how they may enrich those of their Family whose Humor pleaseth them best I confess indeed that this is the most commendable and most innocent way of employing their Treasure as carrying some appearance of Charity in it tho' to speak Truth we can never make a Christian Vertue of it as being common to us with the Heathens themselves The Turks do good to those of their Kindred and Friends as well as the Priests of the Church of Rome and probably also do it during their Lives which these latter are very seldom found guilty of because they commonly do not dispose of their Riches to those of their Family till they see Death ready to snatch them from them This Nepotism therefore is a vast Gulf which swallows a great part of the Ecclesiastical Revenue but there is another Abyss that devours incomparably much more and in a way that is not only a Scandal and Reproach to their Profession but even to Nature it self and is in a word the abominable Commerce they drive with both Sexes All the World knows that it is not lawful for the Priests and Monks of the Church of Rome to Marry as having protested against Marriage at their Ordination and in their several Professions and Orders as against a thing to use their own terms which defiles and pollutes a Man and makes him incapable of duly and purely serving at the Altar 'T is upon this Principle they refuse to Marry and the Priest that can be convict of violating this Law must be burnt alive But for all this their Huffing they perceive well enough that all this while they reckon without their Host and this great Undertaking of theirs proves quite another thing in effect than it was in Speculation Take but a little leisure to Read their Lives and you 'l find they have no sooner made their Vow of Chastity but they study and invent with all the Application imaginable how to break it They have voluntarily debarr'd themselves from honest and lawful Wedlock and must now betake themselves to Fornication Adultery Incest and Sacriledge to satisfie their Concupiscence and glut their infamous Lusts Now to do this there must be Mony because the Debauched Sex is doubly concern'd for having to do with them and therefore do not afford them so good Quarters as they do to others and their Wenches have the Boldness to tell them That since it is a greater Sin to have to do with them than with others 't is but just they should pay accordingly The Clergy therefore finding that the World carries it somewhat Uncivil towards them in this regard and groaning to see themselves in a condition to stand in need of them resolve on their side as far as possible to be even with them and accordingly they will not Say a Mass or Prayer or go a step upon any score whatsoever without being well paid for it If they be sent for to Baptize an Infant to Exhort a Sick Body or to Bury a Corpse they first demand what they will give them for their pains and budge not till the Bargain be made They sollicit for Mony towards their Confraternities their Festivals Processions Benedictions and Devotions for the Souls in Purgatory with incredible Importunity and earnestness as being a prompt and effectual Expedient to fill their Purses There is nothing disquiets them more than the persuasion which possesseth the Sex they Love That to have to do with Men consecrated to God as they are is a kind of Sacriledge and the worst of all Crimes This indeed is a Consequence which very plainly follows from their Principles but which they notwithstanding endeavour to Veil as much as ever they can You seldom hear them Preaching against Wanntoness Incontinence Adultery c. and if at any time they do 't is without being Invective and so as to diminish the Horrour any one might have conceiv'd of these Crimes Yea some of them are arriv'd to that degree of Impudence to publish That these are the most Innocent of all other Vices and that God considering that they are born and grown up with us and have their rise from the Blood and Body that surrounds us is very ready to forgive and pardon them They say That such Sins as these are Instances of Human frailty and provided a person be only convinc'd of his Weakness therein Confess them and be humbled for them 't is enough and one Ave Mary or the Sign of the Cross with a sprinkling of Holy-Water is all the Penance that is ordinarily enjoyn'd for such Peccadillo's as these They are wont also to treat Seculars very smoothly in this Point at their Confessions and in particular the Female Sex Lest say they by treating them too harshly they might be discouraged another time to Confess them with all their Circumstances But the true Reason is that in so doing they may oblige the Seculars to be as favourable towards them in their Censures on the like occaâ—ion and that they may not be too strictly observ'd themselves when they fall into the same Crimes Indeed Auricular and Secret Confession is the most commodious way the Priests have to lodge their Game 't is there they put Women to the Question and by this means accustoming them by little and little from their Youth up to speak with Confidence of their secret Sins they make them at length lose that Natural Shamefac'dness which otherwise they would be sensible of in making the least mention of such Filthiness Being therefore by this means inform'd of their Inclinations and Weak-side if they find them to be of an Amorous Complexion it is an easie thing for them to speak for themselves and to insinuate their own Passion It is notoriously evident that commonly none but Women go to Confession for as for Men they seldom use it more than once a Year and that towards Easter The Reason whereof having been once ask'd in my presence a Person of a very good Sense return'd this Answer That the Reason why none but Women were seen to Confess was because Men were Confessors but that if Women were once possest of the Chair of Confession we should soon find the contrary and that none but Men would appear before them The Reason is because Women for the most part take pleasure in their Confessing being well assured that their Confessors will put such Questions to them as cannot much displease them and knowing that how openly soever they may declare their Sins the Seal of Confession will always put them out of danger of running any Risque thereby Yea there are not wanting a vast Number of those who relying upon the Secrecy of this Tribunal and encouraged by the Exhortations of their Priests of hiding nothing from them no not so much as their impure Thoughts make no difficulty ingenuously to declare That they Love them that they can neither by Day nor Night rid their Spirit from runing out after them and their Amorous Temptations are so violent that
tender and affectionate Tone Ah my Dear Congregation of Mount Olivet I will never suffer it to be said That so great an Affront should happen unto thee whilst I am thy Protector and immediately thereupon sent his Secretary to the Vatican to desire Audience of the Pope upon a Matter that was extreamly pressing and of great importance He had the good luck to be admitted to Audience at the very time when the Act for Suppressing the Order was actually Drawing up His Eminence cast himself at the Pope's Feet and told him Weeping That if he did proceed in his Resolution it would certainly be his Death The Pope seeing him in this posture lifted him up with a great deal of Kindness and the Cardinal being his old Friend he Promis'd That for his sake he would not suppress the Order as he had intended and accordingly we see it subsist until this Day tho' the Monks of it be ne're a whit better than others who have been Supprest It would be matter of Astonishment to see so many Monasteries and Convents suffer'd in Italy full of a sort of People who being under a Vow of Obedience take the full swing of their own Wills and Inclinations who professing Poverty are more Proprietors than Men of the World and who having consecrated their Virginity to God live the most scandalous and debauch'd Lives that can be â—magin'd I say this would be matter of Astonishment but that it is notorious That Gold is more powerful at Rome than God himself Can any thing be conceiv'd more Infamous and Licentious than the Lives of Monks He that doubts of it needs only to go to Rome Venice or other principal Cities of Italy at Shrovetide where he shall meet with nothing in the Streets but Monks in Masquerade with their Whores all the Theaters of Comedies and Opera's and all places of publick Shews and Pastime are throng'd with them yea and they glory in these their Excesses which ought to be the greatest matter of Shame and Confusion to them I have been acquainted with a vast Number of Monks who at Shrovetide seeing me would draw near to me and take off their Vizards on purpose that I might take notice of them they had each of them a Wench by the Hand and the next Morning in the Sextry before they went to the Altar to say Mass all their Discourse was about the Debauches and Licentious Pranks they had plaid the Day before and of those they intended to play the same Day after their Drudgery of Saying Mass was over I call to mind a Story one of these Monks on a time told me which because it contains some rare extraordinary Circumstances I think worthy of my communicating to you The History I am about to tell you hapned at Venice This Monk told me that it was about Three Weeks since that he had met with a very happy Adventure which was That as he was going one Evening to the Play-House he met with a Lady of Quality in Masquerade whom as far as he could guess from all Circumstances he met with afterwards was a Noble Venetian tho' at first because she was alone and because she rather Addrest her self to him than to her he took her to be a Lady of Pleasure and in this persuasion he desir'd her to go along with him to the Play-House the Lady very readily accepted his Offer which being ended he offer'd her his Service to lead her home and she who desir'd nothing more presently made a sign to the Men that waited for her coming at the Wate-side in her Gondola to come and take her in The Monk stept in with her and spied at the farther-end of the Boat a Gentleman in Masquerade who received him with a great deal of Civility The Lady fearing lest the unlook'd for Meeting with this Gentleman might affright or discompose her New Galant bid him Not to fear any harm and commanded the Boat-men to pull away It was about One of the Clock in the Morning when they entred the Gondola and the Moon being in the Wane and the Heavens all cover'd with Clouds made that nothing could be discern'd by any Light from thence and the Boat-Men made so many Turnings and Windings through the Canals of Venice that it was impossible for him to discern in what part of the City he was All that he could take Notice of was That the Gondola stopt at a back Gate of a stately Palace whence immediately many Vizarded Lackeys came forth with Flambeaus to Light them in He was conducted by a Private pair of Stairs into a spacious Dining-Room where he likewise met with several Persons with Vizards The Monk tho' he was a person of great Confidence and Resolution confest to me That he was seiz'd with an extream Terrour which receiv'd a considerable addition after the Lady was withdrawn and he saw himself left all alone with the Gentleman and some of his Domesticks all Mask'd for as he assur'd me he expected nothing less than Death But the Gentleman on the other hand us'd his utmost endeavours to assure and rid him of his Fears Soon after the Table was cover'd with a sumptuous Collation and he was serv'd with several sorts of the choicest Wines After which he was shewed to a rich Bed where he was bid to Lie down The Monk seeing there would be danger for him not to comply readily with every thing they would have him to do gave a ready Obedience to all their Orders He was no sooner got into Bed but the Fire and all the Tapers in the Room were put out and immediately after the Lady entred and came to Bed to him giving him a Thousand Assurances that not the least hurt should happen to him and therefore wishing him to discard all Fear He was thus kept and serv'd for a Fortnight together in the manner as I have just now related without ever being able to discover where he was or who any of the Persons were that accompanied him or waited on him All that he could guess from the Ladies Discourse was That because she could have no Children by her Husband he had consented to avenge himself of some of his Nearest Relations to whom he was unwilling to leave his Estate after his Death that she might find out some Expedient to have an Heir and that they had not judg'd any way more proper for their Design than to make use of a young and handsom Monk as he was to obtain their Desire Thus after many Civilities receiv'd and very kind and great Entertainment but withal after having committed a great Sin he was sent away with the Present of about Fifty Guinea's value in Gold and having in a dark Night put him into a Gondola after many Turnings and Windings they Landed him near the place where they had taken him in neither was it possible for him ever after to make any further discovery about this Matter He himself related to me this Adventure with such a
