Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

THE BLACK DEATH.
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meat of youths who had purposed to be clerks, but
were not competent to be parish priests. Clement
VI. granted a Bull to the Bishop of Norwich, allowing
him to dispense with sixty clerks who were only
twenty-one years of age.1 Sometimes the newly
ordained had not even been clerics. Many who had
lost their wives in the plague, though they could
hardly read, much less understand, the liturgy, were
admitted into Holy Orders. This necessity is explained
by the fact that the parish churches were
for the most part deserted, and that there wras literally
no one to distribute spiritual food to the people. At
Oxford the schools were shut, and the scholars dis-
persed themselves, or succumbed to the plague.2 A
second visitation occurred in 1361. It was called/the
lesser plague, yet it swept away vast numbers, and
seven bishops amongst others. In 1368 it reappeared
for the third time, and again in 1370,1381, and 1382.
What wonder is it that the fatal scythe of the Black
Death produced a " universal loosening of the bonds
of society"3 Yet it was only a sensible image of
what had gone before-the loosening of morals,
which had been as a plague to so many souls.
William of Wykehani, bishop of Winchester in
1366, had grown rich by royal favour, which he forfeited
in the latter years of Edward. Considering
the ravages produced in the ranks of the clergy by
1 Gasquet, i. 2.
- Life of Willium of JVykeham, Lowth. p. 94.
3 Gasquet, i. 4.
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