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CHAP. II. which are expected from this Council, whence every one will easily understand what a responsibility rests upon him. To comprehend all things in a few words, they are the same which are contained in the bull for the appointment of the Council, namely, the extirpation of heresies, and the reformation of ecclesiastical discipline and morals, and, finally, the eternal peace of the whole Church."-Labbe's Councils, p. 734, tom. xiv. Lutet. Paris. 1672.

Bishop of
Bitonto.

That we should at length do this, justice requires of us, namely, that we should confess ourselves as guilty before the tribunal of God's mercy of all these evils by which the flock of Christ is oppressed, and transferring to ourselves, not so much from a feeling of piety as from a sense of justice, the sins of all, because in truth we are in a great measure the cause of these evils, we should implore the divine mercy through Jesus Christ. But if any one thinks that what we have said, namely, that we who are pastors have given rise to the evils by which the Church is oppressed, is too severe and an exaggeration rather than truth, experience, which cannot deceive, will prove it. Let us observe, therefore, a little the evils by which the Church is oppressed, and at the same time also our own sins. But can any one number these, which with the other ills surpass in number the sea-sand, and cry out even to heaven ?"-Idem.

735. p.

"For

No. 9.-The Bishop of Bitonto, in the Council of Trent, says :with what monsters of baseness, with what a heap of filth, with what a pestilence are not both the priests and the people corrupted in the holy church of God? I place my case in your hands, O fathers, begin with the sanctuary of God, and see if any modesty, any shame, any hope, or reasonable expertation remains of good living; if there be not unrestrained and unconquerable lust, a singular audacity, and incredible wickedness. Alas! How is the gold obscured, and how is its fine colour changed.' There are those two bloodsuckers, which always exclaim, Bring, bring; the one the mother, the other the nurse of all evils-I mean, covetousness and ambition, each a subtle evil, each a secret poison, a pestilence, and the monster of the world; whilst virtue and learning are neglected by those whom we ought to follow as living and breathing laws. Vice and ignorance are raised in their stead to the highest honours, and it has at length been brought to pass, that edification has made place for destruction, example for scandal, morals for corruption, the observance of the law for its contempt, strictness for laxity, mercy for impunity, piety for hypocrisy and smoke, preaching for contention and pride and for the vilest gain, and to sum all in one sentence, which it is grievous to utter, the odour of life for the odour of death."-Idem. p. 992.

The poiNo. 10. When the Pope is a communicant, the following ceremony soned host. takes place -"The cardinal deacon then places three hosts upon the paten, and the pyx near the chalice. He then takes one of the three hosts, touches with it the other two, and gives it to M. Sagrista; he then takes another of the hosts, and touches it with the paten, and the chalice inside and outside, and gives it also to the Sagrista, who eats the two hosts. He then takes the cruets, and pours from them some wine and

water into the cup held by the Sagrista, who drinks from it. This ceremony is called the proba."

The following explanation is given by the Calendar of these ceremonies : "Meursius shows, that at the regal banquets it was customary to have persons who tasted the meats, in order to remove the suspicion of poison. By the Romans they were called prægustatores, and the chief of them in the emperor's household was named Procurator prægustatorum. Claudius is said to have been poisoned 'per Halotum spadonem prægustatorem.' Suetonius in Claud. cap. XLIV. This year an inscription has been found at Cervetri beginning thus: M. Claudius Aug. lib. Prægustator. triclinar. proc. a muneribus proc. aquar. proc. castrensis. As men have sometimes sacrilegiously mixed poison with the bread and wine used at mass, the Cæremoniale Episcoporum prescribes, that when a bishop sings mass, they should be tasted first by the Credentiarii, or butlers, and afterwards by the sacristan. Lambert, an old writer quoted by Fleury, says that a sub-deacon attempted to poison Pope Victor II. at mass. A Dominican friar was falsely accused of having poisoned the emperor Henry VII. at Gonzalez de Castiglio, an Augustinian friar, was poisoned at the altar, by a widow in 1479. Unhappily, even in our own times, this abominable sacrilege has been attempted."-Dublin, Roman Catholic Calendar, p. 146, for 1842.

mass.

THE

POISONED
HOST.

THE PAPAL SU

CHAP. III.

NOTICE OF THE REFORMATION IN THE REIGN OF HENRY VIII.

In the year 1534, the Church of England, in Convocation, PREMACY solemnly renounced the Papal supremacy. In addition to this, the clergy of the kingdom signed the following declaration :"Quod Romanus Episcopus not habet majorem aliquam juris"dictionem a Deo sibi collatam in hoc regno Angliæ, quam

ABO-
LISHED.

Proposal by Convocation to translate

Scripture.

Articles of

1536.

quivis externus Episcopus. That the Bishop of Rome hath "not some greater jurisdiction conferred upon him by God in "this realm of England, than any other foreign Bishop.”*

Convocation also addressed the King upon the subject of a translation of the Bible, praying that his Majesty "would "vouchsafe to decree that the Scriptures should be translated "into the vulgar tongue."+ As yet, however, no indication was given of a reformation in worship, or doctrine, but, on the contrary, Convocation called upon the King to require his subjects to deliver up all books suspected of heresy. The request as to the translation of Scripture was not carried into effect until 1537.

