T. F. 97.

Plut. Act. 5.
Sc. 3. v. 2.

Idyl. 2.

Woman in Aristophanes with her pot of pulfe. And it as likely the Virgins carried their Baskets fo, in their offerings to Diana; as likewife all the rest of the, nampiga, Basket-bearers at all Sacrifices whereever they attended; And you Schol. in Theoc. have in Tomafin, one in the Sacrifice to Silvanus bearing a great Pitcher or belly'd Pot croffwife on his neck; and the Egyptian Priefts carried the Images De Don. c. 24of their Gods fo, (that being more convenient then to carry them on their P. 157. Heads, as the Greek Priests often carry their Difh in Country Churches, and at their Anniversary Festivals in the Fields, as hath been above noted, and you Apul. ut fupra may well think that the Heathen Priests did the fame by the Figures in Titus Jewish triumph at Rome. And the fame Tomafin (out of Novarinus) men- Ut fupra c. 4. tions King Agrippa counting it an Honour to carry the Baskets of firf Fruits upon his Shoulders to the Sanctuary. Therefore I must needs suspect this Cuftom of the Greeks at their Sacrament to have been taken up from the Gentiles; as thefe did it in Honour to their Gods, fo thofe do it in Honour to their Saints, and both of them defigned it as an expreffion of profound Humility and Devotion.

p. 692.

Tab. 3, 5,

P. 34.

6.

Act. 3. Sc. 2.
P. 73.

Act. 1. Sc. I.

Next I fhall take Notice of the Sick and Infirm Perfons, which they lay before the Chancel door, that the Deacon and Priest and all their retinue, may, with these Portions of their Saints, pafs over them in this great Proceffion. It is very well known to have been a Custom amongst the Heathen for Sickly and Infirm Perfons to go and lie in Efculapius his Temple, that they might T. p. 98. either be restored to their Health, directly and immediately by him, and his Ariftoph. Plut. Daughters Jafo and Panacea, or warned by them in a Dream what course to take in order to their Cure. So Leonidas askt it as a peculiar Bleffing to Sleep Plut. Curc. in Hercules's Temple at Thebes, and was inform'd by Juno of what was to v. 60, 61. follow by a Vifion. In like manner it is a very common thing amongst the pre- Act. 2. Sc. 1. fent Greeks, (as I my Self have very often obferved it in Country Towns) v. 2. &c. for those who have any lingring Diftemper, or ill Habit of Body hanging upon p. 258. 26. & them, especially the ordinary People, to carry their Bcds or Quilts, and for. 16. p. 523. fome days lie in their Churches, (and fometimes are there anointed with (XE bist. 1. 12. c. I. Xaior) the bleffed Oyl; of which more here) recommending themfelves chiefly to the Virgin Mary; fometimes to the Saints to whom the Church is Dedicated; fomtimes to fome other Saint or Saints as their Fancy and Devotion lead them; expecting to receive relief and comfort from them. And truly in very hot weather I have known many, who had Feverish Diftempers and indifpofitions upon them, much relieved; I fuppofe by the coolness of the place, as Goar p. 432.

In

V.

Strab. 1. 8.

El. 47. var.

Not. Ed. Kuba.

P. 553Plut de Herod.

p 865. F.

Plut. m. in Herodoto. p.m.

865. F.

9.3.

we have in our Travels fometimes been fo refreshed our felves. From that Custom, I doubt not but that this other alfo of expofing their Sick in the Proceffion had its rife. If they expected help from fome of the Saints by lying in a Church, they might do it much more by lying under the Feet of the Deacon and Prieft, whilft the Portions of all the Saints were carried over them. difcourfing about thefe Matters with fome of the best Senfe amongst them, I have met with this as their excufe; for the first, If the Heathen had fuch Faith in their falfe Gods and Hero's and their Temples, certainly we may have much greater Affiance in the true God and his ever bleffed Saints and Churches. For the fecond, If the first Chriftian Converts had fuch Faith, as to bring forth their Sick into the Streets, and lay them on Beds and Couches, that at the leaft the shadow of Peter Paffing by might overshadow fome of them; why A. 5. 15. may not we do the fame in God's Church, expecting relief from the fame Peter and the rest of the Glorious Saints, whofe names thefe Portions bear. I must confefs with all good Chriftians, that Faith and Devotion can never be too great if they are directed to their true Object, and expreft in a way warranted by God's word; but if either the Object, or the way, or both, are only and purely human Fancies and Inventions, I must count fuch Faith and fuch Devotion right down Superstition. The People faw the many Signs and Wonders wrought by the Hands of the Apostles, and this begat in them a found Faith and true Devotion, but I think the Cafe of the prefent Greeks, as to this Practice, is quite another thing.

