Title V: On Masters, and That Nothing Is to Be Demanded for a License to Teach

Latin source headnote: A cathedral church ought to provide a benefice for a master who is to teach the clerics of the same church and other poor scholars freely; and one selling a license to teach, or forbidding a suitable person to teach, is deprived of his benefice.

From the Lateran Council.

Since the church of God, like a pious mother, is bound to provide for the needy both in those things which look to the support of the body and in those which conduce to the advancement of souls, lest the opportunity for reading and advancing be withdrawn from the poor who cannot be aided by the resources of their parents, through every cathedral church some suitable benefice is to be furnished to a master who is to teach the clerics of the same church and poor scholars freely, whereby the necessity of the teacher may be relieved and a way to learning may lie open to the learners. It is also to be restored in other churches or monasteries if, in times past, anything in them was deputed to this purpose. But for a license to teach no one shall at all demand a price, or under the cover of any custom seek anything from those who teach, nor, when a license has been sought, shall he forbid anyone suitable to teach. But anyone who shall have presumed to act contrary to this is to be made alien from an ecclesiastical benefice. For it seems fitting that he who, through cupidity of mind, strives to impede ecclesiastical advancement while selling a license to teach should not have the fruit of his labor in the church of God.

Latin source headnote: Nothing ought to be demanded or promised for a license to teach, and what was exacted ought to be restored and what was promised remitted; and, when an inferior prelate neglects to establish a master, the superior will supply this.

Alexander III, to the Bishop of Winchester.

You are henceforth carefully to prohibit that anything be demanded from anyone or even promised in your parish for a license to teach. But if anything shall afterward have been paid or promised, with appeal ceasing, cause what was promised to be remitted and what was paid to be restored, knowing that it is written: “Freely you have received; freely give.” Indeed, if anyone, by occasion of this prohibition, shall have deferred establishing masters in suitable places, it is lawful for you, by our grant, with every contradiction and appeal set aside, to place prudent, honorable, and discreet men there over the instruction of others.

Latin source headnote: Money ought not to be demanded for a license to teach, even if custom allows this.

The same.

The more the Gallican church shines forth in the knowledge and honorableness of greater personages, and more cautiously strives to avoid those things which appear to confound ecclesiastical honorableness, the more we judge those worthy of severe censure who assume the name and dignity of master of schools in your churches and do not impart to ecclesiastical men a license to teach others without a fixed price. But since this depraved and enormous custom has proceeded from the root of cupidity and greatly confounds the comeliness of ecclesiastical honorableness, you must provide and strive with the greatest care that this custom be [entirely] rooted out of your churches, since it is especially and particularly ascribed to you if anything worthy of praise or deserving of reproof is found in those churches. [We also, who, though unworthy, exercise the supreme power by the dispensation of the Creator's clemency, being unwilling to leave uncorrected the vice of such cupidity and rapacity, command your fraternity by apostolic writings] that, this custom having been rooted out of your churches, you take care to prohibit this under threat of anathema, strictly commanding that, whenever suitable and learned men wish to direct studies of letters, they be permitted to direct schools without any molestation or exaction, [lest knowledge, which ought to be imparted to each person freely, henceforth appear to be exposed for a price.] But if any shall have been transgressors of a prohibition or precept of this kind, despoil them by our authority and yours of their offices and dignities. Moreover, if [this] you neglect to correct according to our mandate, we shall regard your negligence as grave and troublesome and shall be compelled to extend our hand to correct these things, so that, if they wish to persist in the purpose of this rapacity, they will not be able to do so. [Given at Tusculum on the thirteenth day before the Kalends of November.]

Latin source headnote: In every cathedral church, or another church sufficient in resources, one master ought to be chosen by the prelate with the chapter, to whom the revenues of one prebend ought to be assigned; but in a metropolitan church a theologian also ought to be chosen. And if it is not sufficient for a grammarian and a theologian, let it provide for the theologian himself from the revenues of its church and cause provision to be made for the grammarian in some church of its city or diocese.

Innocent III, in the general council.

