A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

The Constitutions of Cardinal Gallo, drawn up in the Year 1208.

GAllo Cardinal Deacon of St. Mary's, who liv'd under the Pontificate of Innocent III. and was sent * 1.1 by that Pope as his Legate into France, has left us several excellent Constitutions about the Behavi∣our of the Clergy drawn up in the Year 1208.

In the First, he condemns all the Priests and other Ecclesiasticks who kept in their Houses suspicious Women, excepting those Clerks who were of the Minor Orders, who might marry, but not hold their Benefices with their Wives. He orders, That the Ecclesiasticks should be admonish'd not so much as to keep their Mothers, or their Wives, or any of their Nearest Relations in their Houses.

In the Second he prohibits under pain of Excommunication, the demanding any thing for Baptism, Burial, Benediction, and the rest of the Sacraments of the Church; and yet he allows, that Laicks should be admonish'd not to refuse out of a Motive of Avarice, what the Faithful were us'd to give out of Devotion to testifie the respect they bore to the Sacraments.

The Third and Fourth prohibit the Clergy and Beneficed Persons from wearing red Habits, or such as were made in the fashion of the Laicks Habits.

The Fifth prohibits Monks from wearing sumptuous Robes, or of any other Colour than Black.

The Sixth prohibits the Clerks and Monks from being Usurers or Merchants under the Penalty of Excommunication.

The Seventh enjoyns the Superiours to put these Constitutions in Execution.

The Eighth and Ninth import, That they shall admonish the Scholars to observe them, and if they will not, then they shall be declar'd Excommucate by the Chancellor, who shall have no correspondence with them till they have made satisfaction, and receiv'd Absolution from the Bishop, or in the Bishop's Absence from the Abbot of St. Victor. Lastly, He enjoyns the School-masters to explain these Consti∣tutions themselves. These last Articles shew, that these Orders were made at Paris.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Constituti∣ons of Cardinal Gallo, in the Year 1208.