A07146:1102
The relics of Rome containing all such matters of religion, as have in times…The reliques of Rome contayning all such matters of religion, as haue in times…
The relics of Rome containing all such matters of religion, as have in times past been brought into the Church by the Pope and his adherents: faithfully gathered out of the most faithful writers of chronicles and histories, and now newly both diligently corrected & greatly augmented, to the singular profit of the readers, by Thomas Becon. 1563.The reliques of Rome contayning all such matters of religion, as haue in times past bene brought into the Church by the Pope and his adherentes: faithfully gathered out of the moste faithful writers of chronicles and histories, and nowe newly both diligently corrected & greatly augmented, to the singuler profit of the readers, by Thomas Becon. 1563.
London: printed by John Day, 1563London: printed by Iohn Day, 1563
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Of Trentals for souls departed, and how they first began.
Of Trentales for soules departed, and howe they firste began.
There was sometime at Rome a certain Pope called Gregory, 1which had a mother, whom he loved above all things, and chiefly for her goodness and virtue. It chanced through misfortune that the aforesaid woman was big with child, which for fear of her son & shame of the people, when the time of her labour drew nigh, killed the child. So like did she at an other time also no man knowing of it: After ward •t so chanced, that the aforesaid woman fell sick and died.2 The Pope and all the people did greatly rejoice of her, for they thought her to be a good woman & to be saved. But afterward when the aforesaid Pope song mass, he saw just by him a certain darkness, so that it seemed rather night than day: and in the same darkness he beheld a certain most miserable creature, to whom he said: O thou creature, I conjure thee in Gods behalf, that thou declare unto me, what thou art. She aū swered. O most dearly beloved son, ⟨image 236⟩I am thy Mother. The Pope marvelling greatly at the matter: said unto her: We hoped that thou haddest been a good woman, and placed in the kingdom of Heaven. Howe cometh it to pass, that thou art now in such pain? She opened unto him all things, that she had done in this world: and told him that therefore she suffered such pains, that the very flames of fire came out of the mouth of her. The Pope being moved with sorrow and pain of his mother, said unto her, O mine own mother, can any thing in the world deliver thee out of this pain? She said: If any man would sing a trentall of masses for me, I should be delivered out of all my pains,