An abridgement of the notable woorke of Polidore Vergile conteignyng the deuisers and firste finders out as well of artes, ministeries, feactes & ciuill ordinaunces, as of rites, and ceremonies, commo[n]ly vsed in the churche: and the originall beginnyng of the same. Co[m]pendiously gathered by Thomas Langley

❧The .iii. Chapiter. ¶Of the Hierominians, Chanons, Chat¦terhouse Monkes, Whyte frears, Crouchefryes with other.

HIERONIMIANS had theyr beginnyng of s. Hierome,* 1.1 whiche leauyng his natyue coūtre went into Iu∣ry, and ther not farre frō Bethlehem builded him an house where he liued very deuoutly the lat∣ter ende of his life, in the tyme of In∣nocentius the .vii. The yere of our lorde .M.CCCC.v. After his exam∣ple other counterfetted a resemblant of perfeccion namyng thē selues Hie¦ronimians, wearyng their cloothes of whyte, and a coope playted aboue

ouer their coate girde with a leather gyrdel.

There were also certayne Heremi∣tes called Hierominians of the foun∣dacion of one Charles Grauel of Flo¦rence,* 1.2 which made him selfe an Her∣mite of the same religion in the moū∣taynes of Fessulus: other there be, y^t say one Redo earle of mount Granel did institute them in Fessulus in the tyme of Gregorye the .xii. Yet there be, that say that the originall of this brotherhod was instituted of Hierom in deserte, & that Eusebius of Cremo∣na with other deuoute and holy men,* 1.3 whiche kept conuersacion with him did enlarge and augment the familie of that profession.

As concernyng the Channons re∣guler, ther be two opinions:* 1.4 for some saye that Austen by and by after he was created byshoppe broughte hys Chānons in this rule and fourme of liuyng, wherin they haue bene so lōg trayned and noseled vp: other some bragge and make their vaunt, that it was deuised of the Apostles, and of this opinion was Thomas of Aquine But howsoeuer the matter go: Austen

was doubtles ether the inuentour of the secte, or renewer of it, and ther∣fore maye be iustlye taken for an au∣toure of that faction, and so was he likewyse of Augustines Hermites. The Chanons clothyng was a white cote,* 1.5 & a linnyn rochet vnder a blacke coape with a scapuler to couer their head and shoulders:* 1.6 The Hermites haue a contrary vesture, a blacke coat with alike scapuler and another coat of whyte, & a lether gyrdle. Of these there be diuerse orders. As y^e order of s. Sauiour of the scopettines,* 1.7 whiche wer ordeined by one Steuen & Iames two men of Senes in the tyme of Vr∣bane the .v. the yere of Christ .M.ccc.lxx. and Gregory the .xi. by his con∣sent confirmed thē in their hipocrisie

The Frisonaries is another brood which began among the Hetrurians in the countie of Luces,* 1.8 that is other wise called lateraneuse, by the diuise of Iames Britiane in y^e tyme of Ihō the .xxiiii. the yere of Christ .M.cccc.xii. & thei were amplified & encreased bi Eugenius the .iiii. The .iii. order is titled y^e brethred of s. Gregory,* 1.9 de Al¦ga, this was ordeyned at Venece by

Laurence Iustinian in the time of In∣nocencius the .vii. y^e yere of our lord. M, cccc.vii. with diuers other orders whiche forsomuche as they rise sodē∣ly like toad stoles in a raine, I wyl o∣mit thē. Bruno of Colen, y^e red some∣time the philosophi lecture at Paris did institute the Charterhouse mon∣kes in the diocese of Gracianopolis,* 1.10 at a place named Cartusia in the yere of our lord .M.lxxx. vnder Gregorye the .vii. their life was outwardly ful of painted holines, in forbering flesh fasting bread and water eueri friday, ful of solitarines, muche silence, euer pinned in, and women were banished out of the house, with other sembla∣ble ceremonies. The Carmelites or white friers wer,* 1.11 as some say begon in mount Carmelus after the exam∣ple of Helias y^e prophet, which liued their lōg solitary, they wer fyrst assē∣bled together by Almericus B. of An¦tioch, y^e yere of our lord .M.clxx. in y^e time of Alexander the .iii. & they wer so called our Lady friers of a chapel of our lady y^t was in y^e hil Carmelus. Neuertheles vpon .cccc. yeares after in the tyme of Innocentius the third

they were reformed by Albartus by∣shop of Hierusalem,* 1.12 accordyng to the rule of Basilius, and the colowre of their coape was turned into whyte by Honorius the third where afore it was russet.

The order of Pemōstratenses was instituted in the diocesse of Laudune by Northbergus a priest,* 1.13 and the pre∣ceptes of that couent were gathered out of s. Austens rules, and admitted for good by Calixtus the seconde, in the yere of our lorde .M.C.xx.

The Crouch or crosse Friers began about the yere of our lorde .M.cc.xv. by the diuise of Cyriacus bishoppe of Hierusalem,* 1.14 whiche shewed Helene mother of Constantine wher y^e crosse lay hyd: And in memorial of y^e crosse, he caused this brotherhod & colledge of Friers to beare the crosse, And yet they neuer knew what y^e crosse weied in their bodyes or in their heartes, & forsomuche as they were sore wasted Innocentius the .iii. renewed the re∣ligion.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hieronimi∣ans.
• * 1.2

  Heremites Hicronimiās
• * 1.3

  Eusebius Cremonēris.
• * 1.4

  Chānon re∣guler.
• * 1.5

  Chanons apparel.
• * 1.6

  Hermites Augustines.
• * 1.7

  The order of Chanons or Hermites. Scopettines.
• * 1.8

  Frisonaries.
• * 1.9

  Brethren of saint Grego∣ry de Alga
• * 1.10

  Charterhous monkes.
• * 1.11

  Carm••lites.
• * 1.12

  Carm••lites clothyng is chaunged.
• * 1.13

  Piemonstra∣tenses.
• * 1.14

  Crochfriers.