He then turned to the civil government, urging it to regain the usurped authority of the church.
This plan, set forth in voluminous writings, in lectures at Oxford and in popular sermons in London, soon brought him before the tribunal [Sidenote: 1377] of William Courtenay, Bishop of London, and, had he not been protected by the powerful prince, John of Lancaster, it might have gone hard with him.

Five bulls launched against him by Gregory XI from Rome only confirmed him in his course, for he {37} appealed from them to Parliament.

Tried at Lambeth he was forbidden to preach or teach, and he therefore retired for the rest of his life to Lutterworth.

[Sidenote: 1378] He continued his literary labors, resulting in a vast host of pamphlets.
Examining his writings we are struck by the fact that his program was far more religious and practical than rational and speculative.

Save transubstantiation, he scrupled at none of the mysteries of Catholicism.