The chéefest articles preached by Wiclife.
1 That the sacrament of the altar, after consecration, was not the bodie of Christ, but a figure thereof.
2 That the church of Rome was no more head of the vniuersall church than any one other, nor more authoritie was giuen by Christ vnto Peter, than to anie other of the apostles, and that the pope had no more power in the keies of the church than anie other préest whatsoeuer.
3 That temporall lords might both lawfullie and meritoriouslie take the temporall goods and reuenues from the church, if it offended; and if anie temporall lord knew the church to offend, he was bound vnder paine of damnation to take from it the temporalties.
4 That the gospell is sufficient in this life to direct by rule euerie christian man.
5 That all other rules of saints, vnder the obseruing whereof diuers religious doo liue, ad no more perfection to the gospell, than washing ouer with lime dooth the wall.
6 That the pope, nor anie other prelat of the church, ought to haue anie prisons wherein to punish offendors.
Wiclife & his felowes mainteined by certeine lords.
These and manie other opinions did these men hold and mainteine, and diuerse lords and great men of the land fauoured their cause. But when these conclusions were brought before the pope, he condemned the number of 23 of those articles as vaine and hereticall, directing his buls to the archbishop of Canturburie, and to the bishop of London, that they should cause the said Wiclife to be apprehended, and examined vpon the said conclusions, which they did in presence of the duke of Lancaster, and the lord Percie, and hearing his declaration, commanded him to silence, and in no wise to deale with those matters from thencefoorth, so that for a time, both he and his fellowes kept silence: but after at the contemplation of diuerse of the temporall lords, they preached and set foorth their doctrine againe.
The duke of Lancaster in danger by the Londoners.