Not only the Virgin Mary but other female saints, inhabitants of
Paradise, have also been thought to be extremely well disposed to be
appeased when they had received offence by flagellatory corrections. The
following story is to be found in the book entitled, “Itinerarium
Cambriæ,” written by Sylvester Geraldus, a native of the country of
Wales, who wrote about the year 1188.
“In the northern borders of England and on the other side of the river
Humber, in the parish of Hooëden, lived the rector of that church with
his concubine. This concubine one day sat rather imprudently on the tomb
of St. Osanna, sister to King Osred, which was made of wood and raised
above the ground in the shape of a seat. When she attempted to rise from
the place she stuck to the wood in such a manner that she never could be
parted from it, till, in the presence of the people who ran to see her,
she had suffered her clothes to be torn from her, and had received a
severe discipline on her naked body, and that to a great effusion of
blood, and with many tears and devout supplications on her part; which
done, and after she had engaged to submit to further penitence, she was
divinely released.”
CHAP. IX.—_Formation of the Public Processions of Flagellants. Different
success they met with in different countries._
The example which so many illustrious personages has given of
voluntarily submitting to flagellation, and the pains which monks had
been at to promote that method of mortification by their example
likewise, as well as by the stories they related on that subject, had as
we have seen, induced the generality of people to adopt the fondest
notions of its efficacy. But about the year 1260 the intoxication became
as it were, complete. People, no longer satisfied to practice
mortification of this kind in private, began to perform them in the
sight of the public under pretence of greater humiliation; regular
associations and fraternities were formed for that purpose, and numerous
bodies of half-naked men began to make their appearance in the public
streets, who after performing a few religious ceremonies contrived for
the occasion, flagellated themselves with astonishing fanaticism and
cruelty.
The first institution of public associations and solemnities of this
kind must needs have filled with surprise all moderate persons in those
days; and in fact we see that historians of different countries who
lived in the times when these ceremonies were first introduced, have
taken much notice of them, and recorded them at length in their
histories or chronicles. I will lay a few extracts of these different
books before the reader, it being the best manner, I think, of
acquainting him with the origin of these singular flagellating
solemnities and processions which continue in use in several countries.
The first author from whom we have a circumstantial account on that
subject is the monk of St. Justina, in Padua, whose Chronicle Wechelius
printed afterwards at Basil. He relates how the public superstitious
ceremonies we mention made their first appearance in the country in the
neighbourhood of Bologna, which is the spot where, it seems, they took
their first origin, and whence they were afterwards communicated to
other countries. The following is the above author’s own account.
“When all Italy was sullied with crimes of every kind, a certain sudden
superstition hitherto unknown to the world, first seized the inhabitants
of Perusa, afterwards the Romans, and then almost all the nations of
Italy. To such a degree were they affected with the fear of God, that
noble as well as ignoble persons, young and old, even children five
years of age, would go naked about the streets without any sense of
shame, walking in public, two and two, in the manner of a solemn
procession. Every one of them held in his hand a scourge made of leather
thongs, and with tears and groans they lashed themselves on their backs
till the blood ran; all the while weeping and giving tokens of the same
bitter affliction as if they had really been spectators of the passion
of our Saviour, imploring the forgiveness of God and his Mother, and
praying that He who had been appeased by the repentance of so many
sinners, would not disdain theirs.
“And not only in the day time but likewise during the nights, hundreds,
thousands and tens of thousands of these penitents ran, notwithstanding
the rigour of the winter, about the streets and in churches with lighted
wax-candles in their hands, and preceded by priests who carried crosses
and banners along with them, and with humility prostrated themselves
before the altars. The same scenes were to be seen in small towns and
villages, so that the mountains and the fields seemed to resound alike
the voice of men who were crying to God.
“All musical instruments and love songs then ceased to be heard. The
only music that prevailed, both in town and country, was that of the
lugubrious voice of the penitent, whose mournful accents might have
moved hearts of flint, and even the eyes of the obdurate sinner could
not refrain from tears.
“Nor were women exempt from the general spirit of devotion we mention,
for not only those among the common people, but also matrons and young
maidens of noble families would perform the same mortifications with
modesty in their own rooms. Then those who were at enmity with one
another became again friends. Usurers and robbers hastened to restore
their ill-gotten riches to their right owners. Others, who were
contaminated with different crimes, confessed them with humility, and
renounced their vanities. Gaols were opened, prisoners were delivered,
and banished persons permitted to return to their native habitations. So
many and so great works of sanctity and Christian charity, in short,
were then performed by both men and women, that it seemed as if an
universal apprehension had seized mankind, that the divine power was
preparing either to consume them by fire or destroy them by shaking the
earth, or some other of those means which divine Justice knows how to
employ for avenging crimes.
