A07146:516
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.
1Here may all men learn to judge with what spirit these Romish Bishops are led, which notwithstanding call them selves most holy fathers, Christs vicars in earth, Peters successors, holy Church, the spouse of Christ, that pillar of truth, which cannot err. Pope Gregory the first (as you heard) admitted Images into Churches as lay mens Calendars or books, but by no means to be worshipped. Which also is more than can be proved lawful by the word of God.2 Notwithstanding now cometh this most holy father Pope Gregory the third, and he appointeth Images not only to be in Churches, as lay ⟨p. 86⟩mens books, but also to be worshipped, that is to say, to kneel unto them, to sense them, to garnish them with costly vestures, to set up candles before them to go pilgrimage unto them to pray before them and to give them such honour as by no means is due either to stock or stone. The words of Pope Gregory the first are these, concerning yt not worshipping of images, written in a certain epistle unto Serenus Bishop of Massilia, 3which did not only take away Images out of the churches, when he see the people worship them, but he also brake them all on pieces, & burnt them. It was saith he, declared unto us, that thou beholding certain worshippers of images, diddest break & also cast away the same images out of the church. Verily we commend thy zeal that thou wouldest have no man to worship that is made with hands,4 but yet we think (Note good reader, that this Pope doth not plainly affirm by the authority of Gods word, that images ought not to be destroyed, but only bringeth forth his own thinking.) we think saith he, that thou oughtest not to have broken those images. For the picture unto this end is set up in the churches that ⟨image 116⟩such as be unlearned, should at the least by seeing and beholding those Images, read on the walls, that they are not able to read on books, &c. Lib. 7. Epist. 109.