John Purvey

“ No book in the old testament is harder for understanding to us Latins, for our letter discords much from the Hebrew, and many doctors take little heed to the letter, but all to the spiritual understanding. Well were they that could well understand the Psalter, and keep it in their living, and say it devoutly, and convince Jews thereby; for many men that say it devoutly, and live out of charity, lie foul about themselves to God, and blaspheme him, when they cry it very loud to men's ears in the church. ”

“ But God, of his great mercy, give to us grace to live well, and to say the truth in useful manners, and acceptable to God and his people, and not to spill our time, if it's short, or if it's long at God's ordinance. But some, that seem wise and holy, say this, if men now were as holy as Jerome was, they might translate out of Latin into English, as he did out of Hebrew and out of Greek into Latin, and else they should not translate now, as they think, for lack of holiness and knowledge. ”

“ The first great sin is generally in the university, as men dread and see at eye; the 2nd horrible sin is sodomy and strong maintenance thereof, as it is known to many people of the realm, and at the last parliament. Alas! diviners, that should pass other men in cleanness and holiness, as angels of heaven pass frail men in virtues, are most tripped up by this cursed sin against kind. The 3rd horrible sin is simony, and forswearing in the assembly house, that should be a house of righteousness and holiness, where evils should be redressed ”

“ And whether I have done this, or not, don't doubt, they that know well the sentence of holy writ and English together, and will labor, with God's grace, thereabout, may make the bible as true and open, yes, and more open in English than it is in Latin. And no doubt to a simple man, with God's grace and great labor, men might explain much more open and shorter the bible in English, than the great old doctors have explained it in Latin, and much sharper and more grounded than many late commentators or expositors, have done. ”

“ And couriers went out with epistles, by commandment of the king and of his princes, into all Israel and Judah, as the king had commanded, and preached, "Sons of Israel, turn back to the Lord God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, and he shall turn back to the remnants that escaped the hands of the king of Assyrians; serve the Lord God of your fathers, and the wrath of his strong vengeance shall be turned away from you; for if you turn again to the Lord, your brothers and your sons shall have mercy before their lords, that led them prisoners, and they shall turn back into this land." ”

“ We don't doubt, when scripture goes from the head to the body, or from the body to the head, and nevertheless it doesn't go away from one and the same person, so that one person speaks in Isaiah, "he set a mitre to me as to a spouse, and he honoured me as a wife with an ornament." And nevertheless it is to understand which of these two accords to the head, that is, Christ, and which accords to the body, that is, the holy church, and a miter accords to Christ, which is the spouse, and an ornament accords to the holy church, which is the spouse of christ. ”

“ Now in England is a common protection against persecution of prelates and of some lords, if a man habitually swears needless, and false, and unadvised, by the bones, nails, and sides, and other members of Christ, and are proud and lustful, and speaking of God's law, and reproving sin around him; and abstaining from needless and unlawful oaths, and eschewing pride, and speaking honor of God and of his law, and reproving sin by way of charity, is matter and cause now why prelates and lords trick men, and call them Lollards, heretics, and raisers of debate and of treason against the king ”

“ The book of Job is very subtle in understanding, for Job argues against his enemies, that would bring him out of christian faith, and concludes many errors that follow from their false belief and conviction; and Job doesn't affirm that all is truth that he speaks against his adversaries, but concludes them in their false belief, that many errors follow thereof; and for I have declared in part in the gloss how the hard sentences of Job should be understood, therefore I pass over lightly now. First this book tells the kin of Job, and his riches, and holy life of him and his children ”

“ How much blood lords shed in wars, for pride and greed, by council of false prelates, confessors, and preachers, it passes man's wit to tell fully in this life; but of shedding of blood and slaying of poor men, by withdrawing of alms, and in giving it to dead sticks, or stones, or to rich clerks and feigned religious, were to speak now, if a man had the spirit of spiritual strength. ”

“ These worldly fools should know, that holy life is a lantern to bring a man to true knowledge, as Chrysostom says, and the respect [58] and love of God is the beginning and perfection of knowledge and wisdom; and when these fleshly apes and worldly moles have neither the beginning of wisdom, nor desire it, what do they do at holy scripture, to ensnaring themselves and other men? ”

“ First they set in their heart, that should be in the temple and special chamber of God, the idol of greed, or of gluttony, or of pride, or of other great sins, for saint Paul says, that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and next he says, that greed is the service of idols, and next he says, that gluttons make their belly their God; and God says by Job, that the devil is king over all the sons of pride, and Jesus Christ says, that the devil is prince of this world, that is, as Augustine says, of false men that dwell in this world. ”

“ Onset of virtues pertains to loving God and the neighbor; truth of faith pertains to knowing God and the neighbor. Holy scripture commands nothing but charity, it rebukes nothing but greed; and in that manner it informs the virtues or good conditions of men. ”

“ Also holy scripture contains all profitable truth, and all other sciences hiddenly in the virtue of wits, or understandings, as wines are contained in grapes, as ripe grain is contained in the seed, as boughs are contained in the roots, and as trees are contained in the seeds. ”

“ Allegoric is a spiritual understanding, that teaches what thing men ought for to believe of Christ or the holy church. Moral is a spiritual understanding, that teaches men, what virtues they ought to follow, and what vices they ought to flee. Anagogick is a spiritual understanding, that teaches men, what bliss they shall have in heaven. And these four understandings may be taken in this word Jerusalem; because to the literal understanding it signifies an earthly city, as London, or such another; to allegory it signifies a christian soul ”

“ Also though scripture retells, how holy men lied, and commends them greatly, it doesn't approve all their deeds, for many great saints erred foul in many points; and though scripture tells the stories of evil and damned men, it doesn't therefore reprove all things which they did, for though they were themselves very cursed, they did many good deeds of kind, and sometimes by chance good deeds of virtue, if they were in grace for a time. At the last take good heed, when scripture speaks by commandment to all men, and when it gives commandment to certain people of divers states. ”