“Such a sudden repentance which had diffused itself all over Italy and
even reached other countries, not only the unlearned, but wise persons
also admired. They wondered whence such a vehement fervour of piety
could have proceeded; especially since such public penances and
ceremonies had been unheard of in former times, had not been approved by
the sovereign Pontiff, who was then residing at Anagni, nor recommended
by any preacher or person of eminence, but had taken their origin among
simple persons, whose example both learned and unlearned had alike
followed.”
The ceremonies we mention were soon imitated, as the same author
remarks, by the other nations of Italy; though they at first met with
opposition in several places from divers Princes or Governments in that
country. Pope Alexander the Fourth, for instance, who had fixed his See
at Anagni, refused at first, as hath been above said, to give his
sanction to them; and Clement VI., who had been Archbishop of Sens, in
France, in subsequent times condemned those public flagellations by a
Bull for that purpose (A. D. 1349). Manfredus, likewise, who was Master
of Sicily and Apulia, and Palavicinus, Marquis of Cremona, Brescia and
Milan, prohibited the same processions in the countries under their
dominion; though, on the other hand, many Princes as well as Popes
countenanced them, either in the same times or afterwards.
This spirit of public penance and devotion was in time communicated to
other countries; it even reached so far as Greece, as we are informed by
Nicephorus Gregoras, who wrote in the year 1361. Attempts were likewise
made to introduce ceremonies of the same kind into Poland, as Baronius
says in his Annals, but they were at first prohibited; nor did they meet
at the same period with more encouragement in Bohemia, as Debravius
relates in his History of that country.
In Germany, however, the sect or fraternity of the flagellants, proved
more successful. We find a very full account of the first flagellating
processions that were made in that country in the year 1349, (a time
during which the plague was raging there), in the Chronicle of Albert of
Strasbourg, who lived during that period.
“As the plague,” says the above author, “was beginning to make its
appearance, people then began in Germany to flagellate themselves in
public processions. Two hundred came at one time from the country of
Schwaben to Spira, having a principal leader at their head, besides two
subordinate ones, to whose commands they paid implicit obedience. When
they had passed the Rhine at one o’clock in the afternoon, crowds of
people ran to see them. They then drew a circular line on the ground,
within which they placed themselves. There they stripped off their
clothes and only kept upon themselves a kind of short shirt, which
served them instead of breeches, and reached from the waist down to
their heels; this done, they placed themselves on the above circular
line, and began to walk one after another round it, with their arms
stretched in the shape of a cross, thus forming among themselves a kind
of procession. Having continued this procession a little while, they
prostrated themselves on the ground, and afterwards rose one after
another in a regular manner, every one of them as he got up, giving a
stroke with his scourge to the next, who in his turn likewise rose and
served the following one in the same manner. They then began
disciplining themselves with their scourges, which were armed with knots
and four iron points, all the while singing the usual psalm of the
invocation of our Lord, and other psalms; three of them were placed in
the middle of the ring, who, with a sonorous voice, regulated the chant
of the others, and disciplined themselves in the same manner. This
having continued for some time, they ceased their discipline; and then,
at a certain signal that was given them, prostrated themselves on their
knees, with their arms stretched, and threw themselves flat on the
ground, groaning and sobbing. They then rose and heard an admonition
from their leader, who exhorted them to implore the mercy of God on the
people, on both their benefactors and enemies, and on the souls in
Purgatory; then they placed themselves again upon their knees with their
hands lifted towards heaven, performed the ceremonies as before, and
disciplined themselves anew as they walked round. This done, they put on
their clothes again, and those who had been left to take care of the
clothes and the luggage came forward and went through the same
ceremonies as the former had done. They had among them priests, and
noble as well as ignoble persons, and men conversant with letters.
“When the disciplines were concluded one of the brotherhood rose, and
with a loud voice read a letter, which he pretended had been brought by
an angel to St. Peter’s Church, in Jerusalem; the angel declared in it
that Jesus Christ was offended at the wickedness of the age, several
instances of which were mentioned, such as the violation of the Lord’s
day, blasphemy, usury, adultery, and neglect with respect to fasting on
Fridays. To this the man who read the letter added, that Jesus Christ’s
forgiveness having been implored by the Holy Virgin and the Angels, he
had made answer that in order to obtain mercy, sinners ought to live
exiled from their country for thirty-four days, disciplining themselves
during that time.