I fhall

V. 12.

T. p. 98.

P. 35.

P. 80.

Goari 32.110.

Arcud. 1. 3.

Arcud, ibid.

Ut fupra.
P. 99.

T.

I fhall now confider the great Reverence that is paid by all the People to thefe Portions as they are carried by in this Proceffion, which I have already mention'd; as I have also noted the modern fignification of the word, μetávoz, metanoia. As a civil respect is only bowing the Head and Shoulder s with the right Hand upon the Breaft; and in this Proceffion every one doth that at least; but most incline their Bodies very low, fome fall proftrate on the ground and kifs it, and then touch it with their Forehead; and we are told that all the Ruf C. 19. p. 220, a. fes and Mufcovites do fo. First they are wonderfully at a lofs about the Original of this great Reverence, and much divided in their Opinions about it, as well as about the reasonableness of using it; Arcudius counting it Idolatry, and Goar highly blaming it as præcipitata veneratio, a rash veneration at beft. Cabafilas faith that it is a great mistake in the People, who because they used to worship the Elements in the Pra-fanctified Liturgy as they paffed by, (which Elements, according to Him, being before confecrated, are then very Chrift himfelf) they ignorantly continued the fame Custom in Chryfoftom's and in Bafil's Liturgies and worshipt them, (though not confecrated,) there likewife. Here you must first understand that in Lent Chryfoftom's Liturgy is faid only on Saturdays, and Bafil's on all Sundays, except Palm-Sunday; and then on Sunday, befides Chrift's Portion taken out for the use of that Day, five more fuch Portions are taken out and Confecrated to be used on the Munday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday following; and one of thefe Portions is carried up on each of thefe Days from the Prothefis to the High Altar with the like Proceffion as on other Days; and the Office which is faid on these five Days is diftinct from the other Liturgies, and is called the Liturgy of the Prefanctificated. In like manner fuch Portions of Chrift thus Confecrated beforehand, or Prafanctified, are referved to communicate the Sick withall upon occafion; I have feen them often kept in a little Leathern bag in Country Towns, where they had neither a Ciborium, nor an Artophorium, nor any Cup-board or Box to keep them in.

P. 75. Not.

In Gabr. Phil.

Now it is not a little ftrange to me, first that they fhould worship these Elements at the Proceffion even in the Præfanctificate Liturgy, when they never Worship them nor Expose them to view after they are then fet upon the Altar, as is above noted. Next in the common daily Liturgies the Elements are Worshipped as they pafs by Unconfecrated, but are never Worshipped by them after they are Confecrated. This R. Simon himself is forc'd to confefs. Again P. 74, a. b. if (as Cabafilas will have it) the Greeks do well in Worshiping the Elements paffing by in the Prafanctificate, because they are there already Confecrated, why do they (efpecially the Laicks) not Worship the Confecrated Elements when they receive them, or at least receive them kneeling, if they count them then very Chrift himself? But the Laymen always ftand upright at the Communion without any fign of Adoration at all. And this is fome Argument to me that at first they counted the Elements in the Proceffion the Saints Portions, but after Confecration, only meer Bread and Wine. Lastly the Præfanctificate Liturgy is faid only five times in a week, but only in Lent, whereas the common Liturgy of Chryfoftom is faid every day almoft, throughout the other part of the whole year; and it seems to me very odd that this Cuftom of Worfhipping in the Proceffion practifed almost every day in the ordinary Liturgy fhould arife, as Cabafilas faith, from that which is used fo very feldom in the Præfanctificate; I fhould rather think that the Worshipping in the PrasanEtificate, (because they were all other days throughout the whole Year, accustomed to it in the common Liturgy,) arofe from that common practice

1. 3. c. 19.

in that.

