THE HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH - ( CHAPTER 1 ) - { PT. 16 }


 ( CHAPTER  1 )  -  { PT.  16 }                                  The king and Cromwell informed the Houses of the charges made by the commissioners, and demanded their consent to the bell of suppression. The whole measure was passed in a few days ( 11th to 18th March, 1536 ) and there is no proof that the /Comperta/ or a Black Book were presented to the members. On the contrary, it is clear from the preamble to the Act that in the larger monasteries religion was right well kept and observed, and that it was only in the smaller houses with less than twelve members that disorder and corruption existed, whereas in the reports of the commissioners no such distinction is observed, the charges being levelled just as strongly against the larger as against the smaller communities. Had Parliament been in possession of the reports or had there been any adequate discussion, it is difficult to see how such an arbitrary distinction, founded neither on the nature of things, nor on the findings of the commissioners, could have been allowed to pass. It is noteworthy too that many of the individuals, whose names were associated in the /Comerta/ with very serious crimes, were placed in the possession of pensions on the monasteries, and some of them were promoted to the highest ecclesiastical offices in the gift of the crown. Besides, if the reports of Leigh and Leyton be compared with the episcopal visitations of the same houses or with those of the royal visitors appointed in 1536 to carry out the suppression of the smaller monasteries, it will be found that in regard to the very same houses there exists a very open contradiction between their findings. 

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