The Relics of Rome, Part 7
Of Monasticall sectes and fyrst of Heremites.
The first beginning of Heremites.POpe Syluester the first, bearyng rule, the Heremites firste of all began, and inhabited the wyldernesse & solitary places. The aforesaid Syluester had them in greate reuerence, and confirmed their order. In the yere, &c. 315. Ex libro germanico.
Of the Heremites of Antonies order.
Antony the first Heremite.POpe Syluester, the aforesaid being bishop of Rome, Antony a mā vnlearned, and notwithstanding famous in godly conuersation and notable in workyng miracles, began a streight and solitary life in Egipt. He was the first Heremite: his meat was only bread and water, and he vsed daily to fast vntill Sunne sette. He wente willingly vntounto the wildernesse, where many resorted vntounto him, which made him their Abbote. S. Hierome saieth that he wrote vii. epistles or letters in the Egiptian speach, full of Spirit and mysteries, which afterward were translated into Greke.Antonies diet & lyfe. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria writeth his life in a complet booke. He dyed at Thebaida, the 357. yere after Christes byrth,Antonies app…rell. The life of An…hon… and h… brethren. the 105. yere of his age. The aforesaid Antony with all his brethren went in gray clothing and did eate herbes and rootes. They fled all company of men. Some saye, that they fled into the wildernesses of Egipt for the auoiding of persecution and there lyued together with greate louelove, geuing themselues to spirituall meditations, and heauenly contemplations, that by this meanes they might the better hauehave an eye vntounto gods workes, and so offred vp to God with a fre spirit, and a pure & perfect louelove, serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of their life.
This Antony hath had, and yet hath in diuers countreys where the sects of Antichrist raigne, many Apes, whiche hauehave laboured to counterfait hym, but notwithstanding so far from the faith,Antonies Apes. The diuersitie of Antony and of our Heremites. lyfe, and manners of Antony, as darknesse is contrarye to lyghte▪ and Beliall to Christe. For where as Antonye sledde into wildernesse, that he mighte serue God with the more free conscience, and be the lesse ledde awaye with worldly vanities, and carnal concupiscences: his Apes and coūterfaiters run peakyng into corners, and dwell in some oute corner or hole, onelye to eschewe labour, and to liue ydlely, not being content with herbes and rootes, as Antonye was, but faryng deliciouslye, not of their owne trauayl and gettyng, but of the labour of other mennes handes. and of the sweat of other mennes browes, contrary to this commaundement of GOD geuen by the Psalmographe:Psalm. 128. Gene. iii. Thou shalte eate the labours of thyne owne handes: Agayne, In the sweate of thy face shalte yu eate thy bread, tyll you returne vntounto the earth. For earth thou art, and vntounto earth thou shalt agayne be turned. And whereas Antony and his company fledde the companye of all men, bicause they woulde not bee corrupted with theyr lewde manners, Antonies Apes frequent nothyng more than the fellowship of men and women, easy to be founde in fielde, in village, in towne in citie, in noble mens houses, in poore mēs cotages. They leaue no place vnsought, where any thing is to be gotten. Agayne, whereas Antony and his brethren wēt in homely gray clothing they nowe weare a blacke garmente wyth a blew crosse thereon. In thys apparel, in theyr long heare and beard in their hatte and staffe, in theyr scrip or wallet, in theyr midnighte rysing and fewe orisons patteryng, dothe all theyr whole religion consiste.S. Antonies fyre. They hauehave a Fraternitie, wherein they manace and threate folke with sainct Antonies fyre: yea they hauehave brought the matter so farre, that in some parties they hauehave pygges fatted for them, and geuen for feare of Saincte Antonies fyre, and that theyr swyne and cattaile may the better prosper, and beecome the more fruitefull, wyth the which pigges these Antichristiā Antonians fatte their owne paunches, and make the common people their laughing stockes. Histor. tripart. 2. cap. 21.503. 1 cap. 13. Hier. Polid. de inuent. rerum. 7. cap. 1. Pantal. Lib. germ
Of the Heremites of Paulus order.
