m 
MENDICANTS. 
irernect, with an atmoft univerfal and abfolute fway, both 
hate and church, filled the inofi: eminent ports eccle- 
•fiaftical and civil, taught in the univerfities and churches 
with an authority before which all oppofition was filent, 
and maintained the pretended majefty and prerogatives of 
the Roman pontiffs againft kings, princes, bifhops, and 
heretics, with incredible ardour and equal fuccef's. The 
Dominicans and Francifcans were, before the Reforma¬ 
tion, what the Jefuits became after that period, the very 
foul of the hierarchy, the engines of the ftate, the fecret 
fprings of all the motions of the one and the other, and 
the authors or directors of every great and important 
event both in the religious and political world. To the 
Dominicans, it is well known, we owe the inftitution of 
the Iiufuijition. 
It is however certain, that the mendicant orders, though 
they were confidered as the main pillars of the hierarchy, 
and the principal fupports of tire papal authority, in¬ 
volved the pontiffs, after the death of Dominic and Fran¬ 
cis, in many perplexities and troubles, which were no 
l'ooner dilpelled, than they were unhappily renewed ; and 
thus the church was often reduced to a ftate of imminent 
danger. Thefe tumults and perplexities began with the 
contefts between the Dominicans and Francifcans about 
pre-eminence, in which thefe humble monks loaded each 
other with the bittereft inveiffives arid the fevereft accufa- 
tions, both in their writings and their difcourfe, and op¬ 
posed each other’s interefts with all the fury of difap- 
pointed ambition. Befides this, the Francifcans were 
early divided among themfelves, and fplit into feveral 
factions, which gathered ftrength and confiftence from 
day to day, and not only difturbed the tranquillity of the 
church, but ftruck at the fupreme jurifdiftion and prero¬ 
gatives of the Roman pontiffs. And whoever confiders 
with attention the feries of events that happened in the 
Latin church from this remarkable period, will be fully 
convinced that the mendicant orders, whether through 
imprudence or defign, gave feveral mortal blows to the 
authority of the church of Rome, and excited in the minds 
of the people tliofe ardent defires of a reformation in the 
church, which produced, in after-times, fuch fubftantial 
and fuch glorious eftefts. 
Some of the popes, and efpecially Benedict XII. were 
perfectly acquainted with the prevailing vices and l'can- 
dalous cohduff of the greateft part of the monks, which 
they zealoully endeavoured to reftify and remove; but 
the diforder was too inveterate to admit of a cure. 
The Mendicants, and more efpecially the Dominicans 
and Francifcans, were at the head of the monaftic orders, 
and were, indeed, become the heads of the church. So 
extenfive was the influence they had acquired, that all 
matters of importance, both in the court of Rome, and 
in the cabinets of princes, were carried on under their 
fupreme and abfolute direction. The multitude had 
fuch a high notion of the fan&ity of thefe fturdy beggars, 
and of their credit with the Supreme Being, that great 
numbers of both fexes, fome in health, others in a ftate of 
infirmity, others at the point of death, earneftly defired 
to be admitted into the mendicant order, which they 
looked upon as a fure and infallible method of rendering 
heaven propitious. Many made it an effential part of 
their laft wills, that their carcafes, after death, ftiould be 
wrapped in old ragged Dominican or Francilcan habits, 
and interred among the mendicants. For fuch was the 
barbarous fuperftition and wretched ignorance of this 
age, that people univerfally believed they fhould readily' 
obtain mercy from Chrift at tire day of judgment, if they 
appeared before his tribunal aflbeiated with the mendi¬ 
cant friars. 
