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.

MARCULPHUS.

THIS Author's Preface, to his Two Books to Forms, shews, that he was a French Monk, and that he made that Work after he was 70 Years old, and Dedicated it to a Bishop Named Landericus, but seeing he does not say, of what place he was Bishop, some have thought, it was. Landericus of Paris a, who was famous in the Reign of Clovis the Son of Dagobert, towards the Year 660. Others pretend that it is a Bishop of Meaux, who lived in the time of Pepin and Charles the Great, towards the Year 780.

However, these Forms are of the time of the Second Race of our Kings, for Marculphus having written them about the 70th Year of his Age, and having gathered the Forms in use in the time of his Ancestors, and those but in small number, there can be no doubt, but the most part of them are very Ancient.

We shall speak here but of those concerning Ecclesiastical Matters.

The First is the Form of a Privilege granted by a Bishop to a Monastery. It is directed to the Abbot, and the whole Society of the Monastery. Therein he says, That being willing to provide for their Quiet, and conform himself to the Custom, according to which the Mona∣steries of Lerins, Agaune, Luxeuil, and a great number more, enjoy the privilege of Liber∣ty, he made the following Constitutions, to be observed by the Monks, and the Bishops his Successors; That the Monks shall receive Orders from the Bishop; That he shall Bless the Altars in their Church gratis; That he shall every Year give them the Holy Chrism, if they demand it of him; That he shall make him their Abbot that shall be chosen out of them∣selves, by the unanimous consent of the Society; That he shall in no wise meddle with the Affairs, Persons, or the Revenues, present or to come, belonging to the Monastery; That he shall take nothing of what shall be bestowed upon them, nor of their Offerings made upon their Altars; That he shall not come into their Monastery unless he be called into it; And when he shall be desired to go thither, after the Celebration of the Mysteries, he shall with-draw, to leave them in Peace; That the Abbot shall correct his Monks, and that the Bishop shall not suffer them to be in the City.

In the Second Form, The King confirms the Exemption granted by the Bishop, particular∣ly as to what concerns the Revenues, and extends the prohibition of Invading them to all sorts of Persons.

The 3d is a Form, Whereby the King Exempts the Bishop's Lands from the Secular Juris∣diction.

The 4th is the Confirmation of an Exemption already granted.

The 5th is a Form directed by the Prince to the Bishops, whereby he enjoins them to Or∣dain such a Person, chosen by him, with the Bishops and Lords of his Realm, to be Bishop in the room of a Bishop deceased.

The 6th is an Order of the Prince to a Bishop to Ordain him whom he hath chosen.

The 7th is a Request of the Inhabitants of a Town to the King, to beseech him to Elect such an one Bishop of their Town. At the foot whereof is the Prince's Order. These Forms do shew, That from that time the Kings of France enjoyed the Nomination to Bishopricks, and that Bishops were Ordained by the Metropolitans, without any need to go to Rome.

The 14th, 15th, and 16th, are Forms of Donations made to some Churches by their Princes.

The 19th is a Permission of the Prince to make a Man Clerk for the Service of a Church, or a Monastery, and to cut off his Hair.

The 26th is an Order of the Prince to the Bishop, to give again to a private Man a Farm belonging to him, if not, to send one in his Name into his Court, to give an account of that business.

The 27th is an Order to the Bishop to reprove an Abbot, or another Clerk, guilty of some Injustice.

The 35th is a Confirmation of the Privileges of a Monastery.

The Six first Forms of the Second Book, are Forms of a Donation, or Abandoning of Goods to an Hospital, Monastery, or Church!

The 30th is the Form of a Private Separation between the Husband and the Wife.

The 39th is a Form whereby Two Persons give to a Church the propriety of Two Inheri∣tances, belonging to each of them, upon condition, that they shall have the use of them du∣ring their Life, and that the Surviver shall enjoy them both.

The 40th is the Bishop's Consenting to that Deed of Use.

The 42d is a form of a Letter of one Bishop to another, when he sends him the Eulogies at Easter.

The 43d is the Bishop's Answer upon the receiving of them.

The 44th and 45th are forms of Letters of a Bishop to the King, or Queen, or to another Bishop, about Christmas-Day.

The 46th. 47th. 48th. and 49th. are Forms of Commendatory Letters. The first to recom∣mend one to a Bishop, known. The second to recommend him to an Abbot. The third to recommend to an Abbot a Person desirous to enter into a Monastery. The last to recommend one willing to go in z Pilgrimages to the Tombs of S. Peter and S. Paul the Apostles.

