Blanquerna

QUI TOLLIS PECCATA MUNDI, MISERERE NOBIS

A certain Cardinal considered for a great space of time how he might take some office wherein to serve Jesus Christ, Who takes away the sins of the world. As he rode through the city of Rome, considering what office he might have, he saw the two advocates of two princes, who disputed feloniously the one with the other, and spake evil words. So the Cardinal perceived that in the Court of Rome there was need for an advocate who should be set over all other advocates, and be feared by them all; wherefore he went to the Pope and spake to him these words :

2. “Lord Pope! Thou knoweft that in thy Court there are many advocates from divers lands, and that these are contrary to those, and that for this cause there arise among them disputes and ftrife. Now, if it please thee, I would fain take this office of advocate, to be the occasion whereby the advocates should be governed in their profession, and be punished, if they be unruly, according as justice re¬ quires.” The Pope was right pleased to give this office , the Cardinal, and he made him to be lord over all the advocates. The Cardinal had beneath him certain o her

advocates who were advocates that is to say, of those that had

the court in general,— o advocate in the court;

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and they were recompensed with the possessions of Holy Church, for it was provided that they should take naught else of any man.

3. It came to pass one day that a suit which was being heard between a bishop and one of his canons was to be determined, and ere sentence was given one of the two advocates died, and the suit was impeded, wherefore the other advocate had recourse to the Cardinal, and he appointed an advocate, who should represent the side which had been served by the advocate who had died. So the sentence was given, and there was dispute in the court whether the sentence was valid in law, or no. Judgment was given in the court that the sentence was valid, because the Pope had made establishment that the Cardinal should appoint a sufficiently qualified advocate and that this advocate should take naught of any man.

4. Again it came to pass that the advocate of an arch¬ bishop made petition againSt the canons of his chapter, but they had no advocate in the court, and the Cardinal gave one of his advocates to plead on behalf of the chapter, and he sent to the chapter to advise them of that which the advocate of the archbishop had put forward againSt the canons of that archbishop; and that advocate filled their place in the court until the canons had sent to the court their own advocate.

5. The Cardinal had an advocate among the reft who was to be ever at the gate of the palace of the Pope, to be the advocate of those that have no money to give to the doorkeepers, and this advocate was to represent to the Pope that which was needful on their behalf. It happened one day that the advocate was at the gate of the palace, and a poor clerk, from whom a bishop had wrongfully taken his benefice, desired to have audience of the Pope, and the gatekeepers forbade him to enter, but they allowed the bishop to enter, who had taken from the clerk his benefice. Wherefore the advocate of the poor presented that clerk to

QUI TOLLIS PECCATA MUNDI, MISERERE NOBIS the Cardinal, and the Cardinal carried his defence againft the bishop before the Pope.

6. “ Holy Father and Pope ! ” said the Cardinal, “ The dead are forgotten, and have no advocates who may plead that their will may be done as concerning the testaments which they have made ; wherefore I desire to have leave of thee to be their advocate.” The Pope desired that the Cardinal should be advocate for the dead ; and the Cardinal appointed advocates and sent them throughout the world to the divers parts thereof to enquire if there were any man in those parts who made complaint of living men that had not fulfilled the will of the dead; wherefore each of the advocates of the Cardinal made inquisition concerning the bishop and the archbishop of that land, as to whether or no they had obliged the executors, who should carry out the teStaments of the dead, to do their duty; and if any bishop or archbishop were negligent or partial in this matter, accusation was made to the Cardinal thereof, and the Cardinal punished him according as seemed to him good.

7. In a town which is called Montpellier, in the which was written this Book of EvaSl and Blanquerna , there was a great Chapter General of Preachers. In this Chapter were assembled bishops and other prelates and friars of all Christian lands, and they read letters in the Chapter con¬ cerning divers things, and recounted the deaths of friars from all Christian lands who had died that year. After these words there rose a layman who was the advocate of the unbelievers when they embrace the Holy Catholic Faith, and he said in the presence of all that if mention were made of the deaths of the friars whose souls live in Paradise, how much the more should remembrance be made of the deaths of the unbelievers who die in the sin of ignorance, and lose eternal life, and die in everlaSting fire. And he begged that inStruftion should be given to them through the which these words should be fulfilled in

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them, — namely, that Jesus Chrift has taken away the sin of the world through His Incarnation and Passion. It came to the knowledge of the Cardinal who was advocate of the dead that this layman had spoken in the Chapter according to the manner aforesaid; wherefore establish¬ ment was made that, in all chapters general of religious brothers, memorial should be made of the unbelievers who have died in the sin of ignorance; and that the Cardinal should send his advocates to each of these chapters, with their letters, to the end that the Holy Catholic Faith may be preached in all the world.