too long been, it were better that they should be restrained, than that they should be any longer used as they have been, to the injurie of Christs passion." be enlarged upon in this place. Only it may be proper by a few domestic anecdotes and authorities to shew what progress the same pernicious doctrine and practice had made in this country. In the latter end of the year 1500, being the year of jubilee, pope Alexander VI. sent a commissary into this kingdom, to distribute, as he called it, the heavenly grace, to all such as, prevented by any forcible impediment, could not be present at Rome to receive the benefit there. The articles contained in this bull, with the sums of money required of each person in proportion to his means, to intitle him to partake in the promised advantages, are given by Weever in the discourse prefixed to his Funeral Monuments, p. 158-162, edit. 1767. In Becon's Reliques of Rome, Works, Vol. III. fol. 205-207, and in Bp. Burnet's Hist. of the Reformation, Vol. II. p. 138140, Records, may be found an account of the chief indul gences granted by different popes to those who shall say devoutly certain prayers therein specified. One of the most common purposes for which they were made use of was the raising of money and other supplies for the building of monasteries, abbies, and churches. Of this it would be easy to produce many examples. But we must confine ourselves within narrow limits. In the year 1112, previously to the erection of the abbey at Crowland, the abbot obtained of the archbishops. and bishops of England an indulgence for remitting the third part of all penances injoined for sins committed, to every person who should help forward that good work: and with this indulgence he sent the monks abroad into all quarters to gather money, who returned after great success. On the day appointed for laying the foundation there was a very numerous appearance of nobles, prelates, and commons; and after mass and anthems sung, the abbot himself laid the first stone, and the nobles and others, according to their degrees and quality, couched their stones respectively, and laid upon them sums of money; others gave their deeds of lands, advowsons of churches, certain measures of wheat, or engaged to pay so many labourers, masons, carpenters, &c. till the work was finished. The common people and townships, for their parts, offered with a zealous devotion, some money, others certain Touching the six and twentieth article, he said, "that it is not against the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles, to contend in the law, so it be done with charitie, if Saint Augustine, and the reverend father Marcus Marulus did not erre, which granted that libertie to the weake Christians: albeit that true Christians ought to give eare unto Saint Pauls days of labour; some the building of whole pillars, others a certain extent of the walls, windows, &c. all striving to outvie each other. After this, the abbot in a solemn speech, commending their bounty, and granting to them and theirs all spiritual benefits in the church, and a participation in the merit of all the prayers, fastings, &c. gave his blessing to the assembly, and dismissed them, well satisfied with their work, to their respective homes. See Staveley's History of Churches in England, p. 57. But these pardons were not always converted to purposes so beneficial; since by them, as Wickliffe assures us, many men were deceived, and "trusten to flee to heaven withouten pain, and therefore dreaden sin the less." Lewis's History, p. 139. They were often made the incentive to sanguinary wars, crusades, and idle pilgrimages. And in many ways, among private individuals, they encouraged the grossest errors and immoralities. "Yea it is well known that their pardons and other of theyr trompery hath bene bought and sold in Lombard-strete, and in other places, as thou wylt bye and sell an horse in Smith-field." Lamentations against the City of London. Siguat. c. 8. A. D. 1548. "In times past (says bishop Grindal) men made preparations before death, but (God knoweth) farre out of square. Some redemed for money great plentye of indulgencies from Rome, and he that had the greatest plentie of them, to bee cast with him into his grave, when he was buried (whiche I myselfe have sene done) was counted the best prepared for death. Sermon at the Funeral Solemnity of the Emperor Ferdinand, preached in St. Paul's Cathedral, Oct. 3, 1564. Signat. D. 3. But perhaps no use was ever made of them which can be accounted more melancholy than the following. Proclamation was occasionally made at the burning of the martyrs, "that whosever did bring a faggot or a stake to the burning of a hereticke should have forty daies of pardon. Whereby it came to pass, that many ignorant people caused their children to beare billets and faggots to their burning." Fox's Acts, p. 897. See also Fox, p. 1105, and p. 1120. saying; Why do ye not rather suffer injurie? (1. Cor. 6.) And to Christ himselfe, which saith: He that would contend with thee in the law, and take away thy coate, give him thy cloke also." Touching the eight and twentith, he answered, "that God is the author of the punishment only, but not of the offence, as Basilius Magnus teacheth in his Sermon upon these words of the Prophet, (Amos 3.): Non est malum in civitate quod non fecit dominus. And Saint Augustine in another place (as I remember) prayeth; That he be not led into that temptation, that he should beleeve God to