tended to the profit of their order, more than to the glorie of Christ.

The Christian faith was esteemed or counted none other thing then, but that everie man should know that Christ once suffered, that is to say, that all men should know and understand that thing which the divels themselves also knew. Hypocrisie was counted for wonderfull holinesse. All men were so addict unto outward shewes, that even they themselves which professed the most absolute and singular knowledge of the Scriptures, scarsly did understand or know any other thing. And this evidently did appeare, not onely in the common sort of doctors and teachers, but also in the very heads and captaines of the church; whose whole religion and holinesse consisted in a maner in the observing of daies, meats and garments, and such like rhetoricall circumstances, as of place, time, person, &c. Hereof sprang so many sorts and fashions of vestures and garments: so many

5 Vestures and garments.] As Black Friars, White Friars, Grey, &c. &c.— "What, be these Benedictines, Cistertians, Carmelites, Carthusians, Dominicans, Franciscans, with others like, an huge numbre, but names of popishe schismes and sectes? who, all forsakyng the religion and name of Christe, common to all true Christians, have chosen to be called religious, as by a special name of a severall religion; and to be named after men, their fathers on earth, forsakyng the heavenly father, and continuing and accomplishinge the schisme first begunne in S. Paules time, after the example of those who sayd 'I am of Paule, I of Cephas, I of Apollos;' saying, I am of Dominike, I of Benedicte, I of Francisce,' who also may directly answer S. Paule askyng, Was Paule or any other, savyng only Christe crucified for you?' 'Yea,' may the Franciscans say, 'S. Francisce was crucified for us of his familie, and beholde the woundes in his side, handes, and feete.'

"And leste all these sectes should not be knowen sufficiently by onely diversitie of names, thei have by other infinite wayes and meanes travelled to sever their sectes asundre, studyinge for division as for the best, and flyinge all shewe of unitie as the worste of all thinges. Wherefore to their diversitie of names, they have joyned diversitie of fashions, and diversitie of colours in their apparell; diversitie of girdels, hose, and shooes; diversitie of shavynge, diversitie of goyng, beckyng and bowyng, diversitie of diete and meates, diversitie of readyng, singinge, and tunynge, diversitie of churche service, and diversitie of rules of life. All times would fayle me, if I should, or coulde rehearse all their diversities, which is the very propertie of schismes and sectes. These be those schismatikes, and sectaries, with an infinite multitude whereof, of late Englande was repleanished; of the whiche now, thankes be to God, the realme is well ridde: so that if you meete a thousande men and women one after an other severally, and aske of them, of what religion be you?' they shall all and every one answere you, ‘I am a Christian; we be all

6

differences of colours and meates with so many pilgrimages to severall places, as though S. James at Compostella could doe that, which Christ could not doe at Canturburie: or else that God were not of like power and strength in every place, or could not be found but being sought for by running and gadding hither and thither. Thus the holinesse of the whole yeare was transported and put off unto the Lent season. No countrie or

Christians: there shal not one answere to you (as was wonte), 'I am of the religion of S. Francisce, a Franciscane: an other, I am a Dominicaine: the thirde, I am a Carmelite. Et sic de singulis.' One woman shall not answere you: I am a Brigittyne: an other, I am a Clarane: the thirde, I am an Eugubine, whiche are all names of abominable sectes and schismes, not onely dividyng, but deniyng, but forgettyng, but rejectinge the religion and name of Jesus Christe.”—A Reproof, written by Alexander Nowell, of a book entitled, A Proof of certain Articles in Religion denied by Master Jewell, set forth by Thomas Dorman, B.D. 1565. 4to. fol. p. 55.

See also the ninth section of Warton's History of English Poetry, 8vo. Lond. 1824. vol. ii. Р 123.

6 S. James at Compostella.] The pilgrimage to Compostella in Spain, famous throughout Europe, was accounted one of the most meritorious, and amongst the most highly favoured by supposed miraculous interpositions. A part of its celebrity, we are told, was owing to the length of the way, and the dangers of the journey. "A short pilgrimage (says Weever), is not worth a pin: neither is an image in so much honour and respect in that country where it is, as in far countries. For example, the Italians, yea those who dwell near Rome, will mock and scoff at our English and other pilgrims, who go to see the pope's holiness, and St. Peter's chair; and yet they themselves will run to see the relics of St. James of Compostella, in the kingdom of Gallicia in Spain, which is above twelve hundred English miles." Weever's Funeral Monuments. Disc. P. clxiii. Edit. 1767. The whole legend upon which the fame and the wealth of this celebrated spot was founded, which "has cost millions of Christians many a weary step over rocks and mountains; who otherwise would have staid at home, and performed their devotions, and not have, by long sauntering pilgrimages, reduced themselves and their families to beggary; having nothing, by that means, left them but a few scollop shells upon a threadbare weed, and a feather or two of the cast of the cock which crowed when St. Peter denied his Lord," has been accurately examined, and its numerous falsehoods and absurdities satisfactorily exposed by Dr. Michael Geddes, in the second volume of his Miscellaneous Tracts, p. 208-234.

