Cam/Christ's/7
NAME
7.
DESCRIPTION
Parchment; iii + 146 + ii; 290 x 210 in double cols; fourteenth century (late) or fifteenth century (early).
CONTENTS
f. iii verso: A few lines in verse in a sixteenth-century hand; ff. 1r–69v: Set 5 (on the Sunday Epistles) of the Wycliffite Sermons (IPMEP 304); ff. 69v–70v: Wycliffite Sermon on John 10:1; ff. 70v–140v: Set 1 (on the Sunday Gospels) of the Wycliffite Sermons, beginning with the First Sunday in Advent (IPMEP 304); ff. 140v–145v: Vae octuplex (IPMEP 127); ff. 145v–146r: Various notes in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century hands about the sermons' contents.
PARALLEL TRADITIONS
See BL/Add 40672 for the Wycliffite Sermons and the Vae octuplex. The Sermon on John 10:1, the same lection for Feria 3 in the Week after Pentecost, is found in two other manuscripts: Cam/Pemb/237 and Cam/Trinity/B.4.20. This sermon is discussed in Hudson and Gradon 1983–96:I, 47–48, and they point out (p. 48) that it seems likely that the text, which is full of Lollard elements, originated as a tract that has been turned into a sermon but that it is not part of the Wycliffite sermon cycle proper. In the present manuscript and in Cam/Trinity/B.4.20 it occurs as a separate item but in Cam/Pemb/237 it is integrated into Set 4, following the standard sermon for Feria 3 in the Week after Pentecost.
COMMENTS
The manuscript was given to Christ's College by John Boys (BA 1623–24), and the name of Thomas Boys is deleted on f. iii recto.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
James 1905:8; Hudson and Gradon 1983–96:I, 85–86.
Sermon Description: Cam/Christ's/7/001
OCCASION
Feria 3 in Week after Pentecost.
HEADING/TITLE
Sermo in feria quarta pentecosten ad processionem.
THEME
Qui non intrat per ostium in ouile ouium sed ascendit aliunde ille fur est et latro [Io 10:1 (L)].
LENGTH
69v–70v.
INCIPIT
Qui non intrat per ostium in ouile ouium sed ascendit aliunde, ille fur est et latro, Iohannis x capitulo. Crist seiț țat may not lie țat 'Whoso entriț not bi țe dore into țe floc of scheep, but clymbiț vp on oțer side, he is ny3t țeef and day țeef.' Țese wordis mai wel be seid vnto curates more and lesse, for whoeuere ben vnworți curatis and seruen not bi Goddis lawe, of hem is Cristis word soiț țat ței ben stronge țeues to him. Țe floc of scheep țat Crist spekiț of ben Cristen men țat prestis schulden teche.
EXPLICIT
But now țe fend haț cast a roote to disturblynge of țe chirche, and țis synne is so rootid and runnen togidre in many staatis țat, wițoute greet grace of God and peynful trauel of his seruauntis, it is hard for țe chirche to come to țat staat țat Crist 3af. And nețeles in țis poynt schulden clerkis traueile wiț lordis and comynes. For țe chirche schal neuere be pesid bifore țis defaute be amendid.
SUMMARY
[The sermon springs from the gospel of Io 10:1–10, on Christ as the door and the good shepherd, without the biblical text, apart from the first verse, but with comment and interpretation.] Christ says that he who enters not by the door to the flock of sheep but climbs up on the other side is a thief by night and by day [Io 10:1]. These words may be said of curates; the flock of sheep are the Christians whom Christ should teach. Christ says that he is the door. Christ is thus door and doorkeeper and all who come not by this way are thieves. Those who come in by subtle tricks are thieves by night and [70r] and those who afterwards rob the people are thieves by day. Thieves enter in four ways: the way of simony; afterwards patrons' relatives who have fallen into a rich estate; sons of patrons or children of their patrons' sons; by being spiritual keepers of sheep. John speaks of the first three at the beginning of the gospel.
People think that if a patron has a relative who is as able as another, it is no sin to give the cure to the relative. But because many come to simony in such a way Gregory's teaching about the way in which a man falls into simony in three ways should be understood: when one's estate is bought by a gift given by hand; when money not to hand is promised later; when the person serves the patron for a long time in the hope of advancement. And so it is said that many men travel to the court of Rome and obtain many benefices. An even more common danger that worldly lords should flee is to have many clerks serving them in worldly offices. [70v]
And by the tricks of the devil four estates have been brought in to poison the Church: emperors' clerks such as popes and priests, monks, canons, and friars. Shepherds of the Church should come in via Christ; they should leave pride, covetousness, lechery, and their sheep should turn to God. But the devil has disturbed the Church so much and sin is so deep-rooted that it is hard to see how the Church will come to the state first ordained by Christ.
BIBLICAL CITATIONS
Io 10:1 (L).
PLACE NAMES
Rome.
CONCEPTS
Priesthood; Simony.
NOTES
Heading should read 'tercia' not 'quarta'.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hudson and Gradon 1983–96:III, 319–21.
