Kind came after, with many keen sores, Many a lovely lady and lemans of knights Swoonden and swelten for sorrow of Death's [fol. 112. pass. xxi.] dints &c. The editions of Pierce Ploughman that usually occur are those of Crowley, of which, as Dr. Percy informs us, there were three published in the same year, 1550. There is also an edition printed in 1561, by Owen Rogers, to which is sometimes annexed a poem of nearly the same tendency, and written in the same metre, called PIERCE THE PLOUGHMAN'S CREDE.* It was evidently composed after the death of Wickliffe, which happened in 1384, and is therefore more modern than many of the poems of Chaucer, but is noticed here on account of its style and subject. Mr. Warton says, that in a copy of the Creed presented to him by the Bishop of Gloucester, and once belonging to Mr. Pope, the latter, in his own hand, has inserted the following abstract of its plan. *The first Ed. of P. the P.'s Creed was printed by R. Wolfe, in 1553. "An ignorant plain man having learned his "Paternoster and Ave-mary, wants to learn his "creed. He asks several religious men of the "several orders to teach it him. First of a friar "Minor, who bids him beware of the Carmelites, "and assures him they can teach him nothing, "describing their faults, &c. But that the friars "Minors shall save him, whether he learns his creed "or not. He goes next to the friars Preachers, "whose magnificent monastery he describes: there "he meets a fat friar, who declaims against the Augustines. He is shocked at his pride, and goes "to the Augustines. They rail at the Minorites. "He goes to the Carmes; they abuse the Domi"nicans, but promise him salvation, without the "creed, for money. He leaves them with indigna❝tion, and finds an honest poor PLOWMAN in the "field, and tells him how he was disappointed by "the four orders. The plowman answers with a "long invective against them." For the full explanation of this poem it is essential to premise that, in consequence of the many abuses which had gradually perverted the monastic institutions, it became necessary, about the beginning of the thirteenth century, to establish a new class of friars, who, possessing no regular revenues, and relying for a subsistence on the general reverence which they should attract by isuperior talent, or severer sanctity of manners, should become the effectual and permanent support of the papal authority against those heresies which were beginning to infect the church, as well as against the jealousy of the civil power. The new institution consisted of four mendicant orders: the Franciscans, who were also called friars-minors, or minorites, or grey-friars the Augustine, or Austin-friars: the Dominicans, or friars-preachers, or black-friars: and the Carmelites, or white-friars. : For the purpose of quickening their zeal, the popes bestowed on them many new and uncommon privileges; the right of travelling where they pleased, of conversing with persons of all descriptions, of instructing youth, and of hearing confessions, and bestowing absolution without reserve: and as these advantages naturally attracted to the privileged orders all the novices who were distinguished by zeal or talent, excited their emulation, and ensured. the respect of the people, they quickly eclipsed all their rivals, and realized the most sanguine hopes that had been entertained from their establishment. 2 The mendicant orders of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, but particularly the Dominicans, very nearly resembled the Jesuits of modern times, In these orders were found the most learned men, and the most popular preachers of the age. The almost exclusive charge of the national education enabled them to direct the public taste and opinions; the confessional chair placed the consciences of their penitents at their disposal; and their leading members, having discovered that an association in which individual talents are systematically directed to some general purpose is nearly irresistible, soon insinuated themselves into the most important offices of church and state, and guided at their will the religion and politics of Europe. But prosperity, as usual, made them indolent and imprudent. They had long been envied and hated, and the progress of general civilization raised up numberless rivals, possessing equal learning, ambition, and versatility of manners, with superior activity and caution. They quarrelled among themselves, and thus lost the favour and reverence of the people; and they were at last gradually sinking into insignificance, when they were swallowed up in the general wreck of monastic institutions. The magnificence of their edifices, which excited universal envy, was the frequent topic of Wickliffe's invective; and this poet, who was apparently much attached to the opinions of that reformer, has given us the following elaborate description of a Dominican convent. Then thought I to frayne the first of these four orders; And pressed to the preachers, to proven her will. Ich hied to her house, to hearken of more, And when I came to that court, I gaped about, Such a build bold y-built upon earth height Saw I not, in certain, sith a long time. I seemed upon that house, and yern3 thereon looked, How the pillars weren y-paint, and pulched full clean, And quaintly y-carven with curious knots, And a curious cross craftily entailed, 8 With tabernacles y-tight9 to toten 1o all abouten. The price of a plough-land, of pennies so round, To apparel that pillar were pure little. To ask. Sax. • Eagerly. Sax. 5 Habitation. Sax. • Gazed. • Polished. 6 Arbours. 7 Turfed? from waisons (i. e. gazons), old Fr. ? or is it trimmed, from efesian, tondere. Sax.? 8 Carved. Fr. 10 Look. 9 Probably for y-dight. |