Arcudius hath another conceit, and would have this worshipping taken up p. 221. b. by mistake from, u xepix's, the Cherubical Hymn, which is Sung fometime before the Proceffion begins; Thus, we Myftically reprefenting the Cherubims, and Singing the thrice-Holy Hymn to the Quickening Trinity, let us lay afide all care of this Life as, vπodžáμuoi, having received or,

Goar p. 106.
Arcud. ut fupr.

ὑποδεξόμενο

Cedren. p. 390.

76. b. 77. a. b.

ἑαυτές. Not in my

vode oμevo, being about to receive, the King of all things, guarded invifi. T. p. 99 ble with Orders of Angels. From these words faith he, when the Priest goes out, from the Prothefis, the People falfly believe, that the King of Heaven himfelf comes out. But first this will fpoil the Antiquity of this practice, which many Greeks (to my knowledge) contend for; The Cherubical Hymn it felf being first Sung but in the ninth year of Juftin, that's d. & R. Simon almost 600. Years after Chrift. Next it is altogether unlikely that the People inGabr. Philad. fhould of themselves take up fuch a wild Opinion, and thereupon fall into fo T. P. 100. grofs a practice, only from these bare words, which as they are Sung by the Singers are utterly unintelligible to the standers by; and the long Prayer, which the Prieft at the fame time makes, is mumbled over only to himself, so that the People cannot be any thing informed, or any thing edified thereby. There is wonderfull variety in what follows in Chryfoftom's Liturgy after this Prayer, both in the Printed and in the MSS. Copies. In Goar, after the Prayer of the Priest is ended, both (the Priest and Deacon) together pray the Cherubical Hymn again, and the fifthieth Pfalm, waxes, fecretly to themselves; My MSS. A. and adoring thrice they go to the Prothefis. There they farther make a p. 22. b. xad very confiderable stay before they begin the Proceffion, Incenfing the Holy Things, and preparing their Lights and other things in order to it; fo that I never obferved, neither can it be, what Arcudins faith, that the Singers all this time dwell upon the first words of this Hymn, and dare not fing those words, the King of all Things, before the Priest comes out, to begin the Proceffion; fo that the first part of the Hymn must be finging all the while the Priest mumbles over the Prayer, and all the while he and the Deacon afterwards mumble over the whole Hymn and the whole fifthieth Pfalm; and all the while they are ordering their matters in the Prothefis. In my oldest MS. there is not one word of the Priest and Deacons worShipping, but a great deal of other matter; and only the Deacon can repeat the Hymn and the fifthieth Pfalm at the Prothefis; fo that the Singers must (after their way) Juggle Juggle over the first part of the Hymn a very long while before they come at these words at which (according to Arcudius) the Proceffion begins. In this MS. the Deacon, when at the end of the Proceffion he comes to the Chancel Door, recites indeed the two laft verfes of the 24th. Pfalm according to the LXX. Lift up the Gates &c. if this had been done before they came out from the Prothefis it might have favoured Arcudius his conceit, which to me feems far from the first Original of this Worshipping.

Printed Copie

or MS. г. 1. 3. c. 19.

p. 221. b.

г. p. 8. a.

Now then I hope I may have leave humbly to offer my own Opinion concerning this matter. I conceive when these Particles or Portions of the Saints were first brought in, that the Antidorum or Bread out of which they were all taken (if I may fo fay, like the first cuts at the Table for the worthieft Perfons) was referved (as I have often faid) for the Communion of the People; and I fuppofe all were Confecrated together at first at the high Altar, and then thefe Portions of Chrift, and the Saints were carried into the Prothefis, and from thence brought again to the high Altar in this great Pomp and State, and in Process of time only thefe Portions were made, (as now they are,) the only Bread at the Sacrament. Now the People looking upon them as the Portions of the Saints, by which they were made fellow Communicants, could do no lefs then pay them perhaps at first only a civil Respect or outward Reverence as they paft by. And this can be no wonder in the Greeks who fhew fuch Reverences for many many other things which they Goar 60. &c. count either Sacred or highly Good. Thus the Priest and Deacon in the Li- p. 64. &c. turgy often bow to the Prothefis; To the Holy Table, or high Altar; To the Holy things upon it; To one another; To the Gofpel, and all the People do the like as it pafs by in the Proceffion, and the Bishop or Priest kiss it. And I have often feen Greeks, of good Senfe and Quality, take up common Bread that is fallen down and kiss it and put it to their Forehead; They will do the like to the Bible when they take it up; All bow to a Crofs, to Pictures;

and

here P. 21.

