Matthew Paris
Chronica Maiora
Matthew Paris, a thirteenth century monk-historian from St Albans, was a man of many talents. He was not exactly slow to voice his opinions (and prejudices). The following extract was probably written in the late 1230s, and shows how the newly-formed friars minor and black friars had already aroused jealously.
At this time some of the Friars Minor, as well as some of the Order of Preachers ... impudently entered the territories of some noble monasteries, under pretence of fulfilling their duties of preaching, as if intending to depart after preaching the next day. Under pretence of sickness of or some other pretext, however, they remained, and, constructing an altar of wood, they placed on it a consecrated stone altar, which they had brought with them, and clandestinely and in a low voice performed mass, and even received the confessions of many of the parishioners ...