asserts that he had seen Bibles of an earlier date than Wiclif's, that
the Scriptures had been translated long before his time, but although
parts had been at different times translated, there is good reason to
doubt whether any _complete_ translation had been made. See an excellent
summary of the information on the subject in the Introduction to
Bagster's 'Hexapla,' p. 5 et seq.
[23] Milton's tracts on 'Church Government,' 'Removing
Hirelings from the Church,' &c., might have been written by Wiclif if he
had lived in that day. Their views were very similar in these matters,
and there is an approximation in Wiclif to Milton's opinions on Divorce.
The men were greatly alike in character--stern, uncompromising, each
gave himself up with his whole heart to the promotion of the objects he
had in view, and both measuring other men by their own lofty standard,
dealt out the harshest censure on such as fell short of it.--Milton, by
the way, obliquely defends the violence of his own language by the
example of Wiclif. The genius of the two was so different as obviously
to prohibit comparison--it is in their inflexibility of purpose, their
moral and religious severity of character, that the resemblance
consists.
[24] Courtney said it was a symbol of the need there was of
purifying the church from the pestiferous vapours that hung over it;
Wiclif, that the earth trembled because they were about to put a heresy
upon Christ, as it before trembled when they put his body to death.
[25] Dr. Lingard is hard to please: he sneers at Wiclif for
_not_ seeking the martyr's crown, yet when one of his followers, a few
years later, obtains it, he coolly says, "The enthusiast aspired to the
crown of martyrdom, and had the satisfaction to fall a victim to his own
folly!"--'Hist. of England,' iv. 188 and 332.
[26] Chaucer, perhaps to avoid letting the poems appear to the
public too strict a narration of actual facts, calls them here, and in
various other places, the king and queen.
[27] Pleased.
[28] That which.
[29] Blanche. (See previous note.)
[30] Trust.
[31] War.
[32] Little.
[33] Little.
[34] Birds.
[35] Crowd.
[36] Truth.
[37] Taste.
[38] Counsel.
[39] Nail.
[40] That which.
[41] Obedience, patience.
[42] Spirit, or inward monitor.
ERRATA:
Pg. 111 - Typo corrected: entiled changed to entitled
Pg. 113 - Typo corrected: attribute changed to attributed
Pg. 114 - Typo corrected: doctines changed to doctrines
Pg. 115 - Typo corrected: adjudicaiton changed to adjudication
Pg. 148 - Removed an extra 'other'.
END OF VOL. I.
LONDON: WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET