The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

92
HISTORY OF THE POPES.
How deep seated this evil was is clear from the fact that
during the whole of his reign Pius V. was forced to take
action against it year after year. Prostitutes who had left
their quarters were ^constantly whipped, and others expelled.
A proof of the anxiety which the Pope felt for the conversion
of these fallen women is to be found in the fact that in August,
1567, he persuaded six elderly ladies to devote themselves
to this difficult task.^ Those who returned to a better man-
ner of life received large alms, so that they might not relapse
into their former state. The segregation of the incorrigibles
was made even more complete in the autumn of 1569 by the
erection of walls and gates round their quarter, like the
Ghetto.^ Lodgings were subjected to a very strict police
supervision, and since this constantly gave rise to incon-
venience, in 1570 all women under forty years of age, even
though married, were forbidden to let rooms.
The Pope watched over the sanctity of family life very
carefully and nothing escaped his attention. Thus he forbade
young girls from being employed as servants,^ while an
loc. cit., lo-ii. In his *Diarium (Miscell., Arm. XII., 31, p. 143)
Firmanus states : *" Die dominica 24 [Novembris] fuit praedicatum
in multis ecclesiis Urbis, vicinis habitationibus meretricum,
de ordine rev°" vicarii Suae S*^^^ , et solum meretrices iverunt at
non aliae personae." Papal Secret Archives.
^ See the *Avvisi di Roma of 1567-1569 in App nn. 28-34, 53-57.
60-65, Vatican Library. For the last years cf. Bertolotti,
loc. cit. 13 seq., where, however, the dates are often wrong
(p. 13 the Avviso di Roma of May ly belongs to 1571, as does that
of July 14 on p. 14.).
^ See the *Avviso di Roma of October 17, 1569, in App.
nn. 60-65, Vatican Library.
3*Avviso di Roma of September 9, 1570, Urb. 1041, p. 339;
" 20 donne " who
ibid. 342b and *Avviso of September 20, 1570 :
kept " camere locande," are imprisoned (Vatican Library).
According to an *Avviso of September 9, 1570, in the State
Archives, Vienna, it was ordered that the married women who
let rooms must be at least 50 years of age.
* See *Avviso di Roma of June 5, 1568, Urb. 1040, p. 525.
According to an *Avviso of July 12, 1567, the following edict was