Divitis hic magni facies erit,omnia late Qui tenet,et sicco concoquit ore famem."The mountains are full of herds and horses,the woods well stored with swine and goats,the pastures with sheep,the plains with cattle,the arable fields with ploughs;and although these things in very deed are in great abundance,yet each of them,from the insatiable nature of the mind,seems too narrow and scanty.
Therefore lands are seized,landmarks removed,boundaries invaded,and the markets in consequence abound with merchandise,the courts of justice with law-suits,and the senate with complaints.
Concerning such things,we read in Isaiah,"Woe unto them that join house to house,that lay field to field,till there be no place,that they be placed alone in the midst of the earth."If therefore,the prophet inveighs so much against those who proceed to the boundaries,what would he say to those who go far beyond them?From these and other causes,the true colour of religion was so converted into the dye of falsehood,that manners internally black assumed a fair exterior:
"Qui color albus erat,nunc est contrarius albo."So that the ure seems to be fulfilled concerning these men,"Beware of false prophets,who come to you in sheep's clothing,but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."But I am inclined to think this avidity does not proceed from any bad intention.For the monks of this Order (although themselves most abstemious)incessantly exercise,more than any others,the acts of charity and beneficence towards the poor and strangers;and because they do not live as others upon fixed incomes,but depend only on their labour and forethought for subsistence,they are anxious to obtain lands,farms,and pastures,which may enable them to perform these acts of hospitality.However,to repress and remove from this sacred Order the detestable stigma of ambition,I wish they would sometimes call to mind what is written in Ecclesiasticus,"Whoso bringeth an offering of the goods of the poor,doth as one that killeth the son before his father's eyes;"and also the sentiment of Gregory,"Agood use does not justify things badly acquired;"and also that of Ambrose,"He who wrongfully receives,that he may well dispense,is rather burthened than assisted."Such men seem to say with the Apostle,"Let us do evil that good may come."For it is written,"Mercy ought to be of such a nature as may be received,not rejected,which may purge away sins,not make a man guilty before the Lord,arising from your own just labours,not those of other men."Hear what Solomon says;"Honour the Lord from your just labours."What shall they say who have seized upon other men's possessions,and exercised charity?"O Lord!in thy name we have done charitable deeds,we have fed the poor,clothed the naked,and hospitably received the stranger:"to whom the Lord will answer;"Ye speak of what ye have given away,but speak not of the rapine ye have committed;ye relate concerning those ye have fed,and remember not those ye have killed."I have judged it proper to insert in this place an instance of an answer which Richard,king of the English,made to Fulke,{63}a good and holy man,by whom God in these our days has wrought many signs in the kingdom of France.
This man had among other things said to the king;"You have three daughters,namely,Pride,Luxury,and Avarice;and as long as they shall remain with you,you can never expect to be in favour with God."To which the king,after a short pause,replied:"I have already given away those daughters in marriage:Pride to the Templars,Luxury to the Black Monks,and Avarice to the White."It is a remarkable circumstance,or rather a miracle,concerning Lanthoni,that,although it is on every side surrounded by lofty mountains,not stony or rocky,but of a soft nature,and covered with grass,Parian stones are frequently found there,and are called free-stones,from the facility with which they admit of being cut and polished;and with these the church is beautifully built.It is also wonderful,that when,after a diligent search,all the stones have been removed from the mountains,and no more can be found,upon another search,a few days afterwards,they reappear in greater quantities to those who seek them.With respect to the two Orders,the Cluniac and the Cistercian,this may be relied upon;although the latter are possessed of fine buildings,with ample revenues and estates,they will soon be reduced to poverty and destruction.To the former,on the contrary,you would allot a barren desert and a solitary wood;yet in a few years you will find them in possession of sumptuous churches and houses,and encircled with an extensive property.The difference of manners (as it appears to me)causes this contrast.For as without meaning offence to either party,Ishall speak the truth,the one feels the benefits of sobriety,parsimony,and prudence,whilst the other suffers from the bad effects of gluttony and intemperance:the one,like bees,collect their stores into a heap,and unanimously agree in the disposal of one well-regulated purse;the others pillage and divert to improper uses the largesses which have been collected by divine assistance,and by the bounties of the faithful;and whilst each individual consults solely his own interest,the welfare of the community suffers;since,as Sallust observes,"Small things increase by concord,and the greatest are wasted by discord."Besides,sooner than lessen the number of one of the thirteen or fourteen dishes which they claim by right of custom,or even in a time of scarcity or famine recede in the smallest degree from their accustomed good fare,they would suffer the richest lands and the best buildings of the monastery to become a prey to usury,and the numerous poor to perish before their gates.
