in history as having been careful in the promotion of no clerks but such as were of good manners and learning. Hall says of our king Edward IV. "The spiritual promocions he gave ever to the most famous and excellent clerkes, and men of the best living. Others of mean qualities whom he much favoured, he did not preferre to great dignitie and high promocions, but with money rewarded them." One day King Pepin, who was going to hunt very early, entered his private chapel to pray; all the clerks in attendance were sleeping, after having sung the office of the night, excepting one, St. Sturme, who opened the door to the king, who was so pleased with this proof of his zeal, that he immediately forgave him some offence at which he had before been angry. The following history is recorded of William Rufus, who was famous for his avarice: A certain abbey became "voyde of an abbot, in the which were two monks, very covetous persons, who came to the court offering very largely to the king, each hoping to be made abbot. The king, perceiving their greedie desires, and casting his eies about the chamber, espied, by chance, another monk that came to bear them company, being a more sober man, and simple after his outward appearance, whom he called unto him, and asked what he would give him to be made abbot of the foresaid abbey? The monk, after a little pause, made answer, that he would give nothing at all for any such purpose, since he had entered into that profession of mere zeal, to despise riches and all worldly pomp, to the end he might the more quietly serve God in holyness and purity of conversation. Sayest thou so?' quoth the king; then art thou even he that art worthy to govern this house' and straightway he bestowed the house upon him, justly repulsing the other two, and not without their open infamy and reproach." This was after the spirit of our Henry V.; I know thee not, old man fall to thy prayers. Charlemagne nominated a young man to a vacant bishopric. The day of his election they brought to him a poorlooking horse to mount, which made him very angry; and so to prove that he was not infirm and a bad horseman, as 1 Holinshed. they seemed to suppose, he leaped on his back without using the stirrups, though, unfortunately, he fell over on the other side. Charlemagne observed this scene from a window, and he was disgusted at such an instance of levity; so he summoned the new bishop, and said to him, "Bone vir, celer es et agilis, pernix et præpes. You know that my empire is troubled with many wars. Idcirco opus habeo tali clerico in comitatu meo. Esto igitur interim socius laborum nostrorum dum tam celeriter ascen dere potes caballum tuum.”1 There was a certain vain bishop, covetous of useless luxuries, which the emperor perceiving, ordered a Jew merchant who used to trade : rare and costly objects, to go to this bishop, with a common mouse, painted different colours, and to say that he brought that curious animal from Judæa to sell. The bishop, filled with joy at the sight of it, offered immediately three silver pounds; but the Jew said he would rather throw it into the sea than sell it for so little he who was rich, and gave nothing to the poor, promised him ten pounds; but Father Abraham does not wish that his son should lose his labour and honest profit. Then the greedy bishop offered twenty pounds. The Jew, wrapping up the mouse in a precious silk, was going away without reply, when the bishop called him back, and offered a full bushel of silver. At length the Jew consents, the money is paid, and the Jew returns to the emperor with an account of his proceeding. Charlemagne convokes the bishops and priests of the province, and places before them the money which the bishop had paid to the Jew. Then he said, "Vos patres et provisores nostri episcopi, pauperibus, imo Christo in ipsis debuistis ministrare, non inanibus rebus inhiare:" and then he added, "Unus ex vobis tantum argenti pro uno mure domestico pigmentis contemperato cuidam dedit Judæo." The bishop fell at his feet, prayed for pardon, and was permitted to depart without punishment.2 Yet it was not an inhuman zeal which influenced this great emperor. "There was a poor clerk, very wretched and miserable, and not learned, and despised by every one, and ill-treated; yet Charlemagne would never consent to have him removed, I Monachi S. Gall. lib. ii. de Rebus Bell. Caroli M. 2 Ibid. but he kept him in his presence, for he had pity on him."1 The emperor inquired from an ambassador the character of a certain bishop. "Sanctissimus est," he replied, "ille vester episcopus quantum sine Deo possibile est.' At which Charlemagne, astonished, said, "Quomodo sine Deo aliquis sanctus esse potest?" To which he answered, Scriptum est, Deus charitas est, qua iste vacuus est."2 This would indicate that men understood in those ages what was the best qualification for a bishop. Charlemagne, in forbidding the clergy to serve in the army, concludes his edict with these words, “Quanto quis eorum amplius suam normam servaverit, et Deo servierit, tanto eum plus honorare et cariorem habere volu VIII. Having now seen with what respect the clergy were regarded by the chivalrous order in the middle ages, I am tempted to lead my reader aside for a short time, while we observe whether, independently of the religious duty, this respect was merited by the men to whom it was so carefully shewn. This will hardly be considered as a digression, though we shall have to leave castle-courts and plumed troops, for the solemn aisles of churches, and