7 Put off unto the Lent season.] Thus in the Festival, which consists of short sermons or homilies upon many of the Sundays, and the other principal feasts throughout the year, and was the book most commonly read in churches, even till the latter end of the reign of Henry VIII. the discourse for the second Sunday in Lent thus begins:

"Good men and women, this is the seconde Sonday in clene Lente; wherefore lyke as ye have all this yere before made you honest and well besene in

land was counted holy, but onelie Palestina, where Christ himselfe had walked with his corporall feet. Such was the blindnesse of that

good araye to youre body, now shoulde ye be as soone besye to make you a clene soule. Wherefore this tyme of Lente is ordeyned to clense youre conscience from all maner rust and fylth of sinne." Festival, fol. 17 b. Again, "And for bycause that every man synnes more or lesse, for to make satysfaccyon for trespas, all crysten people ben bounden by the lawe of God and Hooly Chyrche to fast these forty dayes." Festival, fol. 15. From such extracts as these, the reader will see the necessity of a reformation in doctrine, and will recognize one cause of the frequent insertion of those expressions in the liturgy, and other books of the Reformers, where Christ is spoken of as a "full and perfect satisfaction," "the only mediator and advocate," &c.Yet once more. The Golden Legend, so denominated, because “ as golde passeth all other metalles, so this boke excedeth all other bokes," upon the first Sunday in Lent, makes the following calculation: "We put to penaunce and afflyccyon fro this present day unto Fester six wekes comynge, that ben forty-two dayes. Yf the Sondayes be taken awaye, there abyde in the abstynence but thirty-six dayes: and the yere is demeaned by three hondred and sixty-five dayes: (so) we gyve the tythe of them to God whan we faste.”— Golden Legend, fol. 14. Edit. 1527. By Wynkyn de Worde. In the same spirit the clergy of the Lower House of Convocation formally complained to the prelates, in the year 1536, that among many other erroneous opinions, "it was preached, thought and spoken to the slander of this noble realm, disquietness of the people, and damage of Christian souls, that the sinner offending in the Lent or other high feasts of the year, is worthy no more punishment, than he that transgresseth in any other time."-Wilkins's Concilia, vol. iii. p. 805. But, as knowledge and reformation advanced, a better temper began to prevail. Hence in the year 1545, we find Cuthbert Scot, no very zealous friend to the reformation, in a sermon at St. Paul's cross, thus expressing himself: " Now if the tyme wold suffre me, I wolde speake here of the fashyons of men nowe in these dayes. For many there be, as I thynke, whiche do not walke in this way, but do runne as it were in a circuit, and maye be lykened to a dogge that runneth in a whele, whiche styll goeth and laboreth, and when he maketh an ende, he is even where he begonne. And so I do feare that men do in these dayes. Theyr tyme goeth, and they growe in age, and yet, looke, how they lyved the laste yeare, and even so they lyve this yeare, and so wyll do the nexte: nothyng at all increasynge in vertue nor godlynes, but do as vittelars used to do, whiche take bread and drincke of bakers and brewers, to a daye, not payenge money in hande, but tale with them and when the day of payment cometh, they paye theyr money, and strike off the old tales, and begynne agayne to tayle of newe. And even so do we. We be very bold with God all the yeare longe, and tale with hym tyll Lente comme; and then we be confessed, kepynge abstinence for a tyme, and receyve the holy sacrament, and so sone as Easter is past, we begyn even to tale of newe, and fall agayne to our olde kynde of lyvyng. But such be not these that David called in this place, happy; for they do not walke undefyled

time, men did strive and fight for the crosse at Hierusalem, as it had been for the chiefe and onelie force and strength of our faith.

in this way." Signat k. 7. Imprynted by Johannes Herford, at the costes of Robert Toye. 1545.

Again after citing so much in conformity with Fox's representation, I cannot refuse myself the satisfaction of producing additional evidence of further reformation, along with the wise and admirable remarks of the author, another protestant writer, Sir Edwin Sandys. He speaks, indeed, of a later day; his work having been written near the close of the reign of queen Elizabeth, A.D. 1599.

