The Relics of Rome, Part 9
Of Fryers, and of the diuersitie of that secte.
Of the Crosse bearers, of Crossed Fyers order.
POpe Innocent the third being bishop of Rome, the order of the Crossed Fryers which in the yeare of our lord. 1215, was denyed by a certayne mā called Quiricus a byshop and Martyr, in the time of Helena the Mother of Constantine the great Emperour, & afterward fell to such decaye, that it was almoste gone to nought, was raysed agayne by the aforesayd Innocent in the .xviii. yere of hys papacye. The beginning of this secte was on thys manner. Among thē of Albonia rose a pestilente heresye, which caused a great dissentiō among them of Rome. Wherefore the byshop of Rome sent many agaynst thē marked with the Crosse, whiche were all s…aine. These laudable and prayse worthye souldioures dyd he halowe therefore and make saintes, and raysed the or…er agayn with geuing of many fred…mes and priuileges. Unto thys order did Pope Innocent the fourth geue a rule, commaundyng yt the spiritualtie of this order, should alway weare a crosse in their handes. There clothyng is a blacke cope with a crosse theron, ye highnesse of an hand. Chron. Lib. Germ.
Of the Carmelites, or white Fryers order.
POpe Honorius the thyrde fauoured greatly the order of ye white Fryers. Some say, that this sect began in mount Carmelus after the example of Helias the Prophet, which liued there long solitarye, and that they wer fyrst assembled together by Almericus Byshop of Antioche, In the yeare of oure Lord. 1170, in the tyme of pope Alexander the thyrd, and they were called oure Ladye Fryers by the reason of a chappel of our lady, that was in the hil Carmelus. Neuerthelesse vpō foure hū dred yeres after in the time of Innocent the thyrde they were reformed by Albertus Byshop of Ierusalem according to the rule of Basilius, and the colour of their cope was turned into white by ye Pope Honorius the thyrde, where afore it was russet. Some write, that this order of the Carmelites in his first clothing (which they said was of Helias or Heliseus ye prophet) was greatly acceptable to the Soldane,☞The wickednesse of …hite Fryers. and endued with many almesses of him: but after thei chaū ged their rayment, he droue them oute of hys kyngdome, so that of necessitye they came into Europa. This order, sayth the Dutche Chronicle, is to beg, to take of eueryevery mā, and to do nothing agayne for it.Math. 23. Thys order is to lye, to dissemble, to enuye, and to begile the people with flatteryng wordes vnderunder the pretence of long prayer. Lib. Germ. Polydor.
Of Dominikes order, called, blacke Fryers or the Fryers Preachers.
POpe Innocent ye thyrde reygning Dominike Calaguritane a Spaniarde, began this order of Friers preachers. This Dominike was fyrst a regular chanon, & bicause he could not suffer to hauehave a superiour, and was also wearye of the Cloyster, he inuented a new fraternitye, named of hys owne name, Dominicanes. Their order is wt out all shame to begge, as the Carmelites, and forsake litle by wilful pouertye, that they may obtayne muche & to waxe rych of other mens labours, they themselues beeing idle lasye loytryng lubbers, & vnprofitable cloddes of the earth. Our Lady s. Mary (as they fain) euen of louelove that she bare to thys holy order of swete S. Dominicke, deuised the habite,A noble, notable lye. which the fryers of that order vse at thys daye and deliuered it to S. Dominicke with her owne hands, commaundyng hym and all hys brethren for euer after to weare the lyke. Their cote is white their cope & coule is black The newe guise of their vestu…e made Innocent Innocentius to wonder. But pope Honorius the thyrd by his bull honourably admitted the blacke order of the blacke fryers, In the yeare of oure Lorde. 1220. And Gregorye the nynthe put the matter al out of doubt, cannonised Dominicke, and by hys bull vnderunder lead allowed hym for a saint.A tale of a tubbe. Of thys Dominickes mother they tel that when she was with childe and had Dominicke in her wombe, shee dreamed yt shee had a wolfe in her belly: which as I think, signifyeth, that both he & al cloysterers by their professiō are none other thing than wolues, deuouryng not only the substance of mē, but also ye soules of mē by their hipocrisy & false doctrine accordyng to this saying of Christ,Iohn. x. a wolfe teareth on peces & scatereth the shepe abroad. This black order began in the yere of our Lord. 1220. Phi. Bergom. Mat Palm. Lib. Ger. Ioan. Laziardus. Poly. &c.