little of them which is a kind of Advertisement That in case you should be guilty again of the same neglect occasion would be taken to recommend you to the Inquisition there to learn better Manners It is not lawful for any to excuse or to intercede either in person or by ones Friends directly or indirectly for those who have had the mishap to fall into the Prisons of the Inquisition except you have a mind to involve your self in the guilt of the same Crimes whereof they 〈◊〉 attainted One cannot so much as come to speak with them without an express permission given in Writing by the Inquisitor himself which he never grants but with a great deal of difficulty and very seldom An Abbot of Calabria one of my Acquaintance was put into the Inquisition at Venice for Smiling at the Story a certain Monk told about the Apparition of a Soul in Purgatory After that he had been a whole Year in Prison I understood that Sentence of Death was not as yet pronounc'd against him tho' he had been several times put upon the Rack and having occasion to go to the Inquisitor to obtain his Licence for printing of a Book I took this opportunity to beg leave of him that I might go and see this poor Prisoner Who having heard the Request I made him look'd sternly upon me and demanded what business I had to concern my self with him I told him That nothing made me to desire this Favour save only a motive of Charity to bestow some words of Comfort upon him But the Monk answered me in a most rude and disobliging way or rather like himself That the Prisoner was in very good Hands and did not at all stand in need of any of my Comfort so that it was not possible for me to get to speak with him However I had the satisfaction of seeing him set at Liberty about Six Months after through the charitable Care and powerful Intercession of Cornelia Episcopia a Noble Venetian young Lady of extraordinary Learning and Merit to whom my Friend dedicated his Learned Poems which he had Composed during the Time of his Confinement I have before mentioned that it was not lawful to interceed for any that are commited by the Inquisition but you must know Sir that the Inquisition is much more favorable at Venice than it is in other parts of Italy That wise Sâ—â—ate Abhorring the Inhumanity of those Monks that manage it have erected a particular Chamber where some Venetian Nobles preside and take Cognizance of all matters that are brought before the Inquisition in so much that the Dominicans are not altogether the Masters of it This Friend of mine having had the good Fortune to escape so great a danger was so sensibly touched with the Cruelties they had made him suffer during his Imprisonment that he readily concluded from thence that the Church of Rome being possest with such a Spirit of Cruelty and Barbarity as is never to be parallel'd even amongst the worst of Heathens could never be the true Spouse of Jesus Christ She might indeed be allowed the prudence of Serpents for her own preservation provided it were always in Conjunction with the mild nature of the Dove that so she might not render her self unworthy of and unlike to him who wills us to learn of him to be meek and lowly of Heart My Friend confest to me that indeed before he was cast into Prison he had some doubts about Purgatory and Transubstantiation but that since that they had gone about to make him believe them perforce he believed nothing at all of them and that he was resolved to retire into Switzerland or Geneva there to enjoy that Liberty of Conscience which would not be allow'd him in his own Country He told me that never a Night past over his Head in which he was not disquieted in his Sleep with the frightful Ideas and representations of the Torments he had in their Dungeons where they had Rackt all his Members out of joynt one after another Bruised all his Fingers and applied plates of red hot Iron to the Soles of his Feet And after all this to make him the more sensible of his pains they in this Condition shut him up again for some days in his Dungeon allowing him nothing but a poor morsel of brown Bread and a small measure of Water and then again put him into the Hands of the Executioners of the Inquisition to go through a new course of Torments They tied him by one Arm and by means of a Pully hoisted him up into the Air and there left him hanging for several hours which time being over they let him down again rather dead than alive and to bring him to himself again they most Cruelly and inhumanly Scourg'd him with a kind of a Whip made of slender Iron Chains full of points as sharp as needles and this till he was all of a gore Blood And all this O strange and unparallel'd Barbarity to discover the Secrets of a poor Conscience and to search the bottom of a Heart which God has reserved to himself as his own Divine Prerogative The Father Inquisitor who was all the while present to encourage the Exexcutioners and to observe whether they were not wanting in their Duty sometimes would draw near to the Patient and with a severe Tone demand of him Whether he did not believe Purgatory yet wishing him to think seriously of it for that all that he suffered there was but a slight draught of the Torments of that place and that it was much more Terrible to fall into the Hands of the Living God This poor Gentleman answered nothing to all this save only by Sighs and Tears but he confessed to me that since he had made a very serious reflection upon this matter and that he was come to this result that it was utterly inconsistent with the infinite Goodness of God to treat those Souls whom he had destinated to his Heavenly Glory and the enjoyment of himself for ever to such extremities of Pains and Torments That all the works of God being perfect he shewed Mercy to whom he shewed Mercy that is to say perfect and compleat Mercy and that it was infinitely more Glorious for him wholly to Pardon both Guilt and Punishment than to reserve himself a miserable Vengeance from the Fire and Flames of their faigned Purgatory and that for this very reason he did not believe any thing of it at all The Common Punishment inflicted at Venice on those who are convict of Heresie is either to Strangle them in Prison or to tie a great Stone to their Necks and so cast them into the Sea And herein also the Inquisition of Venice is much more favorable than it is in other parts of Italy where they either Burn them alive with a slow Fire or else cut off their Members one by one which are cast into the Fire before their Eyes after having first of all pluck'd out their
