A Censure of Simony, Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
Of the sundry wayes and wyles of committing Simonie.
AS all Simonists are either Buyers or Sellers: So, out of these wee may obserue the sundrie sorts of Simoniacall Contracts. For Simonie is growne such a Trade, wherein so many great Merchants doe trafficke, as it may challenge as good a Charter for a Hall to make it a Corporation or Societie in the Church, as the Worshipfull Company of Cut-purses are said to vsurpe in the Citie. Many, well towards the trade, openly professing, that were it not for the Oath, they hold it as lawfull to buy a Benefice, as a horse in Smithfield. But let vsus see this …edlers packe opened.
The most beaten high-way of Simonists is by Siluer Crosse; Monie, or monie worth, at two or three yeeres purchase, or by reseruation of some tithes, whether by expresse contract, or by long concealement, or by strong hand. Whereupon Aquinas saith, *Aqu. 22 q. 100.Si Patronus, &c. If the Patron require of him, on whom hee conferres the Benefice, any of the fruits thereof, it is all one, as if hee exacted some Bribe; and this is Simoniacall. Sometimes hee deales by his Factor; or giues such a Benefice to his seruant for a Reward and Salari… of his seruice, to make his best Market of it: To this purpose the said Author saith, Si aliquis, &c. If any giuegive an Ecclesiasticall Benefice to one, with this condition or intention, that thereby hee may prouide for his Kindred, it is manifest Simonie: As for a Patron to bestow his Benefice vponupon his kinsman, for alliance sake, it is Simonie. Nam potest, &c. For there may be Simonie in the intention, if not the worthinesse of the Person, but humane fauour be respected; saith Aquinas. So many parents buy a Presentation or Aduowson, that in time to come it may fall to bee a portion to one of their children, proue hee at all aduenture fit, or vnfit, good, or bad, Scholler, or man, *Greg. Decret. de Simon. l. 5. tit. 3.Quanquam, &c. Though according to the Decrees of Ancient Canons, children, which through the couetousnesse of their parents, hauehave obtained Churches by money, are bound to forgoe them againe; yea, and to loose their money too. Pecunia tua, &c. Thy money perish with thee; as Aquinas also saith, Simoniacus nullum ius habet, pecuniam suam turpiter collatam iniustè detentam, repetendi: A Simonist hath no right to plead the restitution of his money corruptly disbursed, and vniustly detained.
Some other Pedanticke will needes ride gallop to the Deuill, by buying a horse of the Patron, and so hee will come as freely by the Benefice, as hee that was inuited of free cost to a fat goose, paying onelyonly for the sawce. Others, Vili obsequio, aut corporali seruitio Simoniam perpetrant; which is not the cheapest rate.Aquinas. Manifestum est autem, quod obsequium hominis ad aliquam vtilitatem ordinatur quae potest precio pecuniae aestimari. Ecclesiasticke Doctors propound three kindes of Simonie: first, manus: secondly, obsequij: thirdly, linguae: that of the hand they account inferiour to the other two.Petrus Domianus l. 2. Epist. 1. D…mianus saith: Oportet Pontificem esse boni operis sectatorem. Nam bonum opus desiderat. Excute manus ab omni dono. At non excutit, sed implicasse conuincitur, qui nanciscendae dignitatis ambitu; Potestatum subl…mium castra sectant. Nam d…m in vehiculis acquirendis, diuer sorum que sumptuum apparatibus, non modica summa profunditur, hic proculdubio data pocamia… obnoxius inuenitur. Qui etiam, nulli dubium, quin ei & obsoqu… um prabeat, cui factus assecla, sub tanto labor…s, & itin…ris fasce desudat. Postremò, dum Domino suo blandiri, …ius que voluntati per omnia congruere nititur, saepe fibi quibas dam adat…orijs fanoribus assentatur. Porro autem, quis quis in dandis accipiendisue dignitatibus Ecclesiasticis, vna d…ntaxat …arum, quae pradictae sunt, peste corrumpitur (nempe …, obsequij, …) Simoniacae