I. First, beginning with the former conclusion, " that the parish church was The first

a place more fit and convenient for the confessions or burials of the parishioners ^ioif pro- to be used, than any other exempt church or place of the friars." Which he poned. proved by three causes : first, for the more sureness or certainty to the con- I'robation science of the parishioners confessed. Secondly, for their more utility and profit uYiJi',"'^^ of them. Thirdly, for the less incommodity ensuing by confessions taken in Commo- parish churches, than in friars' churches. dity.
1. As touching the first, for the more assuredness and certainty, thus he argued First jiart upon the place in Deuteronomy, "Unto that place which the Lord yom- God °^.*''^ shall assign of all your tribes, to place his name and dwell therein ; thither elusion " shall you resort, to offer up your oblations, tithes," &c. And in the same place con- God saith, " See thou offer not thy sacrifice in every place that liketh thee, but S''™^''- in that place alone which the Lord hath elected in one of the tribes ; and
thou shalt do in all things as I command thee." Also upon the words of Le\'iticus, [vi. 6,] which be these, " Whosoever sinneth of ignorance shall offer to the priest, and he shall pray for him, and he shall be forgiven," &:c. Upon these places thus he argued : That forasmuch as the sacraments of the church are to be frequented and used in no other place, but only in that, which, by God himself peculiarly, is assigned and commanded for the same ; and seeing that elect place in the law representeth the parish churches ; neither can it be proved that the friars' church is the place prescribed of God, but only permitted by bishops of Rome ; he concluded, therefore, that parish churches, for confes- sions and burials, were more sure and certain to the conscience of parishioners, than the exempt places of the friars.
By another reason also he confinned the same, for that while the parish chui-ch Coniinn- commonly standeth free from the pope's interdict, so do not the churches of the ''^ ^y friars, which stand not so clear, but that they are inider suspicion and doubt of reason, the pope's interdict, by the Decretal, " De sepulturis,"in Sexto cap. " Animarum periculis." In that Decretal, all such conventual churches and church-yards of friars be interdicted, as do induce any person or persons, either by oath or pro- mise made, to choose their burying places in their churches, as commonly the friars are reported to do ; for else what parishioner would forsake his own church and parish where his ancestors do lie, to be hurled among the friars, if the friars did not induce them so to do? ^
2. Mureovei-, for tlie second part, concerning the utility of the place, that seamA he confirmed doublewisc; first, for that contession made within the parish p:iit oi church, hath a double merit of obedience, both for obeying the commandment J-onJiul' of God in opening his confession [thus he speaketh according to the bliiulness sion ron- of that time, for that auricular confession hath any conunandment of CJod cannot fir'ni-'il-
758 OUATION 01- AUMACIIANLS AGAINST BEGUlNc; I'KIAKS.
Edwnrd be proved] and also in obeying tbe connnandnient of God in observing the ^^'' place by him appointed ; which second merit of obedience lacketh on the friars'
1360* Secondly, he proved it to be greater utility for a parishioner to confess him
1- in liis parish church, than with the friars ; because, commonly, the number of
Anither christian people jiraying is ten times more in parish churches. Whereby it is tion '(""he '" ^^ thought, that each singular person may better be helped through more hccoiul pravers, than in the oratories of the friars, &'c.
•**" "^ 3. FurtI.er, as touching the third part of thetirst conclusion or article he proved,
article! that it luul fewer incoinmodities lor every man to resort to his paiish church Third than to the friars ; for that both great utilitj- and more certainty (as hath been part of the proved) did ensue thereof: which two being taken away (as must needs, in elusion resorting to the friars' church), then two special commodities should be hindered, proved, and go great incommodities thereof should follow. And thus much for the
place of the friars. Second H. Now to the second conclusion or article, touching the person of the friar, and
conclu- of the ordinary' curate. If the \jV\c\e "^ *'*^ office of ecclesiastical administration ; the opinion of Armachanus was, Three re- that the ordinary curate was better than the extraordinary friar ; and that for spects or jjjg (jn-ce aforesaid respects, to wit, for certainty or assurance, for utilitj-, and for to be inconnnodity to be avoided.
proved. ). First, that it is more sail' i^nd siu'e fur the parishioners to resort to tlieir
ordinary or parish priest, he argued by three reasons ; first, because the person of the lawful ordinary, or priest, is expressly of God commanded ; whereas the person of the friar is not, and therefore is forbid.
