(1)  "  In  gratia  gratificante  finaliter." — Ed.
(2)  "  Fundatur  objective  supra  uu  versitatem  bononira  Dei."


1378.
16  AN    EXPOSITION    UPON    THE    CONCLUSIONS    OF    WICKLIFF.
Richard  tliis  Conclusion,  after  the  manner  of  authentic  Scripture,  which  saith  and
^l-  granteth,  "  that  God  is  able  of  these  stones  to  raise  up  children  to  Abraham;"
.  p.  for  otherwise  all  christian  princes  were  heretics.  For  upon  this  conclusion  thus
■  ■  standeth  the  reason  :  If  God  be,  he  is  omnipotent,  and  if  he  be  Almighty,  he
is  able  to  command  the  lords  temporal  so  to  do:  and  if  he  may  so  command,
then  may  they  lawfully  so  take  away  such  goods,  &c.  And  so  by  the  virtue  of
the  same  principle,  christian  princes  have  practised  the  said  sentence  upon  the
churchmen  heretofore,  as  did  William  Rufus,  &c.  But  God  forbid  that  any
should  believe  hereby  my  intention  to  have  been,  that  secular  lords  may  law-
fully take  away  what  goods  soever,  and  by  what  means  soever,  by  their  own
naked  authority  at  their  pleasure  :  but  only  by  the  authority  of  the  church  they
may  so  do,  in  cases  and  form  limited  by  the  law.
7.  "  We  know  that  it  is  not  possible  that  the  vicar  of  Christ  is  able  by  his
pure  bulls,"  &c.
