CHAP. ven Arti cles, No. 20 MS. 66 "goods of holy Church." He observed, that "Clerks "wolen never cease, if they may, till they have fully deIbid. c. 11. "stroied Kings and Lords, and their regalie and power." In another tract, wrote by one of his followers, we read Thirty-se- thus; "Cristen men ben not holden for to bileve that the Bishop of Rome, that now lyveth in this peyneful lyf, is "heed of al holi Chirche in erth. This sentence is opin "bi this, that Crist is heed aloon of alle holi Chirche, as "Poul seith in i. chap. to Ephesies, in the i. chap. to Co"lossies, and in the 1 Pistil to Corinthies, the iii. chap. "Therfore if he chalaungeth this dignite to him, he is a Ibid. No. 24. " blasfemere, and Lucifer, and Antecrist." He therefore concluded, that "Christene men ben not holden for to bileve, withouten opin groundinge of holi Scripture or of 66 resoun that maie not faile, that Seynte Petir hadde more power of bynding and assoylinge than othir Apostlis gretly lovid of Criste." And therefore he called them Schisma In-"Anticrist's Clerkis, who hold, that the Pope as Vicar of ter Papas, ❝ Crist, and of Petir hath power in the Chirche to do what c. 3. MS. "he wole." 66 66 55. Our Bishop was so far ensnared by the modish doctrine of his time, as to oppose this opinion and reasoning Repressour, of Dr. Wiclif's. He, on the contrary, asserted that "holi part iv. c. 1.6 Scripture werneth not and lettith not this governaunce; MS. 66 "that doom of cleerli disposid resoun in kinde weerneth "not and lettith it not; that the said governance is lee"ful; that holi Scripture, bothe in the Oolde Testament "and in the Newe, allowith it; and, that doom of cleerli indisposit resoun, jugith, allowith, and approvith it.” In shewing that holy Scripture alloweth it, he observed, ""1.that, in the Oold Testament God ordeynid oon Bischop "to be above in reule and jurisdiccioun to alle the Prestis "and Dekenys, and so to alle the Clergie in Goddis "Chirche being thanne; even as the Pope is now oon 66 persoon above in reule and in jurisdiccioun to alle Prestis ❝ and Dekonys, and to alle the Clergie in the Chirche of "God being now. 2. That holi Writ of the Newe Testa"ment makith mensioun, that Crist seid to Symount "Petir thus, Thou art Symount the sone of Johanna, CHAP. "thou schalt be clepid Cephas or heed.-Petir," says 66 III. he, was heed, in the maner in which noon of the other "Apostlis was heed. And sithen ech Apostle was heed "of oon certeyn parcel of peple, or ellis of alle the lay"peple of the worlde jointli with his felawis, it folewith "nedis, that Petir was heed of al the Clergie, and so of "alle Prestis, and of alle the lay-partie. For in noon "otherwise can it be govun, that he was heed in a dy66 verse and different maner from ech other Apostle."He proceeded in quoting the usual texts cited for the primacy, and argues like one who was strongly attached to the Pope. Elsewhere his Lordship affirms, that "the Pope Treatise of "is of lyk auctorite, and juresdictioun with ech, or with Faith, p. 28. "the grettist of the Apostlis for to make positive ordi"nauncis lyk as holi Scripture bi power of the Apostle "maad, and for to revoke thilk positive ordinaunce of holi "Scripture maad bi the Apostle." 56. The sixth governance defended by the Bishop, is the Orders of the Religious. To these his Lordship tells us, it was objected, that these distinctions were all wrong, and that they were wholly new. "That bothe of Prestis Repressour, " and lay persoones ben sectis clepid religiouns maad to part v. c. 1. 66 men, and also to wommen for to be streighter to hem in "eting and drinking, in speking, in wering, in going, in 66 sleping, and in aboute-walking, and in othere dedis of "worldlihode and fleischlihode, than is the freedom of the "lawe of kinde with the settings to of Christis Sacra"mentis: alle this summe of the lay peple blamen bothe "for the dyuersite and novelte so takun to be in, other"wise than is the comoun maner of othere men and wom"men. And also thei beren an honde, that the religiouns " whiche now ben had and usid han summe statutis and "ordinauncis being agens charite, and therfore agens the "law of God. And ferthermore these blamers ascriven "and geven the fynding and the maintenaunce of alle "suche sectis or religiouns to the feend and to Anticrist. "That no good skile is whi tho religiose persoones III. * closes. CHAP. "schulden were so straunge and diverse formes of habitis "fro her other Cristen bretheren-That religiose mo"nasteries, nameliche of the begging religiouns, han with"inne her gatis and * cloocis, grete, large, wiide, hige, and "stateli mansiouns for lordis and ladies therin to reste, "abide, and dwelle.--That thei haw large and wiide "chirchis like sumwhat to cathedral or modir chirchis of "diocisis―That bi the religion of Seint Fraunces, the "religiose persoones of thilk religioun schullen not han"del and touche with her honde, neither bere aboute hem eny money, that is to seie, eny gold or silver or other "metal koyned; and git thei ben not weerned bi the same religioun for to telle such money with a stik holdun in ❝her hond, neither for to keep it in her coffris, neither "ben thei weerned for to holde, bere, touche, and handle "cuppis and dischis, knyfis and jewelis of silver and of gold, however preciose and delectable to the sigt tho "jewelis ben." 66 58. Our poet Chaucer thus introduces Jack Upland, asking a begging Friar," whether there is any perfecter "rule than Christ himself made, or that Christ approveth 66 any more religions than one? Whether their habit "made them men of religion; what