The last age of the Chirche.

Alas forsorwe grete prestis sittinge in derkenessis[16] & in schadewe of deeþ/ noȝt hauynge him þat openly crieþ/ al þis I wille ȝeue ȝif þou auaunce me. Þei make reseruaciouns/ þe whiche ben clepid dymes/ ffirst fruytis/ oþer penciouns/ aftir þe opynioun of hem þat trete þis matir. For no more schulde fatte beneficis be reserued þāne smale/ ȝif no pryuy cause of symonye were tretide/ þe whiche I seie noȝt at þis tyme. But Joachur[17]/ in his book of þe seedis of profetis & of þe seyingis of popes & of þe chargis of profetis/ tretynge þis matir/ & spekynge of þe rente of dymes/ seiþ þus[18]/ foure tribulaciouns Dauiþ þe profete haþ bifore seid/ þe seuynty & nyne chapitre/ to entre into þe Chirche of God/ & Bernard[19] acordiþ þere wiþ/ vpon cantica/ þe þre & pritty sermon/ þat ben/ a nyȝtly drede/ an arwe fleynge in day/ chaffare walkynge in derkenessis/ & myddais deuylrie/ þat is to seye/ antecrist. Nyȝtly drede was whanne alle þat slowen seyntis demyd hem silf do seruyse to God/ & þis was þe firste tribulacioun þat ontrede þe Chirche of God. Þe arwe fleynge in day was desceyt of heretikis/ & þat was þe secunde tribulacioun þat entred þe Chirche of Crist. Þat is put of bi wisdom of seyntis/ as þe firste was cast out bi stedfastenesse of martiris. Chaffare walkynge in derkenessis is þe pryui heresie of symonyans/ bi resoun of whiche þe þridde tribulacioun schal entre into Cristis Chirche/ þe whiche tribulacioun or angusch schal entre þe Chirche of Crist in þe tyme of þe hundrid ȝeer of .x. lettre/ whos ende we ben/ as I wele preue/ & þis myscheif schal be so heuy þat wel schal be to þat man of holy Chirche þat þāne schal noȝt be on lyue. And þat I preue þus bi Joachrin[20] in his book of þe deedis of profetis. Men of ebreu tunge haueþ xxii lettris/ and byngȳn̄ge fro þe first of ebrew lettris/ & ȝeuynge to euery lettre an hundrid ȝeer/ þe oolde Testament was endid whāne þe noumbre ȝeuen to þe lettris was fulfillid. So fro þe bygynnynge of ebrew lettris in to Crist/ in þe whiche þe oolde Testament was endid/ weren two and twenty hundriddis of ȝeeris. Þis also schewiþ openly bi discripcioun of tyme/ of Eusebi[21]/ Bede[22]/ & Haymound[23]/ most preued of acounteris/ or talkeris. So Cristen men hauen xxi lettris/ & bygynnynge fro þe first of Latyn lettris/ & ȝeuynge to eche .c./ þe newe Testament was endid whanne þe noumbre of þes assingned lettris was fulfillid. And þis is as soþ as in þe bigynnynge God made heuene & erþe/ for þe oolde Testament is figur of þe newe. But aftir Joachim[24] & Bede[25]/ fro þe bygynnynge of Latyn lettris to þe comynge of Crist weren seuene hundrid ȝeere/ so þat Crist cam in þe hondrid of .h’. lettre/ Crist steye to heuene/ and aftir þat/ undir .k’. lettre/ Crist delyuered his Chirche fro nyȝtly drede/ þe whiche was þe firste drede þat Goddis Chirche was inne. Aftir þat/ vndir .m. lettir/ Crist delyuered his Chirche fro þe arwe fleynge in day/ þat was þe secunde tribulacioun of þe Chirche/ & þat was demynge by Joachim[26] & oþere þat vndir .m. lettre schewede þe multitude of heretikis contraryinge þe birþe of Crist his pascioun & his assencioun/ in þat þat .m. lettre most figured Crist. Euery lettre in þe abece may be sounded wiþ opyn mouþ saue .m. lettre one/ þe whiche may noȝt be souned but wiþ clos mouþ. So Crist myȝte noȝt come out of þe maydenes wombe/ but sche hadde be clos. And þes ben uerse of .m. lettre/

Aftir þat/ vnder .x. lettre/ was þe þridde tribulacioun in Goddis Chirche/ þe whiche .x. lettre is last of Latyn lettris/ & þe þridde tribulacioun schal be schewid in þe hondrid ȝeere of .x. lettre. I preue it bi two resouns/ þe firste is þis. Petir þe Apostle þe whiche was in þe tyme of .I. lettre/ myȝte not vttirly distrie Symoun Magus/ but bi helpe of Poul[27]/ þe whiche was þe þritteneþ Apostil. So/ ȝif .x. lettre be þe þritteneþe fro .I. lettre/ in þe tyme of .x. lettre Crist schal clanse his Chirche fro marchaundise walkygnge in derkenessis. Þe secunde resoun is suche. Ȝit cam noȝt þat tribulacioun þat schal be in Goddis Chirche bi cause of chaffare walkynge in derkenesses/ & þat þat is prophesied schal come. Siþþe þanne þat we ben in .x. lettre/ as it is schewid/ þis tribulacioun schal come in .x. lettre oþere aftir/ but aftir .x. lettre/ þat is þe last of Latyn lettris/ schal be no tribulacioun in Goddis Chirche bote þe fourþe & þe laste/ þe whiche schal be bi þe deuel of mydday/ þat is Antecrist[28]/ þe whiche tribulacioun bi no Latyn lettre may be certefied/ as þes þre bifore. Ffor his comynge oonly to God is knowen/ & knowleche of him to God oonly reserued. Whefore it folwiþ þat vndir .x. lettre schal be schewid þilke tribulacioun þat schal be in Goddis Chirche/ by resoun of chaffare walkynge in derkenessis.

