Fra Matteo Da Bascio the Capuchins

c-ffc w JUai'ea RwiJa J&ancifei a. Clement* FRA MATTEO DA BASCIO THE CAPUCHINS VOLUME ONE e-fi vt Jiarca tt J^franfifc a. clcmente Vfl. anno FRA MATTEO DA BASCIO THE CAPUCHINS VOLUME ONE FATHER GUnraE&,' O.&F.C. >-' > u %,- -, * -1 \ I' r> " " ' c ' ,''''''' THE CAPUCHINS'-!.- .' *. j_i A CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTER- REFORMATION VOLUME ONE LONDON SHEED AND WARD 1 1 1 '' t *" - . /': r ,.-..,,,,, , , , v v First published : December 1928 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN PATRI REVERENDISSIMO FR. MELGHIORI A BENISA FRATRVM MINORVM GAPPVGINORVM ORDINIS MINISTRO GENERALI HVNG LIBRVM EX VOLVNTATE IPSIVS GOMPOSITVM PIA VENERATIONE DEDICO PREFACE THIS book can pretend to be nothing more than a first introduction to a neglected chapter in the history of the Catholic Reformation, misnamed the Counter- commonly" " Reformation. The word Counter-Reformation suggests that the internal reform of the Catholic Church was a counterblast to the Protestant Reformation. To some extent it internal was ; but not radically nor essentially. The reform of the Catholic Church began independently of the menace of Protestantism and undoubtedly would have developed and transformed the Catholic peoples even though Luther and Calvin had upheld the Papacy arid Catholic Tradition a revolution both as instead of raising against ; though undoubtedly the Catholic reform movement would have progressed on more normal and, shall we say, more imme- diately progressive lines. One interesting point about the Capuchin Reform of the Franciscan Order is that it il- lustrates and indicates to those who have eyes to see, in one department of thought and conduct, something of what the normal development of the Catholic reform movement might have been if the menace of the Protestant revolt had not turned the Catholic world into an armed defensive camp. The Protestant revolt indeed affected the development of the as it affected the world Capuchin congregation, whole ; but essentially the life and thought of the Capuchins is derived not from the necessity of defending the Catholic Faith against heresy, but from the original Catholic reform movement itself in its revolt against the secularism and con- ventionalism which overwhelmed the declining medieval system. The early history of the Capuchins is a microcosm of the world-conflict within the Catholic Church in the first half of the sixteenth century, when the spiritual element was in revolt against the secularist element. Later in the intellectual development amongst the Capuchins we gain an insight into the strong Catholic humanist movement with which the earlier reform movement within the Church was 10 PREFACE so intimately allied. An adequate definitive history of the Capuchin Reform will necessarily concern itself much with these wider problems in the history of the Catholic Reforma- tion. But the definitive history of the Capuchins has to be written it written until the yet ; nor can be large mass of documentary evidence pigeon-holed in the archives and libraries of has been studied nor Europe adequately ; until the Capuchin writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries have been given adequate attention. I will not attempt to discuss the reason why modern historians have failed to deal in any way adequately with the part played by the Capuchins in the religious life of the Reformation period. They just have not studied it, despite the constant witness of contemporary writers to the powerful influence of the Capuchins in shaping the course of the Catholic Reformation. If this book but draws the attention of scholars more competent than myself, to a fruitful field of research, it will have achieved its purpose at least so far as the general public is concerned. I cannot conclude this foreword without acknowledging my indebtedness to the late Pere Edouard d'Alengon, in whom all future students of Capuchin history will gratefully acknowledge an inspiring leader. And to others, too, whose names appear in the course of this book and without whose labours it could not have been written, I tender a gratefu acknowledgment. FR. CUTHBERT, O.S.F.C. Franciscan House of Studies , Oxford. CONTENTS VOLUME ONE PART I ORIGIN AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAPUCHIN REFORM Chapter Page . i THE GALL OF FRA MATTED I 17 ii FIRST DAYS OF THE REFORM . 51 in A STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM . 85 iv THE APOSTASY OF FRA BERNARDINO OCHINO .. 121 v RECOVERY AND GROWTH . 148 PART II THE CAPUCHINS SPREAD ABROAD vi FRA FELICE . 1 73 vii THE CAPUCHINS CROSS THE ALPS .. .. .. 196 viii AN ADVENTURE INTO POLITICS . 219 VOLUME TWO ix THE CAPUCHINS EVANGELISE FRANCE AND SAVOY . 253 x THE CAPUCHINS ENTER GERMANY . 284 xi . MORE MISSIONARY PROVINCES . 