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Oxford

OS grid ref: SP 515 065

County town of Oxfordshire; university town

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Rome

Lazio, Italy

Capital of the Papal States

Coordinates: 41° 54' 0" N, 12° 30' 0" E

ners of mens houses, & such like malefactors, stand accursed: Of all which number notwithstanding, scarcely 14. there be, which come to me or to any about me for their absolution. And yet all they receiue the Sacramentes as other do, & all because they be absoyled, or because they faine themselues to be absoyled by none other than by friers: who in so doing, are proued to be vnder the daūger of excommunication, both the friers, and also the parishners, if they knowing therof do consent to theyr error.

Also out of the said Clementines, by three other places in one chapter, he proued the friers to be excōmunicate, to wit in the chap. MarginaliaCap. Cupientes de pænis. Clement. Cupientes, De pœnis in Clement. In þ^e which chapter: First, all such religious men are excommunicate, which in their Sermons presume to withdraw their hearers from their tithes paying, due vnto churches. Secōdly, in the sayd chapter all such friers are suspended MarginaliaThe Friers proued to be excommunicated by the popes lawe.from preaching, and so are excommunicate, which within a certayne time did not make a conciō to such as come to theyr confessions, in paying their tythes truely and duely to the Church. Thirdly, in the foresayd chapter also, all such religious persons be bound in excōmunication, which induce men by any maner of meanes, either by vow, othe, or promise, to chuse theyr burials within their Churches, or not to chaūge the same, if they haue made any such promise before. In all which three poyntes, he proued the friers to be culpable and excommunicate.

MarginaliaAn other proofe, that the parishner may more safely goe to his curate, then to the Fryers. Moreouer, for the more surer way for þ^e parishners to resort to their appointed curates, thē to þ^e friers, he argued thus. For that the parish Priest or Curate being better acquaynted with his owne parishner thē is a straunger, can better iudge of the nature and dispositiō of his disease, and minister to him due Phisick of penaunce for the same, and also wilbe more carefull in curing him.

MarginaliaThe second part of the second conclusion proued. Thus the first part of the second conclusion or article being proued and argued, Armachanus procedeth farther to proue the second part: that is better for the parishners to leaue the Friers, and to resort to their owne Pastors. Which he proued by eight or nine reasons.

First, for that the ordinary pastor, is properly appointed of God vnto that ministery: wheras the Frier, is but onely permitted of man therunto.

Secondly, for that in resorting to the ordinary of the parish, is a double reward of merite, wheras in comming to the Friers there is but one.

Thirdly, because the ordinary is more bounde to his owne flocke, and is to be thought to be more tender and carefull ouer them, then a straunger.

Fourthly, because to resort to the person of his owne ordinary, there is more assuraunce and certainty, (as is aboue declared) then to an other.

MarginaliaInnocent cap. Si animarū. Fiftly, because (as Innocentius, Cap. Si animarum, sayth) the comming to the curate or pastor ordinary, is more easy and light, both in the night and in necessity.

Sixtly, for so much as the parishner must needes come to his Curate at some time, and especially beeing in necessity: It is expedient and profitable, that his former life before were knowne to him, rather then to the other.

Seuenthly, for that (as the sayd Innocentius affirmeth) it striketh more shame of his sinne to the parishner to be confessed to his curate whom he seeth euery day, then to a frier vnknowne.

Eightly, because it is more profitable especially for thē that liue in Matrimony, that he which heareth the confession of the one, should heare also the cōfession of the other. So that one hearing the confession of them both as a spirituall Phisition taking two cures in one body, may better know what spirituall coūsell is to be ministred to the one, after he hath cured the other. &c.

MarginaliaThe third part of the second conclusion argued. These thinges thus proued before, then Armachanus consequently proceedeth to the third part: Arguing, how the greater detrimentes and inconueniences do ensue by confessions, burials, and other Ecclesistical functions exercised by the friers, then by pastors & secular curats, seruing in parishes. About the which matter, the sayd Armachanus learnedly and worthely inferreth a long discourse prouing and inferring how pernicious these orders of friers are to the whole state of the church: And what mischief commeth by the priuiledges of certain Popes, which haue priuiledged them to intermeddle in the office & function of Ecclesiasticall ministers, to preach, and to take almes, and tithes of the people, and improperations from the church. All which his reasōs & argumēts to prosecute in order as he hath left them in writing, it would make a matter of a large booke. Notwithstanding, because it shall not be vnfruitfull both for the time present & the posterity, to showthe manifold detrimetes and discommodities receiued by these friers, and to know what benefit God hath done for vs in vnburdening the Church of this monstrous generation: And expecially because the booke of Armachanus is rare otherwise to be found, intituled, MarginaliaDefensorium. Curatorum. Armachanus.Defensorium Curatorum: I have briefly therfore contracted out of the same, certaine of his reasons, such as semed most apperteining and most worthy of noting.

