ments, were divided for their sakes into four sections; of which, the first was assigned to the Dominicans, the seccod to the Franciscans, the third to the Carmelites, and the fourth to the Augustinians. The people frequented, almost excinsively, the churches of the Mendicants, and but seldom asked for the sacraments, as they are called, or for burial, except among them: which naturally called forth grievous complaints from the ordinary priests who had the charge of the parishes. Indeed the history of this and the following centuries shows, that so great was the reputation and the influence of these mendicunt Friars, that they were employed in transactions of the highest magnitude, in negotiations for peace, in the ratification of treaties, in shaping the policy of courts, in arranging financial concerns, and in various other functions totally at variance with the monastic profession.

§ 2. But the Dominicans and Franciscans acquired much greater glory and power, than the other two orders of mendicants. During three centuries they had the direction of nearly overy thing in church and state, held the highest offices, both veciesiastical and civil, taught with almost absolute authority in all the schools and churches, and defended the authority and majesty of the Roman pontiffs, against kings, bishops, and heretics, with amazing zeal and success. What the Jesuits were, after the reformation by Luther commenced, the same were the Dominicans and Franciscans, from the thirteenth century to the times of Luther, the soul of the whole church and state, and the projectors and executors of all the enter pras of any moment.-Dominic, a Spaniard of Calahorra and of the illustrious family of Gasman, a regular canon of Osina, a man of very ardent temperament, burning with hatred against the heretics, who then greatly disquieted the church. went with a few companions into France to engage in combat with them; and with seruens and written composition, with military force and the tremendous tribunal of the Inquisiti a which owed its origin to him, he attacked most vigorously, and not without success, the Albigenses and the other opposers of the church. Then going into Italy, he readily obtained, after such achievements, great favour with the pontif. Inorant III. and Honorius III, and obtained leave to establish

fraternity, to be especially opposed to heretics. At first, he and his associates adopted the rule of the canons, commonly called St. Augustine's, with the addition of a few precepts that were more rigid: but he afterwards went over to the class of monks, and in a convention of the fraternity at Bologna, in the year 1220, he enjoined upon them poverty and contempt for all permanent revenues and possessions. Soon after the transaction at Bologna, he died, in the year 1221. The members of the order were at first called Preaching friars (Fratres Prædicatores); because their attention was principally devoted

instracting mackibi by preaching: but afterwards they ware maced free their finder. Dominicans".

$25. Freark the son of a merchant of Assisi in Umbria, a decline and reckless youth pon recovering from a very thwatering sites which he had brought upon himself by Es bred as rities exodoet, exhibited in his life and behavixer a kind of religioos käibey; and subsequently, in the year 1905, having accidentally heard in a church the words of the Savior. Man. 1. 14. Provide meither gold, nor silcer, nor boss in your pares, vor scrip for your journey, &c.] he coneived that the essence of the Gospel. as taught by Jesus Christ, einsisted in absolute penury of all things; and this, therefore, he prescribed for himself, and some others who folkwed him. He was unquestionably an honest and pious man; but grossly ignorant, and weakened in his intellect by the free of his disease. His new fraternity was viewed by Innocent III., as well suited to the exigences of the church at that time, and was formally approved by Honorius III., a. d. 1223, and had become very numerous, when its founder died, in the year 1226. To manifest his humility, Francis would not allow the members of his order to be called Brethren (Fratres), but only Little Brothers (Fraterculi); in Italian, Fratricelli; in Latin, Fratres Minores [Minorites]; which is the name they still retain *.

• In ancient writers, they are sometimes called also Major Friars (Fratres Majres). See Ant. Matthæus, And lecta Veteris Eri, tom. ii. p. 172. But this was rather a nick-name, by which they were distinguished from the Franciscans, who called themselves Minor Friars (Fratres Minores). In France, and the neighbouring countries, they were called Jacobins or Jacobites; because the first domicile granted to them at Paris, was and is still sacred to St. James, [Rue de St. Jaques.-In England, they were called Black Friars, from the colour of their habit; and the part of London where they first dwelt, is still called by this name. Tr.]

5 The life of St. Francis was written by Bonaventura, and has been often published. But of all the writers who give account of him, the most full is

Lucas Wadding, [an Irish Franciscan monk, who died at Rome, a. D. 1657.] in the first volume of his Annales Minorum, a work containing a very ample history of the Franciscan order, confirmed by innumerable documents, and published with considerable enlargement, by Joseph Maria Fonseca ab Ebora, Rome 1731 and onwards, in eighteen volumes, folio. The same Wadding published the Opuscula Sti Francisci, Antw. 1623. 4to., and the Bibliotheca Ordinis Minorum, Rome, 1650. 4to. The other writers on this celebrated sect are mentioned by Jo. Alb. Fabricius, Biblioth. Latina Medi Eri, tom. ii. p. 573, &c. [St. Francis was born at Assisi, A. D. 1182, and at his baptism was named John. But his father, being a merchant, who did much business in the south of France,