Of the barefooted Friers otherwise called Minorites or Graye Friers.
POpe Honorius the third bearyng rule Fraūces an Italian deuised the order of the barefoted friers. He was first a merchaūt and a worldly man. Afterwarde he determined to forsake all worldly thinges and to folow Christ,Math. x. in so much, yt when he was wel shod, and girded with a double girdle, he remembring these woordes of Christ (possesse neither two coates,A grosse vnderstanding of the Scripture. no shoes, nor yet staffe, &c. and who so forsaketh not all thinges, cannot be my disciple) cast all thyng away from him, shoes, gyrdle, &c. so that he went barefooted, and girded himselfe with a cord and continētly began this order in the Mounte Appoeninus, in a place named cōmonly Lauerna, gathering vntounto him many men, whiche tooke on them the same religion and are called of barefoted Fraunces, barefooted Franciscanes. They are named also Minores, Minores.of the humility and lowlynes of hart that they should hauehave.Note of Fraunces. They write, yt this Fraunces was so streight to hymselfe, that to chastice his fleshe in winter season, he would couer his body with yse & snow. He called pouertie alwayes his Lady, and loued rather to heare himself reuiled, than praysed. He kept nothynge ouer night, His heart desyred martirdome, wherupon he went into Siria to the Soldane,Truth. which receaued him honorablye: whereby it is to bee thought, that surely he tolde him not the truth. For truthe is seldome welcome in courtes and noble mens houses. I will here passe ouer the fable, howe Christ and his Saintes did marke hym with the fyue woundes. After that he had thus chastised his fleshe by the space of eyghtene yeares, he dyed at Asia, and was afterwarde canonised and admitted for a Sainct by Pope Gregory the nynth. Lib. Germ. Polidor. Chro.
Thys order of Frier Fraunces is diuided into many sectes, rules and orders. Some go on treen shoes or Pattyns some barefooted: some are Regulare Fraunciscanes or Obseruauntes, some Minores or Minorites: Agayne, some are called Minimi, eyther of the Gospel, or els of the littlenesse of theyr coule. They all differ in many things, but in superstition and hypocrisy they all accorde.
Of the Friers obseruantes.
BArnardine the Gray fryer perceauing the great enormities and wicked synnes, whiche Fraunces Fryers without all shame committed agaynst the rule and order of theyr profession, began a new reformation of the order in many places, in somuche that they whiche were reformed, be called Friers obseruantes, and are counted of a greater perfection and more holynesse, than the common sorte of Grayefryers are, whiche are called Minorites.The planting & ex…i… pyng of the obseruaunt Friers in Englande. The obseruaunt Friers were brought into Englād by kyng Edward the fourth, & were greatly inhaunced by ye famous Prince king Henry the seuenth, but they withall other Monastical sectes were most worthelye and iustlye expelled and extirped with their Babilonicall houses, by that most victorious and triumphante Prince King Henry the eight.
Here follow the seuen priuileges, which the Fraunciscanes faine to be geuen of god to S. Fraunces for the aduauncemēt of his order.
The Priuileges of the Grayfryers.THe first priuilege is, that the more numbre of the Fraunciscanes or Grayefriers be encreased: the better and the more abundantly shall they be prouided for.
The second priuilege is, that no mā can dye euil, that departeth in a Grayfriers habite.
The thirde priuilege is, that in the feast of Sainct Fraunces all the soules of the brethren▪ frendes and benefactours of the same order, shall be deliuered out of the bitter paines of purgatory.
The fourth priuilege, is that the order of saint Fraunces shall endure and continue vntounto the day of iudgement.
The fifte priuilege is, that none that liueth euil in that order can abide long in it.
The sixt priuilege is, that the enemies of saint Fraunces order shal neuer liue long, but they shall die out of hād▪ a most shamefull death.
The seuenth priuilege is, that the frendes and louers of saint Fraunces order▪ be they neuer so wicked and vngodly, shall notwithstandyng at the last obtayne mercy, and dye a most blessed death.
