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

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THE ORDERS IN SPAIN. 25I<br />

in <strong>the</strong> hands <strong>of</strong> bishops who were not <strong>the</strong>mselves religious, and<br />

had no experience <strong>of</strong> monastic affairs.^ For all <strong>the</strong>se reasons<br />

<strong>the</strong> briefs had to be written and rewritten several times befora<br />

<strong>the</strong>y were thought to comply with all <strong>the</strong> existing require-<br />

ments.-<br />

<strong>The</strong> reforming zeal <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pope specially had in view <strong>the</strong><br />

Spanish Conventual Franciscans, who had a bad name with<br />

him ;<br />

<strong>the</strong> same thing applied to those o<strong>the</strong>r religious bodies<br />

which, following <strong>the</strong> example <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Franciscans, had divided<br />

into two branches, one more strict, and known as <strong>the</strong> Observ-<br />

ants, and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r more mitigated, and called Conventuals.<br />

Pius V. now sought to counteract that tendency to decadence<br />

which followed upon <strong>the</strong> extension among <strong>the</strong> Spanish convents<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> less strict branch, by putting an end altoge<strong>the</strong>r to this<br />

division in <strong>the</strong> Orders, and making <strong>the</strong>m all Observants.<br />

<strong>The</strong> bull which was issued for this purpose on December 2nd,<br />

1566,^ complains in its preamble <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bad state <strong>of</strong> so many<br />

Orders which for a long time past had been drifting away <strong>from</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong>ir original rule, and especially <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> scandalous life <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Franciscan Conventuals, with regard to whom King Philip<br />

had asked for <strong>the</strong> intervention <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pope."* <strong>The</strong> Pope <strong>the</strong>re-<br />

fore ordains that <strong>the</strong> bishops, toge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong> Provincial<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Observants, and ano<strong>the</strong>r religious <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> stricter manner<br />

<strong>of</strong> life, shall introduce <strong>the</strong> reform into all <strong>the</strong>ir convents.<br />

Those who had hi<strong>the</strong>rto been Conventuals must make over<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir houses to <strong>the</strong> Observants, and suffer <strong>the</strong>mselves to be<br />

1 Requesens 13 (18 ?) September, 1566, ibid. 339.<br />

^ Requesens, December 8, 1566, ibid. 409.<br />

3 Bull. Rom., VII., 494.<br />

•*<br />

Cf. *Fragmento d' una lettera del Re di Espagna [d. d. 15 Nov<br />

1563] con un Memoriale circa gl' abusi de Regolari : Cod. Ottob<br />

2519 (Varia diversorum t. XII cardinalis Ludovisii) p. 200-209<br />

<strong>The</strong> Memoriale ibid. 202b-204. Ibid. 204-205 : De reformatione<br />

regularium et conventualium. (" Rex catholicus petit revocari<br />

omnia privilegia " etc.) ; p. 205-209 :<br />

Memoriale<br />

d' alcuni capi<br />

occurrenti sopra la reformatione di Espagna (" Che si representa<br />

a S. S*'^ la necessity che e di riformare nelU regni di CastigUa,<br />

Aragon, Valencia "). Vatican Library.

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