fubiect vnto his lawes. And truly it is my part to rule the laitie, with the law of equitie, to doe juft iudgment between man and his neighbours, to pu nish church-robbers, to repreffe rebels, to deliuer the weake from the hands of his ftronger; the poore and nedie from them that fpoile them. And it alfo belongeth to my care, to haue confideration to the health, quietneffe, or peace of the minifters of the church, the flocke of monkes, the companies of virgines, and to prouide the things needfull for them. The examining of whofe manners belongeth vnto you, if they liue chaftly, if they behaue themfelues honeftly towards them which bee abroad, if in diuine feruice they bee carefull, if in teaching the people diligent, if in feeding fober, if moderate in apparell, if in iudgement they be difcreet. If you had cured these things by prudent fcrutinie (by your licence I fpeake, o reuerend fathers) fuch horrible and abhominable things of the clerkes had not come to our eares. I omit to fpeak, that their crowne is not large, nor their rounding conuenient, but wantonneffe in apparrell, infolencie in behaui-. our, filthineffe in wordes, doe bewray the madneffe of the inward man. Furthermore, how great negligence is there in the diuines, when, in the holy vigils, they' will scarce vouchfafe to be prefent, when at the holy folemnities of the diuine-feruice, they feeme to bee gathered together to plaie and to laugh, rather than to fing. I will fpeake that which good men lament, and euill men laugh at. I will speake with forrow (if fo be it may be spoken) how they flow in banquettings, in chambering and wantonneffe, that now clerkes houfes may bee thought to be brothell houfes of harlots, and an affembly of plaiers. There is dice, there is dancing and finging, there is watching till midnight, with crying and fhouting. Thus the. patrimony of kings, the almes of princes, yea (and that more is) the price of that precious bloud is ouerthrowne. Hath our fathers therefore for this purpofe emptied their treasures? hath the kings bountifulneffe giuen lands and poffeffions to chriftian churches for this end? that clerkes harlots should be pampered with delicious dainties, that riotous guests may be prepared for; that hounds and hawkes, and fuch like toyes may be gotten. Of this the fouldiers cry out, the common people murmure, the iefters and fcoffers fing and dance, and you regard it not; you spare it; you diffemble it. Where is the sword of LEUY, and zeale of SIMEON, which killed the circumcifed Sichimites, being the figure of them that defile the church of Chrift, with polluted acts, abufing IACOBS daughter as an harlot ? where is the fpirit of MOSES, that fpared not his houfhold, kinsfolke, worshipping the head of the calfe? where is the dagger of PHINEAS the prieft, who killing him that played the harlot with the Madianate, with his holy emulation pacified GODS wrath? where is the fpirit of PETER, by whofe power couetoufneffe is destroyed, and fimonial herefie condemned? endeavour to imitate, o ye priests in GoD: It is time to rise against them that have broken the law of GOD. I have CONSTANTINES, you have PETERS fworde in your handes,let vs ioyne right handes; let vs couple fworde to fworde, that the leapers may bee caft out of the church, that the hallowed place of our LORD, may bee purged, and the fonnes of LEVI may minifter in the church. Go to carefully, I befeech you, left it repent vs to haue done that which we haue done, and to haue giuen that which wee haue giuen, if we shall fee that not to be fpent in God's feruice, but on the riotoufneffe of most wicked men, through vnpunished libertie. Let the reliques of holy Saints, which they fcorne, and the reuerend altars before which they rage, moue you let the maruellous deuotion of our ancestours moue you, whofe almes the clerkes furie abufeth, &c. To you I commit this bufineffe, that both by bishoplie cenfure, and kinglie kinglle authority, filthie liuers may be caft out of the church, and they that liue in order may be brought in." Not long after, to wit, in the reign of ETHELDRED, commonly called, The unready, it was foretold by an holy anchorite; that, forfomuch as the people of this nation were given over to all drunkenness, treason, and carelessness of God's houfe; first by Danes, then