haereseus teneri crimine iudicatur. Veruntamen iactant se, & eo gloriantur innoxios, quia nullum Talenti summam pro suscipiendis honoribus se pe pigere daturos. Sed dic mihi ô Clerice, quisquis es, siredempto quolibet aureo vase, ve… praedio, distractor exigeret, vt retenti apud … vice pretij huiusmodi sib… sedulitatis impendium exhiberes, nunquid non post…odum constanter assereres, te, quod acceptum est, iusto pretio comparasse? Non videlicet, quia pecuniam persolui…ti, sed quin seruitiu… praebuisti. Diceres enim, & non hoc for…ssis impudent…r astrueres, charius emi, dum tanto me labore vexarem, dum toties facultatum mearum sumptus expenderem, quàm si semel praefixae quantitatis pecuniam numerarem. Nequaquam ergo sibi innocentiam spondeant, & à Simoniacae haerese…t macu…s se mundos esse confidant, qui licet metalla vibrantia non appendunt, pretium tamen pro suscipiendis honoribus per subiectionis & obsequij quaedam quasi Talentae persoluunt. And in his third Epistle of the same Booke hee alledgeth a strange example of a Curiall Bishop of Bononia, who hauing got much preferment by his Cour…ly obsequiousnesse, hee straight way fell dumbe, and for seuen yeeres space, so long as hee liued, continued a paralytick, and speechlesse. A fearefull example, yet now adaies not found so rare, especially in Transmaritim Courts, as the Court of Rome, where preferments and Prelacies purchased by obsequiousnesse, or otherwise by indirect meanes, depriue the Parties promoted, of the right vse of their tongue, in the prime execution of their Episcopall function.
But farre bee it from any to taxe worthy Schollars and Preachers, entertained as Chaplaines in honorable houses, which place together with any ensuing preferment, their owne modestie and good merits rather found, then sought, rather accepted, then sued for; being rather humble Passiues, then ambitious Actiues in their preferment, *Grat. Ca…. 1. q. 1. p. 2. gloss.Si quis directe habeat animum ad Beneficium, cum seruit, est Simoniacus. But all ambitious suing is of the ancient learned Diuines iudged and condemned for Simoniacall. Deuout Bernard hBern. de Consc. ad Lug…n. l. 4. c. 4to Eugenius giueth this aduise: Pro quo rogaris, sit suspectus: qui ipse rogat pro se, iam indicatus est. Clericum curiam frequentantem, qui non sit de Curia, ad idem noris pertinere ambientium genus. Adulantem & ad placitum eniusque loquentem, vnum de rogantibus puta, etiamsi nihil rogauerit. Non volentes, neque Currentes assumito, sed cunctantes, & r… nuentes. Isti sunt tui socij & collaterales. Ne te dixeris sanum, dolentem latera; ne te dixeris bonum, malis innitentem. i…reg. Epist. 110Gregory thus: Sicut is qui inuitatus renuit, quae situs refugit, sacris est altaribus admouendus: sic qui vltro ambit, vel importunè se ingerit, est procul dubio repellendus, &c. kAns…l. in Heb. 5.4.Anselm. in Heb. 5.4. Nemo sibi honorem sumit, &c. Percutiuntur hac sententia, qui honores E…clesiasticos, ad quos Diuinitus non vocantur, arripere cupiunt. Qui enim se ingerit, & propriam gloriam quarit, non sumit honorem, Praelatus factus: Sed gratiae Dei rapinam facicus, ius alienum vsurpat. Et ideo non accipit benedictionem, sed maledictionem. Qui autem recte & Canonicè vocatur, à Deo vocatur. Chore voluit sibi sumere honorem, & ideo Diuinam sensit vltionem. I conclude this with that of lChrys. in Act. Ap. cap. 1. …o. 3.Chrysostome▪ What skils it, if thou giuest not sheere money, but in stead thereof dost flatter, suborne, and keepe a stirre? Thy money p…rish with thee, was said to Simon: and so these it shall be said, Thy ambition perish with thee, To the same purpose Grego…y.because thou hast thought the gift of God may bee obtained by mans ambition. It was one of the heauie curses vponupon Elies posteritie, that they should crouch, and say, Put me I pray thee into one of the Priests offices, that I may eate a piece of bread. 1. Sam. 2.36.
