England, and the Tenths of spirituall promotions, & also the gains of his Peter-pence. Whereupon Polidore Virgil cals him an infamous Hereticke. He affi…med the Scripture to be the supreme Judg of Controversies, condemned Transubstantiation, &c. He was a painfull, and faithfull preacher of the Gospell under that famous King Edward the thi…d, who alwaies favored and protected him against the rage of his adversaries. In the raign of Richard the second, he was by the power of his adversaries banished, yet in all his affliction he shewed an undanted spirit. At last returning from Exile, he died in the yeere of our Saviour Jesus Christ, (whom he had Preached) 1387. and was buried the last day of December at his Parsonage of Lutterworth in Leicester-shire. But in the yeer 1428. which was 41. yeeres from the time of his death, his dead body was by the Decree of Pope Martin the fifth, and Counsell of Sene, dig'd up, and burned with the Execreations of that fiery Pope; thus he found the cruelty of them being dead, whom he had, being living, taught to be so. He writ (as Pius Aenaeas testifies) more then two hundred faire volumnes, most of which were burned by Sùbinck Arch-bishop of Prague in Bohemia: The Catalogue of his Works you may reade in the Centuries of Io…n Bale, somes of them, I have here set downe.
1 Of Christ and antichrist. 2. Of Antichrist and his members. 3. Of the truth of the Scriptures. 4. Of the fountain of E… rors. 5. A booke of Conclusions. 6. 7. Of Ecclesiasticall and Civill government. 8 Of the Impostures of Hipocrites. 9. Of Blasphemy. 10. Lectures on Daniel. 11. On the Apocalyps. 12. Of the marriage of Priests. 13. The Divels craft against Religion. 14. His policy to overthrow faith. 15. Of Apostacy.
16. Two bookes of Metaphysickes, one containing 12. Bookes. 17. Glosses upon the Scripture. 18. Of falling away from Christ. 19. Of truth and lying.
Besides these, he writ many of Philosophy, and translated the Bible into the English tongue, making Prefaces and Arguments to every Booke: he also translated the twelve Bookes of Clement, the Parson of Lanthon, containing the harmony of the Evangelists: And thus went out this Lampe of England: of whom one thus hath said:
With our old English writers rare,
John Wicklief, justly might Compare;
For Learning, Life, and solid Witt,
And many Works he rarely Writt;
Contending stoutly, 'gainst Romes Errours,
Nere daunted by their threats or terrours;
But, to his death, still, fought faiths fight,
And thus went out this Lamp of Light.
But, being dead, Rome did so rave,
'Gainst this Faiths Champion, that from's grave,
They digged-up his Bones, with ire,
And burnt (as Hereticks) in fire.
Thus was Romes Folly, Rage, exprest,
To burn dead Bones, of Soules, at rest.