Paule the Heremite.THe yere of our lord. 345. was one Paulus an Heremite in Egipt, a companion to the aforesaid Antonye, which spent his lyfe also in wildernesse. They write of hym, that when he was xv. yeres of age,Paule the heremites life. flyeng the promotions of Valerianus and Decius Emperours of Rome, thoughe he was of noble progeny, and descēded of a right worthy parentage before the worlde, yet lefte he all, and wente into wildernesse, where he dwelt in a lyttle caue by the space of 98. yeres (vnknowen to any man lyuing) in fasting & praier, with water and bread, herbes & rootes and such other nourishmentes as the wildernesse did minister vntounto him. In the booke called vitas patrum, we read that the aforesaid Paulus was wel instructed & learned both in the Greke and Egiptian tonge, He seing the persecution of Christen men went into a towne much farre from hys countrey, and from thence into a mountayne ful of rockes, at ye fote wherof was a great and maruelous pytte couered with a stone, which he tooke away, and loked therein and founde there a much fayre fountaine. With this there was in the sayd mountayne diuerse habitations & dwellings. Paulus then loued the place maruelously,Paule the Heremites apparel and meate. lyke as god had geuen it vntounto him. And there he led a solitarye lyfe in occupying deuout prayers, and abstinence maruelouslye. Hys vesture was onelyonly of the leaues of the palme tree, and his meate was the frute therof. These and diuerse other things not altogether to be dispysed, reade we in the booke entituled Vitas patrum. Of thys Paulus the Heremite or solitarye man,Paule the Heremites Apes. ar there rysen and sprong vp certayne Apes and counterfayters, which hauehave a name and an order fathered vponupon him: and yet, to say the truth, hauehave they no more of this Paulus faith, prayer, abstinence, and suche other Godlye and spirituall exercises, than some Christen men hauehave of Christ, that is to say, the surname onelyonly. For all hys ghostlinesse, religion, fayth, & lyfe consisteth with them onelyonly in their white garmentes or coules, in theyr cappes and pyked staues: the colour and fashion of whose apparel, we read no wher that Paulus dyd weare the lyke, so that I can not tell from whence they hauehave theyr name and profession.A comparisō betwene Paule and hys Apes. For Paulus fasted but they are fylbellyes and Epicures. He was pore, but they are riche. He was solitarye, but they runne aboute. He had simple clothyng, and a cleane hearte: but they hauehave a white garment, and blacke heartes: so that of this Paulus, a Godly and religious mā, our Pauliane Heremites hauehave no more than all other orders hauehave, I meane, onelyonly the name and title. Theyr rule is S. Austens, wherein are reckened to be .xxiiii. orders. Ex Lib. Germanico, & ex vitis patrum.
Paule the simple.Besydes this aforesaid Paulus, there was an other Heremite of that name, called Paulus simplex, that is to saye, simple Paule, or Paule the playne. Thys Paulus as wee reede in vitis patrum, was one of the Disciples of saint Anthonye,☜ and made hymselfe an Heremite, bycause that hys wyfe had geuen her selfe to an other man, than hym.☜ Of whiche thyng when he was aduertysed, he was maruelouslye troubled. Neuerthelesse he tolde it to no bodye, but wente to the desertes. And after yt he had long gone in the same, he put hymselfe into the monasterye of Saint Anthonye which among many other,Laboure. lessons taught hym, howe somtyme he must laboure, and vse bodilye exercises to refreshe hys spirites, wherby he shuld after be more prompt and readye to praye vntounto God.Godlinesse Also how with al hys thought and strength he oughte to keepe the commaundementes of God:Diet. and at euen in takyng hys refection, he shuld eate and drinke litle, and how he shuld drinke but water. Thys Paulus was so simple,☜ that whē s. Anthony wt his brethrē at a certain time talked of ye holy scriptures, he demaūded of thē if god had bene before ye prophets. But S. Anthony beholdīg his simplicitie, bad hī holde hys peace and he gladlye obeyed.☞ The aforesayd Anthony willing to proue ye obeysance of thys Paule ye playn or simple soule, ofte tymes cōmaunded him to do thynges against reasō: as to drawe water out, of a depe pitte al the day long and to caste it on the earth, and sometyme to vnsowe hys gowne, & after to sowe it agayn: and so of many other things. But thys Paul the plaine in al things was much obeysaunt and lowly. And therefore sayd S. Anthony, whosoeuer will be perfect, he ought not to be master, ne obey to hys owne wil, be ye thinges reasonable, or vnreasonable: that are commaunded hym to do. For oure sauioure sayth, that to fore al thynges, one ought to renounce hys owne wil. Thys Paulus as we rede, was a man of such vertue and holynesse,Paule the playne, a worker of miracles that he farre excelled S. Anthonye in workyng miracles, in so muche that they came vntounto hym, that were sycke, out of al regions to recouer theyr health, and anon by hys deuout Orisons vntounto God, they were made hole. I rede not, yt any secte of Heremites, had their beginning of thys Paule. The cause paraduenture was, bycause he was so symple, playn, and homely a man, without al fraude gyle, and deceate, whiche the monasticall sectes, moste chiefely practyse in all theyr lyfe and conuersation. Ex vitis patrum
Of the Heremites of Saint Iohns order.
