The History of the Holy War, Book 2 · Chapter 26
Chap. 26. Of Almericus Patriarch of Antioch his instituting of Carmelites; Their differing from the pattern of Elias.
AFter the tragicall life and death of Rodolphus Patriarch of Antioch,1142. who was twelve yeares Patriarch, counting his banishment, Haymericus by the contrary faction and power of Prince Reimund succeeded him, with little quiet and comfort of his place.
And here to our grief must we take our finall farewell of the distinct succession of the Patriarchs of Antioch, with the yeares that they sat; such is the obscurity and confusion in it. Yet no doubt this *Compare Baronius with himself in these yeares, 1143, 1154, 1181, and we shall find Haymericus and Almericus the same.Haymericus was the same with Almericus, who about the yeare 1160 first instituted the order of Carmelites. Indeed formerly they lived dispersed about the mountain of Carmel: but he gathered them together into one house; because solitarinesse is a trespasse against the nature of man, and God when he had made all things good, saw it was not good for man to be alone.
Surely from great antiquity in the Primitive Church,Polyd. Virg. lib. 7. cap. 3. Sabel. Enu. 9. …ib. 5. many retired themselves to solitary places (where they were alwayes alone, and alwayes in the company of good thoughts) chiefly to shade themselves from the heat of persecution.Haspin De orig. mon. Whose example was in after-ages imitated by others, when there was no such necessity: As here by these Carmelites▪ whose order was afterwards perfected in the yeare 1216, by Albert Patriarch of Jerusalem, with certain Canonicall observations imposed upon them. And in this next age, these bees which first b…d in the ground and hollow trees, got them hives in gardens; and leaving the deserts, gained them princely houses in pleasant places. They pretended indeed that they followed the pattern of Elias, though farre enough from his example: First, for their habit; they wore *Antonius, lit. 20. cap. 5.white coats guarded with red streaks: but they have no colour in the Bible that Elias ever wore such a livery; it suits rather with Joseph then with him. Secondly, by their order they were to ride on he-asses; whereas we reade that Elias went on foot, and rode but once in a chariot of fire. Thirdly, they by the constitution of Pope Nicolas the 5. had *Balaeus in vita Nicol. 5.sisters of their company living neare unto them; we find Elias to have no such feminine consorts. Fourthly, they lived in all lust and lazinesse; as *Vide Balaeum, centur. 4. cap. 42. in append. 2.Nicolas Gallus their own Generall did complain, that they were Sodomites, and compareth them to the tail of the Dragon: so that their luxury differed from Elias his austerity, as much as velvet from sackcloth. Wherefore that the Carmelites came from mount Carmel cannot be denied: But on that mountain I find that both Elias and Baals priests gathered together; and let the indifferent reader judge which of them their lives do most resemble.
Afterwards Pope Honorius 3. counting the party-coloured coats these Carmelites did wear to be too gaudy, caused them to wear onelyonly white, the colour which nature doth die▪ simple, and therefore fittest for religion. But Melexala King of Egypt, who formerly was very bountifull to the Carmelites, knew not his Alms-men in their new coats, but changed his love, as they their livery, and persecuted them out of all Egypt. It seemeth afterwards, by the complaint of *Eclog. 2. immutarunt mutati vellera mores.Mantuan, that they wore some black again over their white: For he playeth on them, as if their bad manners had blacked and altered their clothes.
Now though Palestine was their mother, England was their best nurse. Ralph Fresburg, about the yeare 1240, first brought them hither; and they were first seated at Newenden in *Yet Camden saith they were first seated in Northumberland.Kent. An*Pitsaeus, in indic… Carm. hundred and fourty English writers have been of this order. And here they flourished in great pomp, till at last King Henry the 8. as they came out of the wildernesse, so turned their houses into a wildernesse; not onelyonly breaking the necks of all Abbeys in England, but also scattering abroad their very bones, past possibility of recouniting them.