CAPUCHIN
321
CAPUCHIN
to Rome anil whilst there obtained from Clement VII
leave to wear t lie Capuchin habit and to live in strict-
est poverty. Matteo di Bassi was finally led to this
Step by an incident which recalls to mind the history
of St. Francis. The friar had been attending a funeral and was returning to his convent, when he met a beg- gar by the wayside barely clad. Moved with compas- sion, Father Matteo gave the beggar part of his own clothing. Shortly afterwards the friar was in prayer when lie heard a voice, which three times admon- ished him, saying. "Observe the Rule to the letter". Whereupon he arose, and took an old habit, and made a long pointed hood out of the cappa, and donning the habit at once set out for Rome. This story, retailed by all the earliest chroniclers, makes it certain that the aspiration to observe the rule to the letter was the one compelling motive of the reform, and that the taking of the habit with the long pointed hood was the symbol of this aspiration. For the habit in this shape was supposed t" be the original form of the Franciscan habit, whilst t he habit with the cappa and small round- ed hood was held by many to be an innovation intro- duced with the spirit of relaxation. Certain it is that the habit adopted by Father .Matteo and his followers was known in the order before their time. In the Vic- toria and Albert Museum, London, is a copy of an altar- piece dating from the fifteenth century, representing Our Lady with a number of friars gathered under her outspread mantle; and they are wearing a habit sim- ilar in form to that of the Capuchins, In a picture of St. Francis in the library of Christchurch, Oxford. attributed to Margaritone. we find the same form of habit; and in at least one other instance of early portraiture of the Seraphic Saint he seems to have been represented with a habit of this sort. (See "On the Authentic Portraiture of St. Francis of Assist", by N. H. J. Westlake, London, 1S97.) Thomas of Celano again seems to speak of it as a novelty that a certain friar went about wearing a habit "with the hood not sewn to the tunic" (II Celano, 32 — ed. d'Alencon, Rome. 1906). And at the Ognisanti, in Florence, is preserved a habit . said to be one worn by St. Francis, the hood of which is sewn to the tunic. At any rate the reforming friars, in assuming the pointed hood sewn to the 1 ia bit . claimed to be assuming the form of habit worn by St. Francis and the first friars, and in their eyes it was a symbol of their return to the primitive observance.
In putting his hand to the reform. Matteo di Bassi had no intention of separating himself from the juris- diction of the Observants; he thought rather to intro- duce the reform amongst them. All ho asked from Clement VII was liberty for himself and other friars of a like mind t < > wear the habit of St. Francis, to ob- serve the rale strictly in accordance with the earliest tradition, and to preach the Wurd of God in the world.
From the days of St. Francis himself the liberty of the stricter observance had been allowed; and the friars enjoying such liberty had usually dwelt apart in small houses or hermitages, but under the effective jurisdic- tion of the superiors of the order. But when, on Mat- te., di Bassi's return from Rome, two other friars.
of Fossombrone and his brother Raphael, sought to join the new reform, they were stoutly opposed by the superiors, especially by the minister provincial, John of Fano, who, however, himself eventually joined the Capuchins. Nevertheless, the two friars
it length, through the intervention of the Duke of Camerino, allowed to proceed to Rome. On 18 May. 152(1, they received from the Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina, the Grand Penitentiary, the Brief, Ex parte vestra", whereby clement VII formally allowed them , together with Matteo di Bassi, to' separate from the community of the observants and live in hermitages, in order that they might be free to observe the rule as they desired; and, to protect them against molestation on the part of the superiors of the order, III — 21
they were placed under the protection of the Bishop
of Camerino. They were by the same Brief permitted
to aggregate others to their manner of life. They
were, however, still considered to belong to the Ob-
servant family, though separated from the commu-
nity; but on 3 July, 1528, owing to the continued op-
position of the Observant superiors. Clement VII, by
the Bull "Religionis zelus", released them from their
obedience to the Observants and constituted them a
distinct family of the order, in a certain dependence,
however, upon the Master-General of the Conven-
tuals, to whom it belonged to confirm the vicar-gen-
eral to be elected by the new reform.
In the following April. 1529, the first chapter was held at Albacina. At this time the reform numbered eighteen friars and four convents or hermitages. Matteo di Bassi having been elected vicar-general, the chapter drew up the new constitutions designed to safeguard the primitive observance of the rule. No one can read these "Constitutions of Albacina" with- out being struck with the similarity of tone and pur- pose between them and the "Speculum Perfectionis", about which so much has been heard since M. Paul Sabatier published his edition in 1898. The provi- sions relating to poverty and studies would almost seem an echo of that celebrated legend. Thus, when "hermitages or monasteries" are to be erected, the constitutions decree that no more land is to be taken than is in keeping with their poor estate; the houses are to be built, if possible, of mud and wattles, but earth and stones may be used where wattles cannot be obtained; the churches, however, shall be of more becoming structure, yet small and narrow. The friars are to bear in mind the admonition of St. F'rancis that their churches and houses must be such as to proclaim that those who dwell in them are but pilgrims and strangers on the earth. The houses are to be built outside the cities or towns, yet not far distant from them. In the houses near large cities not more than twelve friars might dwell, and in the other houses not more than eight — " for such indeed was the will of St. Francis as is set forth in the chronicles of the Order." The proprietorships must always be vested in the municipality or the donor, who may turn the friars out at will, and should this happen the friars are to go out at once without delay and seek another place. To each house a hermitage must be attached, where the friars may retire for solitary contemplation. In regard to alms they were not to quest for meat, eggs, or cheese, but they might receive these things when offered spontaneously. They were never, how- ever, to lay in a store of food, but "to depend on daily alms. At the utmost 'hey might receive sufficient food to last for three days, and rarely for one week. They are forbidden to have syndics or procurators to receive property for them. — "No other syndic shall their be for us save Christ our Lord: and our procurator and protector shall be the most Blessed Virgin Mother of God; our deputy shall be our blessed Father Francis: but all other procurators we absolutely reject." The preachers were to be kept busy in the vineyard of the Lord, not only during Lent, but at .11 other times. They were not, however, allowed to use many books;
two or three at most were deei 1 sufficient. Their
sermons were to be simple and plain, without studied rh.t..ri<-; nor were they to be allow..! to receive any remuneration for their preaching, (lasses for the study of literature were not to be established; but they might study the Scriptures and such devout authors as "love God and teach us to embrace the Cross of Christ". The friars were not to hear the confessions of seculars except in cases of extreme necessity. In the houses of the order only one Mass was to be said each day. at which all the priests should be present, except on Sundays and solemn feasts, when all might celebrate; nor were they to receive any honoraria for Masses. They were, more-
