The Grey Friars in OxfordLittle, A. G. (Andrew George)
History
The Grey Friars in Oxford
Little, A. G. (Andrew George)
Franciscans -- Great Britain
Meanwhile, Russell, now no longer warden, fled to Rome ‘to defende the
forsaide erronye doctrine’[1637]. On August 12th, 1425, he was imprisoned
by order of the Pope, first in the Pope’s, then in the ‘Soldan’s’ prison.
The following January he escaped from prison and fled to England, where he
was received for one night by the Friars Minors of London. He seems to
have remained at large for more than a year. He surrendered or was
captured in March, 1427, and on the 21st of that month, in accordance with
the papal decision, he read in English a complete recantation of his
doctrine on tithes at Paul’s Cross[1638], and was then handed over to the
Bishop of London to be imprisoned during the Pope’s pleasure. He was at
liberty again in 1429 when he incepted as D.D. at Oxford, and paid £10 to
the University instead of giving a feast to the Regents[1639]. The
University showed its hatred of his teaching by adding to the oaths which
had to be taken by every inceptor in every faculty[1640], a disavowal of
Russell’s teaching on tithes[1641]. The oath has already been quoted at
length in Chapter VI.
_Super Porphyrii Universalia compendium_, by William Russell, Friar Minor.
_Comment. in Aristotelis Praedicamenta_, anonymous, but probably by the
same author.
MS. Oxford:--Corpus Christi Coll. 126, fol. 1, and fol. 4.
=William de Melton= in 1427 went about the country preaching against
tithes,
‘and teaching seditious doctrines among the common people in many
places by uncircumcised words.’
He had probably taken a degree at Oxford, as the University was appealed
to to stop his preaching. The University wrote to the Duke of Gloucester
and the King’s Council, and secured his arrest. Melton was brought back to
Oxford, and is said to have recanted over and over again on his
knees[1642]. He is probably the same as William Melton of the Friars
Minors, S.T.P.[1643], who was preaching at York in 1426, on the subject of
the mystery plays.
‘He commended the play to the people, affirming that it was good in
itself and very laudable; but for several reasons he induced the
people to have the play on one day and the Corpus Christi procession
on the second, so that the people might be able to come to the
churches on the festival’[1644].
=Roger Donwe= or =Days=, D.D. of Oxford, became thirty-fifth Provincial
Minister in succession to John David between 1426 and 1430; in the latter
year he was ‘for just causes deposed by the Minister General.’ He was
buried at Ware[1645].
=Richard Leke= or =Leech=, D.D. of Oxford, was thirty-sixth Provincial
Minister between 1430 and 1438. He was buried at Lichfield[1646].
=Thomas Radner= or =Radnor=, of the custody of Bristol and the Convent of
Hereford, D.D. of Oxford, was Provincial in 1438, being the thirty-seventh
in order. He was buried at Reading[1647].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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