The vnmasking of all popish monks, friers, and Iesuits. Or, A treatise of their genealogie, beginnings, proceedings, and present state. Together with some briefe obseruations of their treasons, murders, fornications, impostures, blasphemies, and sundry other abominable impieties. Written as a caueat or forewarning for Great Britaine to take heed in time of these romish locusts. By Lewis Owen.

Of Ieromite Monks.

IEROME the sonne of Eusebius, borne in the Towne of Stidonium in the Prouince of Dalmatia, after such time, that he had spent many yeares at Rome in study, repaired to the Prouince of Iudea, and there built him a Cottage neare Bethlem, where hee liued many yeares in fasting, praying, and writing, whose diuine workes are still extant. Where∣upon many other men afterwards, by imitation indeuouring to lead that kinde of solitary life, called themselues Hierony∣miani or Ieronymiti, but (alas) they were farre contrary to him ether in life, discipline or doctrine. From Saint Ierome (or to say the truth, from these Hieronymiani) the Ieromite Monks doe borrow, or vsurpe their first origine or begin∣ning, and doe pretend (though most falsly) that this great Doctor was the only man that first erected their Order, and gaue them their Rule. They weare a kinde of a sandy co∣loured

habite downe to their heeles, and a cloke of the same colour, likewise to the ground: some of them weare shooes and stockins; and others, that are more hypocriticall, weare sandales. They haue great Abbeyes and large possessions, and abound in wealth, wheresoeuer they liue. And their chiefest dwelling is in Italy and Spaine, for in other Coun∣tries they haue but a few or no Monasteries at all. The truth is, one Carolus Granellus, a Florentine, was the first Author of this Sect, who liued many yeares after Saint Ierome; and he was the first that built an Abbey for them in the hilles of Fessulana in Italy: howbeit, there are others that attribute this Institution to Redo, Earle of Montegranello, and that they obserued at the first the Rule or Order of Saint Austen of Fesula, and that Pope Gregory the twelfth ratified and confirmed their Order. There are others of them, that brag, that Saint Ierome instituted this Order, when he liued in the wildernesse of Iudea, and that Eusebius Cremonensis did in∣crease and augment this family. To conclude, they them∣selues cannot tell who was their Institutor. They are now di∣uided into two Sects, that is to say, Hieronymiani Eremitae, and Hieronymiani Simpliciter, England (God be praised) is not troubled with these Ieromite Monks, and therefore I will proceed to suruey the rest of these disordered Orders, ma∣king as much speed as I can, to come to speake of the Men∣dicant or begging Friers, with whom (I am afraid) I shall be more troubled than with these rich Monks and Friers.