ourselves, we adore Christ, and we venerate the saints, whose similitude they represent.

St. Dominick of Calabria.

But why should we here pass over in silence the image of St. Dominick, which is illustrious by continual miracles at Suriano in Calabria? For, as the pious tradition runs, this was first brought down from heaven in the year 1530, and presents a strong bulwark against the impious iconoclasts.-Aringha's Subterraneous Rome, book 5, c. 5.

Sed quorsum hic sancti Dominici imaginem, quæ apud Surrianum Calabria, jugibus nunc miraculis præfulget, silentio obvolvimus ? De cælo, quippe, ut pia traditio est, hæc primum anno 1530 delata, valedissimum adversus impios iconoclastes propugnaculum exhibet.--Aring. Rom. Subter. lib. 5, c.

Burnet's History of the Reformation, book 3.

The period referred to is the year 1535.

Another way was thought on, which, indeed, proved more effectual, both for recovering the people out of the superstitious fondness they had for their images and relics, and for discovering the secret impostures that had long been practised in these houses. And this way was to order the visitors to examine well all the relics and feigned images to which pilgrimages were wont to be made. In this Dr. London did great service. From Reading he writes, that the chief relics of idolatry in the nation were there. There was an angel with one wing that brought over the spear's head that pierced our Saviour's side; to which he adds a long inventory of their other relics, and says there were as many more as would fill four sheets of paper. He also writes from other places that he had every where taken down their images and trinkets. At St. Edmondsbury, as John ap Rice informed, they found some of the coals that roasted St. Lawrence, the parings of St. Edmund's toes, St. Thomas Becket's penknife and boots, with as many pieces of the cross of our Saviour as would make a large whole cross. They had also relics against rain, and for hindering weeds to spring. But to pursue this further were useless, the relics were so innumerable. And the value which the people had of them may be gathered from this, that a piece of St. Andrew's finger, set in an ounce of silver, was laid to pledge by the house of Westacre for 40l., but the visitors, when they suppressed that house, did not think fit to redeem it at so high a rate.

For their images, some of them were brought to London, and were there at St. Paul's Cross, in the sight of all the people broken, that they might be fully convinced of the juggling impostures of the

monks; and, in particular, the crucifix of Boxley in Kent, commonly called the rood of grace, to which many pilgrimages had been made, because it was observed sometimes to bow and to lift itself up, to shake and to stir head, hands, and feet, to roll the eyes, move the lips and bend the brows; all which were looked upon by the abused multitude as the effects of a divine power. These were now publicly discovered to have been cheats, for the springs were showed, by which all these motions were made. Upon which John Hilsey, then bishop of Rochester, made a sermon and broke the rood in pieces. There was also another famous imposture discovered at Hales in Gloucestershire, where the blood of Christ was shown in a vial of crystal, which the people sometimes saw, but sometimes they could not see it: so they were made to believe that they were not capable of so signal a favour, as long as they were in mortal sin, and so they continued to make presents, till they bribed heaven to give them the sight of so blessed a relic. This was now discovered to have been the blood of a duck, which they renewed every week, and the one side of the vial was so thin that there was no seeing through it, but the other was clear and transparent; and it was so placed near the altar, that one in a secret place behind, could turn either side of it outward. So when they had drained the pilgrims that came thither of all they had brought with them, then they afforded them the favour of turning the clear side outward, who upon that went home, well satisfied with their journey and the expense they had been at. There was brought out of Wales a huge image of wood called Darrel Gutheren, of which one Ellis Price, visitor of the diocese of St. Asaph, gave this account on the 6th of April, 1537:-" That the people of the country had a great superstition for it, and many pilgrimages were made to it; so that the day before he wrote, there were reckoned to be above five or six hundred pilgrims there. Some brought oxen and cattle, and some brought money; and it was generally believed that if any offered to that image, he had power to deliver a soul from hell. So it was ordered to be brought to London, where it served for fuel to burn Friar Forrest. There was a huge image of our Lady at Worcester that was had in great reverence, which, when it was stripped of some veils that covered it, was found to be the statue of a bishop.

Barlow, bishop of St. David's, did also give many advertisements of the superstition of his country, and of the clergy and monks of that diocese, who were guilty of heathenish idolatry, gross impiety and ignorance, and of abusing people with many evident forgeries, about which he said, he had good evidence when it should be called for. But that which drew most pilgrims and presents in those parts, was an image of our Lady with a taper in her hand, which was believed to have burned nine years, till one forswearing himself upon it, it went out, and was there much reverenced and worshipped. He found all about the cathedral so full of superstitious conceits, that there was no hope of working on them; therefore he proposed the translating of the episcopal seat from St. David's to Caermarthen,

which he pressed by many arguments and in several letters, but with no success. • Many rich shrines of our Lady of Walsingham, of Ipswich, and Islington, with a great many more, were brought up to London, and burnt by Cromwell's orders.

But the richest shrine of England was that of Thomas Becket. For 300 years he was accounted one of the greatest saints in heaven, as may appear in the leger-books of the offerings made to the three greatest altars in Christ Church in Canterbury. The one was to Christ, the other to the Virgin, and the third to St. Thomas. In one year there was offered at Christ's altar 31. 2s. 6d. ; to the Virgin's altar 63l. 5s. 6d.; but to St. Thomas's altar 8321. 13s. 3d. But the next year the odds grew greater, for there was not one penny offered at Christ's altar, and at the Virgin's only 4l. 1s 8d.; but at St. Thomas 954l. 6s. 3d. By such offerings it came, that his shrine was of inestimable value. There was a stone offered there by Lewis 7th of France, who came over to visit it in a pilgrimage, that was believed to be the richest in Europe..

It appears from the record of the 6th jubilee, after his translation an. 1420, that there were then about 100,000 strangers came to visit his tomb. The jubilee lasted 15 days; by such arts they drew an incredible deal of wealth to his shrine. The riches of that, together with his disloyal practices, made the king resolve to unshrine and unsaint him at once; and then his skull, which had been much worshipped, was found an imposture; for the true skull was lying with the rest of his bones in his grave. carried away, the gold that was were so heavy that they were a them out of the church.

The shrine was broken down and about it, filling two chests, which load to eight strong men to carry

The following are the Relics of De Domino Nostro Jesu Christo our Lord Jesus Christ.

The following are the Relics of De Apostolis sunt ha Reliquia.