334 THE CHURCH
parishioners of Clun said that their parish chaplain provoked
quarrels and strife in the parish; he refused to take the sacrament
to a dying man, who therefore died unshriven; while another
was buried without the funeral Mass and prayers by his neglect.
He also absented himself on Corpus Christi Day, and was in-
continent with a married woman, and actually baptised his own
child by her, and afterwards had by her another infant.
These two pages must suffice. They are neither better nor
worse than the average presented by this visitation, and even
when we have made all allowances for village gossip, malice and
ignorance, what a picture they present! In a few parishes all is
well; but the others unroll a continuous story of indifference,
neglect and worse. The parson of Eardisley, at war with his
parishioners, served by his two maid servants at Mass, and gravely
suspect of his relations with them, is pictured for us as he buries
a parishioner, and shouts at the corpse, "Lie you there, ex-
communicate ". John, the chaplain of Kilpeck, is another strange
cleric who, the villagers say, "seemeth to them by no means
firm in the faith, for he hath oftentimes conjured by night with
familiar spirits" (fecitpompam suam tempore nocturno cum spiritis
fantasticis). Richard Sterre, although he has been convicted of
adultery and excommunicated by the bishop, still continues to
celebrate in the church at Scheldesley, and is accused of con-
tinuing his luxury with the woman, even within the church itself,^
and is also ill-famed of her sister. He and his fellow chaplain go
about armed by night, chattering and frightening the parishioners.
The shortcomings of these Hereford clerics would be un-
believable, were they not recorded item by item as a result of
this official enquiry.1
"As the shepherd, so are the sheep." These same documents
show us the low state of morality and of devotion to the Church
in the villages of this diocese* Adultery and immorality are
widespread; men and women refuse to come to church, and go
about theirwork on holy-days and Sundays; theyneglect to pro-
vide the necessary lights for the church, or to repair the nave
and churchyard wall when necessary. Mortuaries and tithes are
evaded, and the pants benedictus is not presented by some in their
1 A detailed examination and commentary on this visitation will be found
in G. G. Coulton, Old England, Chapter 14.