by Normans, and last of all by the Scots they should be overcome. Of which hereafter. Matthew Weft. сар. 28. EDWARD the confeffor, whilst he lay fick of that fickness whereof he died, William Malms. after he had remained for two days fpeechlefs, on the third day, lying for a time Rand. Higdea in in a flumber or soft fleep, at the time of his waking he fetched a deep figh, and Polychron.lib.vi. thus faid: "O LORD GOD Almighty, if this be not a vain fantastical illufion, Hollinf. in vit. but a true vision which I have seen, grant me space to utter the fame unto these Edward. that stand here present, or else not." And herewith having his speech perfect, he declared how he had seen two monks ftand by him, as he thought, whom in his youth he knew in Normandy to have lived godly and died christianly. "Thefe religious men, faid he, protesting to me that they were the meffengers of GOD, fpake these words: Because the chief governors of England, the bishops and abbots, are not the minifters of GOD, but of the devil, the Almighty God hath delivered this kingdom for one year and a day into the hands of the enemy, and wicked fpirits shall walk abroad through the whole land. And when I made anfwer that I would declare these things to the people, and promised on their behalf, that they should do penance in following the example of the Ninevites: they faid again, that it would not be, for neither fhould the people repent, nor God take any pity upon them. And when is there hope to have an end of thefe miferies? faid I. Then faid they, when a green tree is cut in funder in the middle, and the part cut off, is carried three acres breadth from the ftock, and returning again to the ftock, fhall join therewith, and begin to bud and bear fruit after the former manner, by reafon of the fap renewing the accustomed nourishment, then (we fay) may there be hope that fuch evils shall cease and diminish." With these words of the dying king, though many who flood by were ftruck with fear; yet STIGAND the church-chopper, archbishop of Canterbury, made but a jeft thereof, faying, that the old man doated, and raved now in his fickness. Nevertheless within the fame year the truth of this prophetical dream or vision did plainly appear. When the conqueror WILLIAM feized into his Hands to give unto the Normans, the moft part of every man's poffeffions in England; took from the bishops' fees all their antient privileges and freedoms, bereaved all the monafteries and abbies of their gold and filver, fparing neither fhrine nor chalice, appropri- Sir John Hayating the faid religious houfes with the revenues to himself, degrading and depri- ward,in vit, Wil. ving as well bishops as abbots of their seats and honors, and detaining many of them in prison during their lives, that others of his own followers might be R.Wendover, in placed in their rooms. By which means there was fcarce left any man in autho- bibl. Cotton. rity of the English nation to bear rule over the reft, infomuch that it was counted a reproach to be called an Englishman. Conq. ward in vit. Will, WILLIAM, furnamed RUFUS, fon to the conqueror, and king of England, endeavoring to abate the numerous greatnefs of the clergy, reftrained his fubjects from going to Rome, witheld the annual payment of peter-pence, and was often- Sir John Haytimes heard to give forth these words, " They follow not the trace of St. PETER, Rufi. they greedily gape after gifts and rewards, they retain not his power whose piety they do not imitate." Nothing was now more in ufe than feizing, farming and merchandizing Τ Poly. lib. vii. cap. 9. R. Higden in merchandizing of church-livings, and the chief agent in this bufinefs was one RANULF FLAMBARD, the king's chaplain, afterwards bishop of Durham,, for which he gave a thousand pounds. ROBERT BLUET gave for the bishopric of Lincoln, five thousand pounds and one HERBERT PRIOR, of Fifcane in NorWil. Maim fb.de mandy, bought for his father, whofe name was LOSINGE, the abbacy of Winchefter, and for himself the bishopric of Norwich, Whereupon a verifier of that age made these rhymes: Reg. Matt. Weft. mon. Trevifa. Higl. in Polych. lib. vi. cap. 6. Idem lib. ced, сар. 9. Mat Paris. Surgit in Ecclefia monftrum genitore Lofinga, Petri nimis tardus, nam Symon ad ardua tentat : Quid non