the silence of the cloister. Knights are accustomed to such visits; and I am much mistaken if we shall not derive from this retreat new courage to pursue our enterprise, and a still stronger attachment to the scenes and characters of Christian antiquity. And, first, to consider those of the Church who continued in the world living in the courts of temporal men. "Lors fut mors," says Ville-hardouin in his Chronicle. "Maistre Johan de Noion à la Setre, qui ere chancelier à l'Empereur Baudoins, et mult bons cliers et mult sages, et mult avoit conforté l'oste per la parole de Dieu qu'il savoit mult bien dire, et sachiez que mult en furent li prodome de l'ost desconforté;" so that the crusading armies were not without The venerable priest, Whose life and manners well could paint 'Mon. S. Gall. lib. i. de Ecclesiastica Cura Caroli M. 2 Ibid. lib. ii. de Rebus Bell. Caroli M. 3 Cap. de Baluze, z. 1, p. 410. Nor was their presence unknown in the court of worldly and profane men. "Among the great followers of William the Conqueror, was Hugues, son of Richard, Count of Avranches, surnamed Goz, to whom William confided the county of Chester. This seigneur was a great lover of the world and of secular pomp, which he regarded as the richest part of human beatitude. He was, however, brave in war, liberal of his presents, but delighting in amusement and luxury, given up to buffoons, to horses and dogs, always attended by a great household, by a multitude of pages, noble and others, together with honourable men, clerks, and knights. His chapel was served by a clerk of Avranches, named Gerold, remarkable for religion, gentleness, and knowledge of letters. Every day he faithfully performed the divine service. As far as he was able, he excited the people of the court to amend their lives, by proposing to them the example of their predecessors. He spared not his salutary advice to the chief barons, to the simple knights, as well as to the young nobles; and he drew abundant examples of holy warriors worthy of imitation from the New Testament, and from the later records of Christians." These are the words of Orderic Vitalis.1 Gilles de Rome says in his Mirror of Chivalry, that "noble princes should have a holy and learned man, humble and who despises the world, and who does not meddle with its business, unless in the way of pity, to make the prince do good. He must be compassionate to the poor, and of a piteous heart, devout and piteous, loving truth, and bold to speak it, without detraction and without flattery." Like that perfect priest described by St. Jerome, "his mind, devoted to Christ, was to be attentive to things great and small; therefore he was to take care that the altar shone, that the walls were without dust, that the pavement was clean, that the vessels were bright; and in all ceremonies, with pious solicitude, he was to neglect neither great nor trifling duties."2 Alcibiades said that whenever he heard Socrates speak, the tears would rush into his eyes, and that he had seen many others affected in the same manner. If such was the force of that vague and shadowy religion which the heathen sage instilled into the hearts of 3 Plato, Conviv. 1 Lib. vi. 2 In Epist. Nepotiani. "He Thus youth, what must have been felt by those who heard the venerable preachers of Christianity, who spake of the passion of Christ; men who actually possessed what the heathen poet vainly desired to behold, the φανερὸν χαρακτῆρ aperãc, arising from "that supernatural elevation of mind, to the purity of which," as Lewis of Grenada says, "all the strength of created nature can never attain!" It was this in St. Ambrose which first won St. Augustine. saw in him,” says Alban Butler, "a good eye and a kind countenance-the index of his benevolent heart." St. Augustine says of St. Ambrose, that upon coming to Milan, suscepit me paterne ille homo Dei, et peregrinationem meam satis episcopaliter dilexit. Et eum amare cœpi, primo quidem non tanquam doctorem veri, quod in ecclesia tua prorsus desperabam, sed tanquam hominem benignum in me.' 592 Thus Orderic Vitalis says of St. Evroul, that "he received all who approached with a smiling countenance, nobles and vilains, poor and strangers."3 St. Anselm describes Archbishop Lanfranc, "Misericordissimus est et præcipue erga salutem animarum, et est valde deditus eleemosynis."4 Mark their exceeding charity, becoming all things to all men. The old hermit in Amadis, after discoursing with the knight, concludes thus : Truly, I know a man of my habit should not speak of such things as these; yet it is more for God's service to speak the truth that may comfort you, than to conceal it, considering your desperate state."5 Though Cardinal de Retz describes the manners of the clergy in conclave with great art, yet the result of the whole is only the portrait of simple and unaffected goodness. There,” he says, you observed the respect such as is found in a king's cabinet, the politeness of a court, the familiarity of a college, the modesty of novices, the charity of a convent.' St. Augustine attributes this condescension to the whole Church, when he addresses it in these words: "Tu pueriliter pueros, fortiter juvenes, quiete senes, prout cujusque non corporis tantum sed et animi ætas est, exerces ac doces."6 This sacerdotal gentleness distinguished Muratori, who was of such kind manners, that the boys used to come up to him in the street to 2 Confess. lib. v. 13. 5 Lib. ii. 9. 66 1 Eurip. Hercul. Furens, 649. 3 Lib. vi. Epist. xiii. De Moribus Ecclesiæ Catholicæ, p. 63. 66 |