A07146:44
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.
when Papistry and false Religion only flourished: when superstitious hypocrites alone ruled and ruffled: there was much more scarceness, penury & dearth ⟨image 9⟩of all things than is now in the blessed time of the glorious light of Christs most glorious gospel. Read we not, that even in this Realm of England (as I may pass over with silence the stories of other nations) so great penury, scarceness, & dearth of grain was found, that the Inhabitants thereof were compelled to make them bread of Pease, Beans, Tares, Fitches Acorns, Fern roots, &c? Chanced not the like thing almost in one of the years of Queen Mary's reign now of late? Was the word of God and the preaching thereof, cause of so great miseries? But then was there high silence of Gods word: neither was the trumpet of Christs gospel freely blown. Was the want of Mass occasion of it. Masses swarmed in every corner and country with all other idle inventions of Antichrist. Whatsoever the devil and the pope at any time brought to the Church, was in those days most diligently practised: & yet notwithstanding such & so great miseries them chanced, as in the time of the gospel the like was never found. Yea with the gospel all good things were given unto us and to this our Realm of our most merciful father, which we also at this present most abundantly do enjoy through the singular benefit of the Lord our God, so that the adversaries of Gods word have no just and worthy cause to complain of the scarceness of things, whereof is so great abundance and plenty in this our land, that we have not only sufficient for the sustentation of our own countrymen, but also of many thousands of strangers▪ which likewise do inhabit this our Realm. But this from the beginning hath been the property always of Satan and of ⟨image 9⟩his ministers: if any adversity chance to common weal, where gods word reigneth: straight ways the cause thereof is imputed and ascribed to the word of God, and to the Preaching of the same, as we have diverse examples both in the holy Scriptures, and also in the Ecclesiastical writers.1 When God plagued the world with great dearth and famine for their Idolatry and wickedness of life, so that it reigned not upon the earth by the space of three years & six months: was not the occasion thereof laid to the Prophet Elijah charge, & to his Preaching.