fperemus fi nummos poffideamus? Omnia nummus habet, quid vult facet, addit & aufert, Thus tranflated by BALE, in his Votaries: A monster is vp, the fonne of LOSINGA, But fimony was not fo common now as other fins: for the clergy in general gave The monks of Canterbury, as well nigh all other monks in England, were not unlike to fecular men, they used hawking and hunting, playing at dice, and great drinking; thou wouldst have taken them to have been great magnificoes rather than monkes, they had so many servants and attendance of goodly array and dignity. ANSELME, archbishop of Canterbury, by the permiffion of king HENRY the firft, affembled a great council of the clergy at Westminster; wherein he deprived many great prelates of their promotions for their feveral offences, and many abbots for other enormities; forbidding the farming out of church dignities. In the reign of king HENRY the fecond, the abufes of church-men were grown to a dangerous height, faith well the monk of Newborough, lib. ii. cap. 16. for it was declared, faith he, in the king's prefence, that clergymen had committed above an hundred murders in his reign: of which nine years were, as then fcarcely expired. And in the twenty third of his reign, the nuns of Amesbury were thrust out of their houfe, becaufe of their incontinent living. ROG. Hov. RICHARD CORDELION, king of England, being told by a certain priest named chron. lib. vi. Fulco, a Frenchman, that he kept with him three daughters, namely pride, covetoufnefs, and letchery, which would procure him the wrath of GOD, if he did not fhortly rid himfelf of them: anfwered, That he would prefently bestow his three Higden, in Poly сар. 28. three daughters in marriage, the knights templars, faid he, fhall have my eldest daughter pride: the white monks of the Cifteux order, covetuoufnefs and my third daughter letchery, I commit to the prelates of the church, who therein take moft pleasure and felicity. And there you have my daughters bestowed amongst you. of Mat. Paris. In the reign of HENRY the third, the Templars in London being in great glo- Sow. Annal out ry, entertained the nobility, foreign ambaffadors, and the prince himself very often, infomuch that MATTHEW PARIS, monk of St. ALBANS, who lived in those days, cried out upon them for their pride, who being at the firft fo poor as they. had but one horse to ferve two of them (in token whereof they gave in their feals two men upon one horseback) yet fuddenly they waxed fo infolent, that they difdained other orders, and forted themfelves with noblemen. But this their infulting pride had a quick period: for fhortly after, to wit, in the beginning of king EDWARD the second's reign, in the council at Vienna, this their fo highly esteem- Speed. ed order, was, upon clear proof of their general, odious and abominable fins, and incredible atheistical impieties by them practifed, utterly abolished throughout all Christendom and by the confent of all chriftian kings, depofed all in one day; taken all and committed to fafe cuftody. And thus being politicly apprehended. their lands and goods were feized upon the heirs of the donors here in England, and fuch as had endowed these templars with lands, entered upon those their antient patrimonies after this diffolution, and detained them untill not long. after they were by parliament wholly transferred unto the knights of Rhodes, or of Ypod. Neuft. St. JOHN of Jerufalem. parts of Tho. de la More A little before the univerfal extinguishment of this order of the Templars, Fox. Marty. pag. PHILIP, the French king, caufed fifty-four of that order, with their great mafter, 337. ult. Edit. to be burnt at Paris; for their heinous ungodliness. an. 1365. In the reign of EDWARD the third, the clergy of England exceeded all other Stow. Annal. ad, nations in the heaping up together of many benefices, and other spiritual promotions; befides, at that time, they held the principal places both of truft and command in the kingdom. Some of them had twenty benefices with cure, and fome of them had twenty prebendaries. WILLIAM WYKE HAM, at the death of WILLIAM EDINGTON, bishop of Winchefter, was made general administrator of spiritual and temporal things, pertaining to that bishopric, and the next year was made bishop of Winchefter. This