These two armies at length come to an engagement, and the battle ends to the honour of the Virtues, and the total defeat of the Vices. The BANNER OF ANTICHRIST has before occurred in our quotations from Longland. The title of Huon de Meri's poem deferves notice. It is Turnoyement TURNOYEMENT DE L'ANTECHRIST. These are the concluding lines. Par fon droit nom a peau cet livre The author appears to have been a monk of St. Germain des Pres, near Paris. This allegory is much like that which we find in the old dramatic MORALITIES. The theology of the middle ages abounded with conjectures and controversies concerning Antichrift, who at a very early period was commonly believed to be the Roman pontiff *. * See this topic difcuffed with fingular penetration and perfpicuity, by doctor Hurd, in TWELVE SERMONS INTRODUCTORY TO THE STUDY OF THE PROPHECIES. Lond. 1772. p. 206. feq. SECT. SECT. IX. T O the VISION OF PIERCE PLOWMAN has been commonly annexed a poem called PIERCE THE PLOWMAN'S Crede, and which may properly be confidered as its appendage It is profeffedly written in imitation of our VISION, but by a different hand. The author, in the character of a plain uninformed perfon, pretends to be ignorant of his creed; to be instructed in the articles of which, he applies by turns to the four orders of mendicant friars. This circumstance affords an obvious occafion of expofing in lively colours the tricks of those focieties. After fo unexpected a disappointment, he meets one Pierce, or Peter, a plowman, who refolves his doubts, and teaches him the principles of true religion. In a copy of the CREDE lately prefented to me by the bishop of Gloucefter, and once belonging to Mr. Pope, the latter in his own hand has inserted the following abstract of its plan. "An ignorant plain man having learned "his Pater-nofter and Ave-mary, wants to learn his creed. "He asks several religious men of the feveral orders to teach "it him. First of a friar Minor, who bids him beware of "the Carmelites, and affures him they can teach him nothing, defcribing their faults, &c. But that the friars "Minors fhall fave him, whether he learns his creed or not. a The first edition is by R. Wolfe, London, 1553, 4to. In four sheets. It was reprinted, and added to Rogers's, or the fourth edition of the Vision, 1561. It was evidently written after the year 1384. Wickliffe died in that year, and he is mentioned as no longer living, in Signat. C. ii. edit. 1561. Walter Britte, or Brithe, a follower of Wickliffe, is alfo mentioned, Signat. C. iii. Britte is placed by Bale in 1390. Cent. vi. 94. See alfo Fuller's Worth. p. 8. Wales. The reader will pardon this small anticipation for the fake of connection. He "He goes next to the friars Preachers, whofe magnificent monaftery he defcribes: there he meets a fat friar, who "declaims against the Auguftines. He is fhocked at his pride, and goes to the Auguftines. They rail at the Mi"norites. He goes to the Carmes; they abufe the Dominicans, but promife him falvation without the creed, for money. He leaves them with indignation, and finds an "honeft poor PLOWMAN in the field, and tells him how he "was difappointed by the four orders. The plowman an"fwers with a long invective against them.” The language of the CREDE is lefs embarraffed and obfcure than that of the VISION. But before I proceed to a fpecimen, it may not be perhaps improper to prepare the reader, by giving an outline of the conftitution and character of the four orders of mendicant friars, the object of our poet's fatire: an enquiry in many refpects connected with the general purport of this hiftory, and which, in this place at least, cannot be deemed a digreffion, as it will illuftrate the main fubject, and explain many particular paf fages of the PLOWMAN'S CREDE . Long before the thirteenth century, the monaftic orders, as we have partly feen in the preceding poem, in confequence of their ample revenues, had degenerated from their primitive aufterity, and were totally given up to luxury and indolence. Hence they became both unwilling and unable to execute the purposes of their eftablishment: to instruct the people, to check the growth of herefies, or to promote in any respect the true interests of the church. They forfook all their religious obligations, defpifed the authority of their fuperiors, and were abandoned without shame or remorse to every fpecies of diffipation and licentioufnefs About the beginning therefore of the thirteenth century, the condition and circumftances of the church rendered it abfolutely ne And of fome perhaps quoted above from the VISION. ceffary ceffary to remedy thefe evils, by introducing a new order of religious, who being destitute of fixed poffeffions, by the severity of their manners, a profeffed contempt of riches, and an