561

§ 26. These two orders wonderfully supported the tottering fabric of the Romish church in various ways; as, by searching out and extirpating heretics, by performing embassies for the advantage of the church, and by confirming the people in their

brought him into such familiar inter-
course with Frenchmen, that he learned
to speak their language fluently, and
His
was thence called Franciscus.
father educated him for his own busi-
ness,

and early employed him in traffic.
But he was negligent in business, pro-
fligate, and debauched; yet generous
to the poor, and brave. He always
acted from the impulse of feeling, and
his imagination overpowered his judg-
ment. After his sickness he resolved
to be religious, and became as extra-
vagant in this course, as he was before
in his worldly pleasures. Meeting one
day a leper, he dismounted from his
horse, kissed the sores of the sick man,
and gave him alms; and this, to over-
come the revolting feelings of his
nature. He fancied that Christ ap-
peared to him, and that he had visions
and prophetic dreams. In a pilgrim-
age to Rome he saw a multitude of
beggars about the church of St. Peter,
and exchanged clothes with one of the
most shabby, and herded some days
with the rest. Praying one day near
the walls of a decayed church at Assisi,
he heard a voice saying, Go, Francis,
and repair my house, which you see is
decayed. He immediately went and
sold a large amount of cloth belonging
to his father, and brought the avails to
the priest of that church, who hesi-
tated to receive it. His father was
offended, and attempted to arrest him
as a deranged person; in which light
he was now generally viewed by his
fellow-townsmen. In the year 1206,
his father took all property out of his
hands, lest he should squander it; and
he now clothed himself in skins, and
lived like a beggar, travelling up and
down the country, and exhorting all to
be religious. Some regarded him as
insane, and others as a saint. By beg-
ging, he raised money to repair not
only the old church before mentioned,
but likewise two others; one of which,
near Assisi, was called the church of
Portiuncula, where he fixed his head-
quarters, and at length established his
new order of monks, about the year
VOL. II.

1208. Absolute poverty, entire obe-
dience, much fasting and prayer, with
constant efforts to convert sinners,
were the requisites for admission to
In the year 1210, he had
his order.
but eleven followers, when he obtained
leave of the pope to continue his mo-
nastery. In 1211, he sent his monks
all over Italy, to preach, and beg their
bread. The order now increased ra-
pidly, and was in high repute. Francis
himself travelled, and preached, and
had revelations, and wrought miracles.
Once, while preaching, he could not be
heard, for the chattering of numerous
swallows. He turned to them, and
said: "My sisters, you have talked
long enough, it is time now for me to
speak: do you keep silence, while the
word of God is preached." They in-
stantly obeyed. In 1212, he attempted
to sail to the East, in order to preach
to the Muhammedans; but the winds
drove him back. In the year 1214, he
went to Morocco, and preached awhile
without effect, among the believers in
Muhammed. In 1215, he attended
the Lateran council, when Innocent
III. publicly declared his approbation
of the Franciscan society. In 1216,
he held at Assisi the first general
chapter of his order; the next year
cardinal Ugolino, afterwards pope Gre-
gory IX. became patron of the order:
the year following, 1219, no less than
five thousand are said to have attended
the general chapter. He now sent his
preachers abroad all over Europe. He
himself, this year, went to Egypt, and
preached to the sultan of that country.
On his return, he found that his
deputy-general, Elias, had relaxed
somewhat the strictness of his rules;
but he restored things to their former
state. He would not allow splendour
in his churches, nor the formation of
libraries; and individuals must not
own even a psalter or hymn book. In
1220, five Franciscan missionaries were
put to death in Morocco; which con-
tributed much to raise the fame of the
order, and to enlarge it. In 1222, the
pope gave the Franciscans a right to

00

loyalty to the pontiffs. Sensible of their good services and fidelity, the pontiffs employed them in all the more important offices and transactions, and likewise conferred on them the highest and most invidious privileges and advantages. Among these prerogatives, it was not the least, that in all places, and without licence from the bishops, they might preach publicly, be confessors to all who wished to employ them, and grant absolutions. They were also furnished with ample power to grant indulgences, by which the pontiffs aimed to furnish the Franciscans especially, with the means of support'. But these favours, conferred in such profusion tipon the Dominicans and Franciscans, while they weakened the ancient discipline, and infringed upon the rights of the first and second orders of the clergy, produced deadly hatred between the mendicant orders on the one hand, and the bishops and priests on the other, and caused violent struggles and commotions in every country of Europe, and even in the city of Rome itself. And although the pontiffs of this and the following centuries used various means to compose and terminate these commotions, yet they were never able to extinguish them, because the interests of the church required, that its most faithful servants and satellites,

preach every where, and to hear confessions, and grant absolutions in all places. In 1224, St. Francis, after praying for greater conformity with Christ, had scars, or fungus flesh, it is said, formed on his hands and feet and side, to represent the five wounds of Christ. During the two following years, he lived an invalid at Assisi, and at last died, the 14th of October, 1226. See Bonaventura, 1. c. and Schroeckh's Kirchengesch. vol. xxvii. p. 405, &c. Tr.]

Matth. Paris, Historia Major, p. 634, says: Our lord the pope now made the Franciscans and Dominicans, contrary to their wishes, I suppose, and to the injury and scandal of their order, his publicans and his bedels.Idem, p. 639. Our lord the pope has not ceased to amass treasures, making the Dominican and Franciscan monks, even against their inclinations, not fishers of men, but of money. See also p. 662. 664, and many other places. At the year 1236, p. 354, he says:

The Franciscans and Dominicans were counsellors and envoys of princes, and even secretaries to our lord the pope; thus securing to themselves too much secular favour. At the year 1239, p. 465, he says: At that time the Dominicans and Franciscans were the counsellors and special envoys of kings; and, as formerly those clothed in soft raiment were in king's houses, so at this time, those clothed in vile raiment were in the houses, the halls, and the palaces of princes.

7 See Baluze, Miscellanea, tom. iv. p. 490. tom. vii. p. 392. It is notorious, that no sect of monks had more or ampler indulgences for distribution, than the Franciscans. Without them, these good friars, who were required to have no possessions and revenues, could not have lived and multiplied. As a substitute for fixed revenues, therefore, this extensive sale of indulgences was granted them.

8 See Baluze, Miscellanea, tom. vii.

P. 441.