to my Natural inclination which prompts me to conceal the ill and to publish only the good Wherefore a little to refresh my wearied Pen and to comply with the desire I have to Honour the Memory of great men you 'l give me leave Sir I hope to give my self the Satisfaction of Relating to you an Action truly Vertuous and Memorable of S. John Gualbert This young Lord had a Brother whom he most tenderly loved who being engaged in a Duel was unhappily killed by his Rival Gualbert supposed it would be an Action worthy of his Honour and great Courage to endeavour to avenge the Death of his Brother To this purpose he engaged himself in pursuit of this Homicide who being fled he went in quest of him throughout all the Provinces of Italy It hapned at length that he met with him Disarmed in a way where he could not escape him The unhappy Wretch seeing him come towards him with his drawn Sword in his Hand cast himself Prostrate on the Ground Crying for Mercy but perceiving by his Thundering Voice and his inflamed looks that there was no Quarter to be hoped for laid his Arms a cross his Breast in expectation of the mortal Thrust Gualbert seeing him in this posture called to mind our Lord Jesus Christ hanging on the Cross who was so far from Avenging himself that he not only prayed for his Persecuters but died for them This thought having quite spoild his former design he alights from his Horse and instead of Running his Enemy through he freely forgave him kissed him and embraced him and tendered him ever after as his own Brother If the Italians and other Papists in stead of amusing themselves about the Superstitious worship of their Saints would once apply themselvee to imitate these lovely examples of their Vertues they would without doubt render themselves more acceptable to God neither would they be found so basely and abominably Avenging themselves as they do I return now to my Solitude of Valombrosa We arrived at this famous Abby where are some of the most Magnificent and Sumptuous Buildings that can be One of the Florentine Gentlemen that was with me had a Brother there who was the chief Person there next to the Abbot for whose sake we were very Civilly received The Monks here lead a very Commodious and Pleasant Life when they are weary of living in this Desert they make an enterchange with the Monks of Florence and thereby enjoy the pleasing variety of living one part of the year in the Country and the other in the City They have cut down for a quarter of a League round their Monastery all the great Fir-Trees that Shadowed it to give themselves more Air and to make the place more Healthy The next Morning we were led to the Hermitage of S. John Gualbert which is at about half a Leagues distance upon the Point of a little Rock which lifts up it self in the midst of the Valley being very craggy on every side In getting up to it we went round the Rock as by a winding Stairs for the space of about a quarter of an hour at the end of which we found our selves at the Top of the Rock where the Hermitage is which consists of a very neat Chappel curiously Guilt and Painted all over and a very hansome Set of Lodgings well Wainscoted and Painted all within with a Garden of a moderate size so that the whole is a meer Jewel There is no Monument left here of the ancient Cell of this Saint all the Buildings being new and Modern There is always a Father Hermit that dwells here with a Converse Brother to serve him Whenever the Hermit dies the Abbots of the Congregation of Valombrosa at their general Chapter make choice of a Monk of exemplary Life and a Lover of Solitude to reside there The great Abby is to furnish him with all necessaries of Life He has a very fine Library full of choice Books when he has a mind to Study and indeed the Hermit that was then in Possession of the place was a man of competent Learning and appeard to me a very honest man He made us a very fine discourse about the contempt of the World and the advantages of Retirement and Solitude Thô indeed there was no great need of it for we were already without all that so Charmed with the Beauty of this Hermitage that in case there had been more of the same cut Nature rather than Grace would easily â—ave persuaded us to become Hermits in order to enjoy an easy and pleasent Life without either care or trouble The Monks of Valombrosa have extreamly relaxed the strictness of their first Institution They are Clothed in Black and profess the Rule of S. Bennet thô indeed they observe but little of it The next day we set out very betimes in â—he Morning towards Mount Alverne This is â—â—e place where the Seraphick Father S. Francis â—â—under of all the Religious Orders that live under 〈◊〉 is Rule retir'd himself to spend his Life in Contemplation and where as they tell us he received the Impression of the sacred Wounds This days Journy was exceeding troublesome to us We went up from Valombrosa by the direction of a Guide we took along with us to the very Top of the Appennin and continued our way upon the same till we came to the Foot of Alverne This Mountain is discovered at a great distance and some maintain it to be the highest of all the Alpennin It hath nothing that is pleasing or delightful about it neither is any thing to be seen here besides bare Rocks without either Trees or Verdure It is so high that it seldom or never Rains there which was the reason we found no Snow here We got up to it with a great deal of trouble and difficulty by a very narrow way betwen extream high Precipices and we could not gain the Top of it till it was in a manner quite dark night Here we found a large Convent of Religious of the Order of S. Francis called by the Italians Soccolanti because of the Wooden-Socks they wear instead of Shoes The first thing we did was to enquire where we might Lodge for that night the Fathers told us there was an Inn close by for the Entertainment of Strangers Formerly these Religious exercised Hospitality towards all sorts of Persons that out of Devotion came to Alverne as the Fathers of Camaldule do to this day to those who come to visit the Holy Desert whereof I have spoken before but at present they are weary of this piece of service and do employ the Fund destinated to that purpose to their own advantage By bad hap for us there was no body in the Inn the Innkeeper with all his Family being gon to a Wedding a days Journy from the place so that we were obliged to return to the Convent and entreat the Fathers to afford us some shelter amongst them for that night since there was no
