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 .v. Chapiter. ¶The maner of shauyng priestes crou∣nes, who maie no•• be prieste, what age he muste bee of.

THE common and gene∣rall badge of al Priestes is y^e shauen croune,* 1.1 wher by the Clergie is desse∣uered from the Layitee,

and bee putte in remembraunce by it how thei ought all together to relin∣quishe and dispise all carnall plea∣sure, and worldely treasure, and en∣sue after heauenly thynges, whiche bee eternall. This as Beda writeth,* 1.2 grewe into a custome, and was de∣creed by a constitucion, to the entente that the thyng whiche was before approbrious, might growe to honour and comelines. For Peter what time he preached at Antioche,* 1.3 was scor∣ned and mocked bycause of his balde hedde, or shauen croune, and it was a contumeliouse thyng bothe emong the Romaynes and Lumbardes too bee shauen. I thynke the originall cause of it did proceade of the cere∣monies of the Nazarees,* 1.4 which whē thei had liued lōg tyme) as Iosephus telleth verie deuoutly), thei shaued their heddes and sacrificed the heire in the fire too God whereby thei sy∣gnified that thei did dedicate theim selfes wholy to liue in a Godly per∣feccion. Samuel was a Nazaree, and Samson also. I suppose,* 1.5 that this rite of the Nazarees came oute of E∣gipte where the Priestes were custo∣mably

shauen in token of sorowe and heuinesse for the deathe of their God Apis. And thei were also shauen dai∣ly bycause thei should bee withoute filth in their quoridian sacrifices.

THE significacion of the priestes crounes is to declare that thei ought to reiecte terrene and yearthely sub∣staunce,* 1.6 reseruyng to theimselfes on∣ly a compitente sufficience.* 1.7 Anacle∣tus first forbad priestes to haue bear∣des, or long side heire.

Siricius decreed that all those men that were twyse maried, or wedded a widdowe should bee no prieste. A∣nastasius cōmaunded that none that was lame or maymed should bee ad∣mitted to bee a priest. Bonifacius in∣stituted that no manne could bee a priest afore he wer thirty yeres olde,* 1.8 for that was the age of pristes in the olde lawe: But the counsail of Late∣rane thought it sufficient if he were xxv. yeres olde, after the example of the Leuites, whiche at that age mini¦stred in the tabernacle.* 1.9 Anacletus al∣so appoyncted that euery Bishoppe should bee stalled and consecrated of their other auncient bishoppes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The shauen croune is the prestes badge
• * 1.2

  Occacion of shauyng crou¦nes.
• * 1.3

  Peter was mocked for his baldnesse
• * 1.4

  Shauē crou∣nes came of the Nazarees
• * 1.5

  Priestes of Egipte wer shauen.
• * 1.6

  What the croune signi∣fieth.
• * 1.7

  Anacletus forbade prie∣stes too haue beardes.

  Siricius de∣cree of theim y^t were twyse maried.

  Lame mēne maie not be priestes.
• * 1.8

  The age of priestes.
• * 1.9

  Stallyng a bishoppe.