putation. We decree that violators of the
religious life of this kind should fall under the severe judgment of
the apostolical authority, for as they have neglected the cure of
souls and in no way attend to the purpose of their order, promising
health for filthy lucre, they make themselves guardians of human
bodies. And since an impure eye is the index of an impure heart and
since religion ought not to deal with those things even to talk
about which brings the blush of shame to the cheek of honesty, in
order therefore that the monastic and canonical order should be
preserved inviolably pleasing to God in its holy purpose, we
interdict by the apostolical authority that any such proceeding
should be allowed hereafter. Bishops therefore and abbots and priors
who consent to such an enormity shall be deprived of their own
dignities."

_The Council of Tours held under Pope Alexander III, A.D. 1163,_ Canon
VIII. That religious should avoid secular studies.

"Not only does the envy of the old enemy of mankind bring him to
labor greatly to destroy the infirm members of the Church, but he
also puts his hand to securing the desirable members of the Church
and strives even to supplant the elect according to the saying of
the Scriptures 'for the elect are his food.' He plumes himself if he
can bring about the fall of many, but especially if he can bring
down some more distinguished member of the Church by making him
lukewarm. Hence it is that he knows how to transfigure himself after
his usual fashion into an angel of light, so that under the pretext
of caring for the health of ailing brethren and more faithfully
carrying out ecclesiastical business he leads members of the regular
religious orders to the study of law and of physical problems which
have to be given attention outside of the cloister. For this reason,
so that spiritual men under the pretext of science may not again
become involved in mundane affairs and themselves lose their
interior life while they are thinking to provide for others in the
exterior, we have decreed by the assent of the present council in
the endeavor to meet this evil, that no one at all after taking the
vows of religion or the making of religious profession should be
allowed to absent himself from the cloister for the study of
medicine and physic. If however he has already absented himself and
shall not have returned to his clo