The Portland daily press., 1880-12-10
FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 10.

centuries, to restrain some of the most malign
evils and encourage some of the germs of good.
In that fateful and perious time.
Tne whole system which thus took the place
in Europe of the earlier simpler Christian
economy, and whose existence was for many
generations the sovereign fact in the history of
the continent, appears now an anachronism,
as truly as tournaments, feudal keeps and iron
helmets. The terrible crozier, before which
baton and lance swent down in fear has no
more place for such use in our times than has
scale armor or the Genoese' cross bow. But
then it hada great purpose to serve; and one
church. as imperially organized, accomplished.
may admire anew the patience and the wisdom
whose silent stasp no power escapes, and which
even mans wrath at last must praise.
KEEAING THE BIBLE FROM THE LArrY.
Reverence for these books has preserved
them in the monasteries with effectual care. 1t
has caused them to be often transcribed by the
monks to be splendidly ornamented, superbly
bound. embossed and enriched with gold and
gems till copy was almost worth in commerce
the price of a castle. But it had hidden them
from the touch of the laity with as jealous a
care. and the tendency to that was as unre-
turning as the steady flow of the stream to the
sea. A distinct prohibition of the Scriptures
tothe people was promulgated at Toulouse,
1923. But now it is also to be observed that
against this tendency had been at least occA-
sional resistance by many of the best among
tuO Pcopic dHU Vi buo pTleSUnOOQ, ana Lnat I01S
had been as manifest as anywhere in that ear
lier England which, after long and painful
paralysis, had come, at just the time of Wy
cliffe, TO its prophetic resurrection.
INCIDENTS OF wycLIFFE's LIFE
The principal outward incidents of his life
are sufficiently familiar He was born in York
shire, not far from Richmond. famous for it's
noble castle on an estate which had belonged
to the family of his name from the time OF the
conquest In the year A D. 1924, according
to the common statement, or, more probably.
little earlier. the boy John was here born.
OF his instruction in childhood we have no
special knowledge; but probably about the
year 1885 he went to Oxford and entered one
OF the five colleges then there existing. He
became, of course, familiar with Latin, as
then used among scholars, but not with Greek
which was not yet at home at Oxford. And
the liberal arts, grammar rhetoric and logic
the Observation-Disclosures geometry, astron-
omy and music-the "Quadrivium''-we know
that he successfully pursued The physical
and mathematical studies, indeed, appear to
have had for him quite as strong an attraction
as the logical and speculative. He passed
from them all to the study of theology, includ-
ing the Interpretation of the Old and New
Testaments, as found in the Vulgate, the read
ing Of the fathers, and of the scholastic doc
tors, with the study Of the common law. That
he studied also the civil law, then or after
ward, is equally certain, with the history and
canonical law of his own kingdom. And these
studies were to bear later fruit in his life In
such pursuits probably ten years were occu-
pied.
ENGLISH AFFAIRS AT THAT PERIOD.
In the year before, 1865, Urban " had made
claim upon Edward for the payment of 1000
marks as the annual feudal tribute promised
by John to Innocent III. for the kingship of
England, and also for the payment of large ar
rears due on such tribute. Edward, in whose
reign 1t had never been paid, referred this to
parliament, and that body was assembled in
the following May. Its prompt and emphatic
action was that such tribute should not be
paid; that John had not right to pledge it,
and violated his oath of coronation in the
act.
1t is probable that Wycliffe was member
OF this parliament, representing the clergy OF
summoned by the king. He was at all events.
so prominent an advocate of its decision that a
champion of the papacy made vehement as
sault upon him, in reply to which he gave the
reasons urged in parliament by temporal lords
against such tribute. He calls himself at the
outset OF the tract San obedient son of the
church of Rome" and such, no doubt, he then
felt himself to be. Bnt the vivid spirit of ma.
tionality and liberty which appears in the
tract with the habit of referring to permanent
equities as properly directing in public affairs,
was prophetic of much, and the instinct of the
papacy must have felt in him its certain as
sailant. He was at this time, you observe, per-
haps 40 years of age, a distinguished scholar
according to the standards of the time, famous
as philosopher, an influential churchman and
prominently connected with the leading uni
versity.