322 xii FRA CRISTOFORO AND OTHERS . 348 xiii THE FOREIGN MISSIONS . 370 xiv . THE CAPUCHINS MAKE LITERATURE . 397 EPILOGUE 429 APPENDIX I the 1 Of Sources of early Capuchin History . 43 ii 12 CONTENTS APPENDIX II ILLUSTRATIVE DOCUMENTS 1. Letter of Vittoria Colonna to Paul III . 441 2. The Capuchins and the Spiritualist Tradition 447 3. Extract from a Sermon of Fra Girolamo da Narni on the text "Homo quidam fecit ccenam "? 454 4. Extracts from the Sermons of Fra Mattia da Salo's Delli dolori di Gesu Christi . 460 5. Extracts from P. Yves de Paris : La TMologie Naturelle . 463 INDEX . 47 1 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS VOLUME I Facing page FRA MATTED DE BASCIO Frontispiece S. MARIA DELL'ACQUARELLA, ALBAGINA . 56 THE FRIARY OF GAMERIND . ... 56 VlTTORIA COLONNA . Q2 LE PERE ANGE DE JOYEUSE . 226 VOLUME II SAN LORENZO DA BRINDISI Frontispiece FRA GIACINTO DA CASALE LE PERE YVES DE PARIS 414 PART I {. ORIGIN AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAPUCHIN REFORM CHAPTER I THE GALL OF FRA MATTED (0 1 IT was in the first days of the new year, I525, that Fra Matteo da Bascio of the order of the Franciscan Observants set out from the friary of Montefalcone, near Fermo in the Marches of Ancona, with the purpose of seeking an audience of the Holy Father, Clement VII, in the city of Rome. 3 Matteo was young, not more than thirty years of age. He had the robustness of the healthy peasant whose forebears had been innured to hard labour in the fields, and that natural refinement of character sometimes found amongst those who have tilled the soil they live upon, a spiritual quality gained in intimate communion with Nature's mysteries. But Matteo from his earliest years had looked forward to the day when he might enter into the service of God in some religious order and even become a priest. For that reason he had been anxious to learn such book-knowledge as would be necessary to gain him admission amongst the candidates for the priestly office. It was not much time he could find for books, for his father insisted that he must do his share of work in the fields, yet at length before he reached his full manhood he had learned enough to gain him admittance as a cleric-novice amongst the Franciscans. In time he took his vows and then went through the course of study demanded of the aspirant to the priesthood. He was never any great hand at book-learning, but he loved the Sacred whilst others of his fellow students Scriptures ; and discussed them he silently delved into them for the sake of the spiritual lore his soul thirsted for. They were to him his 1 Bernardino da Colpetrazzo, Cronica I, p. 122 ; so also Mario da Mercato- Seraceno, Narratione dell' origine dell' congregatione de* Frati Capucdni, cart. 49. Boverius following later writers gives the date as 1524. * Mario " (cart. 47) says : nacque circa Vanno 1495." 8 ,7 1 8 THE CAPUCHINS book of meditation, from which he fed his mind and heart in his yearning to know more of God and God's ways with man. A somewhat lone and dumb figure he cut in the schoolroom all the while he ; yet was becoming more and more aware of a vivid life in which he perceived the face of God. When his course of study was finished and he was ordained priest, his soul, hitherto mute save in the inner life of the spirit, now found a new expression in his preaching. If he could not speak in the schoolroom his words flowed simply but passionately as he stood in the presence of men whose souls he was eager to bring to the knowledge and love of God which he himself had gained. Especially was he drawn to the country folk and the hard-working poor whom he understood so well : and they on their part appreciated the rugged simplicity of Matteo. But Matteo was no mere at the a preacher of the Word ; he was same time doer, ever ready to give service to his fellow men in deeds of mercy, even as he gave service to God in deeds ofworship. Very soon he gained reputation as the friend and servant of any who were in need of spiritual or temporal comfort. He had a large heart and understanding sympathy for all human needs, this and silent friar as was in heroic measure shy young ; shown when the plague came upon and devastated the city of Came- rino in the year 1523. No sooner did news of the outbreak come to the friar in his friary at Montefalcone than he set out for Camerino and there gave unstinted service to the plague- stricken people. Through the long months Matteo remained staunchly at his elected post, administering the sacraments the with of comfort and assisting dying words ; nursing those who had none to nurse them and questing for food and comforts for those in need so that the stricken bodily ; people had come to see in him an angel sent by heaven for their comfort in their distress.

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