Classic Poem

Agens that that thou saist that we prechen
but fallace and fables,
and leve the gospel
that moste us al save,
loke that every werke is knowen,
plenili bi his eende,
and so the peple hath the pathes
of feith and of bileve,
and God woote freres prechinge
hath wrougt to this ende.
But ge han cast cursidly
Cristendome to distroye,
and of Cristis gospel
make Machometis lawe,
agens whom with opin mouth
other while we romee,
and sum tyme brynge gou til a bay
if God wil it graunte.
For this cause ge calle us
bastard branchis,
pursuyng preestes to prisoun
and to fire also;
but, Jak, thei ben bastard braunches
that launchen from oure bileve,
and writhyn wrongli away
from holy chirche techinge,
siche beren yvel fruyte
and soure to atasten,
worthi to noon other good,
but in the fire to brenne;
and so for to pursue an heretike
to fire or to prisoun,
I holde it more holsum
than to halewe a chirche,
inprisonynge of the poysen
that mortherith many soulis,
aftir Cristis doctrine
in the holy gospel.
Omnis, inquit, arbor quœ non fert fructum bonum, excidetur, et in ignem mittetur. Et iterum, Qui non manserit in me, mittetur foras sicut palmes, et arescet, et colligent, et in ignem mittetur.
Disseverynge gou from the tree
that is Crist him silfe.
But how shulden freres
pursue heresie,
and many of hem wite not
what heresie meneth.
Jak, I am not lettered,
but I am frere Dawe,
and can telle wel a fyn
what heresie amounteth;
heresie, that is Grw,
is divisioun on Latyn,
the whiche in oure langage
meneth sunderyng and partyng
He thanne that sundrith him
from Crist and his chirche,
and frely forgith sentences
contrarious to oure feith,
siche manere of forgers
heretikes we callen,
and also her felowis
taken the same name,
and her sory sentences
ben clepid heresies,
but namely when thei ben holdun
of obstinat hertis.
And I shal this mater
more largely declare.
Sixe maner of heretikes
ben foundun in the lawe.
For he is callid an heretike
that rasith oure bileve;
and he is callid an heretike
that heresies sowith,
as Arrians, Wyclyfanes,
Sabellyanes, and other;
and the corruptours of scripturis
heretikes ben holdun,
that other wise undirstondin
than the Holi Goost techith.
Also we clepen hem heretikes,
that sacramentis sellyn,
or ben from hem dividid
bi cursynge of the chirche.
He is also an heretike
that doutith our bileve,
and with a litil evydence
goith out of the waye.
And also an heretike
him shulde we holde
that distrieth privyleges
grauntid of the pope.
This sixe maners
put Hostiensis in his Summe,
and if this sentence be soth,
y can noon other seien,
but thou and thi secte
ben heretikes alle.