And first, alleadging the authority of Innocent the 4. He importeth foure incōueniēces rising by the friers, whi- be these: Contempt of the people against their ordinaries, decreasing of deuotion, taking away of shame frō the people by confessing to the friers, deteining of oblations, such as the people are wont to geue at their confessiō & burials, and which by right belong to the parish churches.

MarginaliaCap. Dudum.Item, by the said priuiledges of the Popes, graunted to the friers, many other great enormities do rise. As first because therby, the true shepheards do not know the faces of their flocke.

MarginaliaThe harmes that come to the world by the Friers, declared. Item, by the occasion of these priuiledges, geuen to the Friers, great contention, and sometimes blowes rise betwene the friers and secular curates, about tythes, improperations, and other auayles.

Item, by the occasion of the foresayd priuiledges, diuers yoūg men as well in vniuersities as in their fathers houses, are allured craftely by the friers their confessors, to enter their orders: from thence afterward, they can not get out though they would, to the great griefe of their parentes, and no lesse repentaunce to the young men themselues. The example wherof, Armachanus in the sayd hys treastise inferreth, of a certayne substantiall English man being with him at his Inne in Rome: who hauing a sonne at the vniuersity of Oxford, which was entised by þ^e friers to enter into their order, could by no meanes after release him out. But whē his father & mother woulde come vnto him, they could not be suffered to speake with him, but vnder the friers custody. MarginaliaExamples of the Friers theft in Oxford.Wheras the Scripture commaundeth plainly, that who so stealeth any man & selleth him (being therof conuicted) shalbe put to death. Exod. 21. And for the same cause, the father was compelled to come vp to Rome to seek remedy for his sonne. And thus sayth Armachanus, it may appeare what damage and detriments come, by these friers vnto the common people.

MarginaliaFriers hinderers of Vniuersities. And no lesse inconuenience and daunger also by þ^e sayd friers, riseth to the Clergy: for so much, as lay men seeyng their childrē thus to be stollē frō thē in the vniuersities by þ^e friers, do refuse therfore to send thē to their studies: Rather willing to keep them at home to their occupation, or to folow the plough, then so to be circumuēted and defeated of their sonnes at the vniuersity, as by dayly experiēce (sayth he) doth manifestly appeare. Marginalia30. thousand students in Oxford, in the time of Armachanus.For where as in my time (sayth Armachanus) there were in the vniuersity of Oxford 30000. students: now there are not to be founde 6000. The occasion of which so great decay, is to be ascribed to no other cause, but to this circumuention onely of the firers aboue mentioned.

MarginaliaThe Friers a great cause of decay of learning. Ouer and besides this, an other incōuenience as great or greater, the said Armachanus inferred to proceed by the friers, though the decay of doctrine, and knowledge in all maner faculties and liberall sciences, which thus he declared. For that these begging friers through their priuileges obteined of the Popes, to preach, to heare confessions, and to bury: and through theyr charters of improperatiōs, did grow therby to such riches and possessions by theyr begging, crauing, catching and intermedling with church matters, that no booke could stirre of any science, either of Diuinity, law, or Phisicke, but they were both able and ready to buy it vp. MarginaliaBookes not to be gotten for the Friers.So that euery couent hauing a great library full stuffed and furnished with all sortes of bookes, and being so many couents within the realme, & in euery couent so many friers increasing dayly more and more: by reason therof, it came to passe, that very few books or none at all remayne for other students. MarginaliaExample what lacke of bookes commeth by the Friers.Which by his owne experiēce he thus testifieth, saying: that he himselfe sent forth to the vnuiersity foure of his owne Priests or chaplaynes, who sending him word agayne þ^t they could neither finde the Bible, nor any other good profitable booke of diuinitye meete for theyr studye, therefore were minded to returne home to their country: and one of them, he was sure, was returned by this time agayne.

Furthermore, as he hath proued hetherto, the Friers to be hurtful both to the laity, and to the clergy: so proceedeing farther, he proueth them to be hurtfull also to themselues. MarginaliaThe Friers giltie in 3. faultes. 1. Disobedience. 2. Auarice. 3. Pride. And that in 3 poynts, as incurring the vice of disobedience agaynst God, against their owne rule: The vice of auarice: and the vice of pride. The probatiō of all which poyntes, he prosecuted in a long discourse.