The Capucin Treated, Chapter 16 – Chapter 17
CHAP. XVI. Of the pleaſant Proceſs betwixt the Capucins and Recollects, about the Tip of their Hoods. Alſo of Maſſes in Red, Green, and Violet.
THe pride of the Minor Fryars did never more clearly appear, then in the quarrel which they had, and have to this day, with the Recollects, who are alſo of St. Francis's Order. When we ſpeak of a Proceſs about nothing, we ſay, It is a Proceſs about the point of a needle; but the Proceſs of theſe Minor Fryars hath been about the point or Tip of their Hood.
We muſt know, that the Cordeliers, who brag as well as the Capucins, that they wear St. Francis's Habit, differ from the Capucins in wearing a round Hood, and laugh at the Capucins and Recollects for wearing a ſharp-pointed Hood, calling it in deriſion,*Made like a Pyram…d, in which they put ſuch things as they ſell by retail. A Grocers paper. Betwixt theſe Capucins and Recollects there began, a few years ſince, a great Proceſs in the Court of Rome. The Capucins complained, That the Recollects wore their Hood too long; and that thereby they would make themſelves equal to the Capucins in Holineſs. That by reaſon of this long point, being equal in length to that of the Capucins, many are deceived, taking a Recollect for a Capucin, and ſo give him as much honour; although the Recollects are not to be compared to the Capucins for holineſs, and merit of Converſation. And therefore they requeſted, that by the Decree of his Holineſs, the Recollects might be condemned to ſhorten the point of their Hood.
The Recollects, on the other ſide, maintained, and do ſo ſtill maintain, that they are not inferiour to the Capucins in holineſs, and perfection; and that it is no diſhonour to the Capucins if ſomtimes a Recollect be taken for a Capucin, or a Capucin for a Recollect.
This proceſs hath cauſed great ſtirs, and hath much troubled theſe two Orders, and divided the Prelates of Rome into contrary factions. And it was pleaſant to hear the conteſts of theſe Minor Fryars. The Capucin ſaid to the Recollect, What! thou wouldeſt be equal to us in holineſs: Thou art ſo ambitious, as that thou wouldeſt be taken for a Capucin. But the Recollect, being witty in biting jeſts, ſaid, Thou thinkſt that holineſs conſiſts in wearing a long aUt priùs dictum eſt.Grocers paper. Thou thinkeſt by thy pride to put the Holy Ghoſt into a long bthrough which they ſtrain their infuſions when they make ſyrrups; it is a long ſharp-pointed bag.Apothecaries bagg. The holineſs of you Capucins appears in this, vsz. That for eight days before Lent, you ſhew tricks of Legerdemain, and play the Tumblers, &c. Thus did theſe Saints diſpute, quarreling which of them by their pride ſhould carry away the prize of humility.
But the Cordeliers, who wear a round hood like a childs biggin, took great pleaſure in beholding this ſtrife, and laughed at them both: For they ſay, that the hood of the old pictures and ſtatues of St. Francis, hath not a long point; And they ſay, that their round hood, made in form of a child's biggin, is conformable to what our Saviour ſaith in the 18. Chap. of St. Matthew, Except ye become as little Children, Caſſ. lib. 1. cap. 4.ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Caſſian ſaith the ſame of the Anchorites, living in the deſerts of Egypt, that they wear a hood in imitation of the ſimplicity and innocency of Children, according to that which is written in the 131. Pſalm, I am not haughty, but am even as a child weaned from his mother.
Nevertheleſs, St. Hierome ſpeaks againſt this hood, and laughs at it: for obſerve what he ſaith of it, in his Epiſtle to Euſtochius, There are ſome (ſaith he) who wear a hair-ſhirt, Cucullis fabrefactis ut ad infantiam redeā …, imitantur noctuas, & hubones.and making themſelves hoods, to reſemble children, they are like Owls, and buzzards. Afterward he adds, Shun thoſe whom thou ſeeſt have a Goat's beard, a black cloak, and that go with their feet naked, being hardened with the cold: All theſe things are markes of the devil. When they have intruded themſelves into great men's houſes, they deceive ſilly women laden with ſin, and counterfeit a dejected gravity. This is a very fair leſſon for the Capucins.