Original writ with his own Hand at Our Lady of Portiuncule which is a little Chappel in Umbria about five Miles from Assise Here it was as they tell us that he had many Revelations and Apparitions Amongst the rest they tell us of an Apparition of our Lord Jesus Christ who in consideration of the great Zeal of this Saint for the Salvation of Sinners granted to him as plenary an Indulgence as he could give that is to say an entire Remission of Guilt and Punishment for all those who the first day of August should visit this little Chappel So that the Grand Universal Jubile of the Holy Year is not more saving to Sinners than this of S. Francis Any person who on this day goes to visit that Chappel with intention to enjoy the advantage of this Jubile with saying five Paster Nosters and as many Ave Marias be he the most Abominable Sinner that lives on Earth becomes as Pure and Innocent as he was when newly Baptized and should he die in that Condition there is neither Hell nor Purgatory for him but would go directly to Paradise And conformable to this Belief of the Roman Catholicks and more particularly of the Italians there is such a prodigious concourse of People on this day from all parts that it causes a Famin in all the Country thereabouts and many are killed in the throng that is at the Door of the Church who then go to enjoy the Priviledge of their Indulgence in the other World Now seeing all this must not we avow that either the Roman Catholicks are very blind or else very negligent of their Salvation when in the most Important Affair Imaginable and the greatest concern of their Immortal Souls the Remissions of their Sins rely upon the word of a Mortal man Their S. Francis has told them that by going to such a place on such a day and there saying such and such Prayers their Sins with all the Chastisements due to them for the same shall be entirely forgiven them and that he has received the assurance of this from the Mouth of Jesus Christ himself who he saith appeard in particular to him for this purpose and without examining the matter any further they believe it they rely upon his word and cast behind their Backs O stupendous occaecation the Sacred Oracles of the Gospel which do seriously warn them that the only way to have their Sins Pardoned is true Repentance The Fathers Soccolanti of the Order of S. Francis who are extreamly enriched by means of this Devotion have built themselves in this place a very fair Convent and forasmuch as the Chappel was too little for their use they have built a great and Magnificent Church round about it so as the little Church stands now enclosed in the greater I never yet saw any place of Devotion in Italy which had not some fair Palace and a good Kitchin for the use and Accommodation of those who make the best of it which I confess makes them still the more suspect to me Five Miles distant from hence we met with Assise which is a pretty Town Situate on a Hill This is the place where S. Francis was Born and where they say his Body reposeth at the greaâ— Convent of the Franciscans in a Subterranean Chappel under the high Altar 'T is said that his Body and that of S. Dominick continue there without the least Symptom of Corruption and that they stand both upright on their Feet Hand in Hand without any thing to uphold them and that it hath pleased God thus to permit that these two Saints that had been so great Friends during their Lives should not be separated after Death This is a Mystery that is not suffered to be seen at present the Pope himself for all his pretended Power in Heaven and on Earth is not admitted to thâ—â— Priviledge since one of his Predecessors miscarried in the attempt who being resolved to take a view of this rare Wonder Died suddenly And soon after both these Saints appeared to an honest Franciscan-Fryar and told him that the like should happen to all those who should be so Fool-hardy 〈◊〉 attempt the same thing But yet notwithstandinâ— all this Tradition the Fathers Soccolanti who coâ—stitute a distinct Body from that of the Franciscaâ—â— assure us That they have the Body of S. Francis 〈◊〉 Portiuncule which as I have already said is not â—bove five Miles distant from thence as well as thâ— Dominicans maintain that they have the Bodâ— of their Patriarch in their Great Convent of Bononiaâ— Indeed the Reason why the Popes do not Visit this place is not because they are afraid of meeting Death there but because they are afraid of disobliging of one of these Potent parties I mean the Franciscans or the Dominicans since it is evident they could not make the Discovery without ruining one or other of these Devotions which would be a vast prejudice to these Religious Orders wherefore they like better to leave the People in Superstition and Error than to open their Eyes at their own Cost The Pope is oblig'd to cultivate and improve the Interest of the Monks forasmuch as they support his Interest The Third thing wherewith I design'd to entertain you before my closing of this LETTER concerning S. Francis is That amongst other things I saw a small Convent which he built himself with the Assistance of his Brethren in a Descent from the Apennin leading to a Town of Italy called The Borough of the Holy Sepulchre He lived in this Convent several Years and design'd it for a Model to those Convents of his Order that should be built for time to come To speak the Truth I never in my Life saw so wretched a Dwelling The whole Convent is nothing else but a company of Holes or Caves more proper to Lodge Bears than for Men to retire in Now I could wish that Men would a little compare this poor Hovel with those Magnificent Convents which his Children I mean those who profess to live under his Rule have built throughout all Italy to wit those Grand Convents of Rome Naples Venice and in a word of all the other Cities Have not the most Famous Architects exhausted their Art and rack'd their Brains to form the Model of them The most Renowned Painters employ'd their utmost Skill and choicest Colours to make all their Walls a pleasing and lively Story The most curious Guilders their finest Gold to make thereof Ceilings bright and luminous And lastly Have not the Bowels of the Apennin been ravag'd for the finest Marbles the choicest Jaspers and rarest Porphyries to form the Pillars that support them to Pave their Cloisters their Refectories and their Dormitories and to Compose all the Doors Windows and Chimneys of their Cells The Capâ—chin Fathers are the only Men that have witnessed some horrour for so extravagant a Pomp so diametrically opposite to the Laws of Humility and Poverty which they received from their Legislatoâ— S. Francis
