Blue Monday is almost upon us so in case you're feeling like you're surrounded by iditos, and nothing is going right - here's a touch of schadenfreude to brighten your day.
Eudes Rigaud, last seen in this blog post, had the misfortune of visiting churches to insure their priests were perfoming their jobs. Here's an extract from what looks like a particularly bad day at the office:
Eudes Rigaud, last seen in this blog post, had the misfortune of visiting churches to insure their priests were perfoming their jobs. Here's an extract from what looks like a particularly bad day at the office:
Déville - 29th November, 1260
"It should be noted that Walter, priest at
Bray-sous-Baudemont, brought before the synod of the Fench Vexin because he had
been many times defamed of incontinence and of many other excesses of crimes,
confessed all and each of the following in the presence or Archdeacon Stephen,
Master John of Neuilly-en-Thelle, and Brother Adam Rigaud, who stood as our
representatives there.
He confessed that he had been defamed of one of his parishioners whom he had already abjured and he admitted that this ill fame was supported by the truth.
Item, he confessed that he was defamed of having constructed a certain wax figure for purposes of witchcraft, but on oath he said that he knew nothing about this except on hearsay from a certain woman who had conceived and borne him a child and who had two other children.
Item, he admitted being the father of these children. Item, he admitted that he was defamed of usary and of shady transactions.
Item, he admitted having torn the supertunic of a certain woman who, he said, was a prostitute and with whom he had cohabited several times. Item, he admitted that he went to the assizes at Gisors upon citation by the bailiff.
Item, he admitted that he led the dancing at the marriage of a certain prostitute whose marriage he had himself performed, and whom he, together with some of the neighboring priests, he had known at night, each of whom was acting with evil intent.
The said Walter, priest, was peremptorily and personally cited to appear before us on a definite date, to wit, the day after advent, at Rouen or wherever we should be in that vicinity, to reply to these charges. He did appear before us at Déville. He did not wish to resign his church when we wished him to do so, where we declared him deprived of the church”
Notes
Morgan Library, Detail from Lust, part of the Book of Hours of Robinet Testard, Poitiers, France. c. 1475. MS M.1001, fol. 98r
He confessed that he had been defamed of one of his parishioners whom he had already abjured and he admitted that this ill fame was supported by the truth.
Item, he confessed that he was defamed of having constructed a certain wax figure for purposes of witchcraft, but on oath he said that he knew nothing about this except on hearsay from a certain woman who had conceived and borne him a child and who had two other children.
Item, he admitted being the father of these children. Item, he admitted that he was defamed of usary and of shady transactions.
Item, he admitted having torn the supertunic of a certain woman who, he said, was a prostitute and with whom he had cohabited several times. Item, he admitted that he went to the assizes at Gisors upon citation by the bailiff.
Item, he admitted that he led the dancing at the marriage of a certain prostitute whose marriage he had himself performed, and whom he, together with some of the neighboring priests, he had known at night, each of whom was acting with evil intent.
The said Walter, priest, was peremptorily and personally cited to appear before us on a definite date, to wit, the day after advent, at Rouen or wherever we should be in that vicinity, to reply to these charges. He did appear before us at Déville. He did not wish to resign his church when we wished him to do so, where we declared him deprived of the church”
Notes
Morgan Library, Detail from Lust, part of the Book of Hours of Robinet Testard, Poitiers, France. c. 1475. MS M.1001, fol. 98r
'The Register of Eudes
Rigaud', ed. by J. O'Sullivan (London: Columbia University Press), pp. 429-430
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