e Churchs wealth and the unworthiness of many in the clergy (Oxford History of Britain, p. 245). The movement did not die out after Wycliffes passing, and this shows a willingness of the British people to accept criticism of the Church. The Church was a central part of a British persons life, serving as not only a spiritual center but, in many cases, also a political center. While this political side of the Church increased the amount of influence it had on a persons life, it also left it more open to corruption and criticism. Money and power can lead to corruption, and when religion is tied into money and power the corruption that occurs can be amplified, since it often creates hypocrisy. The British people recognized such problems and reacted on both local and national levels. On the local level they would steal chalices until priests better served their parish. On the national level they burnt charters and beheaded an archbishop in response to unpopular government policies. The Church emphasized a focus on the afterlife, that worldly wealth and sinful actions could play against a person during their judgment. When members of the Church itself did not practice what they preached - and given the Churchs vast wealth and power, it was a definite possibility - the people would react even more unfavorably than if such an action was performed by someone outside of the Church. Again, Langland provides relevance, when he pleads to rich men at the end of a chapter entitled Piers the Ploughmans Pardon: So I warn all you rich men who trust in your wealth ... not to be bolder before you break the Ten Commandments. And especially you men in authority ... no doubt you are though wise, and possess enough of the worlds wealth to buy yourselves pardon and papal Bulls - but on that dreadful day when the dead shall rise and all men shall come before Christ to render up their accounts, then the sentence shall state openly how you led your l...