her part Impressions from God There are but few that arrive to this Uppermost Story but when any are once got thither whatever Word they utter or Action they do 't is no more they themselves who Act or Speak but God that Speaks and Acts in them for as for them they never depart from this their intimate Union with God Whatsoever they Say or Speak in this State is very carefully heeded as being all Divine If they speak of Things past they are Revelations if of Things to come they are all Prophecies 'T is by this Door so many New Notions are entred into the Church of Rome which they believe as firmly as the Gospel tho' they have no other Foundation but the over-heated Brains of these Saints Many of these have themselves Pen'd their own Revelations as S. Brigit S. Melchilda S. Catharine of Sienna S. Gertrude and many others By means of these Saintesses the Church of Rome hath attain'd the knowledge of all the Particularities of our Saviours Passion how many Stroaks he received at his Whipping how often he fell to the Ground under the heavy burthen of his Cross how many Thorns pierc'd his Sacred Head and how many times they Spat in his Holy Face By the same way they have discover'd whatsoever hapned in the Manger at Bethlehem how the Blessed Virgin took the Veil from her Head and made Clouts of it for her Little Jesus what she said and did before she was Deliver'd of him and a vast Number of other Particulars which are not to be met with in the Gospel By this means they were informed of the Great Mystery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin when she ascended up to Heaven in Soul and Body the Discourse she had with the Apostles how she by degrees mounted up into the Air bestowing her Blessings all the way she went In a word almost all the new Doctrin of Popery is derived from this over-flowing Spring which is not yet dryed up nor ever will as long as there are any of these Prophetesses left in their Church To give more weight to these new Imaginations these Saints assured that Jesus Christ appeared to them very often and was become very Familiar with them that he talk'd with them as a Bridegroom does with his Bride and that they took occasion in these Familiarities to ask him whatsoever they desired to know Jesus Christ himself taught S. Catharine of Sienna to read he came and did blow the Fire for her he swept her Chamber as may be seen in the History of her Life by which means she had an occasion of Discoursing him often Others of them received Visits from Jesus Christ who came and Visited them accompanied with his Mother and his Apostles where they had great Conferences together and these Saintesses that heard them discovered many secrets and Mysteries in their Discourse which they afterwards Communicated to the Popes and the Church and this is that which at this day in a great Measure makes the difference that is between the Doctrin of the Papists and that of the Protestants Apud quos cessavit Propheta who have no Prophets to boast of There is never a Convent of Nuns in Italy that has not some Prophetess which is always some old Mother that hath been twice or thrice Superior of the Convent and who not being in a condition of doing any thing else applies her self to the Unitive Life During the long stay I made at Vicenza I often went to Visit the Abbess of the Nuns of S. Thomas I upon a time enquired of her concerning the State of her Nuns who told me that she had Forty four that were in the Active Life three in the Contemplative and one only in the Mystical or Unitive A young Countess who was in the same Convent and who was Visited by four or five Galants who came to see her at the Grate was got no further yet than the Active Life I will engage my self no further at present in entertaining you about the Nuns of Italy because probably I may have an occasion to do it more at leisure I return now to my she Saints whose Bodies remain Uncorrupt They were all three of them arrived at the Unitive State and have all of them left Prophecies behind them S. Rose of Viterbo did for a long time importune the Dominican Nuns of that City to receive her amongst them and to give her the Habit of their Order but the Nuns knowing she was extreamly poor and that she could not as the rest did bring Mony to the Convent refused her company and would not so much as receive her into the Number of their Convert Sisters The Saint understanding this their rejecting of her told them That tho' they would have none of her now she was alive yet they should be very glad to have her when she was Dead This Prophecy prov'd true for Rose being deceased with the Odour of Sanctity and many Miracles after the Italian manner being wrought at her Tomb these same Nuns desired her Body which was granted them The great Number of Masses which are procur'd to be said to her and the abundance of Alms that Travellers and Pilgrims do leave there makes them consider this Body at present as their greatest Treasure This Prophecy of S. Rose was very easy to be made she knew she was already far enough advanced in the good Opinion of the People for to make them esteem her a Saint after her Death She knew moreover that the Bodies of such are always very gainful that the Nuns of that Convent as well as others in Italy were very Covetous and that by Vertue of a Vow she had made to S. Dominicus they would not 〈◊〉 to demand her Relicks as of right belonging to them and so was in a Condition to Prophecy on a sure ground The Saint whose Body is to be seen at Monte Faucon is accompanied with something that is very remarkable they shew you all the Instruments of the Passion of our Saviour which they say were found in her Heart after her Decease they are all of dryed Flesh like as her Heart is They are very confused neither are all of them sufficiently distinguishable or Discernable They shew you likewise three little round Pellets of Flesh which they say were likewise taken out of her Heart One of these Pellets being laid in a pair of Scales weigh as much as all the three together and all the three weigh no more than one alone This makes them say That God was willing to Imprint in the Heart of this Saint a Resemblance of the most Holy Trinity for in like manner as these three Pellets tho' different in number yet make but one weight and that the weight of one alone is no less than that of all the three together so likewise tho' there be three Persons in the Holy Trinity yet there is but one Essence and one of these Persons is no less in Divine Perfections than