But to return to this great proceſs: the Capucins did at laſt obtain ſentence in their favour; for they had on their ſide one of the Popes near kinſmen, who was a Capucin. By this ſentence of the Pope, the Recollects were condemned to ſhorten the tip of their hood: but they openly proteſted, that they would not obey this ſentence, ſaying, That they would rather diſſolve their Order, and relinquiſh all, then acquieſce in this ſentence. Wherefore yet to this day, in deſpight of the Pope, they wear their hood of the ſame length as before.
Of this hood, as of the reſt of the habit of the Minor Fryars, it is obſervable, that it is not lawfull for a Monk to change it in the leaſt, not ſo much as in the colours of the Maſs: For it is not lawfull to ſing Maſs in a red habit, on thoſe daies on which it is appointed to be ſung in a green habit; nor to be ſung in a black habit, on thoſe days on which it is appointed to be ſung in a violet habit: The rules in this caſe are very ſtrict,pag. 328. and are placed at the beginning of the Maſs-book.
But Father Joſeph wrongs us in his new book, by endeavouring to prove that the like things are done amongſt us, objecting againſt me, that I wear a Ruff, and that as there are Maſſes in green, violet, &c. ſo it may be ſaid, that amongſt us there are Sermons in a Ruff, and Sermons in a Band, Sermons in a Gown, and Sermons in a Cloak: for this Minor Fryar knows well enough, that we have no rules to oblige us to wear a Ruff or a Band, as the Church of Rome hath inviolable laws concerning Maſſes in green, red, and violet. It is to be ſuppoſed that when St. Peter and St. Paul were in a gay humour, they ſang Maſs in a green habit. My deſign in mentioning the colours of Maſſes ſo ſtrictly enjoined, is to ſhew, that falſe religions having corrupted the true doctrine, do endeavour to colour this wickedneſs with a multitude of ceremonies, and external obſervations, in which great myſteries are pretended: So our Adverſaries having deſtroyed the body of true piety, pay the people with variety of colours.
CHAP. XVII. How St. Francis obtained of Pope Innocent the Third, the approbation of his Rule.
FRancis d' Aſſiſe, when he was but a private perſon, little known, and followed by none; moreover, being eſteemed out of his wits by his fellow citizens, who threw dirt at him, and alſo by his father, named Peter Bernardo, who did beat him, and kept him priſoner a long time, compoſed a Rule, and ſome laws, to the Obſervation whereof he would oblige thoſe who would believe him, promiſing them life eternal.
But becauſe this Rule could not be received without the Popes approbation, and authority, he went to Pope Innocent the 3d. to beg the confirmation of his Rule. Mathew Paris, an Engliſh Monk, Superſtitious in the higheſt degree, and an admirer of St. Francis, in his Hiſtory of the life of Henry the III. ſaith,pag. 237. that the ſaid St. Francis preſented himſelf to Pope Innocent the III. ſitting in Conclave, and gave him his Rule in writing, intreating him to authorize it by his approbation: but Pope Innocent taking notice of St. Francis's bad cloaths, his dirty and contemptible countenance, his long beard, and the black hair of his eye-brows hanging down over his eyes, deſpiſed him, and ſaid to him, Go brother, and wallow in the dirt with the Swine, for thou art more like them than like a man. Which words as ſoon as Francis heard, he bowed himſelf very low, and in obedience to the command of his Holineſs, went and wallowed with ſwine in a puddle, wherein he tumbled ſo long that he was covered with dirt from head to foot; and in this pickle he came again, and preſented himſelf to the Pope, ſaying, My Lord, I have done what you commanded me, Whereat the Pope being very much aſtoniſhed, and admiring his great obedience, granted his requeſt, and approved of St. Francis's Rule which is obſerved at this day by the Capucins, and the other Minor Fryars, with a grand obedience. This approbation was granted Anno Domini 1212. as St. Bonaventure and, St. Antonine teſtifie. And this approbation was again confirmed by Pope Honorius, ſucceſſor to Innocent.