This class has always been severely judged because of its high pretensions.

Moreover the vow of celibacy was too hard to keep for most men and for some women; that many priests, monks and nuns broke it cannot be doubted.

And yet there was a sprinkling of saintly parsons like him of whom Chancer [Transcriber's note: Chaucer ?] said "Who Christes lore and his apostles twelve He taught, but first he folwed it himselve," and there were many others who kept up at least the appearance of decency.

But here, as always, the bad attracted more attention than the good.
The most reliable data on the subject are found in the records of church visitations, both those undertaken by the Reformers and those occasionally attempted by the Catholic prelates of the earlier period.
Everywhere it was proved that a large proportion of the clergy were both wofully ignorant and morally unworthy.

Besides the priests who had concubines, there were many given to drink and some who kept taverns, gaming rooms and worse places.