doth commonly at the end of every Meal bring in his Box for the Souls in Purgatory and desire his Guests to put in their Charity At the Time of Harvest and Vintage the Farmer sends some of his Emissaries into the Fields to carry on the Quest there for the said Souls they have great Wagons with them and beg some Portion of what is gather'd in Corn Wine Wood Rice Hemp even to the very Eggs and Hens Which done they either spend what they have got themselves or else sell it and turn it to Mony Now the poor Country People being extreamly Simple and Ignorant and the persons employ'd to Receive their Charity being very Subtil and Craâ—ty make them believe what they please themselves and so abuse them extreamly I over-heard once a poor Country-woman who gave some Hemp to some of these crafty Collectors saying She was very sorry she could not give them enough to make a great Shift of But one of the Quest-men told her That they would take care to make a little Shift of it for some small Soul in Purgatory They turn'd their Heads and laugh'd at the Simplicity of this poor Woman but not one of them had the Charity to inform her better Ignorance in the Church of Rome passeth for Simplicity and 't is to this Ignorant Simplicity or Simple Ignorance that they attribute that Blessing of the Gospel Blessed are the poor in Spirit Whereas it seems to me that this Poverty of Spirit is to be understood of a Simplicity equally devoid of Malice and Ignorance and of a Candid and Open Spirit without any foldings or deceit or else of those who having their Hearts set loose from the desire of the Riches of this World are the true Lovers of Evangelical Poverty But to speak Truth the Reason hereof is Because this Ignorant Simplicity is a thing of such exceeding Profit and Advantage to the Priests and Religious of Rome The more Idiots the People are the more easie it is to Chowse them and to Pick their Pockets This is Sir some part of what I have observ'd concerning the Use that is made of the Doctrin of Purgatory in Italy I might produce many Instances of every different Point I have Treated of in my LETTERS but commonly I alledge one only and very rarely two and indeed never but when some particular Circumstance which deserves ones Notice does oblige me to it I shall only add a word or two concerning their Pictures of Purgatory before I conclude this LETTER There is never a Church or Chappel in Italy which has not some large Picture in it representing Purgatory The Souls that are there are painted in the resemblance of Naked young Men and Women with some Flames surrounding them these Flames indeed are harmless enough because they burn not but I fear those infamous Naked Figures kindle very dangerous Flames in the Hearts of many Spectators An Italian having caus'd his Mistress to be painted in the Flames of Purgatory because she had refus'd him some Favours had these two Lines writ at the bottom of the Picture S' è così piacevole divederla in Purgatorio Che cosa sarebbe divederla nel Ciele His Fancy was this If it be so pleasing a thing to see her in Purgatory where the Flames hide some part of her Naked Body how great would the pleasure be to see her painted in Heaven stark Naked where no part of her Body would be hid For after this manner do they of the Church of Rome represent the Last Judgment and the Blessed Souls in Heaven They publickly expose these Pictures on their Altars and the People have them before their Eyes whilst they hear Mass I know what they alledge That this is done to impress these great Truths of Christianity the more strongly upon the Imagination as if Christians were only to be led by their Imaginations and not by their Reason They will have a man to submit his Reason in all things and at the same time spare nothing for to fortifie his Imagination Whereas the Protestants do quite the contrary they disregard and neglect Material things that so vigorously affect the Senses that they may worship God in Spirit and in Truth and render to him a reasonable Service They practise one thing in Italy which indeed is very horrible When a poor Criminal is led to Punishment he has always two Priests by his side who hold a Picture of Purgatory before his Eyes yea they go up the Ladder or Scaffold with him still holding the Picture before him till Execution be done and talk to him of nothing else Is not this indeed to double the Fright and Terrour of these poor Wretches who are but too much terrified already with the Death they see prepared for them The same thing they practise towards those that lie a Dying They place a Picture of Purgatory at the Feet of their Bed between two lighted Wax-Candles to make it appear with more lustre and the Patient is exhorted to keep his Eyes upon it Some are fain to beseech them to speak to them of the Goodness and Mercy of God because they are already sufficiently terrified with his Justice But for the most part they do but Knock at a Dead-man's Door for the Priests are so wedded to their Songs of Purgatory that if they chance to make a small digression they presently fall again into their old Track For my part I am of Opinion That after we have spoke to a Sick Person concerning the Justice of God of punishing of Sin in the other World by the Eternal Pains of Hell to the end to make him seriously examine his own Couscience it is very sitting afterwards to lay before him the great Mercy of God to raise his Hope and enflame his Charity We Fear God because he is Just to Punish but we Love him because â—e is kind to Pardon and surely 't is better the last Moments of a Christians Life should be spent in Loving God than in the Fears and Terrours of his Judgments This is that which hath cast many into those Terrours which wanted little of downright Despair But alas it is but too evident That the Doctrin of Purgatory was never contrived so much for the Comfort of Dying persons as for the Profit of the Living I mean of those Lazy Priests who think of nothing but of pleasing themselves and to enjoy Ease and Plenty in this World I should now come to speak something of the Principal Means they make use of to confirm and maintain their Doctrin of Purgatory which is to Preach it up with an incomparable Zeal and Earnestness I call to mind also that I promis'd you at the beginning of this LETTER to give you some account of their Manner of Preaching in Italy But forasmuch as I perceive my LETTER to be long enough already and that this Subject cannot be dispatch'd in few Words I shall reserve it for the next occasion I shall have of Writing to you