Some commit Simonie, by selling their faith and religion for preferment; when with discontent they flie out beyond Seas, expecting to bee lu…ed home againe with some high preferment. Of such, Cyprian in his 72. Epistle speaketh copiously and very aptly;Cypr. Epist. 72. where he aduiseth that after their reurne from their Heresies, they should not by and by be admitted to place of preferment in the Church, but first be proued by long humiliation: he giues the reason; because oftentimes they proue dangerous, sith they cannot easily cast vp the poison of Heresie, which they hauehave once drunke in; so that they should be content onelyonly to be pardoned, & receiued into the peace of the Church, and so remaine till they hauehave giuen sufficient triall and testimonie of their sound repentance and reformation.Concil. Ele…. Can. 22. Concil. Elebert. can. 22. saith of such; Placuit huic poenitentiam non esse denegandam, eò quòd cognouerit peccatum suum, qui …tiam decem annis agat poenitentiam: nisi I…fantes fuissent transducti: We are pleased not to deny penance to such a one, sith hee hath acknowledged his sin, who also let him doe ten yeeres penance. Vnlesse they had beene carried away in their infancie. (Though such are most incurable; as the Poet saith, Quo semel est imbuta recens seruabit odorem Testa diu. When they doe cum lact… nutricis errorem surgere, sucke error from the Nurse, it stickes by them. As we see the Iesuiticall milke doth, whereby men comming to some growth, their nurcerie becomes a second nature.) Otherwise, as Boniface said well, Null… precio est inuitandus ad conuersionem: None is by reward to be inuited to conuersion. For, as Seneca saith, Precio parata, soluitur pretio fides: Bought faith, is easily sold againe.
Others are said to commit Simonie, when by mutuall stipulation or couenant they make an exchance of Benefices or Prebends, making their match according to the value of the things. And if this be Simonie, as the Ancients hauehave defined it to bee, it were to bee wished that the exchange, at least were free from stipulation, and that the maine end of such permutations did ayme principally at the common good of the Church. Yea, I hauehave heard of a strange kind of Simonie in fashion beyond the Seas, which they call, Sacrum-aucupium, in English, Sermon-simoni…. When the fratres praedicantes, being about to purchase, hauehave in a readinesse some exquisite master-piece, the merite whereof challenging no meane aduancement, serueth onelyonly to couer and colour ouer, or as a purse, to carrie and conuey the more closely the set price of the preferment, at least to take away the smell of Simonie, that so the Patron may be as free from suspicion of Simonie, as the adulterous woman, when shee hath wiped her lips, and saith, I hauehave not committed iniquitie. So saith the P…tron, I hauehave bestowed it vponupon a worthy and rare Preacher▪ so rare, as it is thought he spent more sweat in that one Sermon, about the getting, then euer hee m…anes to spend againe in all his Sermons hee ma…es, while hee keepeth his preferment. Now what should moue this Frier predicaent, thus to colour and gild ouer his Simonie with such a sacred gold, is hard to say, vnlesse some false Glosse vponupon the Prouerbs hath made him beleeue, that such preaching to such ends, is to speake a word in season, which is, Like apples of gold in pictures of siluer, as Salomon saith. But the Glosse is ill turned into a Glose. The Apostle forbids such merchandise of the Word for filthy lucre sake. [2. Cor. 2.17. 1. Pet. 5.2.]
What should I speake of that more then common custome of Matrimoniall Simonie, no lesse odious then the rest, when a B…nefice, or other Ecclesiasticall dignitie, must become the portion of some daughter or Kinswoman, at the least, an honest woman? And so if that glosse bee true, that a Bishop must bee the huband of one wife, that is, of one Benefice (as the Romish Church expoundeth it, not for any zeale they beare to singularitie of Benefices, but for the hatred they hauehave against the vniuersalitie of Priests marriages) then also may it bee as true, that a man making such a match for a Benefice, should marrie two wiues at once.
I hauehave also heard of another base kind of Simonie in practise: That the Patron admits not his Incumbent, but with a stong Obligation or Bond, to tye the Incumbent to quit the Benefice at three moneths warning▪ whensoeuer the Patron shall require, or hold vp his finger: as Maisters vse to giuegive their seruants a quarters warning, when they are wearie of them. By this deuice the Patron holds the Incumbent in a miserable seruitude, as being his Tenant at will; while in the meane time the Patron may Lord it as he list without controll: for the Incumbent is bound not to reproue any thing his good Master doth, or saith, but must say Amen to all, or else farewell All. The Patron hath also another d…ift in this, that wanting for the present a good Chap-man, to gaine time, and a better thing, hee puts in his Bond-man, till he be prouided to his liking.
