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Ridpath's history of the world : being an account of the principal events in the career of the human race from the beginnings of civilization to the present time : comprising the development of social institutions and the story of all nations . crown on Bolingbroke, who took the titleof Henry IV. As forthe captive Richardhe, like his uncleDuke of Gloucester,died in Poutifractie, to which h(transferred forsake the circum-stances of histaking-off werenever divulged. In this con-nection it isproper to referto what maybe called theantecedents ofthe Reforma-tion in Eng-land. Amongthe p
Ridpath's history of the world : being an account of the principal events in the career of the human race from the beginnings of civilization to the present time : comprising the development of social institutions and the story of all nations . crown on Bolingbroke, who took the titleof Henry IV. As forthe captive Richardhe, like his uncleDuke of Gloucester,died in Poutifractie, to which h(transferred forsake the circum-stances of histaking-off werenever divulged. In this con-nection it isproper to referto what maybe called theantecedents ofthe Reforma-tion in Eng-land. Amongthe personalagents by whomthe movement was begun the first placemust be assigned to John de Wickliffe,a scholarly and virtuous priest of Lutter-worth, in Leicestershire. He was born inYorkshire in 1324, and lived to the ageof sixty, being a contemporary of EdwardIII. At this period in the religious historyof England the various monastic orders hadso encroached upon the parish priests that thelatter were well - nigh crushed under theweight. Wickliffe did not hesitate to de-nounce the abuses and corruptions which hadarisen in the Church, and to reject as falsemany of her doctrines. He also openly ad-vocated the rendition of the Scriptures into. lilil JOHN Wl Kl H i I From the Luther statue in Worms. 124 UNIVERSAL HISTORY.—THE MODERN WORLD. the language of the people, though in this advo-cacy he was bitterly opposed by the whole ec-clesiastical power of the kingdom. It was hisgood fortune, however, to have the support ofJohn of Gaunt and many other nobles of thelaity, who were themselves tired of the domi-nation of the monastic orders. In 1380 Wick-liife set about the translation of the Bible intoEnglish, and in the course of a few years thework was completed. The bishops now un-dertook to suppress what they had not beenable to prevent. A bill for that purpose wasbrought forward in Parliament, but John ofGaunt and Lord Percy .secured its Church party had the mortificati
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecad, booksubjectworldhistory, bookyear1800