fine Thought of the Monk We need not wonder to find the Roman Catholicks boast of having the Fathers on their side for if at any time they are not so they soon make them come over to them by force and draw them in as we say by Head and Soulders In this case they do imitate another Italian Monk who not being able to make a Passage of S. Chrysostom favour a fine Thought was come into his Head he began to be in a Passion and having chang'd two or three Words in the Text which did in a manner spoil the whole sense of it he said in bad Latin but very expressive of what he would be at Faciam te bene venire and thus forc'd the Text to comply with his foolish Imaginations By this means it is these miserable Monks make those Venerable Ancient Fathers to assert that which they never thought of and can never be found in their Writings and all this is only to feed their Vain-glorious Humor and to obtrude their own Dreams for Authentick Truths own'd and believ'd by the purest Times of Christendom Moreover to set forth these their curious Thoughts with the greater lustre they do adorn them with many quaint Figures of Rhetorick all their Discourse being made up of Metaphors Allusions and Holy Allegories with a taking Elocution and curious select Words and all of them Antitheta or oppos'd to one another wherein the Italian Language is happy beyond others See here the fair and glittering Cup of Gold wherein the Whore mingles her Poyson Lyes and Errors to intoxicate the Souls of Men. This is the Wide Gate by which so many extravagant and dangerous Opinions are entred into the Church of Rome You may easily judge by the Nature of the Pasture of the Condition the Flock is in and by the Qualifications of their New Pastors I mean the Monks the wretched Estate of the Sheepfold committed to their charge These are those Pastors who shear the Wool and feed on the Fattest of the Flock but have little or no concern for the Salvation of their Souls so they may but glut and satisfie their Covetousness and Ambition Loredano a Noble Venetian so Famous in Italy for his witty and curious Compositions Writing to Almorò Grimani at Verona to recommend to him a Preacher of his Acquaintance exprest himself in his Letter to him in these Words Sene viene in cotesta Città il Padre Fra. Girolamo Olivi a far pompa d'Eloquenza nel corso Quadragesimale The Father Jerome Olivi goes to Verona to make a pompous Show of his Eloquence during Lent He saith not That this Monk goes to preach the Gospel or to strive to gain Souls to Jesus Christ but saith That he goes to make a Show of his Eloquence in which Words he very fully expresseth the Motive that puts these Monks upon Preaching I have no words Sir to express to you the Cabals Intriegues Sollicitations and Intercessions that are made to get into the best Pulpits that is to say those where the most Mony or Honour is to be got They interpose the Favour of Grandees and Princes to assure themselves of them and that Four or Five Years before they become Vacant There are some of these Pulpitsâ— that are worth to the Preacher for an Advent and Lent Four hundred Five hundred and Six hundred Crowns yea some of them a Thousand and more without reckoning their Share of the Alms given to the Poor As for those from whence there is no great profit to be expected the press is not so great and as for the poor Parishes in the Countrâ— where nothing at all is to be had there is not a Monk to be found that will bestow so much as one Sermon upon them They have ordinarily no Preaching in Italy save only during Advent and Lent On all other Feasts and Sundays of the Year they have no Sermons at the Parishes and instead thâ—reof they only Sing an High Mass in Musick but the Word of God is not preached at all in them Yet in some Convents of Monks they have Sermons in the Afternoon but these are Sermons peculiar to the Order of which the Monks are and always on the same Subject The Dominicans preach eternally on the Rosary the Carmelites on the Scapulary the Franciscans on the Rope of S. Francis and the Soccolanti have for their Subject S. Anthony of Padua True it is that these Matters are of themselves very dry and barren and I am astonish'd how they can continually make them yield something to Talk of One great Help indeed they have which is that the greatest part of their Sermons is made up of a Relation of Miracles which a Preacher of good Invention may almost with as much ease Coin as Utter The Jesuits also have erected in their Houses Congregations which they denominate from the Blessed Virgin where they preach all Sundays and Holy-days And to the end they may Have at all and draw to them all sorts of People they make a distinction of Persons they have one Congregation for Artizans and Handycraft-men another for Scholars a third for Merchants and a Fourth for Gentlemen and Noblemen They have also Set-days on which they Preach in their Churches to prepare People to Die well They have very happily possest themselves of this Post for it is exceeding gainful and profitable to them Upon this score it is that they are sent for to Exhort the Sick and such as lie at the point of Death which is the most proper time and fairest occasion for them to get themselves put into their Last Wills There is yet another sort of Preachers in Italy which I never saw in any other parts where the Popish Religion is profest These Preachers are call'd Preachers of the Place To give you a more distinct Idea hereof you must know Sir that in the Great Cities of Italy towards Evening when the great Heat of the Day is past the Italians of what Rank or Quality soever they be go and take a Walk in the Piazza Here it is they give Audience and discourse about their Business If any has a mind to meet with any person about that Time the first thing he does is to go and look for him at the Place Here you are sure always to meet with a great number of Ballad-Singers Juglers Mountebanks Fortune-Tellers and other such like who find their greatest profit amongst the greatest Crowds And the People do not fail to get about them for their Diversion and Recreation and amongst these you meet with more Priests and Monks than Lay-men for after they have discharg'd themselves of their Masses in the Morning there are none more Idle than they all the rest of the Day No sooner are the Mountebanks got up to their Stage but at the same time by what Motive or Zeal I know not a Monk with a great Crucifix carried before him with a little Bell they Ring to give Notice of his Coming mounts a