CHAP. "Vexilla regis prodeunt, &c. which is appointed to be said III. "on the Saturday before Passion Sunday; the response, Breviarium "O crux viride lignum, &c. at the first evening song on

Romanum, pars vern. p. 298.

"the feast of the Invention of the Cross; and the anthem,
"O crux splendidior, &c. sung at the same festival; the
"anthem Crux fidelis, &c. sung at the second evening
"song of the Exaltation of the Cross, and the sequence,
"Christe, &c. at the same feast. That to use such cere-
" monies, salutations, prostrations, &c. towards a creature,
"as are proper to God alone, is making a God of the crea-
"ture; but such are those that have been customarily used
"towards the cross: Thus in eeldir daies whanne pro-
" cession was maad in the Palme-Sunday, before masse,
"the Eucharist was not brougt forth, that the processioun
" of the Clerkis and of the lay peple schulde meete with
"him, but a baar uncoverid crosse was brought forth
"agens the processioun, that the processioun schulde meete
"agens it, as y have red in diverse oolde ordinalis of ca-
"thedrale chirchis, and of monasteries in Ynglond: (thoug
" in latir daies, and namelich in summe chirchis, the Eu-
" karist is born forth, and the processioun meetith with the
"Eukarist born in a chest among relikis, and in many
"placis he is born in a coupe ordayned thereto.) In tho
"daies, and in tho placis whanne and where the proces-
" sioun mette in Palme-Sunday, with the nakid crosse, or
"with the chest of relikis withoute the Eukarist, summe
" of the Clerkis were ordeyned for to stonde bifore the seid
"crosse, and for to turne hem toward the processioun, and
"seie in singing to al the Clergie and peple thus, Lo the
" Kynge mylde and meke, &c. And thanne thus seid and
“ sungun fro the Clerkis, in the crossis bihelve, to the
"Prestis and lay peple in processioun, the Priestis and
"peple fillen doun, kneling with alle her knees to the
"grounde, seying or singing, or in both maners, toward
"the seid discouered crosse thus: Heil thou whom the
"peple of Hebrees meeting witnesseth to be Jesus:
"Lastly, it was objected, that to whatever thing men
"offren in * lougist wise coming toward it bi creping,

III.

"and whos feet thei kissen in devoutist maner thei kunnen CHAP. "thilk thing thei taken for her souereynest and higest Lord "-But so it is, that to the crosse in Good Fridai, men "comen in lougest wise creeping on alle her knees, and to "this crosse in so louge and devout maner thei offren, "and the feet of thilk crosse thei in devoutist maner "kissen, &c."

31. To the objections of the Wiclifists against images, going on pilgrimages, and offering to them, our Bishop thus replies. First, he observed, that hearing and reading, though good means, are not sufficient without rememorative signs, which are more lively, strong and affecting, and do that at once, and with less labour or pain, which the reading whole volumes can scarce effect. Besides, that many cannot read at all, and at the best, reading and hearing alone leave but faint and dull and transient impressions, and convey a great deal less to the mind than a visible representation and reading both together. Christ added visible Sacraments to supply the defect of mere reading or hearing, so necessary was it to have something visible added to the other. For, says his Lordship, to soone and ofte come into remembraunce of a long mater bi ech oon persoon, and also as for to make that the mo persoones come into remembraunce of a mater, ymagis and picturis serven in a specialer maner than bokis doon, tho' in another maner ful substanciali bokis serven bettir into remembrauncing of the same materis than ymagis and picturis doon -Marke whoso whole in his mynde all the bokis whiche been in London writun upon Seint Katheryns liif and passiouns, and y dare weel seie, that thoug ther were x thousind mo bokis writun in Londoun in thilk day of the same seintis liif and passioun, thei schulden not so moche turne the citee into mynde of the holi famose liif of Seint Kateryn, and of her dignitee in which sche now is, as dooth in each yeer the going of peple in pilgrimage to the college of Seint Kateryn bisidis Londoun. As y dare juxta Turmutte this into judgment of whomever hath seen the pil-rim. grimage doon in the vigil of Seint Kateryn bi persoones Nov. 24.

III.

