No . 134 The Trusty Servant problem is that there is little in the sermon which is straightforwardly heretical . He draws on standard authorities , such as William Peraldus and William of Pagula ’ s Oculus sacerdotis to condemn moral failings in the Church and society more widely . He does not betray any Wycliffite sympathies or anywhere confess to being a card-carrying Lollard .
That is not to say the sermon was snow-white . At a time of intense clerical anxiety , the forcefulness of Lechlade ’ s criticism of churchmen , whether monks , preachers or priests , would have sounded alarm bells . Wykeham , moreover , may have taken offence at Lechlade ’ s sharp mention of money-lenders , who lead evil lives and sell nothing but time . Still , there is no evidence of doctrinal heresy . It is possible , of course , that Lechlade submitted a sermon to the authorities which did not entirely reflect all aspects of his preaching . He was , however , reinstated by Henry IV on 8 November 1399 on the grounds that he been banished by Richard II without reasonable cause .
Not long after his return to Oxford , Lechlade was appointed to the living of Kemerton by Sir William Beauchamp . This is where it becomes easier to join the dots . Lechlade ’ s patron has been identified as belonging to a network of ‘ Lollard knights ’, who sustained the activity of Wycliffite preachers by providing financial support and political protection . This would help to explain the visit of Faulfiš and Kněhnic to the tiny hamlet of Kemerton , which is recorded in the margins of a manuscript in the Nationalbibliothek in Vienna . As well as visiting Kemerton and Braybrooke , the Bohemians travelled to Lutterworth , where they took a fragment from Wyclif ’ s grave as a souvenir . This was roughly a decade after Lechlade had been a fellow at Winchester .
Did Wykeham knowingly shelter a heretic ? It seems unlikely . Another possibility : At this early stage of
his career , Lechlade had not yet plunged into heresy . Beauchamp had instituted Lechlade to his livings at Merton and Kemerton . Did he use his influence to protect Lechlade from the turbulent and unpredictable politics of the 1390s ? Lechlade was one of a number of angry young men at Oxford who inveighed against the wealth and corruption of the Church . His career suggests the polarization of opinion happened gradually : attitudes were still hardening as the limits of orthodoxy were determined through a combination of theological debate and repression . In the 1390s , a decade after Wyclif ’ s departure for Lutterworth , Wykeham and the fellows at Winchester were willing to put up with Lechlade in spite of his radical views .
The Bursars ’ Roll for 1397 and the Wycliffite Bible will feature in an exhibition about Wyclif and Lollardy , which will be in Treasury from April – November 2023 . The objects have been chosen by pupils in 5H1 , who are studying the Church and heresy as part of the History A-level .
Wyclif New Testament ; Winchester College MS 42
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