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 66 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, 66 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." and church 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 es in the "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 Life, p. 345, "the parish-churche, the blind people be so deceived, that 66 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?" at the end of 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-mongers', and forsworen jurors, or sowdiers wagid into Fraunce, for to make miche mother of blood, yhe and of soulis, bothe in her owne side, and in the Frensche side-No man 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 1 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 so 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 Pierce the Plowman's Creed. III. waking, and officying, and of sitis or of placing, and of CHAP. m Of the Friars alone were four Orders, viz. the Carmelites, Augustines, Jacobites, and Minorites, of the initial letters of which is made the word Caim, and the name Cain being then so spelt, Dr. Wiclif calls their houses Caim's castles. Dial. lib. iv. c. 33. These were commonly called the White, the Black, the Austin, and the Grey Friars. 305215B CHAP. amended, argueth not neither proveth tho occupaciouns to be naugt neither to be unfrytful. III. 62. To the objections made to the habits, stately houses, &c. of the Religious, our Bishop answers, that such variety of habits is for distinction sake, and to remind the Religious of what they are, and what they have bound themselves to; that their stately buildings were of great convenience to persons of quality, and of great use to the monasteries for great persons to repair thither; that lords and ladies are thereby the more shut out of the world to attend to their religious concerns, and the Monks can thus attend them the more constantly, and at the same time be supported and protected by them, and have less need to go a begging among poorer persons, and become chargeable to them; that their magnificent churches, so very richly adorned and furnished, were most for the honour of God's service, and would contain more people. 63. Lastly, the Bishop answers the particular objection made to the Franciscans, their having jewels of gold and of silver and of precious stones, and knives and girdles harnessed with gold and silver, and their telling money with a stick's end, when by the rule of St. Francis they were to forbear handling and bearing of money. His Lordship observes, that to handle or bere money is a more homely entermeting with the same money, than is for to telle it with a stik; and therefore the more homelyness is forborn, and the lasse comelyness is suffrid: that jewelis ben not in so manie kindis so redy and so nige to the uce in whiche the haver mai delite him synfulli as in money and therefore the more perol is forborn, whilis the lasse is suffrid to abide. And thoug it were so, that the telling of money with a stik were as great a neiging in homelynes to money as is bare handling; and thoug the handling of jewelis were as perilose as is the handling of money; yit therof not folewith, that if eny man for devocioun wolde forbere the oon, that he ougt forbere the other For whi it is fair, good, and priseable to forbere the oon whilis he is not consteyned to for III. bere of hem bothe eny oon- -Whanne a man is fre to CHAP. leve bothe, it is priseable, and fair, and honest, if he take the oon, and not bothe, and nameliche, sithen fewe othere taken eny of hem bothe, 64. Hitherto the Bishop had defended six of those usages of the Church of England which were opposed by the Lollards; there remained, according to his proposed method, five other usages or governances, to be vindicated from their objections. These were, 7. Prayers offered to saints, and the communication of merits commonly boasted of, and put to sale by the Monks. 8. The vast number of precious jewels or utensils kept in churches or religious houses, which, it was pleaded, might better have been sold and given to the poor, and the honour given to the images and relics of saints. 9. The divine worship which was given to the eucharistical elements, the wafer and the wine. 10. The use of oaths usurped by the Clergy, and imposed by them on others. 11. The use of capital punishments, and of war, or the croisade, approved by the Church. But his Lordship having largely treated of these governances in other discourses, declined saying any more of them in this book. Thus he expresses himself concerning the Clergy's swearing, and making others to swear. The xth principal gouernaunce agens which summe of the comoun peple erren is this; that the Clergie in certein causes and maters swerith and makith othere persoones for to swere; and allowith weel, that Princis and her officers being undir hem bothe swere, and make othere men of the layte for to swere. Certis summe of the lay peple holden this gouernaunce to be unleoful and agens the comaundement of God, and that it is uttirli unleeful eny man for to swere. Neuertheles for as muche as this unwiis holding is sufficientli proued to be untrew in the booke filling the iiii tablis, in the secunde partie bi manye chapitris, therfore nothing therof here. The Bishop thus concludes this book. And thus y eende this present book clepid the Represser of ouer-miche blamyng the Clergie. For which book, to thee Lord God, be preising and |