Þat we ben vndir þe hundrid ȝeere of .x. lettre/ I schewe schortly by Bede[29] vpon þe profetis of Sibille/ and by Joachim[30] in þe book of þe seedis of profetis/ & oþere writeris of stories. Ffro þe bygynnynge of Latyn lettris to Crist Ihū/ were seuene hundrid ȝeer/ and fro Crist til now/ þrittene hundrid ȝeer and sixe & fyfty[31]/ so þat þere ben to come of our abece but foure & fourty ȝeer/ & bi þis of þe hundrid ȝeere of .x. beþ passid sixe & fifty ȝeere. Þe synnes bi cause of whiche suche persecucioun schal be in Goddis Chirche our tyme ben þes/ for Goddis Chirche is foundid in kynrade of prelatis. Þis same rekened Joachim[32] in þe bookis bifore. Also for goodis of holy Chirche þat prelatis wiþ holdeþ to hem/ as pensiouns/ firste frutis/ fermes/ prouendris/ þe whiche may wel be clepid collibiste/ þes synnes and oþere suche ben marchaundise walkynge in derkenessis. Þe manere of tribulacioun schal be such as Joachim[33] seiþ in þe book of þe charge of profetis. Men of holy Chirche schal be seyd in a manere of careyne/ þei schal be cast out as dogge in myddis placis. Her wiþ acordiþ Carnosencis/ in a book þat he clepiþ pollicraticon[34]/ þe seuenþe book/ þe tenþe chapitre/ & he aleyeþ Gregor seiynge þus/ pestilencis/ smyttingis to gidere of folkis/ & hurtlynge to gidere of rewmes/ & oþir harmes schal come to þe erþe/ for þat worschipis of holy Chirche beþ ȝeue to vnworþi men. And in þe eiȝteþe book[35]/ defaute of prestis among Goddis folk bryngiþ in tirnauntis. Þat þis tribulacioun is nyȝe/ and whanne it schal come/ bi hem þat tretiþ þis matir is/ whanne men schulle wante teeþ/ and comynly alle children/ boren siþþen þe first pestylence/ ben such þat wanten eiȝte grete teeþ. Herwiþ acordiþ Merlyn Ambrose[36]/ þat such angusche is nyȝe/ for as by hem/ in þe tyme of þe myscheif of þe kok/ þat we clepe fraunce/ þat schal be distroyed by þe sixte of irlond/ þe witt is our kyng wiþ his children. Sibille[37] acordiþ herto/ þat suche tribulacioun is nyȝe/ in þes verse:

Þei þat treten þes verse of Sibille/ alle þat I haue seen/ acorden in þis/ þat seculer power of þe Hooly Goost elispirid/ & þat deþ/ veniaunce of swerd/ myscheifs vnknowe bifore/ bi whiche men þes daies schule be ponyschid/ schulen falle for synne of prestis. Men schal falle on hem/ & caste hem out of her fatte beneficis/ and þei schule seye/ he cam in to his benefice by his kynrede/ þes bi couenant maad bifore/ he for his seruyse/ & þes for moneye/ cam into Goddis Chirche. Þanne schal eche suche prest crye/ Alas/ Alas/ þat no good spiryt dwellid wiþ me at my comynge into Goddis Chirche. Þe wordis of Josue 2. cᵒ. þe þridde. I seide þat Crist entrede into hooly þingis/ þat is holy Chirche/ by holy lyuynge & holy techinge/ preynge þe Fadir for vs. Þe Mayster of Scholys[38] rehersiþ/ þe þridde book of Kyngis/ þe v. cᵒ./ aftir þe talis of iewis of Salamon/ þere was a stork hadde a berd/ & his berd was sperid vndir a vessel of glas/ and whanne þis stork sau his brid/ &. þat he myȝte noȝt come to hym/ he brouȝt a litil reed worme out of wildirnesse/ & wiþ his blood he anoyntide þe glas. Þe glass to barst/ & þe brid fleye his wey. So oure Lord þe Fadir of heuene hadde mankynde in helle/ þat was glasyne/ þat is to seye britil as glas. To breke it be brouȝt suche a litil reed worme/ þat was our Lord Ihū Crist/ as Dauiþ seiþ/ þe on & twenty Salme. 2i.[39] Ego sum vermis/ & non homo/ I am a worme & no man/ & wiþ his blood he delyuered mannes kynde. Zacarie[40] writiþ/ þe nynþe chapitre/ þou forsoþe wiþ blood of witnesse/ or þi testament/ hast ledde out hem þat were bounde in þe pyt. So whanne we weren synful/ & children of wraþþe/ Goddis sone cam out of heuene/ & preyying his fadir for his enemyes/ & he deyed for vs þanne/ myche raþere now we ben maad riȝtful bi his blood schule be saued. Poul writiþ to þe romayns. v. cᵒ.[41] He schal preye for vs. Ihūs wente into heuene to apere to þe semlant of God for vs. Poul to þe hebrees.[42] Þe whiche semlant he graunte vs to see/ þat lyueþ & regneþ wiþout eende/ Amen.