Though Wyclif’s works are now unread, except by occasional scholars, he still occupies a very high place in our literature.  His translation of the Bible was slowly copied all over England, and so fixed a national standard of English prose to replace the various dialects.  Portions of this translation, in the form of favorite passages from Scripture, were copied by thousands, and for the first time in our history a standard of pure English was established in the homes of the common people.

As a suggestion of the language of that day, we quote a few familiar sentences from the Sermon on the Mount, as given in the later version of Wyclif’s Gospel: 

And he openyde his mouth, and taughte hem, and seide, Blessid ben pore men in spirit, for the kyngdom of hevenes is herne.[91] Blessid ben mylde men, for thei schulen welde[92] the erthe.  Blessid ben thei that mornen, for thei schulen be coumfortid.  Blessid ben thei that hungren and thristen rightwisnesse,[93] for thei schulen be fulfillid.  Blessid ben merciful men, for thei schulen gete merci.  Blessid ben thei that ben of clene herte, for thei schulen se God.  Blessid ben pesible men, for thei schulen be clepid[94] Goddis children.  Blessid ben thei that suffren persecusioun for rightfulnesse, for the kyngdom of hevenes is herne.[95] ...

Eftsoone ye han herd, that it was seid to elde men, Thou schalt not forswere, but thou schalt yelde[96] thin othis to the Lord.  But Y seie[97] to you, that ye swere not for ony thing;... but be youre worde, yhe, yhe; nay, nay; and that that is more than these, is of yvel....

Ye han herd that it was seid, Thou schalt love thi neighbore, and hate thin enemye.  But Y seie to you, love ye youre enemyes, do ye wel to hem[98] that hatiden[99] you, and preye ye for hem that pursuen[100] and sclaundren[101] you; that ye be the sones of youre Fadir that is in hevenes, that makith his sunne to rise upon goode and yvele men, and reyneth[102] on just men and unjuste....  Therefore be ye parfit, as youre hevenli Fadir is parfit.

JOHN MANDEVILLE

About the year 1356 there appeared in England an extraordinary book called the Voyage and Travail of Sir John Maundeville, written in excellent style in the Midland dialect, which was then becoming the literary language of England.  For years this interesting work and its unknown author were subjects of endless dispute; but it is now fairly certain that this collection of travelers’ tales is simply a compilation from Odoric, Marco Polo, and various other sources.  The original work was probably in French, which was speedily translated into Latin, then into English and other languages; and wherever it appeared it became extremely popular, its marvelous stories of foreign lands being exactly suited to the credulous spirit of the age.[103] At the present time there are said to be three hundred copied manuscripts of “Mandeville” in various languages,—­more, probably, than of any other work save the gospels.  In the prologue of the English version the author calls himself John Maundeville and gives an outline of his wide travels during thirty years; but the name is probably a “blind,” the prologue more or less spurious, and the real compiler is still to be discovered.