SENT ABROAD BY THE KING.
Academical and royal distinctions soon came
to him, as he was made doctor of the faculty of
theology, and royal chaplain, and in 1874 he
was appointed by the king member of the
commission sent to treat with papal embassy
at the city of Bruges on matters of importance
long in dispute. His name stands second on
this comm ssion, following that of the bishop
OF Bangor, and the members were empoweH
to conclude just compact on the matters a
question with the papal nuncio. The com Is
sion was associated with large and brilliay
embassy at the head of which was the king s
brother. the dnke of Lancaster, with the eaai
of Salisbury and the bishop of London.
Then, probably for the first time, Wyclffe
saw foreign city, and one which presented as
striking contrast to anything in England as
did perhaps any town on the con tinent. The
busy, wealthy, populous Bruges was then at
the height Of its middle age fame, with the
picturesque buildings just erected whose belfry
chimes ring still in the square, and are still
echoed in poetry, with 20 ministers of foreign
Kingdoms having hotels within the walls, with
companies of merchants there established
from all parts of Europe, while at the time of
Wyclffe's visit were gathered there also royal
princes and mobiles of France, with prelates
from Italy, Germany and Spain. Wyciffe
was there brought into closer relations with
John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster whose
friendship1was afterward important to him,
and it we'll may be said that fresh i'm preston
of the lonely and austere majesty of the Cos
pei CAME upon his spirit as he saw in micro
cosmic view the luxury and pride, the practi-
cal unbelief and the hardly yelled license,
which were the fruit in Europe of an undis-
puted pontifcal rule.
The general result of the labors of the COM
mission was not of Importance. Some of its
memberswere soon after promoted by the pope;
and it is not perhaps violent inference that
they had been acting in his interest. Wycliffe
certainly was not promoted, save as he was
lifted to fresh prominence and influence by
the sharp prelatical attacks made upon him;
and this may warrant us in presuming that he
had been faithful to king and nation in the ex-
citing scenes and service.
In A. D.. 1876 he was made by the king rec
tor Of Littleworth, with which his name was
ever afterward to be connected; and, as have
said, the seadtast stuff of which he
was made, his ability, energy and loyalty to
freedom, were speedily again tested on public
affairs. In A. D., 1876. the parliament. after
ward known as the 'good parliament . was
assembled, before which came the complaints
OF the kingdom against the papacy, and by
which these complaints were presented to the
king The continued intrusion of foreign cler-
gy into English church-linings, the scandalous
character OF many who bought these from pa
pal brokers' the decay of religion consequent
upon it, with the palpable pecuniary exhaus-
tion Of the kingdom by the sums drained from
it to be spent in dissolute pleasures abroad
these were some of the vehement complaints;
and the fact that in England was papal col
lector, gathering tribute to be sent to the Pope,
and claiming the first fruits of the church-lin-
ings, was specially presented with sharp re-
monstrance.
IN CONFLICT WITH THE PAPACv.
In the following year, A D., 1877, he at
tackled GARNER, the papal collector, with in
dignant intensity, and passing beyond the SUBJ
ordinate agents, with profound moral earnest
ness he challenged the system which made
them possible. He came thus. at last, into
grapple with the pontiff; maintaining that he
can sin; that what he does is by no means
right because he does it; that he is bound to
be pre-eminent in following Christ, in humil-
ty, 'meekness and brotherly love, implying
plainly that otherwise he is no pope at all. The
crowning doctrine here appears. that Holy
Scripture is for the Christian the rule and
ftandard Of the truth and that what conflicts
with it has no authority.
At this point, therefore, breaks upon him
the first onset of that papal assault which was
never afterward to cease to pursue him till his
books were prohibited and hi bones had been
burned. In February, A. D., 1877, he was
summoned to appear before convocation, obvi-
Ously on account of the stand which he
had taken against prelatical and papal aggres-
sion. " hen the convocation assembled at ST.
Paul'S the Duke of Lancaster and the Grand