Ffor as we ben

And never the les ther ne ben non thre almigti, bot on is almizti. So is god fader, god is sone, god ys the holy gost. And na for than ther ne ben nouzt thre goddes, bot ther is o god. So is the fader lord, the sone lord, the holy gost lord. And na for than ther ne ben nouzt thre lordes, at on is lord. constreint thurz' cristen sothenes to knowelich on lich god and lord ich a persone, so we be defended thurz catholik religion to seien thre goddes and thre lordes. The fader his made of no wizt, ne fourmed ne bizeten. The sone is one liche of the fader, nouzt made, nozt formed, at bizeten. The holy gost is of the fader and of the sone, nouzt made, nouzt formed, nozt bizeten, bot forthgoand. Ffor thi o fader is and nouzt thre fadres, o sone and nouzt thre sones, on holy gost and nou3t thre holy gost3. Bot in this trinite nozt is to fore ne nouzt by hinde, nouzt more ne lafse, at alle thre persons ben to gadres everlastand and even. So that by alle thinges, as it is soue said aboue, and on hede in thre hede and thre hede in on hede be to houd. Ffor thy he that wil be saved fele he so of threhede. Bot nedeful thinge is to the everlastand helthe that he trowe lich bileve the incarnacioun of our lord ihesu crist. Ffor thy the rizt bileve is that we bileve and knowelich that our lord ihesu crist, goddes sone, is god and man. He his god of the substaunce of the fader bizeten to fore the worldes and man of the substaunce of the moder boren in the world. He is perfit god and perfit man, beand of reasonable soule and mannes flesshe. He is even to the fader efter the godehede, lasse than the fader efter the manhede. The which, thoz he bi god and man, na for than hii ben nouzt two bot o crist. He is for sothe on nozt thurz taking of manhede in to god. He is on in alle, nouzt thurz confusion of substaunce, but thurz onhede of persone. Ffor, as resonable soule and flesshe is o man, so is god and man o crist. The which suffred for our helthe, went to helle, and aros the thridde daie from deth to lyf. He steze up to the hevens, sitteth at the rizt hand of god fader almişti. From thennes he is to cum to jugen the quike and the

1i.e. through.

2 i.e. truth.

$ So the MS.

* Clearly some words have been omitted after thur3. The Latin in this MS. is non confusione (sic) divinitatis in carne, sed assumptione humanitatis in deum.'

ded. At whowos cumyng al men han to rise wyth her bodis and ben to zelden rekening of her propre dedes. And hii that deden wele shal gou to the lif everlastand, and hii that han don ivel shul gou into fir everlastend. This ys the bileve catholik, the which bot if ich man have bileved trowlich and fastelich, hene may nouzt be sauf.

N.

Copy of the Wycliffe version of the Athanasian Creed from the British Museum MS. Addit. 10,049.

WHO evere wole be saaf, it is nedeful bifore alle thingis that he holde the comyne bileve. This comune feith is of this kynde', that, but if ech man kepe it hool and unfilid, withouten doute he schal perische withouten ende. This is the comune bileve, that we worschipe o3 god in trynite of persones the which god is trynyte of oonhede of godhede: neth medlynge these thre persones, ne departinge the substaunce. There is othir persone of the fadir and othir of the sone and othir of the hooly goost. But of these thre persones is oo godhed and evene glorie and comyne magiste withouten ende. Which is the fadir, siche is the sone, and siche is the holy goost. Unmaad is the fadir, unmaad is the sone, unmaad is the holy goost. The fadir is withoute mesure myche and eek the sone with the holy goost. The fadir is withouten bigynnynge and also withouten endynge and so ben the other two persones. And netheles if god be such that ther ben not thre goddis suche: for there is but o god of what kynde manere that he be, and so there ben not thre unmaad ne thre thus grete ne thre withouten ende, but alle these thre persones ben o god that is siche. Also almy3ty is the fadir, almy3ty is the sone, almyzti is the holi goost. And netheless not

5

6

The words 'This comune feith is of this kynde' are not underscored in the MS. with a red line as the words of the version are in general, but they are clearly necessary to the sense.