betokeneth their 66 great hood, their scapulary, their knotted girdle, and "their wide cope; and why they used all one colour, more than other Christian men? Why they held si"lence, and eat flesh in one house more than in another? "Why they would not touch any coined money with the 66 i Erasmus rallies the Franciscans, or begging Friars, on this head. Rursum alios qui pecuniæ contactum ceu aconitum horreant nec a vino interim, nec a mulierum contactu temperantes. So again, alius gloriabitur sexaginta annos nunquam attactum pecuniam, nisi digitis duplici chirotheca munitis. Moriæ Encomium. The founder of this order, Francis, forbid the Friars to receive any money; but this, it seems, one of the Popes interpreted to mean their not touching any money, and they therefore, to evade that, used to take it with their gloves on, and tell it with a stick. Ger. Listrius, Comment. in Moriæ Encom. k -Quot modiorum capax cuculla, quot digitis latum capillitium? Erasmi Moric Encomium. 66 66 66 III. cross, or with the King's head, as they did other jewels CHAP. "both of gold and silver? What charity is this to burden "the people by importunate begging, under colour of "preaching, or praying, or singing mass? To lie to the people and say, that they followed Christ in poverty more than other men, when yet in curious and costly "housing, and fine and precious clothing, and delicious "and liking feeding, and in treasure, jewels, and rich or"naments they exceeded lords and other rich worldly "men? What charity it was to feign so much holiness "in their bodily clothing, which they called their habit, "that many blind fools desired to die therein, more or ra"ther than in another?" He concludes, "that if Friars "cannot or may not excuse them of the questions asked "of them, it seemeth that they be horribly guilty against "God, and their fellow Christians." 66 and church at the end of 59. So Dr. Wiclif objected to these Friars, "that they See a description of "builden many great churches and costly wast housen one of these "and cloisters, as it weren castels, and that withouten monasteries "nede, where through parish-churches and common wayes "ben perred and in many places undon.- -For by this Collection new housing of Freres, though it rain on the auter of Dr. Wiclif's "the parish-churche, the blind people be so deceived, that Life, p. 345, they wolen rather geve to wast houses of Freres, than "to parish-churches, or common waies, though men's cat"tle and beasts ben perished therein." On which he asks, "what skill is it now to make so much cost in bilding, and "laten old parish-churches fallen a-down ?" 346. 60. To these objections, which seem mostly, if not all, made against the begging Friars, our Bishop answers to this purpose. In the general he observes, that the religi-C. 6. ouns in Englond han ben ful noble and profitable * heggis * hedges. and wardis thorugout these xxxiiij †geeris in which we have + years. been engaged in war with France, for to close and kepe and heggeyn and werne so manye persoones fro so miche gretter synnes into whiche ellis, if tho religiouns hadden not be, tho personnes schulden have fallen, and have be gilti. For, says he, take me alle the religiose men of Eng H III. CHAP. lond, which ben now, and han ben in religioun in England, these thirti geeris and mo now endid, in whiche xxx geeris hath be contynuel greet warre betwix Englond and Fraunce, and lete se what schulde have worthe of the men in these geeris, if thei hadde not be mead religiose. Lete se how thei schulden have lyued, and what maner of men thei schulden have be. Whether not thei schulden have be as weelnyg alle othere men ben, and han be in this xxxiiij wynters in Englond. And therefore thei schulden be orgileful artificers or unpiteful quest-mongers1, and forsworen jurors, or sowdiers wagid into Fraunce, for to make miche morther of blood, yhe and of soulis, bothe in No man her owne side, and in the Frensche side scarce. fynde agenward that tho persoones whilis thei han lyved in religioun, han be gilti of so miche synne how miche synne is now rehercid, and of which thei schulden have be gilti if thei hadden not be religiose. All which are weak reasonings. 61. Our Bishop urges farther in behalf of the various Orders of the Religious; that God purvied manye dyverse religiouns to be in the Chirche, for that bi so greet a dyversite had in so manye religiouns, what for dyversite of outward habit, and of inward wering, and of diet, and of These were the pardon-mongers, who were Friars employed by the Pope, &c. to raise money for building churches, &c. for which purpose they were empowered to assure the people of 90 many days or years of pardon, upon condition that they gave a certain sum of money toward the intended work. The Pope at last made use of them for raising money to fill his own coffers, or to raise portions for his nieces. Dr. Wiclif reflects on the Prelates of his time, as "deceiving poor men of their alms by false pardons, making men to geve "their nedy liflode to their cathedral churches and suffring other false "pardoners to disceyve the people for a little money." So they are represented in the confessionale Richardi, qui dulcibus et adulatoriis verbis et mendosis ad se populum congregant, ut duntaxat bona eorum terrena habeant et manducent et devorent. Hence our Bishop styles them unpitiful quest-mongers, since they spared not the very poorest of all, but got whatever they could of every body. -These bilderes wiln beggen a bage ful of whete may Half his rent in a yere, and half ben byhynde. Pierce the Plowman's Creed. |