WYKEHAM, befides the archdeaconry of Lincoln and provoftship of Wells, and the parfonage of Manihant in Devonshire, had twelve prebendaries. SIMON LANGHAM was archbishop of Canterbury, and chancellor of England. The forefaid WYKE HAM keeper of the privy feal, mafter of the wards, and Godwin in vit, treasurer of the king's revenues in France. DAVID WALLER, parfon of Somerfham, mafter of the rolls, ferving king EDWARD in the chancery forty years and more. Ten beneficed priests, civilians, and mafters of the chancery. WILLIAM MULSE, dean of St. Martin's le Grand, chief chamberlain of the exchequer, receiver and keeper of the king's treasure and jewels. WILLIAM ASHBY, archdeacon of Northampton, chancellor of the Exche quer. WILLIAM DIGHTON, prebendary of St. Martin's, clerk of the privy-feal. RICHARD Wickami. Ex archivis Turris Lond. RICHARD CHESTERFIELD, prebendary of St: Stephen's, treasurer of the king's house. HENRY SNATCH, parfon of Oundall, master of the king's wardrobe. JOHN NEWENHAM, parfon of Feniftanton, one of the chamberlains of the exchequer, and keeper of the king's treafury and jewels. JOHN ROUCEBY, parfon of Hardwick, furveyor and comptroller of the king's works. THOMAS BRITINGHAM, parfon of Afhby, treasurer to the king, for the parts of Guifnes, and the marches of Calais. JOHN TROYS, treasurer of Ireland, divers ways beneficed in Ireland. Pope URBAN the first, made a decree against the heaping together of many benefices, or spiritual promotions, by one man; for the execution whereof he fent commandment to the archbishop of Canterbury, and by him to all his fuffragans, to certify in writing, the names, number, and qualities, of every clerk, benefices, or livings, within their several dioceses. Whereupon this or the like certificate was brought in : I find, inter brevia regis, Ed. III. Ann. 24. that WILLIAM Fox, parfon of Lee, near Gainsborough, JOHN Fox, and THOMAS of Lingefton, fryars minors of that convent in Lincoln, were indicted before GILBERT UMFREVILL, and other juftices, in partibus de Lindefey, apud Twbanchester, die sabbati, post festum saniti Jobannis Baptifte, in the faid year, for that they came to Bradholme, a nunnery in the county of Nottingham, the eighteenth of the Kal. of February, and then and there rapuerunt, & abduxerunt inde, contra pacem domini regis, quandam monialem nomine Margaretum de Evernigham fororem ditte domus, exeuntes eam habit. religionis, & induentes eam rob. virid. fecular. ac etiam diverfa bona ad valenc. quadragint. Jolid. Violently took and forcibly from thence carried away, againft the peace of their fovereign lord the king, a certain nun, by name MARGARET de EVERNIGHAM, a fifter of the said house, stripping her quite of her religious habit, and putting upon her a green gown, robe, or garment, of the fecular fashion, and gives to a nun alfo divers goods to the value of forty fhillings. A green gown Robert Cotton's library. In this king's reign, ROBERT LONGLAND, a fecular prieft, born in Shropshire, at Mortimer's Cliberie, wrote bitter invectives against the prelates, and all religious orders in those days, as you may read throughout his book, which he calls, The vision of Piers Plowman. Prefently after, in the reign of King RICHARD the fecond, JOHN GOWER flouA MS. in St rifhed, who in his book called Vox clamantis, cries out against the clergy of his time. I. Quod Chrifti fcholam dugmatizant, & ejus contrarium operantur. II. Quod potentiores aliis exiftunt. III. Quod carnalia appetentes ultra modum delicate vivunt. IV. Quod lucris terrenis inhiant, honore prelacie gaudent, & non ut profint, fed ut prefint, epifcopatum defiderant. Quod legibus pofitivus quæ quamvis ad cultum anime neceffarie non funt, infinitas tamen conftitutiones quafi quotidie ad eorum lucrum nobis graviter imponunt. Quod bona temporalia poffidentes, fpiritualia omittunt. Quod Chriftus pacem fuis difcipulis dedit & reliquit; fed prelati propter bona terrena guerras contra chriftianos, legibus fuis pofitivis, inftituunt & profequuntur. Quod cleri funt bellicofi. Quod fcribunt & doceant ea quæ funt pacis, fed in contrarium ea quæ funt belli procurant. Quod nomen fanctum fibi prefumunt, appropriant tamen fibi terrena, nec aliis inde participando ex caritate fubveniunt. Quod intrant ecclefiam per fymoni am. |