Among the other ancient Forms of France, which M. Bignon hath publish'd , together with those of Marculphus, there are some more found concerning the Church, as the 11th. which is a Cession made to a Church; the 12th. which is a Form of a Commendatory Letter given to Clerks; the 26th. 27th. and 28th. which are Donations to Churches; the 44th. which is a Form of Exemption given by the King to a Monastery of Virgins; the 45th. is a Confir∣mation of that Privilege.

Among those which are according to the Roman. Law, there are Forms of Donation to a Church, N. 1, 34, 35, 36, 37, and 38. and lastly, in the last Forms, published by M. Bignon, there are also found Forms of Donations to Churches, and Commendatory Letters of Clerks.

Notes

• [Formula∣rum Ecciesi∣asticarum.]
• Marcul. phus.
• a

  Some have thought it was Landericus of Pa∣ris.] M. Bignon is of that mind, but M. Launoy be∣lieves, it is the Bishop of Meaux, and he proves it, 1. Because Marculphus says in his Forms, that in his time there was an infinite number of Mona∣steries in France: which he pretends cannot agree with Clovis and Dagobert's time, and proves it by Eligius's Life written by S. Owen, l. 1. c. 21. where it is observed, There was not then such a great number of Monasteries in France, and that those that were there, were not very regular. 2. Be∣cause in Marculphus there be several manners of Speech, which he pretends were not in use but since Clovis and Dagobert's time. F. Labbe is of Mr. Bignon's Mind, and pretends even to shew who that Marculphus is, because in the Life of S. Au∣strogesilus, Arch-Bishop of Bourges, there is menti∣on made of one Marculphus by Name, who was a Reader during the Life of Austrogesilus, and was af∣terwards Abbot of that Saint's Monastery, in the Suburbs of Bourges. What is said of Marculphus in that place, happen'd in the time of Etherius of Ly∣ons, who was Dead in 601. Marculphus might then be Fifteen, or Twenty Years old, he wrote his Forms being above Seventy Years of Age, which comes up to 560.
• [Some Portions or small pieces of the con∣s••crated Bread, in token of Communi∣on.]
• z

  [To go in Pilgrimage to the Tombs of S. Peter and S. Paul the Apostles.] Soon after that Peace was settled in the Church by Constantine, the first Christian Empe∣ror, and sacred Learning and Knowledge began to flourish, several inquisitive Persons, that they might gain a more lively and thorough Knowledge of the historical Parts of the Old and New Testament, travelled into the Holy Land, to see the Places so frequently spoken of in the Holy Scriptures, where most of the Matters were transacted. Upon which ac∣count it is that S. Jerom, who travelled thither for the same Reason, saith, That it is a Confirmation of our Faith to see the Ground on which Christ's Feet did tread. In imitation of these Men's practices did others travel to Jerusalem out of Devotion soon after, placing much Religion in visiting and worshipping the Places of Christ's bodily Presence. But the Fathers of these Ages sharply reproved this growing Superstition. Heaven (saith S. Jerom) is as near thee at home as at Jerusalem, and why wilt thou travel thither, as if Christ were only to be found there. Some make it a part of Religion (saith S. Cyril) to have been at Jerusalem, but Christ never commanded it, and what can justify us, to make that a part of Religion which Christ doth not? All this did not yet so repress it, but after that Image and Saint-worship was brought into the Church, Pilgrimages to the Tombs of Saints and Martyrs became more frequent, and at length were imposed, and encouraged as Meritorious, and procuring Pardon of Sins. Innocent III. granted Pardon of all Sins, to all that went in Pilgrimage to the Holy Land; and Boniface VIII. to all that went to Rome to visit S. Peter and S. Paul's Tomb. Clement VI. granted these Pilgrims to Rome a Power to free the Souls of four of their Relations or Friends out of Purgatory, and gave com∣mandment to all the Angels in Heaven, to carry the Souls of such as dyed in Pilgrimage, to Heaven immediately. Thus Pilgrimages became a necessary part of Religion; and because very gainful to the Popes and their Metropolis, were much encouraged and practised, till the Truth recovered strength again by the Reformation, and by enlightning Men's Minds, put out the Superstitious Conceits of the Flames of Purgatory.]
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.] Hieron. ep. 154.
• Hieron. ep. 13.
• [At Paris in 1613. octavo, and 1666. quar∣to.]