In the year 1536 certain articles on religion were subscribed, which, though retaining much error, contained some germs of truth. Five of them related to faith, and five to ceremonies. The first asserts that all things contained in the Bible and the three creeds are necessary to salvation. On the subject of baptism, penance, the invocation of saints, transubstantiation, and justification, the articles are thoroughly Romish. They retain images, and creeping to the cross on Good Friday; but reject censing, kneeling, and offering to them.‡ Romish vestments, exorcisms, sprinkling with holy water, and other like ceremonies, are approved. The article on Purgatory is as follows:-"That Christians are to pray for souls departed, "and to commit them in their prayers to God's mercy, and 66 cause others to pray for them in masses and exequies; and to "give alms to others to pray for them, that they may be relieved † No. 1.

* Strype's Cranmer, p. 36, vol. i. Oxf. 1812.

It appears that they created a distinction between kneeling to the cross on ordinary occasions and Good Friday.

NOTICE OF THE REFORMATION IN THE REIGN OF HENRY VIII. 23

FORMULA

RIES.

"and holpen of some part of their pain. But because the place CHURCH "where they be, the name thereof and kinds of pain there, is to "us uncertain by Scripture, therefore we remit this, with all "other things, to Almighty God; unto whose mercies it is meet "to commend them. That such abuses be put away, which, "under the name of purgatory, have been advanced; as to make "men believe, that, through the Bishop of Rome's pardon, souls "might clearly be delivered out of purgatory, and the pains of "it or that masses said at scala cæli, or otherwise in any place, 66 or before any image, might deliver them from all their pains, " and send them straight to heaven."*

The renunciation of the Papal supremacy by the Church and realm of England naturally excited great interest in Germany. Bucer addressed a letter to the Archbishop, commendatory of his zeal and character, and urging him to a further reformation. Alesius, a Scotchman, introduced into Convocation by Cromwell who had received the title of vicegerent to the King, maintained that of the sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper were alone of divine institution. This significant circumstance occurred in the year 1536.

stitution of

a Christian

In 1537, a commission was appointed by the King, consist- The Bishop's Book ing of the primate, and several bishops, and clergymen, the Into prepare an exposition of the Christian truth. A book was published, as the result of their deliberations held at Lambeth, man. commonly called "the Bishop's book," but properly entitled:"The Institution of a Christian man,"‡ containing the exposition or interpretation of the Common Creed, of the Seven Sacraments, of the Ten Commandments, and of the Pater Noster, Ave-Maria, Justification, and Purgatory. It contained also, with other matter, the book of articles before published. It taught the former errors of Purgatory, Transubstantiation, the Mass, &c., but, in other respects, it was advanced in its views. It defines the Catholic Church as consisting of the elect who shall never perish. Cranmer had, in his travels on the Continent, imbibed the views of Luther on this and other points.§

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Calvin published his famous work, the Institutes, in 1535, and it is not unlikely that the title of the Bishops' book is derived from it.

§ No. 2.

CHAP. III.

English
Bible

printed.

Suppres

sion of Mo

Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, had much influence with the King, and, by his means, the Institution was superseded, A.D. 1543, by "the necessary doctrine and erudition of a Christian man," which was retrogressive in its character.*

In the year 1538, the Bible was published in English, and a royal warrant went forth for its general use. At this event Cranmer rejoiced, expressing his belief in a letter to Cromwell, that "the day of Reformation was now risen in England since the light of God's word did shine over it without any cloud." All incumbents were commanded, in the King's name, to set up the Bible publicly in the church.†

In the year 1539, an act of Parliament was passed for the nasteries. suppression of monasteries. The Pope himself had given precedent for this in the bull which he issued for the dissolution of some monasteries and the erection of bishoprics out of them.‡

Melanc

thon's opi

nion of the

Pope and
Popery.

The Six
Articles.

In the year 1540, on the printing of a new edition of the Bible, a royal proclamation required all curates and parishioners to provide themselves with a copy of the Scriptures.

Melancthon, who was held in high esteem in England, addressed a letter (April, 1539) to the King, urging him to further reformation. He speaks of the Pope as Antichrist, and implores his Majesty, who had taken away "some idols, which were impiously worshipped, that he would remove the remaining Roman impiety from the churches," holding out the example of the godly kings of the Jews, who destroyed idolatry. It appears that Melancthon was invited to come to England to aid in the good work.

The Reformation, in its progress, encountered much opposition from the Romanizers who, at length, succeeded in setting up the notorious six articles, affirmatory of transubstantiation, communion in one kind, celibacy, vows, private masses, and confession. The act provided, that whosoever was convicted of denying any of these articles was to be burned as a heretic. Cranmer opposed the passing of this measure, and was himself saved from destruction by the personal favour of the King. Shaxton and Latimer resigned their sees of Salisbury and Worcester, and many Protestants perished at the stake.

*No. 3.

† No. 4.

No. 5.

§ No. 6.

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