2 i.e. except.

i.e. mingling or confounding.

3 i. e. one.

The preceding version has mychel, that in Bodleian MS. 425 mikel. • i. e. also.

5

thre goddis ben almy3ty, but o god is almy3ty. So the fadir is god, the sone is god, and the holy goost is the same god. And netheles ther ben not thre goddis, but o god is alle these thre. And so the fadir is lord, the sone is lord, and the holy goost is lord. And it ther ben not thre lordis, but o lord is ech of these. And to this witt speketh the crede', that we ben nedid2 to graunte that ech of these thre persones is ful god and ful lord, and zit we ben forfendid3 of god to seie that ther ben thre goddis or that these thre persones ben thre lordis bi general religioun. But the fadir is maad of noon ne maad of nouzt ne bigeten. The sone is of the oo fadir, not maad ne maad of nouzt but boren. The holy goost cometh bothe of the fadir and of the sone, not maad ne maad of nouzt but comyng forth. And herfore we moten nede confefse that there is oo fadir not thre fadris, oo sone not thre sones, oo holi goost not three holi goostis. And in this trynite is nouzt tofore ne aftir more ne lesse, but alle these thre persones ben evene withoute bigynnyng and ende and evene in power and in godhed. And so we gaderen here, as it is before seid, that bothe oonhed in godhed and trynite in persones and trynite in this oonhed to be worschipid over other thingis. And who evere wolde be saaf, thus fele he of the trynyte. Biside the godhede of these thre persones it is nedeful to knowe the manhede of this secunde persone and so trowe it treuli. Therfore it is rigt bileve that we bileve and knoweleche that oure lord ihesu crist, goddes sone, is bothe god and man. He is god of his fadris substaunce born spirituali before the world, and he is man of his modris substaunce born and maad man in the world. And so he is perfit god as he was tofore the world, and he is perfit man maad of a resonable soule and is of mannes fleisch. And so evene to the fader bi his godhede and lefse than the fadir bi his manhede. But if crist be god and man and so two kyndis' and bothe of him, netheles crist is not two persones but oo. Crist is oo persone, not bi turnyng 1 The words' And to this witt speketh the crede' are not underscored.

2 After' nedid' Harleian MS. 1806 and Laud 448 read by christen trouthe.' 3 i.e. forbidden. Bodleian 288 adds 'ne bigeten.'

The words 'And herfore ... confesse' are not underscored. 'be' is added in Bodleian 288.

Bodleian 288 also reads 'him,' but Laud 448 'hem.'

N n

7 i.e. natures.

5

4

of god in to fleisch, but bi takynge of manhede into godhede. And thus crist is algatis1 oo, not bi confusioun of his substaunce, but by oonhed of his persone 2. For with a resonable soule and fleisch is bothe o man, so in crist bothe god and man is o persone in crist. That crist suffride for oure helthe, wente doun into helle, and thridde day roos from deth. And thus crist steze to hevenes, sittith on the riztside of the fadir almy3ty, and fro thennis he is to come to deme the quike and the dede. Hereso this comynge at the laste day shal al manere of men rise and shal give resoun to crist of her owne dedis. And these men that hav do goode dedis schulen go to luf' withouten ende, and these men that hav do yvelis schulen go to fier withouten ende. This is general bileve, the which but ech man trowe truli and stedfastli, he may not here be saaf.

6

1 i.e. wholly.

9

2 This and the preceding verse are not underscored with red in the MS. as the version is in general. The omission was no doubt through inadvertence.

3 Bodleian 288 and Laud 448 both have 'for whi as.'

4 Laud 448 reads 'on the thridde.'

So apparently this MS.; others read 'to.'

So apparently; other MSS. have 'lyf' and 'lif.'
Bodleian 288 adds 'if.'

5 i. e. ascended.

9 Other MSS. add 'with.'

GENERAL INDEX.