Of the Frierly order of Maries seruantes.
POpe Benet bearing yt swinge, Philip deuised the order of Friers whiche are called the seruaūts of our Lady. He raised this order vnderunder the rule of Saint Austen, with euen like wordes and fashion, making difference of it with certayne ordinances of the Friers of our Lady which order afterward was confirmed by three byshoppes of Rome, namely, Benet the xi. Boniface the eyght and Urban the sixte, and is reckned among the beggyng orders, At the the last it was wholy sanctified and halowed of Pope Innocentius the eighte and deliuered of the euell will, that some cloysterers did owe them. Theyr garmentes are lyke oure Ladyes brethren. This order began in the yeare of our Lord .1304. Chron. Lib. Germ.
Of the new order of the Friers of our Lady.
THys order is founded vnderunder the preachers order whiche also cal thēselues Maries brethrē They weare a white cote, and a blacke cloke thereon, with a blacke Friers coule. Chro. Lib. Germ.
Of the Austen Friers.
POpe Innocent the thyrde bearyng rule, one Guilihelme a Duke of Aquitania, and county of Lictauia, inuented or rather repared and renued the order of the Austen Friers, whiche had bene longe decayed and almoste made desolate before. Thys Guilihelme fyrst dwelt in ye wildernesse with his brethren, chastyeing his fleshe and subduyng it with a coate of males on hys bare body, alwaye watchyng▪ praying and fasting, so that he was called a father and restorer of that order. Afterwarde by the consent of Anastasius and Adrian Byshoppes of Rome he left the wildernesse, and built about (or as some saye) within Paris, a cloyster for that beggyng order of the Austen Friers, whiche was confirmed by Pope Anastasius the fourth. After that his apes and counterfayters with beggynge built manye other cloysters so that now this beggyng broode is spred ouer a greate parte of the worlde vntounto the greate hindrance both of mennes purses, and also of theyr saluation: and by this meanes is beggyng which once was forbidden, become a Goddes seruice. In the yeare of oure Lorde .1195. Lib. Germ. Chron. Angl.
Rules concerning all orders of Friers.
POpe Eusebius ordayned, that a yong mā or a young womā although being assured together in the waye of mariage, may notwithstanding their promises made, departe one from an other, and become Cloysterers. In the yeare. &c. 309. Quest. 27. Cap. 2. Desponsatam. Phil. Bergom.
Silence at the table.Pope Gregory the ninth reygnyng, a certayne blacke Fryer called Iordanes, cōmaunded, that silence should be kept of all his brethrē at the table. This custome was shortly after receaued and practised of all other cloysterers generally. In the yeare. &c. 1221. Vola. Sabell. Carranza. &c.
Pope Gregory the tenthe approued some states of the orders of beggyng Fryers, as the blacke and Grayfriers: and some he suffered, as the white and Austen Fryers: and some he vtterly reproued, as Sacke Fryers, which were called Fratres de panitentia, and Fratres de valla viridi, and such like. In the yere of our Lord .1271. Ranulphus. Cestrensis.
Pope Sixtus the fourthe, when the foure orders of beggyng Fryers did cō tende and stryue among themselues,Contentiō among Friers▪ which of their orders is most holy. which of their order were moste holy, most acceptable to god, and of greatest perfection, to auoyde the contention & debate of these bragging, boasting, braulyng, begging Fryers, affyrmed all their orders to be of lyke holinesse & perfection, & graunted to them al like priuileges, graces and liberties. In the yeare of oure Lorde .1471. Ioannes. Laziardus. Chron.
Pope Alexander the fourth defended and approued ye vnshamefaced begging of the rauenyng fryers:Priuileges graūted to the foure orders of beggers Fryers. and whereas afore they dwelt in solitarye places, he gaue them licence to dwell where they woulde, euen in the middes of cities & townes: and there to preache, to heare cōfessions, to enioyne penaūce, to geue absolutiō, to serue cures, &c, garnishing and confyrming their orders with many immunities, priuileges, libertyes, exemptions, indulgences, pardons, &c. In the yeare of oure Lorde .1254. Ioannes. Stella.