“The inhabitants of the town of Spira were moved with so much compassion
for these penitents, that they invited every one of them to their
houses; they however refused to receive alms severally, and only
accepted what was given to their Society in general, in order to buy
twisted wax-candles and banners. These banners were of silk, painted of
a purple colour; they carried them in their procession, which they
performed twice every day. They never spoke to women, and refused to
sleep upon feather beds. They wore crosses upon their coats and hats,
behind and before, and had their scourges hanging at their waist.
“About an hundred men in the town of Spira enlisted in their Society,
and about a thousand at Strasburg, who promised obedience to the
Superiors for the time above mentioned. They admitted nobody but who
engaged to observe all the above rules during that time, who could spend
at least fourpence a day, lest he should be obliged to beg, and who
declared that he had confessed his sins, forgiven his enemies, and
obtained the consent of his wife. They divided at Strasburg, one part
went up and another part down the country, their Superiors having
likewise divided. The latter directed the new brothers from Strasburg
not to discipline themselves too harshly in the beginning; and
multitudes of people flocked from the country up and down the Rhine, as
well as the inland country, in order to see them. After they had left
Spira, about two hundred boys twelve years old, entered into an
association together, and disciplined themselves in public.”
Flagellating processions and solemnities of the same kind were likewise
introduced into France, where they met at first with but indifferent
success, and even several divines opposed them. The most remarkable
among them was John Gerson, a celebrated theologian and Chancellor of
the University of Paris, who purposely wrote a treatise against the
ceremonies in question, in which he particularly condemned the cruelty
and great effusion of blood with which these disciplines were performed.
“It is equally unlawful,” Gerson asserted, “for a man to draw so much
blood from his own body, unless it be for medical reasons, as it would
be for him to castrate or otherwise mutilate himself. Else it might upon
the same principle be advanced, that a man may brand himself with
red-hot irons; a thing which nobody hath, as yet, either pretended to
say or granted, unless it be false Christians and idolaters, such as are
to be found in India, who think it a matter of duty for one to be
baptized through fire.”
Under King Henry the Third, however, the processions of disciplinants
found much favour in France; and the King we mention, a weak and bigoted
Prince, not only encouraged these ceremonies by his words, but even went
so far as to enlist himself in a Fraternity of Flagellants. The example,
thus given by the King, procured a great number of associates to the
brotherhood; and several Fraternities were formed at Court, which were
distinguished by different colours, and composed of a number of men of
the first families in the kingdom. These processions thus formed of the
King and his noble train of disciplinants, all equipped like
flagellants, frequently made their appearance in the public streets of
Paris, going from one church to another; and in one of those naked
processions the Cardinal of Lorraine, who had joined in it, caught such
a cold, it being about Christmas time, that he died a few days
afterwards. The following is the account to be found on that subject in
President J. A. Thou’s “History of his Own Times.”
“While the civil war was thus carrying on, scenes of quite a different
kind were to be seen at Court, where the King who was naturally of a
religious temper, and fond of ceremonies unknown to antiquity, and who
had formerly had an opportunity to indulge this fancy in a country
subjected to the Pope’s dominion, would frequently join in the
processions which masked men used to perform on the days before
Christmas.
“For more than an hundred years past a fondness for introducing new
modes of worship into the established religion had prevailed; and a sect
of men had risen, who, thinking it meritorious to manifest the
compunction they felt for their offences by outward signs, would put on
a sack-cloth in the same manner as it was ordered by the ancient law;
and from a strained interpretation they gave of the passage in the
Psalmist, _ad flagella paratus sum_, flagellated themselves in public,
whence they were called by the name of Flagellants. John Gerson, the
Chancellor of the University of Paris and the purest theologian of that
age, wrote a book against them. Yet the holy Pontiffs, considering then
that sect with more indulgence than the former ones had done, showed
much countenance to it; so that multitudes of men all over Italy in
these days enlist in it, as in a kind of a religious militia, thinking
to obtain by that means forgiveness of their sins. Distinguished by
different colours, blue, white, and black, in the same manner as the
Green and Blue Factions, though proposing to themselves different
objects, were formerly in Rome they likewise engrossed the attention of
the public, and in several places gave rise to the warmest contentions.
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