The apology of the Church of England, and an epistle to one Seignior Scipio…

16. Petrus Alliacensis complained much in the Council of Constance, concerning the Avarice and Insolence of the Court of Rome: But what did he gain by it? What part of their Avarice or Insolence was ever restrained by the Authority of any Council? and he moved too that the number of Holy Days, and the Herds of lazy Monks might be diminished; and another (in a certain Work which is called the Tripartite, and is put in the end of the Council of Lateran) saith, that the whole World is scandalized, and speaks against the vast ⟨p. 164⟩Multitude of begging Friars, and the Fathers in that Lateran Council say, We command all men strictly for time to come, not to invent any more new Religious Orders. From these times to ours, what has been done concerning Holy Days I know not, but it is highly probable there hath been no diminution of them: but the Order of Monks hath been infinitely increased; for the late Popes have added the Jesuits, the Capuchins, and the Theatins, as if we had not had before a sufficient Swarm of Idle •ellies. John Gerson, Chancellor of Paris offered to the Fathers of the Council of Constance a Catalogue of LXXV. Abuses in the Church of Rome, which he earnestly desired might be reformed; but now of so great a number, what one Abuse have they since reformed? Johannes Picus Mirandula writes to Pope Leo, that he would diminish the number of vain Ceremonies, and curb the Luxury of the Priests. After this, a great number of Bishops met in the Lateran Council, with a mighty expectation of the whole World; but what one Ceremony did they cut off? What one Priest did they punish for Luxury and Wickedness? the Poet Mantuan complained (by name) of the Manners of the Church of Rome. St. Bernard the Abbot wrote thus to Eugenius the Pope, your Court sometimes receives good Men, but it makes none: the bad do there thrive, the good are ruined. And concerning the miserable state in which the Church then was, he writes that from the Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Foot there is no soundness. And again, where is he that preacheth the acceptable year of the Lord? they do not (saith he) in these ⟨p. 165⟩times keep but corrupt the Spouse of Christ; they, do not keep, but kill and devour the Lords Flock. Pope Adrian the VI. when he sent his Legate into Germany, did ingeniously and truly confess that the state of the whole Clergy was extremely corrupt: