104 HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY. 



north of France, 1220 ; the JServltes, by Monaldi, near Florence, 1223 ; the 

 Jeromites, who were divided into Hermits of St. Jerome of Spain and Hermits 

 of St. Jerome of the Observance^ 1429, the Congregation of Peter Gambretti, 

 1337, and Hermits of St. Jerome of Fiesole. 1360. Other classes of Augus- 

 tine monks were, the Jesuates, founded by John of Columbino ; the Brigit- 

 tines, founded by St. Brigitta, 1344, at Western, near Lynkoping, in Sweden ; 

 the Carmelites, founded in 1208, by Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and 

 divided into two branches, the barefoot and the shod. PI. B2yfig. 16, barefoot 

 Carmelito in his mantle ; fg. 17, Carmelite nun in her surplice. 



After the twelfth century various religious orders were formed, who, not 

 satisfied with the secluded and inactive life of the cloister, sought to extend 

 the sphere of their usefulness beyond its walls. The first among these were 

 the Trinitarians or Mathurines (order of Mercy), who were established, in 

 1198, by John of Malta and Felix of Wales. The institution was dedicated 

 to the Trinity, and devoted itself, among other objects, to the liberation of 

 Christian slaves. Soon after, the Roman see established the orders of the 

 Mendicants, or begging friars, who were to prevent the increase of know- 

 ledge. The pope conferred upon them the most important privileges, e.g. 

 exemption from all civil and ecclesiastical jurisdiction, permission to preach 

 and collect alms, hear confessions, perform masses, and sell indulgences every- 

 where. In form, their constitution was a military one, the superiors exacting 

 strict subordination and discipline from the subalterns, and aiming at the ele- 

 vation and grandeur of the hierarchy. The two great branches of this society 

 were : 



1. The I)ominica?is (Jacobins, Evangelists, Mendicants), founded in 1212 

 by St. Dominicus, at first an order of ecclesiastics or preachers, but afterwards 

 commissioned with maintaining the Inquisition. They adopted the rules 

 of St. Augustine. PI. 32, fig. 26, Dominican monk ; fig. 27, Dominican 

 nun. 



2. The Franciscans (Cordeliers, Minorites, Fratres minores, &c.), founded 

 by St.. Franciscus of Assissi, in the beginning of the thirteenth century. 

 They assumed a variety of names, according to their objects and condition : 

 the Barefoot (Soccolanti), who were again subdivided into the Oiganized 

 Franciscans (Cordeliers, Observantines), the Austere (Reformati, Recollecti, 

 &c.), and Most Austere (Alcantarines, cfcc.) ; and the Covered or Shod Fran- 

 ciscans (Conventuales), to whom belong the Capuchins, established at Flo- 

 rence in 1525, by Matthias of Bassi, and afterwards many others. This order 

 also embraced the Ccesarines, Celestines, Spirituales, Clarenti?ies, Fraticelli, 

 and Minimes, the latter having been founded in Calabria, in 1435, by Francis 

 of Paula. PI. 32, fig. 22, Capuchin monk in his mantle ; fig. 23, the same 

 going to officiate at mass in Rome; pi. 33, fig. 3, a Minime : fig. 15, a 

 Franciscan nun of the order of St. Elizabeth. 



At the period of the Reformation these various societies attracted peculiar 

 attention, and many of them could not pass the examination to which 

 they were subjected in order to test their usefulness. Some orders, 

 therefore, embraced new objects, the members devoting themselves to 

 attendance upon the sick, to the study and practice of medicine, to the 

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