Since, because of poverty, both the pursuit of reading and the opportunity of advancing are withdrawn from some, provision was made by a pious constitution in the Lateran Council that, through every cathedral church, some suitable benefice be furnished to a master who would instruct the clerics of the same church and other poor scholars freely, whereby both the necessity of the teacher would be relieved and a way to learning would lie open to the learners. But since in many churches this is by no means observed, we, strengthening the aforesaid statute, add that a suitable master is to be appointed not only in every cathedral church but also in others whose resources can suffice, to be chosen by the prelate with the chapter, or by the greater and sounder part of the chapter, who is to instruct freely, according to his ability, the clerics of those churches [and of others] in the faculty of grammar and other subjects. Indeed, a metropolitan church is nevertheless to have a theologian who is to teach priests and others in sacred scripture, and particularly to inform them in those things which are known to pertain to the care of souls. The revenues of one prebend are to be assigned by the chapter to each of the masters, and as much by the metropolitan to the theologian—not that he is made a canon on this account, but that he may receive those revenues for as long as he shall have persisted in teaching. But if perhaps the metropolitan church is burdened by the two, let it provide for the theologian according to the aforesaid manner, but cause provision to be made for the grammarian in another church of its city or diocese which is able to suffice.

Latin source headnote: Prelates and chapters are bound to send teachable scholars to the study of theology, who in their absence will receive in full for five years the revenues of their prebends and benefices. And if their own revenues do not suffice for the support of study, the prelate with the chapter ought to provide for them; but masters, for as long as they teach, receive in full the fruits of their benefices.

Honorius III.

Upon the watchtower [of the Lord, although unworthy, having been constituted, while we contemplate with diligent and manifold attention the state of the universal church, we grieve and are deeply saddened that, although the regions are white unto a most abundant harvest and the laborers are very few, very many watchmen who are bound to guard the vineyard of the Lord sleep their sleep, and do not gather the excessively growing tares into bundles to be burned, although the enemy continually sows them over it. And since the suckling and the little child fail in the streets, there is scarcely anyone to break bread for the little ones or give the thirsty the water of saving wisdom to drink, because the knowledge of the Lord is scant upon the earth; for very many, like wanton sons, having received no small portion of the substance of Jesus Christ, procure for themselves from it empty and resounding husks which do not satisfy, and draw water with the bucket of the Samaritans from the well or torrent of the waters of the unbelievers, which do not relieve but provoke the thirst of a dropsical man. Such men indeed, abandoning the enclosed garden with which no stranger communicates, where there is a fountain, and the well of living waters, and digging for themselves cisterns which cannot hold water, as though finding no pastures, disdaining the manna while sighing after the vegetables and melons of Egypt, run to gainful sciences, setting their eyes to look down upon the earth. Therefore, in order that through forceful rebukes, as through a father's blows, erring sons, recalled to their mother's breasts, may be able like young eagles to fly to them more swiftly, and may wish and be able, without stumbling and more willingly, to run in the odor of the fragrant grace of Jesus Christ to draw living waters in joy from the fountains of the Savior, we desire to remove certain obstacles opposing this journey and to annex certain necessary things to those which were long ago issued by our predecessors for the propagation of the offspring of true life.] Since, therefore, from the individual provinces beautiful maidens and virgins ought to be sought by maidservants for King Ahasuerus, who is called blessedness, and brought to the citadel and walls of the city, and to receive through the hand of Hegai the adornment of women, namely the supports of necessary things, we will and command that the statute [issued] in the general council concerning masters of theology to be appointed throughout the individual metropolitan sees be inviolably observed. Moreover, establishing by the counsel of our brothers and commanding with strict precept, because some could perhaps excuse themselves concerning this on account of the rarity of masters, we command that certain teachable persons be sent by the prelates and chapters of churches to the study of the profession of theology, who, when they shall have been taught, may shine like the splendor of the firmament in the church of God, from whom an abundance of learned men may afterward be had, who, like stars destined to remain for perpetual eternities, may be able to instruct very many unto justice. If their own ecclesiastical revenues do not suffice for them, let the aforesaid persons supply them with necessities. But those teaching in the theological faculty, while they teach in the schools, and those studying in it, for five years, are, by license of the Apostolic See, to receive in full the revenues of their prebends and benefices, notwithstanding any other custom or statute, since those laboring in the vineyard of the Lord ought not to be defrauded of their denarius. We will this to be observed unshaken, firmly decreeing that transgressors be struck with due punishment. [Indeed, although etc. (cf. c. 10, That Clerics or Monks, III. 50.) Given at Viterbo on the seventh day before the Kalends of December, in the fourth year of our pontificate, 1219.]