They are
written in a tone of the deepest indignation, and with the purpose to
make this indignation general; and are dedicated to men in the highest
position, such as King Ferrante and Prince Alfonso of Naples. The
stories are many of them old, and some of them familiar to readers of
Boccaccio. But others reject, with a frightful realism, the actual
state of things at Naples. The way in which the priests befool and
plunder the people by means of spurious miracles, added to their own
scandalous lives, is enough to drive any thoughtful observer to
despair. We read of the Minorite friars who travelled to collect alms:
'They cheat, steal, and fornicate, and when they are at the end of
their resources, they set up as saints and work miracles, one
displaying the cloak of St. Vincent, another the handwriting of St.
Bernardino, a third the bridle of Capistrano's donkey.' Others 'bring
with them confederates who pretend to be blind or afflicted with some
mortal disease, and after touching the hem of the monk's cowl, or the
relics which he carries, are healed before the eyes of the multitude.
All then shout "Misericordia," the bells are rung, and the miracle is
recorded in a solemn protocol.' Or else the monk in the pulpit is
denounced as a liar by another who stands below among the audience; the
accuser is immediately possessed by the devil, and then healed by the
preacher.
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