The Form of the Greater Ex- Isti sunt generales articuli majoris excommunicationis in lingua materna, et dicantur hoc modo. ODEMEN and wymmen, it is ordeyned by the counseil of all holi chirche: First of our holy fader the pope of Rome, and his cardinalis, and all his counseil, sithen of all archebisshopes and all the clergie, that every man of holy chirche that hath soule for to kepe, sholde shewe among them foure sithe bi yere, the articles that ben writen in the general sentence, that is for to seyn, the pointhes that longen to the great curs: that on is the fyrst sonday of Advent, that other is the first sonday of lenten, and the nexte sonday after Witsonday, and the first sonday after the assumpcyon of our lady. Of two maner of cursinge, holy chirche telleth: that on is cal'd the lesse curs, that other is cal'd the more curs and this moste openly be taught unto lewed men, that they may knowe perfitly the michef therof, that no man sholde have matere to excuse him by. Wherfor ye shal understande atte the begynnyng that this worde, cursynge, is thus miche to say: as a depertinge fro God and all goode workes. That, we call 1 From a copy of the Sarum Manual in the Bodleian Library. 4to. Paris. Regnault. 1530. the lesse curs, is of this strength, that every man and woman that falleth ther inne, it depertet them fro all the sacramentis that ben in holy chirche, that they may none of them recyue till that thei ben asoiled. The more curs is miche wers, and is of this strength for it deperteth a man fro God, and fro holy chirche, and also fro the companie of all christen folk, neuer to be saued be the passion of Crist, ne to be holpen by the sacramentis that ben done in holy chirche, ne to have part in prayer with no cristen man, as witnesseth wel seynt Austyn. Clerkes seyn that a child byfore it be cristned, it hath a wikked spirit dwelling in the soule. The wiche wikkede spirit is conjured, and cast out thorough prayers of the prest, by fore the chirche dore whanne it shal be cristned: the wiche sacrament of bapteme is ground and begynnyng of all sacramentis, as was verely betokned in the passion of our Lorde Jesu Crist; by water that ran out of his syde, whan al his blod was gon: so that by the sacrament of bapteme he is mad Godes child, and he receiveth there part of the passion of Crist, and part of al sacramentis and prayers that ben don in holi chirche and also he receyveth part of al gode dedis that be done among al cristen folk and yf he holde unto God's covenant that he maketh there, for to have a dwellyng place for evere in the blisse of heven: but what tyme he trespasseth so ageynste the lawe of God, that he is worthy to be accursed of holy chirche, than is he departhet from God and all goode werkes: and he is than delyvered agaen unto the fend of hell, for to putte hym fro his synne in the payene withouten ende. And the fire is nothyng in all this worlde that a cristen man ought so gretly for to drede, as for to falle by any waye in to the sen tence of cursinge, the which departeth hym fro God, that is Fader, and fro holy chirche his moder. Also cursinge is cleped the sword of holy chirche : For right as that the strok of the sword, it fleith and depertith the lyf fro the bodi; right so the strok of this goostly sword, it deperteth and doth away god fro a man or a woman wich that is acursed. That is, the lyf of their soules, that thei and their werkes be evermore dede after but if (unless) they have specyall grace of God, for to amende them here. For a many clerkes prove that at the day of dome, and (if) our lady wolde with saynt Johan baptist, and all that ben in heven, knele downe all at ones before the face of God, thei shulde not in that time through prayer of them all, delyuer the soule of a man or of a woman that dyeth in dedly synne. For that were expres ageynste the holy gospelles, were crist saith hymselfe, that he shal truly geve every man there right as he hath deserved here. And if the day of dome shall be so harde with all tho that dye in any dedly synne, what shall then betyde of them in that same tyme, that be founden. openly acursed of God and holy chirche? In this grete perilous damnacion of soule, ben all tho men and women that I shall spek of. So that first and formest, we denounce acurse, all tho that holy chirche folsli depriven of any right or profyt, either by law writen, or elles by good custom which hath ben holden and used of old tyme: and in this poynt falleth .III. maner of folk: first all tho that steleth holy chirche goodes in what place so they ben don for to kepe: Or elles that stele unhalowed thynges out of holy place, or thinges that ben halowed out of place unhalowed, and all tho that wytyngly breke and destroye any poynt of fredom that longeth to holy chirche and this is nought all onely understand of the fredomes that longen generaly to all holy chirche, but also of other special fredomes, which that some chirche hath more one than an other. The thridde point is, that all tho ben acursed that purchase wrytes or letters of any lewed (lay) court, for to lette (to hinder) the processe of the lawe of holy chirche, of causes that longen skilfuly unto Cristene court, the wich I shulde nought be demed (judged) by, nor other lawe: and all tho that lette archebisshop, or any other, that hath jurediccion and power by the lawe of holy chirche: that they maye nought visyte their sogettes, or dar nought use their lawe for to amende the soules of them that they have to kepe: and all tho, that falsly flen a wey fro o place to an other, that holy chirche may nought chastise them, ne rewle them as he sholde. Also god and holy chyrche accurseth all tho, that leye hand in violence on prest or clerk, on any man or woman of religion, but yf it be that they may nought elles saue them selves, or elles that it be in certeyn poyntes that the lawe gevith leue. Also we denounce all tho acursed, that maliciousli stele or destroye the goodes, that longeth to manere, or to graunges of any men or women of religion, or of archebisshop, of bisshop, other of any other place of mennes of holy chirche, wythout special leve of them that have the goodes to keepe. Also tho that falsly arreste, or by any way take or enpresoun or destresse men of holy chirche: wher thourought they forsake here benefices for mechef: or whenne they have apeled to the court of Rome, or elles ben somoned theyder by citacion, or to any other |