be the author of sinne and wickednesse.” Heere insueth a briefe Summarie or Collection of certaine Depositions, deposed by the severall Witnesses aforenamed, upon certaine Interrogatories ministered unto them, for the Inquirie of Master Bilneyes Doctrine and Preaching. "First it was deposed, that in his sermon in Christs church in Ipswich, he should preach and say, our Saviour Christ is our mediatour betweene us and the Father: what should we need then to seeke any Saint for remedie? Wherefore, it is great injurie to the blood of Christ, to make such petitions, and blasphemeth our Saviour. That man is so unperfect of himselfe, that he can in no wise inerit by his owne deeds. Also, that the comming of Christ was long prophesied before, and desired by the Prophets. But John Baptist being more than a Prophet, did not only prophecie, but with his finger shewed him, saying: (John 9.) Ecce agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi. Then if this were the very Lambe which John did demonstrate, that taketh away the sins C VOL. II. of the world, what injurie is it to our Saviour Christ, that to be buried in Saint Francis cowles should remit foure parts of penance! What is then left to our To be buried in Saint Francis cowle.] The friars succeeded in persuading the people," that they could get a great thing of the pope, or of cardinals in England, better cheap than other procurators could." (Wickliffe against the Friars, p. 60, A. D. 1608): and by these means they gradually usurped and drew away from the secular clergy and the parochial churches, to themselves and their own abbies, the administering of the several sacraments, hearing of confessions, and burials of the dead, especially of all the wealthy part of the community; together with such other religious offices, as might be converted to purposes of gain. "Friars drawen to them confession, and burying of riche men by manie subtil means, and masse-pence, and trentals, but they will not come to poore mens Dirige, ne receave them to be buried amongst them." (Wickliffe against Friars, p. 28). By having his grave within the precincts of the Abbey, they made the rich man believe, that he should partake of the merit of all the masses, prayers, fastings, and other good works which should continue, till the day of doom, to be performed in that holy spot. But to be buried in a cowl or hood, and the rest of a friar's habit, especially if accompanied and corroborated by a letter of fraternity, this was a sure protection against all manner of harm. "They techen lords and nameliche (especially) ladies, that if they dien in Francis's habite, they shoulden never come to Hell, for virtue thereof." Wickliffe in Lewis's History, p. 22. In Pierce the Ploughman's Creed, we have an incomparable description of these arts of the friars. One of them is supposed to be wheedling a man out of his money and among other equally strong arguments, having told the person of whom he is begging, that the order are now building a magninificent abbey, for which he is employed to gather the means, he promises, And mightest thou amenden us with moneye of thyn owen, " Saviour Christ, which taketh away the sins of the world? This I will justifie to be a great blasphemie to the blood of Christ. Also, that it was a great folly to go on pilgrimage; and that preachers in times past have been Antichrists, and now it hath pleased God somewhat to shew forth their falshood and errors. Also, that the miracles done at Walsingham, at Canterburie, and there in Ipswich, were done by the divel, through the sufferance of God, to blind the poore people: and that the pope had not the "King John, being buried at Worcester, under the high altar, was wrapped in a monk's cowl, which the superstition of those times accounted sacred. And I find also, that some of the honourable family of the Hastings were interred in habits of the friars minors, in their convent church at Coventry." Staveley's Hist. of Churches in England, p. 265. In truth, it is certain, that the practice was a very frequent one. King John died in the year 1216. Thus early then the custom must have begun. It is referred to, along with other superstitions of a like nature, in the following extract from a sermon, which has been already cited, preached on occasion of the funeral solemnity of the emperor Ferdinand, by Grindall, then bishop of London. "In times past inen made preparacions afore death, but (God knoweth) farre out of square. Some redemed for money great plentye of indulgencies from Rome, and he that had the greatest plentie of them, to be cast with him into his grave when he was buried, (whiche I myself have sene done) was counted the best prepared for death. Others made provisions or foundacions to have great number of masses said for them after death, thereby to be the sooner delivered out of purgatorie. Other there were that thought it a more reasonable and speedye waye to quench the fire of purgatory afore they fel into it; and therefore they procured a great number of masses and trentals to be said for them afore death. Some of those that have bene learned, the more was the pity, have died in an observant or gray friars cowle, and afterward bene buried in the same, and so thought themselves well prepared. But alas! al these preparacions were preposterous." Funeral Sermon, signat. D. 3. b. A. D. 1564. But the largest and best account, and exposure of this lamentable folly, may be read in Erasmus's Colloquy, intitled Exequia Seraphica. |