The high efteem in which the mendicant orders were 
held, and the excefllve degree of authority they had ac¬ 
quired, only ferved to render them Hill more odious to 
fuch as had hitherto been their enemies, and to draw 
upon them new marks of jealoufy and hatred from the 
higher and lower clergy, the monaftic focieties, and the 
public univerfities. So univerfal was this odium, that 
there were fcarcely a province or uriiverfity in Europe, 
in which bifhops, clergy, and doflors, were not warmly 
engaged in oppofition to the Dominicans and Francif¬ 
cans, who employed the power and authority they had 
received from the popes in undermining the ancient 
difeipline of the church, and affuming to themfelves a 
certain luperintendence in religious matters. In England, 
the uni verlity of Oxford made a refolute ftand againft the 
encroachments of the Dominicans, while Richard arch- 
bifhop of Armagh, Henry Crump, Noris, and others, at¬ 
tacked all the mendicant orders with great vehemence 
and feverity. They had alfo many opponents in France, 
who, together with the univerfity of Paris, were fecretly 
engaged in contriving means to overturn their exorbi¬ 
tant power. They fuffered little or nothing, however,*— 
from the efforts of thefe numerous adverfaries, being re- 
folutely proterifed againft all oppofition, whether open or 
fecret, by the popes, who regarded them as their bed 
friends, and molt effectual fupports. 
In the 15th century, it was obferved, that a quarrelfome 
and litigious fpirit, a delire of encroaching upon the rights 
and privileges of others, aninfatiable zeal for the propaga¬ 
tion of fuperftition, and the itch of difputingand of ftarting 
abfurd and intricate queftions of a religious kind, pre¬ 
vailed among thefe Mendicants, and drew upon them 
juftly the difpleafure and indignation of many. It was 
this wrangling l'pirit that perpetuated the controverfies 
which had fubfifted fo long between them and the bi¬ 
fhops, and indeed the whole facerdotal order. Thefe 
complaints were conftantly repeated in all the provinces 
where the Mendicants had any credit; and the fame 
complaints were often prefented to the court of Rome, 
where they exercifed fufficiently both the patience and 
fubtilty of the pontiffs and their minifters. The different 
pontiffs that ruled the church during this century, were 
differently affefted towards the Mendicants ■, fome pa¬ 
tronized them, others oppofed them ; and this circum- 
ftance frequently changed the face of things, .and, for 
a long time, rendered the decifion of the conteft dubious. 
The perfecution that was carried on againft the Beguiiis 
became alfo an occafion of increafing the odium that had 
been caff upon the begging monks, and was extremely 
prejudicial to their interefts. For f the Beguins and Lol¬ 
lards, to efcape the fury of their inveterate enemies, the 
bifhops, frequently took refuge among the Francifcans, 
Dominicans, and AugUftinians, hoping that, in the pa¬ 
tronage and protection of thefe powerful and refpefted 
focieties, they ftiould find a fecure retreat from the cala¬ 
mities that oppreffed them. Nor were their hopes en¬ 
tirely difappointed here ; but the ftorm that had hitherto 
purlued them fell upon their new patrons and protec¬ 
tors, the Mendicants ; who, by affording a refuge to a 
fed: fo odious to the clergy, drew upon themfelves the 
indignation of that facred order, and were thereby 
involved in difficulties and perplexities of various 
kinds. 
The Mendicants preferved fome degree of credit till 
the dawn of the reformation in the 16th century. At 
length their rultic impudence, their ridiculous fuperfti- 
tions, their ignorance, cruelty, and brutifh manners, 
alienated from them the minds of the people, and dimi- 
nifhed their reputation from day to day. They had the 
moll: barbarous averfion to the aits and fciences, and ex- 
prefled a like abhorrence of certain eminent and learned 
men, who endeavoured to open the paths of l'cierice to 
youth, and to recommend the culture of the mind. In 
fhort, their general character, together with other cir- 
cutnftances, concurred to render the reformation defi- 
rable, and to accomplifh that happy event. 
Among the number of Mendicants are alfo ranker the- 
Capuchins, Recollefts, Minims, and others, who are- 
branches or derivations from the former. 
Buchanan tells us, the Mendicants in Scotland, under 
an appearance of beggary, lived a very luxurious life 5, 
whence one wittily called them, not mendicant (begging), 
but mmtdncant (eating), friars. 
