THE RULE AND THE ROAST CONTRASTED, ST. MARY’S, BEVERLEY.
It will have been noticed how frequently the carvings evade explanation; all these satires on the clergy may mean either that the system was bad, or that there was much abuse of it. A remarkable instance of this is in another misericorde in St. Mary’s, Beverley. Here we have the Benedictine with mild and serene countenance, without a sign of sin, and bearing the scroll of truth and simplicity of life—call it the rule of his order. Yet how do many of his followers act? With greed for the temporalities, they aspire to the pastoral crook, and devour their flocks with such rapacity as to threaten the up-rooting of the whole order.
THE PREACHING FOX, ST. MARY’S, BEVERLEY.
Such might be one rendering; yet the placid cleric may be simply introduced to shew the outward appearance of the ravening ones.
It has been a favourite explanation of these anti-cleric carvings to say that they were due to the jealousy which existed between the regular orders and the preaching friars. But carvings such as this last are sufficient to prove the explanation erroneous; preaching friars carried no croziers.
Yet another instance from St. Mary’s shews us two foxes in scapularies reading from a book placed on an eagle-lectern.
FOXES AT THE LECTERN, ST. MARY’S, BEVERLEY.