Secondly, because the parishioner may more tnjst to his ordinary curate ; as one who is more bound and obliged to provide, and to be careful for him, than any other extraordinary person.
Thirdly, because in the person of the ordinary curate, commonly there is no doubt of any interdict to bind him ; wherea.s on the contrary, in the friar's behalf there is good matter to doubt, whether he stands bound under the pope's censure of excommunication or not, snd that for divers causes, as by the chap- ter " lleligiosi" in the Clementine I)e dccimis ; where it is decreed that all such religious men who, having no benefices or cure of souls, presume to impropriate imto them (by any manner of colour or fraudulent circumvention) glebe-land, or else tithes due unto churches, and not appertaining to them, do incur the sentence of excommunication, ipso facto. Also by another chapter, " Religiosi," in the Clementine De jjrivilcgiis, where it is said, that all such religious men are Fri.irs exconmumicated de facto, whosoever do absolve any against whom the sentence beexcora° °^ excommunication hath been denounced by statute provincial, or synodal ; as muni- it is commonly said, that tlie friars, hearing men's confessions, are accustomed cated by to do, in loosing them, whom the censures of prelates or their officials have ^e pope s bom^d. Whereof the said Armachanus bringeth forth an example in his own diocese : " For I," said he, "in mine own diocese of Armagh have as good as two thousand under me, who, by the censure of excommunication every year denounced against wilful nuirderers, common thieves, burners of men's houses, and such-like malefactors, stand accursed; of all which number, notwithstand- ing, scarcely fourteen there be who come to me, or to any about me, for their absolution. And yet all they receive the sacraments as others do, and all because they be absolved, or because they feign themselves to be absolved, by none other than the friars ; who, in so doing, are proved to be under the danger of excommunication, both the friars, and also the parishioners, if they, knowing thereof, do consent to their error."
Also out of the said Clementines, he proved the friars to be excommunicate by a three-fold sentence in one chapter, to wit, in the chapter " Cupientes" of the Clementine Ue pociiis. In which chapter, First, all such religious men are cxconnnuiiicate, as, in their sermons, presume to withdraw their hearers from their tithis paying, due unto churches.
Secondly, in the said chajjter all such friars are suspended from preaching, und so arc excommunicate, who, within a certain time, did not make a concion to such as come to their confessions, in paying their tithes tndy and duly to the chinch.
Thirdly, in the aforesaid chapter also, all such religious persons be bound in
OKATION OI" AUMACHANUS AGAINST BEGGING FRIARS. 769
excommunication, who induce men by any manner of means, either by vow, Edward
oath, or promise, to choose their burials within their churclics, or not to change _J^^:
the same, if they have made any such promise before. In all these three jioints lie proved the friars to be culpable ancl exconuuunicate.
Moreover, that it is the more sine way for the parishioners to resort to their ordinaries than to the friars, he argueth thus : for thai ihe ordinary being pro- vided for by the law of God and the church, his parishioner will the less that the suspect him of imposing unreasonable penances for filtiiy lucre' sake : whereas, P^^'slu- ^ contrary, the fruirs nuist needs be suspected, for that they have their living more thereby. safely go
2. Thus the first part of the second conclusion or article being proved and J.° j^jg argued, Armachanus proccedctli further to prove the second part : " That it is than to better for the parishioners to leave the friars, and to resort to their own pastors. ^'^^ friars. "Which he proved by eight or nine reasons." ifimV^art