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Notwithstanding this testimony, I yield not only willingly but gladly to them (for what joy could it be, what grief ought it not to be, to the heart of any man, to see men fall irrecoverably from the love and laws of the Creator ?)—that, at one time of the year, namely, at Lent, they are much reformed. No such blasphemy, nor dirty speaking as before; their vanities of all sorts laid reasonably aside; their pleasures abandoned; their apparel, their diet, and all things else composed to austerity and state of penitence. They have daily, then, their preaching with collections of almes, whereto all men resort: and to judge of them by the outward shew, they seem generally to have very great remorse for their wickedness. In so much, that I must confess I seemed unto myself in Italy to have best learned the right use of Lent; there first to have discerned the great fruit of it, and the reason for which those sages at first did institute it. Neither can I easily accord to the fancies of such, as because we ought at all times to lead a life worthy of our profession, think it, therefore, superstitious to have one time wherein to exact or expect it more than other; but rather do thus conceive, that seeing the corruption of times and wickedness of men's nature is now so exorbitant, that an hard matter it is to hold the ordinary sort of men at all times within the lists of piety, justice, and sobriety; it is fit, therefore, there should be one time at least in the year, and that of reasonable continuance, wherein the season itself, the use of the world and practice of all men (for even the Jews and the Turks have their Lents, although different), the commandment of superiors, the provision of fit means to assist therein; and in sum, the very outward face and expectation as it were of all things, should constrain men how wicked and wretchless soever, for that time, at least, to recal themselves to some more severe cogitations and courses; lest sin, having no such bridle to check it at any time, should at length, wax headstrong and unconquerable in them; and that, on the other side, being thus necessarily innured for a while, though but to make a bare shew of walking in the paths of virtue, they might afterwards, perhaps, more sincerely and willingly persist (as custom makes hard things pleasant), or at least wise return more readily again unto them some other time.-And verily I have had sundry times this cogitation in Italy, that in so great looseness of life and decay of discipline in those parts, it was the especial great mercy and grace of God, that the severity of Lent should yet still be preserved, lest otherwise the floods of sin growing so strong and outragious, and having no where either bound or bank to restrain them, might plunge that whole nation in such a

It is a wonder to reade the monuments of the former times, to see and understand what great troubles and calamities this crosse hath caused almost in every Christian commonwealth. For the Romish champions never ceased, by writing, admonishing, and counselling, yea and by quarrelling, to move and stir up princes minds to warre and battell, even as though the faith and beleefe of the gospell, were of small force, or little effect without that woodden crosse. This was the cause of the expedition of the most noble prince, king Richard, unto Hierusalem, who being taken in the same journie, and delivered unto the emperour, could scarslie be ransomed home againe for thirty thousand markes. In the same enterprise or journie, Fredericus the emperour of Rome, a man of most excellent vertue, was much endamaged, an. 1179. And also Philip the king of France, scarslie returned home againe in safetie, not without great losses:-so much did they esteeme the recovery of the holy citie and crosse.

Upon this alone, all men's eies, mindes and devotions, were so set and bent, as though either there were no other crosse but that, or that the crosse of Christ were in no other place but only at Hierusalem. Such was the blindnesse and superstition of those daies, which understood or knew nothing but such things as were outwardlie seene: whereas the profession of our religion standeth in much other higher matters and greater mysteries,What is the cause why Urbanus did so vexe and torment himselfe? Because that Antioch with the holy crosse, was lost out of the hands of the Christians. For so wee doe find it in the chronicles, "at what time Jerusalem with king Guido, and the

gulf of wickedness, and bring them to that last extremity, which should leave them neither hope of better, nor place but for worse. Yea, and I was so farr from thinking the institution of Lent superfluous, or the retaining of it unprofitable, that I rather inclined to like the custom of the Greek Church, who, besides the great Lent, have three other Lents also, at solemn times, in the year; though those other neither so long, neither yet of so strict and general observations." Sandys's Europa Speculum, p. 21–23. edit. 1673.

8 Thirty thousand markes.] In p. 225. vol. i. edit. 1610, Fox tells us that the ransom was sixty thousand marks. From Inett it appears, that the king agreed with the emperor to pay for his ransom a hundred thousand marks, and to find fifty galleys and two hundred knights, at his own charge, for the emperor's service for one year. But as all this could not be raised at once, part of the money was paid, and hostages given for the discharge of the remainder.— Inett's Origines Anglicanæ, vol. ii. p. 354.

? And crosse.] See Index, under Crusade.