unwearied perfeverance in the duties of preaching and prayer, might reftore refpect to the monaftic institution, and recover the honours of the church. These were the four orders of mendicant or begging friars, commonly denominated the Francifcans, the Dominicans, the Carmelites, and the Augustines ‘. These focieties foon furpaffed all the reft, not only in the purity of their lives, but in the number of their privileges, and the multitude of their members. Not to mention the fuccefs which attends all novelties, their reputation arofe quickly to an amazing height. The popes, among other uncommon immunities, allowed them the liberty of travelling wherever they pleased, of converfing with perfons of all ranks, of instructing the youth and the people in general, and of hearing confeffions, without referve or restriction: and as on thefe occafions, which gave them opportunities of appearing in public and confpicuous fituations, they exhibited more ftriking marks of gravity and fanctity than were obfervable in the deportment and conduct of the members of other monafteries, they were regarded with the highest esteem and veneration throughout all the countries of Europe. In the mean time they gained ftill greater respect, by cultivating the literature then in vogue, with the greatest affiduity and fuccefs. Gianoni fays, that most of the theolo The Francifcans were often styled friars-minors, or minorites, and grey-friars: the Dominicans, friars-preachers, and fometimes black-friars. The Carmelites whitefriars; and the Auftins grey-friars. The first establishment of the Dominicans in England was at Oxford in 1221. Of the Vol. I. Francifcans at Canterbury. These two were the most eminent of the four orders. The Dominican friary at Oxford stood in an island on the fouth of the city, fouthweft of the Francifcan friary, the fite of which is hereafter defcribed. Pp gical gical profeffors in the university of Naples, newly founded in the year 1220, were chosen from the mendicants. They were the principal teachers of theology at Paris, the school where this fcience had received its origin. At Oxford and Cambridge respectively, all the four orders had flourishing monafteries. The most learned fcholars in the university of Oxford, at the clofe of the thirteenth century, were Franciscan friars : and long after this period, the Franciscans appear to have been the fole fupport and ornament of that university. Hence it was that bishop Hugh de Balfham, founder of Peter-house at Cambridge, orders in his statutes given about the year 1280, that fome of his fcholars fhould annually repair to Oxford for improvement in the sciences ". That is, to study under the Francifcan readers. Such was the eminence of the Francifcan friary at Oxford, that the learned bishop Grofthead, in the year 1253, bequeathed all Hift. Nap. xvi. 3. See Boul. Hift. Academ. Parif. iii. p. 138. 240. 244. 248, &c. This circumftance in fome degree roufed the monks from their indolence, and induced the greater monafteries to procure the foundation of fmall colleges in the univerfities for the education of their novices. At Oxford the monks had also schools which bore the name of their respective orders and there were schools in that univerfity which were appropriated to particular monafteries. Kennet's Paroch. Ant. p. 214. Wood, Hift. Ant. Univ. Oxon. i. 119. Leland fays, that even in his time, at Stamford, a temporary univerfity, the names of halls inhabited by the novices of Peterborough, Sempringham, and Vauldrey abbies, were remaining. Itin. vi. p. 21. And it appears, that the greater part of the proceeders in theology at Oxford and Cambridge, just before the reformation, were monks. But we do not find, that in confequence of all these efforts, the monks made a much greater figure in literature. In this rivalry which fubfifted between the mendicants and the monks, the latter fometimes availed themfelves of their riches and with a view to attract popularity, and to eclipfe the growing luftre of the former, proceeded to their degrees in the univerfities with, prodigious parade. In the year 1298, William de Brooke, a Benedictine of St. Peter's abbey, at Gloucefter, took the degree of doctor in divinity at Oxford. He was attended on this important occafion by the abbot and whole convent of Gloucefter, the abbots of Westminster, Reading, Abingdon, Evesham, and Malmesbury, with one hundred noblemen and efquires, on horfes richly caparifoned. These were entertained at a fumptuous feaft in the refectory of Gloucester college. But it fhould be obferved, that he was the firft of the Benedictine order that attained this dignity. Wood, Hift. Ant. Univ. Oxon. i. 25. col. 1. See alfo Stevens, Mon. 1. 70. h" De fcholaribus emittendis ad univerfitatem Oxonie pro do&trina," Cap. xviii. |