A07146:456
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.
An admonition to the Reader.
Here must I warn thee (most gentle Reader) of the crafty jugglings of the Papists, which when they have once invented of their idle brain with out the authority of God's word a bald and lousy ceremony,1 or a wicked and a superstitious law, straightways father the same upon some Godly ancient and learned Bishop, that by this means it may be of the more force and of the greater authority with men, and the more easily deceive the people. Of this their practise here haste thou an evident example. They set forth in their devilish decrees & wicked writings, that this ⟨image 108⟩holy Bishop Iginius commanded the hallowing of Churches, when many years after as thou hast tofore▪ heard, the Christians had no Churches, but secretly assembled themselves together in corners, in private houses, in dens & caves of the ground, being no where safe and sure from the cruelty of the tyrants, which thirsted no less for the blood of the Christians, than the panting and thirsty hart desireth the water brooks. How could they hallow, that they had not? Except the Papists will make every cave and den in the ground the Church, which were much against their worship. Again, where there is mention made in this decree, that there must be a Mass at the hallowing of a Church, who knoweth not, that the very name of the Mass was unknown many hundred years after to the faithful congregation of Christ, so far is it of that the Mass it self was in use among them, which is but a late and an yesterday bird, hatched and brought forth of many Popes, yea and that not at one time or in one year, but in many and sundry