IN the yere of our lord,Iohn the Heremite. iii.C.lxxx was Iohn an Heremite in Egipt of great reputation for hys holynesse. He could comfort the feble minded in God, and bryng them to perfection, as writeth of hym S. Hierome. He dwelt fyftye yeare continually vponupon an hyll or rocke in feruente prayer and meditation to God, of whom hee was fedde. He was of so pure mynde, that God opened vntounto hym, not onelyonly what was necessarye for hym to know but also thynges for to come. He was so endued with the gyfte of Prophecye, that he Prophecyed not only thinges, that shoulde chaunce thereabout, but also the warre of the Emperoure Theodosius agaynst Maximus the tirant. When he was an hundred yeare olde, he payed nature her dutye, whose life Hierome doth discribe.Iohn the Heremites apes. Nowe he that will compare the full brethren that weare a blacke cloke and a crosse theron, with thys mannes liuyng (whose followers they aduaunce themselues to bee, beyng called Ioannites of this Iohn) shall fynde them farre vnlyke hym, seing theyr religion is theyr own inuention, and that they lyue of other mennes sweate. But howe can they beare hys name, and chalenge hym to be their patrone, seyng in no poynt they lyue like him, but euen playn cō trary? If they wil thinke to be grounded vponupon Iohn the Euaungelyste and Apostle, then ought thei to leade a continente lyfe and to goe aboute, and preache the Gospell of Christ. But they are so farre estraunged from these godly exercises, that in no state of people any can bee founde more vnchaste in theyr liuyng, nor greater aduersaryes to the true doctryne of Christ,The wickednesse of ye Ioānites being in deede the patrones, defendoures and mayntayners of all superstition and false worshippyng of God. But I shoulde bee sooner persuaded, that theyr Patrone was some good tankerd yeoman, whose order lyke good Dysciples and brethren they hauehave euer kepte and followed. It is great pitye and shame, that wee are so peruerse mynded, that we do not see this mocke and abhomination, but rather worship it as holynesse, geuyng freely vntounto it both landes and goodes, and disheryte oure naturall children. God bee mercyfull vntounto vsus. Ex Libro Germanico.
Of Anckers and Ankresses, and all other Recluses.
AS concernyng the monasticall secte of the Recluses, and suche as bee shutte vp within walles, there, vntounto the death continuallye to remayne, geuyng themselues to the mortification of carnall affectes, to the contemplation of heauenly and spirituall thynges, to abstinence, to prayer, and to suche other ghostlye exercises, as men deade to the worlde, & hauyng their life hidden with Christ I hauehave not to write: forasmuch as I cā not hitherto fynde probably in any author,The beginning of the A…ckers pro…ession incerten. whence the profession of Anckers and Anckresses had the beginning and foundation, although in thys behalfe I hauehave talked with men of that profession, which could very litle or nothing saye in the matter. Notwithstanding as the white Fryers father that order of Helias the Prophete (but falsely) so lykewyse doe the Anckers and Anckresses make that holy and vertuous Matrone Iudith their patronesse and foundresse. But how vnaptly, who seeth not? Their profession and religion diffreth as farre from the manners of Iudith, as lyght from darkenesse or god from the deuill, as it shall manifestlye appeare to them that wil diligentlye, conferre the history of Iudith with their lyfe and conuersatiō.Iudith. viii. A comparison betwene Iudith & oure R…cluses. Iudith made her selfe a priuy chamber where she dwelt (saieth the Scripture) beyng closed in with her maydens Oure Recluses also close themselues within the walles but they sufferre no man to be there with them Iudith ware a smocke of ha…re▪ but our recluses are both softly and finely apparelled. Iudith, fasted all the daies of her life, few excepted. Our Recluses eate and drinke at all tymes of the beste, beyng of the number of them Qui curios simulant, & Bacchanalia viuunt. Iudith was a woman of a very good report. Our recluses are reported to be supersticious and idolatrous persons, and such as al good men fly their companye. Iudith feareth the Lorde greatly▪ and liued accordyng to his holye word. Our Recluses fear the pope and gladly do what his pleasure is to commaund them. Iudith lyued of her owne substaunce and goods, puttyng no man to charge. Our Recluses as persons onelye borne to consume the frutes of the erth, liue idlely of the labour of other mens handes. Iudith, when tyme required, came oute of her closet to do good vntounto other. Our Recluses neuer come out of their lobbeis sincke or swimme the people Iudithe put her selfe in ieopardy for to do good to the commune countrey. Our recluses are vnprofitable clods of the earth, doing good to no man. Who seeth not now, how farre our Anckers and Anckresses differre from the manners and life of this vertuous and Godlye woman Iudith, so that they can not iustly clayme her to be their patronesse?
Of some idle & superstitious Heremite borowed they their idle and superstitious religion.The yron grates of the Ankers For who knoweth not that our recluses hauehave grates of yrō in their spelunckes and dennes, out of the which they looke, as Owles out of an yuye todde, when they will vouchsafe to speake with any man, at whose hād they hope for aduauntage? So read we in vitis patrum, that Iohn the Heremite so enclosed himselfe in his Heremitage that no man came in vntounto him. To thē that came to visit him,The Ankers profession. he spake thorow a window onelyonly. Our Anckers & Anckresses professe nothyng but a solitary life, led in contemplation all the dayes of their life in their halowed house, wherein they are enclosed, wyth the vowe of obedience to the Pope, and to their Ordinary Bishoppe. Theyr apparell is indifferent, soit bee dissonant from the Laitye. No kynde of meates they are forbidden to eate.
At midnighte they are bound to saye certayne prayers. Their profession is counted to bee amonge all other professions so harde and so streighte that they maye by no meanes bee suffered to come oute of their houses, excepte it bee to take a streighter and an harder life vppon them, whiche is to bee a bishop.