Stability and Mobility

Abstract

The notion of stability was of great importance in all religious life, even in the sixteenth century. The history of stabilitas goes back to early monasticism, when it was felt essential to separate oneself from the rest of the world in order to find God. The choice was irreversible and meant that once the devout had found a suitable location, he or she would never leave it. A monastery would serve as a permanent place of retreat, which offered great comfort to the soul. St Anthony had written that outside a religious house a monk was like a fish on land. Encouraged by him, monks and nuns remained in one place and abhorred the opposite of stabilitas, vagatio, to which people were drawn by the Devil. St Benedict himself introduced the pejorative term gyrovagus, a wandering monk (later, this term would refer to any wandering people, especially itinerant priests). It was believed that people who moved about belonged to the family of Satan.¹ In medieval Christian ethics vagatio was a detestable sin, cured only by the virtue of stability. Its negative aspects were further enhanced by the association of vagrancy with beggary and idleness.² Interestingly, the Shepherds’ Kalendar identified vagrancy with covetousness, as if vagrants wandered and begged out of greed only.³ This seems to indicate that it was thought that stable people had fewer needs and that vagrants were more inclined to resort to all sorts of vices. They were not fully under the control of society, and consequently were suspect and menacing in their marginality.

Amonge them the sprite continueth we must beleue that these can not erre / & for no nother cawse but that they are shauen / and so clothed / and caried about on mules and charettes / all thowgh they be neuer so weked neuer so ignorant in scripture /

yee though they lacke their comen sense / and be moore rude them asses of archadie.

Richard Brightwell (pseud.), A pistle, f. 27-27v