“ All things in holy scripture, that seem to unwise men to be full of wickedness against a man himself, or against his neighbor, are figurative speeches, and the secrets, or spiritual understandings, should be sought out by us, to the feeding or keeping of charity. Such a rule shall be kept in figurative speeches, that so long as it is turned in the mind by diligent considerations, til the explaining or understanding is brought to the realm of charity; if any speech of scripture sounds literally charity, it ought not to be thought a figurative speech ”

“ Also holy scripture tells often the thoughts of men, and often the words and deeds; and when the thoughts, and words, and deeds of men are contrary, one evangelist tells the thoughts, and another tells the words; and by this equivocation, or diverse speaking, they are accorded, yes, when they see men contrary in words; also often in the matter of stories scripture retells the common opinion of men, and doesn't affirm, that it was so indeed. In this manner the gospel says, that Joseph was the father of Christ, though he never engendered Christ ”

“ Once children and young men artists were devout and clean as angels, in comparison of other, now men see they are full of pride and lust, with despising oaths, needless and false, and despising of God's commandments; once civilians and canonists were devout, and so busy on their learning, that they took very little rest of bed, now men see that they are full of pride and nice clothing, envy, and greed, with lust, gluttony, and idleness ”

“ God grant pity, mercy, and charity, and love of common profit, and put away such foul judgements, that are against reason and charity. Yet worldly clerks greatly ask what spirit makes commoners hardy now to translate the bible into English, since the four great doctors never dared to do this? ”

“ Chapter 10 This process of Chronicles in the 1st and 2nd books should stir christian kings and lords to destroy sin, and love virtue, and make God's law to be known and kept by their people, for here they must see, how sorely God punished evil kings, that lived evil, and drew the people to idolatry, or other great sins, and how greatly God praised, rewarded, and cherished good kings, that lived well, and governed well the people in God's law, and open reason, and good conscience. ”

“ The 3rd book called Leviticus teaches men sacrifices due to God, and for sins of the people, in the time of the old testament, and that no man unworthy should come near to the service and sacrifice of God. These sacrifices ought not to be kept now, for they prefigured the passion and death of Christ, and remission of sins by the blood and merit of Christ, in the law of grace. Also this book teaches men to abstain from marriage to near kin and relation within the 2nd degree of consanguinity and pain of death for idolatry, and wedding within the 2nd degree of consanguinity and relation. ”

“ Hosea is the first, Joel is the 2nd, Amos is the 3rd, Obidiah is the 4th, Jonah is the fifth, Micah is the 6th, Nahum is the 7th, Habakkuk is the 8th, Zephaniah is the 9th, Haggai is the 10th, Zechariah is the 11th, and Malachi is the 12th; and all these 12 prophets with short works [8] are one book, and in this order. And whatever book in the old testament is outside of these twenty-five aforementioned books, shall be set among apocrypha, that is, without authority of belief; therefore the books of Wisdom, Sirach, Judith, and Tobit are not of belief. ”

“ In the first point, all men must do, as it says; in the 2nd time, the people of states specified must needs obey; when scripture speaks only by council, men may be saved, though they don't do the council, as very many men and woman may be saved, though they don't take virginity, or continence, or give all their goods to poor men, and yet these are their councils of Jesus Christ in the Gospel. ”

“ See therefore what Jerome says on Amos, God before says evils to come, that men hear, and amend themselves, and are delivered from the peril nearing, or if they despise that, they are punished more justly; and God, that before says pains, will not punish men that sin, unless they won't be amended. Jerome says this in the end of the 1st book of Amos. God, for his great mercy, grant, that clerks hear the great vengeance threatened by God, and amend themselves truly, that God doesn't punish them; for if they don't amend themselves, they are heretics made hard in their sins ”

“ God shall send them hunger, thirst, pestilence, fever and cold, burning and heat, and corrupt air, til they perish; enemies shall have victory, and conquer them, and take them prisoner; and yet God shall punish them with huge vengeance, that all that hear are astonished. ”

“ This process of Job should stir men to be just of living, and to be patient in adversities, as Job was, and to be steadfast in christian faith, and answer wisely and meekly to heretics and adversaries of our faith, as Peter and Paul teach, and always be meek and full of charity, and pray for our enemies, and look after reward in heaven, and not on earth, for our good deeds. ”

“ Now men kneel, and pray, and offer strongly to dead images, that have neither hunger not cold; and despise, beat, and slay Christian mane, made to the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity. What honor of God is this to kneel and offer to an image, made by sinful man's hands, and to despise and rob the image made by God's hands, that is, a christian man, or a christian woman. ”

“ And no clerk should be [35] proud of the true understanding of holy writ, because true understanding of holy writ without charity, that keeps God's commands, makes a man deeper damned, as James and Jesus Christ witness; and pride and greed [36] of clerks is the cause of their blindness and heresy, and proves they don't have true understanding [37] of holy writ, and makes them go living into hell, as Augustine says on the Psalter, on that word, Descendant in infernum viventes. ”

“ If things signified by words are referred to signify those things that ought to be believed in the new testament, so it is taken the sense of allegoric; if things are referred to signify those things which we ought to do, so it is moral sense, or topological; if things are referred to signify those things that should be hoped in bliss coming, so it is anagogick sense. ”

“ But know, worldly clerks and pretended religious, that God both can and may, if he likes it, speed simple men out of the university, as much to know holy writ, as masters in the university; and therefore no great charge, if never any man of good will is poisoned with heathen men's errors 9 years or ten, but always live well and study holy writ, by old doctors and new, and preach truly and freely against open sins, to his death. ”