Conclusion

Abstract

What, then, was the significance of Lollardy? It has certainly been easy for historians to exaggerate. This is partly because of the disproportionate survival of Lollard literature, preponderantly of the English Bible; partly because of the vigour with which Church and State responded to the threat of lay heresy; and partly because of the enduring impact of the English Reformation’s quest for historical legitimation. However, none of this suffices to justify the significance which has been ascribed to the Lollards. The notion that they somehow paved the way for the Reformation has, as we have seen, little to be said for it. The harshness of the sanctions imposed says more about the readiness of the establishment to defend its values than about the numerical strength of the dissidents. Nor is the survival of the Wycliffite Bible any index of the strength of Lollardy, given the considerable evidence for its orthodox ownership and the fact that many of the copies must have been made before Arundel’s censorship began to take effect. Subtracting the vernacular scriptures, one is left with a less impressive body of texts, often in unique exemplars.