pardonmonger

English

Alternative forms

• pardon-monger, pardon monger

Etymology

pardon +‎ monger

Noun

pardonmonger (plural pardonmongers)

1. (Christianity, archaic, derogatory) A seller of (papal) indulgences.
   • 1650, John Trapp, Solomonis Παναρετος: or, A Commentarie upon the Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs […], page 126:

     I read of Tecelius, the Popes pardonmonger in Germany, that having by sale of indulgences scraped together a huge masse of money and returning for Rome, he was met and eased of his cash by an odde fellow; who being afterwards prosecuted for a felon, produced a pardon for future sinnes granted him by Tecelius himself, and being thereupon acquitted by the Judge, he roasted that which that other old fox had taken in hunting.

   • 1862, C. S. Carey, Lectures on the History of English Christianity, volume 1, The Roman Catholic Church in England, page 22:

     Some of the bones were probably not even human, for Chaucer had the hardihood to represent the pardonmonger as carrying about with him a “pilwebere,” which he called our Lady’s veil, a cross of tin set full of stones, and pig’s bones in a glass; […]

   • 1883, Robert Charles Jenkins, Romanism: A Doctrinal and Historical Examination of the Creed of Pope Pius IV, page 237:

     For a certain nobleman having bought such an indulgence for thirty dollars, laid wait for the agent of the Pope as he passed between Jütterbock and Trebbin, deprived him of all his money, and stripped and beat him, alleging the plenary indulgence as freeing him from the consequences of his crime. In vain the unfortunate pardon-monger appealed to the Duke George of Saxony, who heard the story, and rather sympathized with the inflicter of the punishment than with his victim.

   • 1890, Aeneas James George Mackay, A Sketch of the History of Fife and Kinross: A Study in Scottish History and Character, page 42:

     The first part is the tale of the temptation of King Humanity by Dame Sensuality; the second is the cheating of a poor man by a Roman Pardonmonger selling indulgences and absolutions; […]