The popes tyrannized conscience and assumed the power to release any one from the oath he had sworn. Whosoever would not submit to the command of the pope were placed under the ban, that is, they were in a solemn manner excommunicated from all the blessings of the Church and surrendered to eternal damnation.--The worst of all was, that the people were prohibited from reading the Bible, so they could not see how erroneous the doctrines of the Church were in many respects. Besides the regular priesthood, the monks were also considered servants of the Church. Some of the monks dwelt alone in secluded places, and were then called hermits. Others dwelt together in large buildings, called convents or monasteries. Their superior is called abbot. The abbot is under the control of the pope, who thus has the monks in his service. Women dwelling in convents, and in general subject to the same rules as the monks, are called nuns. Their female superior is called abbess. The monks were in the beginning pious and God-fearing men; besides this they were industrious, and labored for education. Later on they became worse, they were indolent and riotous, and too many of them broke their promise of chastity. No one else spread so many superstitions and errors among the people as the monks. 6. The Reformation The heresies of the Church were so numerous and so great that many could not help perceiving them. But the popes were for many centuries so powerful that any one who dared to oppose them would fare badly. John Huss in Bohemia had preached against the sale of indulgences, and was therefore burned alive at a great church meeting held in the city of Constance, even though the emperor had given his word that he should be permitted to depart in peace from the meeting. The emperor was informed that he was under no obligation to keep his word to a heretic. Meanwhile more and more people began to have their eyes opened to the condition of the Church. Education became greater and more extended, for the art of printing had been invented.