Venalia nobis, Templa, Sacerdotes, Altaria Sacra, Corona,Ignis,Thura,Preces: Calum eft venale, Deufque.

And Cornelius Agrippa, a Member of the Romish Church; a Doctor of Law, Counsellor and Historiographer to the Emperor Charles the V. (in the XVI. Century) an unexceptionable Witness, is yet more exprefs in the point, in his Treatise de Vanit. Human. Scient. His words tranflated, are these, "Covetous Priefts and greedy Men feeking matter of their Avarice, not by Wood & Stones only, "but by the Bones of the Dead alfo, and Relicks of Mar

tyrs have found means of Cove toufnefs: they open the "Graves of the Confeffors, they take out the Reliques of "Saints, and do Sell a Touch, or Kifs of them ". And Dr. John Edwards,in his. Introduction to the Rife & Progress of Popery, fays, "The Priefts greatest Profits arife from the "Dead: Thefe bring in more gain than the Living". An Ingenious Traveller, to the fame purpofe obferves, that in Italy the Dead Maintain the Living. The vaft Profit arifing to the several Popish Churches and Fraternities by thefe Relicks, have frequently occafioned long and fharp Quarrels and Law-fuits between the Merchants of these Wares, as well for the Froperty as the Poffeffion of them. These Contentions have been fo fierce, and the Parties concerned fo Obftinate in their feveral claims, and often of the felf fame Reliques, that they have not only Mangled, but at length made Monsters of these out; fome of their Saints having two Heads, others three Arms, and the like:

much

much of the fame Nature with their vile abufe of the Crofs, concerning which Erafmus the Harbinger of the Reformation, fays, "That if all the Fragments of Wood "fhown for the true Cross of CHRIST were gathered "together, they would load a Ship". Thus Mad are they upon their Idols.

It is a forrowful thing, and even a Reproach to Chriftianity, to find by Ecclefiaftical Hiftory,the Primitive Fathers, many of them at leaft, advancing fo much towards this Superftition, by their Exceffive Veneration for the Memory and Sepulchres of Martyrs and Saints, their too great Єredulity of what was reported of Miracles being wrought and Visions seen at their Graves: Even St. Austin himfelf has these words, "Who dare deny that GOD,by facred Afbes, "Bones, and the other Relicks of the Saints, works the "fame fort of Miracles,as were performed by Pauls Hand“kerchief, Elifbas dead Body, &c" And Jerom, in the Opinion of Erafmus, was very abusive to Vigilantius for opposing the Honour paid to the Relicks of the Saints. The Cloud indeed was then no bigger than a Mans hand but in a few Ages it covered the Heavens with blacknefs, One of the first Steps to this Superftition, was the Confe crating the Places where the Martyrs, or any eminent Saints were buried, calling them Altars. At thefe Altars, the Chriftians kept their Vigils; thither in the day time, especially on set days, they would repair to offer their Sacrifices, as they called them; that is Prayers, making Vows, Oblations, and even Celebrating the Sacraments: But this

C

S

piece of Devotion being found chargeable & troublefome especially for those who lived at a diftance; they proceeded, to tranflate the Bodies of Martyrs & Saints, at least such as they called fo, to their Temples, or built Churches for them. The Emperor Conftantine, in his devout Zeal, began this Practice for Jerom tells us, that he transported the Bodies of Andrew, Luke and Timothy to Conftantinople: And the Empress Conftantia, as Agrippa before-named tells us, fent to Gregory the Ift. for the Head of St. Paul, or fome part of his Body, to be Interred at St. Pauls Church in Conftantinople. And the common People following thefe Examples, would not fuffer the Bones of the Primitive Saints to rest in their Graves, but took them up, and carried them from Place to Place: and when they built & dedicated a Church to any of the Apoftles, primitive Bishops, or other Martyrs, if it were poffible they would get either the entire Body, or at leaft fome Member to be there Interr'd with great folemnity, whatever it coft them for the Original Owners & Poffeffors at length grew fo Cunning, as to fet a good Price upon these cura in particular, as Ecclefiaftical History Informs us, St. Auftins Body when tranflated from Hippo to Sardinia, was purchased at a hundred Talents of Silver, and a Talent of Gold, which makes 40375 Pounds Sterling Money *.

3

This among other innumerable Inftances, is an Imitation of the Supertition of the Ancient Romans, who frequently purchased & tranflated Foreign Gods to Rome: The Statue of Apollo was purchased at 1. 2906210 J. Sterl. That of Mercury at l. 3229 3 s. 44. Arbuthnot's Tables of Antient Coynes,

This brought on thofe Superftitious PILGRIMAGES to Jerufalem,Rome, Conftantinople, and other Holy Places, as they called them. Dr. Burnet in his History beforementioned tells us, "That there were believed to be a hun"dred thousand Pilgrims at one time, on a Jubilee at the «Tomb of Thomas Becket in Canterbury ".

The 5th Council of Carthage, Canon the 4th. appointed exprefsly, "That no Altar fhould be built, without the "Relicks of fome Martyr ". And the Council of Trent, did in exprefs terins decree, "Such Pilgrimages to the "Sepulchers, and in Memory of Saints, to ask and obtain "their Help, are Godly and Religious, and to be much used "of Christians" and no wonder fince it brought in so much Gain to the Crafts-men,for they took care to manage thefe Pilgrimages to great Advantage many ways,to mention but three.

First, The Offerings made to the Shrine, and in Honour of the of the Place were very Valuable. The Author but now named, in the fame Book, acquaints us, That the Annual Oblations at Beckets Tomb amounted to near a thousand Pounds Sterling; and that King Lewis the feventh of France came over in Pilgrimage to it, and offered a Stone reckoned to be the richeft in Europe: So that this Shrine grew to be of ineftimable value; for when it came to be broken by Henry the VIII. the Gold of it was fo heavy that it filled two Chefts, which took eight Men a piece to carry them out of the Church.

Secondly,

Secondly, There being as has been obferved upon these Solemnities, a great Concourfe of People,(supposed to come from a principle of Devotion) the Priests had a fine Opportunity to put off their Purgatory Maffes, and other Popish Wares, and even forced the deluded Votaries to buy them.

Thirdly, And to mention no more; upon these Occafions also these Sharpers would ask Alms for the Poor, and then take it for themselves, under the Notion of their own Vow of perpetual Poverty. For these Reasons this Superstition became fuch a Noli me tangere,that Perfons have been griev'oufly perfecuted,and even to death, for only declaring, against this Folly.

Mr. Fox in his Martyrology gives many inftances of this kind, One William Sweeting put to death, for saying to his Wife, That it would be better for her to tarry at home, and attend upon her Business,than to go upon Pilgrimages. Ifabel Merwyn was also put to death for faying,She would go no more upon Pilgrimages while fhe lived, for all Saints (fays fhe) are in Heaven: with many others, as I find 'em cited by Willet in his Synopfis Papismi.

I my felf being at Coruna in Spain in the year 1697. faw more than an hundred Men and Women paffing thro' that City on a Pilgrimage, to the Shrine of fome noted Romish Saint, at two or three hundred Miles distance from their own Habitation,

There is scarce a Church of any note or figure in all the Romish Countries,but pretends to have,and at proper seasons

to