CHAP. of Londoun to the seid college. Wherfore rigt greet special commodities and profitis into remembrance making ymagis and pilgrimagis han and doon, whiche writing is not so han and doon. His Lordship added,

That the Clergy are not bound, neither can they be always intent upon the office of instructing the people; that they have their health and their studies, their maintenance and several other private affairs to look after; that when they have done their utmost, it will not amount to so much as that, and the other means both together:

That a living man does not represent Christ as hanging on a cross, stripped, wounded, scourged, or the like, and therefore is not a competent representation :

That it does not appear, that the Devil has any thing to do with the images of the Church, and that the case is very different; for the people, of whom the legend speaks, took the image for their God, and were justly deceived by the Devil. Whereas Christian people use the images as signs only or tokens of God:

That many other good things are the occasions of much sin, as well as images and pilgrimages; but that they are not therefore to be laid aside, or not used, but the abuses of them to be corrected or prevented :

That to argue, that the pains and costs, &c. spent on images and pilgrimages, might be better employed, is to fill men with endless scruples; since if we are never to do any good work, till we are sure that we might not in the same time do better, we may possibly sit still and do no good work at all. It is sufficient that the thing be good, though in a lower way, and that a man employs himself either in the higher or lower exercises, as occasion offers, and does good of all kinds :

That as to adhering only to what Scripture prescribes, &c. whatever right reason approveth God approveth, though not prescribed in Scripture; that nevertheless Scripture is not entirely silent in the present case, but has scattered some hints here and there, which favour the practice or use of images and pilgrimages: That it is not

III.

vain philosophy, but true wisdom which introduced them, CHAP. and that therefore St. Paul's caution against vain philosophy does not at all relate to them:

That carrying images openly to offer up at the place of pilgrimage, is the best way of exciting others to follow our example, and to preserve the memory of what we have done to future generations for their instruction and benefit:

That it does not follow, because Joshua commanded the people to put away all strange gods, that therefore all images must be put away, since images are not strange gods:

That neither Jews nor heathens worshipped mere images, but devils as it were incorporate in the images. The hethen men helden her god to be bodili, and bodied in a maner which thei couthen not at fulle undirstonde; even as we Cristen men holden now our God to be bodili and bodied in a man. And as it is trewe, that Cristen men worschipe a man for her God, but thei worscipen not so the pure manhoode in himsilf, withoute more therto sett ; so the hethen men worschipeden a ymage and a bodili graved thing for her God, but not the pure bodili graved ymage in himsilf withoute more for her God. And so these ii. thingis which Scripture seith of idolatrers stond togedere and be trewe; that alle goddis of heathen men ben feendis; and also, that the goddis of hethen men ben gold and silver the workis of mennis hondis. The hethen men camen into thilk greet synne of ydolatrie bicause thei never receyveden the ffeith whiche othere men not being ydolaters in the same daies receyueden manye also of the Jewis, whiche weren bifore sufficientli instructid in the feith of oon God, and of veri God, and in the evidencis longing therto, fellen bi her negligence fro the attendaunce whiche schulde have be gouum bi a continuaunce to tho euidencis-But now sume what bifore the birthe of Crist, alle Jewis camen into so grete attendaunce to the evidencis of veri feith, teching oon God to be, and also aftir the passioun of Crist, hiderto in this present day, so

III.

CHAP. greet resoun hathe ben founde bothe of hethen men and of Jewis and of Cristen men That a this side the passioun of Crist, was not into this present day eny ydolatrie among Jewis, neither among hethen men whiche lyven in eny notable famose sect; or if among hethen men be eny ydolatrie, it is in ful fewe placis, among wrecched persoons, not sett bi of othere hethen men. Hereof it muste

nedis folewe, that nowe adaies it is not perel to Cristen men, neither to the Jewis, neither to hethen men for to have and entermete with ymagis of God, as it was in the daies fer bifore going the incarnacioun of Crist.

32. As to the hymns, responses, &c. in the Church-offices, produced to prove that prayers are offered up to the cross, the Bishop observed, that these and the like expressions of devotion are to be taken for figures of rhetoric, and not to be soberly interpreted, understanding them not strictly of the cross, but of Christ himself upon the cross, and of saving men in and by the cross. As for example, when the Church prays, to cross of Christ, y prie thee helpe me and defende me, and justifii me; the dew undirstonding herof mai be this, O Crist y prie thee helpe me and justifie me bi thi crosse, as therto the helping instru

ment.

33. To the two last objections, the Bishop thus answers: All what in suche processiouns was seid and sungun to the crosse in eelde daies of the Chirche in Palme Sunday, was seid of Crist ymagined to be bodili present with, and in the crucifixe or crosse which the peple in processioun bihelden. And herbi git into ferther encrecing of devocioun