All vnpreaching Ministers possessing any good Benefice, are by strong presumption deepe Simonists. For let them tell mee, for what respects, or good gifts they were so preferred: except it be that they and all their good gifts, shook hands, and parted, so soone as they and their fat Benefice met.
Some, by mentall reseruation commit Simonie, when both the Patron expects to receiue, and the Presentee purposes to giuegive some gratuitie afterwards, without any expresse promise or pre-contract, onelyonly vponupon trust, that so he may saue his Oath. This is a mock-Simonie, and mock-Oath. For is not this Gehezie's sinne? Of which the Glosse (saith) Hoc exemplum est Argumentum contra eos, Gloss.qui non exigunt, seu accipiunt, ante Collationem Beneficij. Gehezi asked but a gratuitie after the healing; or say, It was his fee: For seruants must l…ue. But hee had his grutuitie with a vengeance. Is this a time to receiue siluer and gold? The leprosie therefore of Naaman clea…e vntounto thee, and to thy seed for euer. Away with such gratuit…e. Indeed if a Benefice were a temporall benefit, it might require a temporall requitall: But being of a spirituall nature, what gratuitie or thankfulnesse should the Patron expect, or the Incumbent performe, but a painful & faithfull discharge of that Cure of Soules committed to his trust? This is to giuegive spiritual thanks, for a spiritual gift. As Gratian saith; Semper premium aliquid debet interuenire, spirituale scilicet meritū hominis: There ought alwaies some gift to inter…ene, to wit, a mans spirituall merit. Such a spirituall gift, as the Apostle longed to bestow vponupon his Romans, Rom. 1.11. But of any other gift the verie expectation is in danger of Simonie. I hauehave heard of Temporall men, who hauehave refused after-gifts of their seruants, whom they had preferred freely to some temporall Office, taking the verie offer verie indignely: How much more should this puritie be preserued in spirituall preferments?
But here some may obiect.
Ob. But hauing receiued a temporall benefit, shall I not, or may I not in some sort recompense it with some temporall signification of thankfulnesse? I answere, That this benefit is not of a temporall na…ure, but spirituall, as we said before. Or allow it to bee so farre temporall, as it may require some temporall requitall: yet it must bee with certaine limitations. *Decret. Gregor. De Simon. li. 5. tit. 3. ca. 18.Alexander the third, writing to the Archbishop of Strygon concerning a horse, which his brother vnwitting to him gaue to P. the Popes Legate, for his election after it was done, which notwithstanding was a scruple in the Archbishops conscience, resolueth him thus: In giuing or receiuing, three things are to bee obserued: first, The qualitie of the persons, of, and to whom it is giuen, whether poore or rich: secondly, The quantitie of the gift: thirdly, The time of giuing, whether in time of necessitie, or otherwise. If therefore, saith he, we respect the conditions of the foresaid parties, the Cardinall and your brother, it was no great matter for the one to send the other a horse, which haply such a rich man as that would giuegive to a Iester, without requesting it. But if we consider the necessitie of the time, it appeares it was done with no other intention, then to supply the Cardinalls want at that time, when in an vnquoth place hee was vnprouided of a horse. And forasmuch (saith hee) as it is written, Beatus qui excutit manus ab omni munere: Blessed is hee, that shaketh his hands from eueryevery bribe: it is spoken of those gifts, which are went to allure and peruert the minde of the receiuer. But such gifts, as without compact the elected giueth to his Patron; or so, as the quantitie of them bee not of force to incline or moue the will of the Receiuer; No… interpre…ari … Eccl. Ro. accipientem, in his Delinquere, v…l d…antem: In these things, the Romane Church doth not vse to interpret the Receiuer, or the giuer to offend. So hee. Note here the tendernesse of this Archbishops conscience; his brother gaue but a horse vnwitting to him, without any precompact, and that after the Election, and in the Cardinalls need at that time. And yet I read not that this horse was not of any extraordinarie price, not worth fiue hundred, or a thousand pound; as Patrons horses are estimated elsewhere.
