historical and political thought in the seventeenth - RePub - Erasmus ...

Chapter 7. The mistress of life
not fall under the authority of the magistracy. This made them a refuge for all
kinds of criminals. 112 Another negative effect of cloisters and monasteries was
the economic disruption they caused. Because the monasteries were exempted
from paying taxes, the clergy could sell their goods at a lower price than lay
people could, who were obliged to pay taxes. The ‘common man was robbed
of all means to make an honest living’ and ‘the shops in the towns ran out of
business’, while ‘there was a rush towards the cloisters’. 113 But the poverty of
the people carried with it an even greater danger: it threatened the well-being
of the commonwealth itself. ‘The peace and quiet of the subjects cannot be
maintained without war; and war cannot be waged without payment, and
payment cannot be found elsewhere than from the means of the subjects.’ 114
Charles the Bold lost his wars with the French and the Swiss because his subjects
lacked the means to support his war efforts. On top of that, the clergy,
who were rich and had sufficient means, had stubbornly refused to give any
financial aid, thereby putting the Dutch provinces in great danger. 115 But then,
112 Ibidem, p. 113.
113 Ibidem, p. 190. The charters ‘dan oock maecken mede gewach, ende doen verbot van allerhande
neeringen, die in de Cloosteren doe ter tijdt overal in Nederlandt gedaen werden, sulcx dat de gemeine
Man benomen wierde alle middel om eerlijck te conne leven. Ende voorwaer te deser tijdt was daer niet
van weereldtlijcke winste ofte het smaeckte ende wierde neerstich ingetrocken bij de Geestelijcke, in
allen schijn gelijck of het hier voornamelijck toestondt sulck gewin, men onlijdelijcke vercortinge van
de arme ende suchtende gemeinte, naer te jagen. Dit doen dructe des te meer den borger door dien de
Geestelijcke hare waeren ende werck veel beter coop conden geven als andere alsoo sij den borgeren
opgeleghde lasten niet waren onderworpen. Daer quam by dat een iegelijck, groot ende cleyn, vreesde
de Geestelijcke, ende haer de penninck gonde boven andere, om hare gonste te vercrijgen. Dus raecten
in de Steden de winckels neeringloos, ende de Cloosteren hadden den toeloop’.
114 Ibidem, pp. 207-8. ‘Dat de andere ondersaten vervallen waren van middelen, ende de Geestelijcke
sulcx door hare alle instockende gierigheyt verrijckt, dat thans bij desen alleen, tot voorstandt van
de algemeine Saecke ende voeren van lastige oorlogen, bequame middelen waren te vinden. Dat men
ruste ende vrede der ondersaten niet konde behouden sonder oorlogh; ende den oorlogh niet voeren
konde sonder soudije; ende dat dese niet gevonden konden werden als uyt de middelen der ondersaten.
Dat dusdanige lasten den naem lasten niet redelijck en droegen onder den rijcken; voornamentlijck
Geestelijcke welcker landt ende zandt bij naer oneindelijck wierden bevonden. Dat sij oock dien volgende
haer thans niet wel beriepen op de eertijdts opgemaeckte Wetten tot voordeel ende ontlastinge
van de Geestelijcke, die eertijdts sittende in armoede ende met den honger en commer vechtende, thans
alleen met de grooten rijckdom ende overvloedt van alles belast waren tegen de nootdrustigheyt van
hare Vorsten?’ So reads the comment of ‘some lay people’ on the struggle between Charles the Bold,
on the one hand, and the clergy in Flanders, Brabant and Holland, on the other. The quote contains a
sententia derived from Tacitus. The sententia in question is a free transcription from the speech that the
Roman commander Petilius Cerialis held to the Germans tribes of the Treviri and Lingones. ‘Tyranny
and warfare were always rife throughout the length and breath of Gaul, until you accepted Roman
government. Often as we have been provoked, we have never imposed upon you any burden by right
of conquest, except what was necessary to maintain peace. Tribes cannot be kept quiet without troops.
You cannot have troops without pay; and you cannot raise pay without taxation. In every other respect
you are treated as our equals.’ Tacitus, The Histories, IV.74.1-2, p. 223.
115 The origin of the struggle between Charles the Bold and the clergy of Flanders, Brabant and
Holland was Charles’s quest to find extra funding for his wars. In this quest he had first evaluated the
possessions of the clergy and then had them taxed. However, the clergy in Flanders, Brabant, and Holland
refused to comply to Charles’s wishes and sabotaged Charles’s endeavours by mounting all kind
of counter-attackes. Boxhorn, Nederlantsche historie, pp. 200-7. For Charles’s policy versus the clergy, see
219