"The most common method," fays Montagne, "to foften the hearts of those whom we "have offended, is, when they have the power "to revenge themselves in their hands, by seeing 66 us at their mercy, to move them by our sub"miffion to pity and commiferation. Some"times, however, bravery, constancy, and refo"lution, though directly contrary methods, have "produced the fame effect."

RICHARD THE SECOND.
[1377-1399.]

JOHN WICKLIFFE.

"WICKLIFFE," faid Luther, "attacked the "morals and the rites of the Church of Rome. "The Monks, particularly those of the Mendi66 cant Order, seem to be the great objects of his "fatire. He charges, in one of his Tracts, the

Freres, that is, the Fryars, with holding fifty “herefies, and many more, if men would seek "them well out. He oppofed very much the

giving tithes, unless to those who officiated at "the Altar. He attacked the Pope's fupremacy, " and the doctrine of tranfubftantiation. In his "MS. Treatife, Why Poor Priefts have no "Benefices,'

"Benefices,' he fays, And if Lords fhallen "prefent Clerks to Benefices, they wolen have "commonly gold in great quantity; and holden "their curates in their worldly office, and fuffren "the wolves of Hell to ftrangle men's fouls; fo "that they have much gold, and their office don "for nought, and their chapels holden up for vain 66 glory and hypocrify; and yet they wolen not "present a clerk able of kunning of God's laws, "and good life and holy enfample to the people, "but a kitchen-clerk, or a penny-clerk, or wife "in building caftles, or worldly doing, tho he "kanne not read well his Sauter, (Pfalter,) and "knoweth not the Commandments of God, ne "Sacraments of the Church. And yet fome "Lords, to colouren their fimony, wole not take "for themselves, but kerchiefs for the lady, or a "tun of wine. And when fome Lords wolden "prefent a good man, and able for love of God "and Christian fouls, then fome Ladies ben means "to have a dancer, a tripper or tapits, or hun"ter or hawker, or a wild player of summer's

gamenes, for flattering and gifts going betwixte; " and if it be for dancing in bed so much the "worse."

Wickliffe tranflated the Bible into English, and was fo voluminous a writer, that Lubinio Lepus, Bishop of Prague, burnt two hundred

volumes

volumes written by this extraordinary perfon, which belonged to fome of the heretical Noblemen of Bohemia.

Courtenay, Bishop of London, cited Wickliffe to appear before him at Paul's, to give fome account of the new opinions which he held. Wickliffe came attended by the Duke of Lancaster and the Earl Marshall. The crowd was fo great, that the Lord Marshall was obliged to make use of his authority to get Wickliffe through it. The Bifhop, difpleafed at seeing him so honourably attended, told the Lord Marshall," that if he "had known beforehand what maestries he would "have kept in the church, he would have stopped "him out from coming there." The Duke of Lancaster, indignant at this threatening language, told the Bishop, "that he would keep fuch "maestries there, though he faid nay." Wickliffe, as ufual, was ftanding before the Bishop and the rest of the Commiffioners, to hear what things were laid to his charge, when the Lord Marshall defired him to fit down; telling him, that as he had many things to answer to, he had need of a foft feat to be at his eafe. The Bishop replied," that he should not fit there; for," added he, "it is neither according to law nor "reason, that he who was cited to answer before "his Ordinary (the Lord Pope) fhould fit down

" during

66

"during the time of his anfwer." On this many angry words took place between the Bishop and the Earl Marshall. The Duke of Lancaster then interfered, and told the Bishop," that the "Earl Marshall's motion was a very reasonable • one, and that as for him, (the Bishop,) he was now become so proud and so arrogant, that "he (the Duke) would bring down not only "the pride of him but of every prelate in Eng"land;" adding, " that rather than take what "the Bishop faid at his hands, he would pull "him out of the church by the hair of his head." These speeches occafioned the affembly to become very tumultuous, fo the Court broke up without doing any thing.

Wickliffe died of the palfy, at his parfonage of Lutterworth, in 1382, and his bones were taken up and burnt by a decree of the Council thirteen years afterwards.

The learned and candid Melanthon speaks thus. of Wickliffe:

"He foolishly confounds the Gofpel and politics, and does not fee that the Gofpel permits. ❝us to make use of all the lawful forms of Go66 vernment of all nations. He contends, that it " is not lawful for Priefts to have property. He

"infifts

infifts that tithes ought only to be paid to those "who teach, as if the Gofpel forbad the ufe of "political ordinances. He wrangles fophiftically. "and completely feditiously about civil domi"nion."

HENRY THE FOURTH.
[1399-1413.]

"DURING his laft fickneffe," fays Hollinfhed, Henry caufed his crowne (as fome write) to "be fet on a pillow at his bed's head, and fud"denlie his pangs fo fore troubled him, that he "laie as though all his vital fpirits had beene "from him departed. Such as were about him, "thinking

* Osborne in his celebrated " Advice to his Son," fays, "Grudge not tithes to the teachers of the Gospel, affigned "for their wages by the Divine Legislator: of whofe in"ftitutes this was none of the leaft profound, that the Tribe "of Levi were prohibited all other revenue than what was "deducible out of the tenth part of the other eleventh's in"creafe; fetting bounds thereby to all the improvement "their wisdom, and the tie the priesthood had over the "people's confciences, might in the future poffibly make, "in causing their maintenance to rise and fall proportionably "to the general standard of the nation's felicity; which this "limitation obliged them to promote, and for their own "fakes to oppofe all incroachments likely to interrupt their "brethren's utility.”