The Council of Rouen, held, A. D. 1074.
IN the Year 1074. the same Arch-bishop John, held onother Council at Rouen with his * 1.1 Suffragans, in which he publish'd Fourteen Canons.
The First imports, That to extirpate Simony, 'tis forbidden to buy or sell any sort of Benefice, whether it be an Abbey, Arch-deaconry, Deanery or Cure of Souls, and to exact any thing for admission into Orders.
The Second, That Abbeys shall only be bestow'd on those who are well vers'd in Mat∣ters of Church-Discipline, by the means of a continu'd practice of it for several Years.
The Third, That the ancient Constitution shall be observ'd, which prohibits to entertain any Clerk, without a Letter of recommendation from his Diocesan.
The Fourth, That several Orders shall not be receiv'd on the same day.
The Fifth, That the Sub-deacons, Deacons and Priests, shall not be ordain'd but upon making a solemn Profession, according to the Injunctions of the Council of Toledo.
The Sixth, That Monks or Nuns, who have fallen into any publick notorious Enormity, shall be excluded for ever from the exercise of their Functions.
The Seventh enjoyns, That the Monks and Nuns take care exactly to observe St. Bene∣dict's Rule.
The Eighth, That Clergy-men who are ordain'd, shall be instructed in those things which are express'd in the Eighth Canon of the Eighth Council of Toledo.
The Ninth, That Christian Burial shall not be deny'd those Persons who die suddenly, if they do not actually lie under the guilt of some notorious Crime: nor to Women with Child, or newly brought to Bed.
The Tenth, That no Credit shall be given to the Depositions of those Persons, who under a colour of a scruple of Conscience, declare that they have had to do with the Sisters or Re∣lations of their Wives, to have a pretence to leave them, unless they bring sufficient Proof of the Matter of Fact.
The Eleventh, That they shall likewise be oblig'd to the same thing, who give it out that they did not receive all the inferiour Orders, when they were ordain'd Priests, on purpose to get an opportunity to quit the Sacerdotal Functions.
The Twelfth, That Clergy-men degraded for their Misdeameanours, shall not have the liberty to lead a secular Life, as Laicks.
The Thirteenth, That those Persons whose Marriage is declar'd Null, because it was con∣tracted with near Relations, shall live continently till they be married to others.
The Fourteenth, That the Christians shall not have any Jews for their Slaves, nor any Jewish Women for their Nurses.
Some time after, this Arch-bishop of Rouen falling Sick of a Palsey, King William the Con∣queror demanded a License of Gregory VII. to substitute another Clerk in his room. This Pope gave orders to Hubert Sub-deacon of the Church of Rome his Legat, with the Bishops and Abbots of the Province, and the Clergy of the City of Rouen, to enquire whether John de Bayeux their Metropolitan were really capable any longer to perform the Episcopal Functions, and in case it appear'd so, that they should exhort him to consent to the Election of another