Not much vnlike to this, is a kind of Simonie, not vnfrequent in the world; but so fine, a… it disclaimeth and disdaineth all affinitie with Simonie. A man hath fairely and incorruply (at least for any money matter) obtained of the Patron a free graunt of some Ecclesiasticall preferment: but after the graunt, before it passe the seales, the suiter must passe the pikes of much difficultie, yea and danger too, least through some neglect, or delay, some other get betweene him and home. As the Spider hauing intangled some sturdie Fly in her subtill net, be stirres her nimble ioynts, to make the weakest places sure, where is any danger of enuasion. But the Schollar being of an ingenuous disposition, one that cannot dance attendance at euerie doore, and that blusheth to appeare an importunate suiter, and that in such places, where all Schollars, being not in ordinarie attendance, are suspected: to cut off all impatience of delay, and feare of dangers, chuseth rather, R…dimere vexationem suam quàm queat minim…; si nequeat paul…, ac quantuli queat; Say it be, &c. This case was put to mee by a learned man, to know what I thought of it. I told him ingenuously, that for my part, I could be content to redeeme the credit of a Ministers modestie, in such attendance with any reasonable ransome. But to giuegive such a round summe, not onelyonly to redeeme impatience, but to preuent the perill of loosing the preferment for lacke of prouident, yea importunate pursuing: it was in my iudgement like the Secundine, or after-birth of Simonie. A moderate & modest diligence, and sober vigilancie (especially, vbi Viuitur ex rapt… non hospes ab hospite tutus, &c.) is not disallowed for such a dispa…ch, performed either by himselfe, or rather by his honest friend, or seruant: But to come off so roundly (say it be to some Courtier) what doth it, but imply, that either the grand Patrons graunt is of small validitie, without it be seconded with the fauour of some speciall seruant about him, whose fauour must bee purchased: or that the suiter had a purpose rather to hauehave giuen, then gone without: or at least, some implicite condition must be performed. For I would aske this suiter, or rather now in a manner, speeder, whether before the obtaining of the Benefice, this summe, whatsoeuer it is (not no…hing) were not implied, if not expressed, to bee (for the shifting off of Simonie) thus bestowed: without which, why should not the suiter as wel hauehave come short of his preferment, before the graunt, as now for want of …aking out his arme with a siluer hand, not reaching the seale, to be in danger to bee ouer-reached by a longer arme. For so, Multa cadunt inter calicem, supremaque labra.
Another hath found out a prettie way of Simonie; for the Patron, and he, are agreed for the Vacant Benefice, that it shall come gratis; But with a prouiso, That he shall buy the next Presentation, which payes for all.
I might here speake of many other B…anches of this cursed Tree; as if there should be any buying or selling, chopping and changing for *See Satute in Ecclesiasticall persons of Simonie.Colledge Fellowships (wherein Simonie layeth her first foundation, and hatcheth her first egge; for who fitter to trade in the Church, then hee that hath begun in a Colledge) yea trucking for a Porters, a Bell-ringers place, in Colledge or Church: For *Gratian.Simoniacum est emere officium ostiarij, seu pulsandi campanam: It is Simonie to buy a Doore-keepers, or a Bel-ringers place. But because euerie branch bearing the same fruit, is knowne to be of the same tree: therefore it shall bee as superfluous to speake of more, as it would bee infinite and impossible for an vnexperienced Simplicitie to diue into the Mysterie of this iniquitie, and sound all the deepes of it.
As for Impropriations, though they were originally maine brances of the Leuiticall Stock, and so the merchandizing of them also might claime kindred with Simonie: yet because they are slips broken off, and transplanted out of the Garden and Paradise of God: the Learned Treatise of that godly Scotish knight, Sir Iames Semple ▪ as also that other of Sir Henry Spelman, an English Knight, both of the Lay Tribe, two noble and pregnant witnesses, doth more iustly intitle it selfe to this Argument. OnelyOnly, I would to God these two worthy Treati…es were throughly studied, and conscionably applied, and printed in the hearts and consciences of all Impropriators, to their eternall salua…ion; by being conscionably perswaded to shake their hands of such sacred things, restoring them to Christ, the onelyonly true Proprietary the wronging of whom in this kind will one day proue fearefull sacriledge, whatsoeuer men thinke of it now.