Euch. 48. here 79.

Goar 69.

125. 74.

67.

TAP. 101.

p. 228. a.

ibid.

,

and there is fcarce a Greek of any note who hath not a Picture of Chrift, or rather of the Virgin Mary, or fome peculiar Saint, in fome corner or place of a Room, before which he fets a little Lamp or Candle, and faith his Prayers there; And fome Ecclefiafticks and others, who have come to vifit me, have gravely bow'd themfelves down before an Efcucheon, which I have had of Sir Dan. Harvey's Arms, hanging in my Chamber, miftaking it for fome fuch Holy Thing.

Now it feems to me to have been a very cafy and as it were a natural thing for this People, thus ftrangely difpofed to Superftition, to pay an outward Reverence, at leaft, to the Portions of Chrift, and of the Virgin Mary, and of all the rest of the Saints now reprefented thus together, for whofe Me1. 3 c. 19. mory they had fo great Veneration. And Arcudius confeffeth that fome thought p. 220. b. this Erroneous Worship had its beginning meerly from the Pomp and Grandeur of the Proceffion; much more, I fay, when they thought the Saints were ibid. c. 21. then going to Communicate with them; and he allows, aliquam venerationem, that fome Veneration may be given to the Gifts once defigned for the SaApolog.p.8. 9. crament, and bleft by the Prieft; And Gabr. Philadelph. faith the Elements once offer'd to God are no more fimple Bread and Wine, but have received more Worth and Honour as being a divine Gift, and therefore all Orthodox Greeks adore them. Why then might they not give it to what they were taught, were the Holy Portions of the Glorious Saints? And Cabafilas allows that the Elements Jhould be carried and fet upon the Altar with bending the Knee, and all manner of Reverence, and with the greatest Pomp and Honour that can be; why then might not the Inventers of thefe Particles, and all the People, as well Reverence all thefe Portions and their respective Arcud. 1. 3. Saints by them, in this their new contrived Proceffion? Gabriel Philadelph. etiam Sim. The argues warmly, that they might as well Worship the Elements, as the Pide Templo p. Eture of Chrift; and I muft fay the fame of the Saints Portions, they might 225. apud as well, (and furely they did as eafily,) Worfhip them, as they Worthip'd &ipfum Gabr. their Picture. Therefore I conceive that this Worshipping was at first only Philad. Apol. a Refpect or outward Reverence to the Saints Portions as they paffed by, as it was to the Gofpel; bur at last it past into right down Idolatry, as 1. 3 c. 19. Arcudius, and Cabafilas, and Goar, and others juftly call it and prove it; id. c. 21. they running, as in many other Points, from one Superftition to another, forgot the Original, and now, like the old Samaritans, they Worship they know not what. And thus fince it is highly probable, as the learned R. Simon hath noted, that all other Eastern Liturgies were derived from the Greeks, the Ethiopians, abaffano la testa, bow down their Heads in their Proceffion, borSimon ibid. aut rowing that Custom from them though they were altogether Ignorant of its Alvarez.p.73. Original.

C. 21. vid.

Goard. p. 225.

P. 11.

N.B. p. 132.

I 10.

Joh. 4. 22.

In Gabr. Phil.
P. 87. a.

p. 114. a. P. 118.

a.

N.

The Greeks and Eastern Chriftiams are most violently tenacious of their Rites and Ceremonies, yet fome who would appear as Men of fome knowledge amongst them, and pretend to fomething above a vulgar Capacity, have a strange itch and fancy for new Myftical Doctrines brought to them by their Students in Italy, or by Emiffaries fent from thence amongst them. Therefore the Latins every where permit or connive at the Eastern Customs in Worship, and therefore make it their chief defign to Poifon the Eaft with the Tenets of their School Divinity. But finding many many things in the Eaftern Liturgics and Practices, which ftrangely thwart and confound the Latins Doctrines, it would make a Man amazed to fee, how the Latins and Latinized Greeks Sweat and turn their Brains to vindicate every abfurdity; either by pretending Tradition, and making almost every thing Apoftolical or Primitive; or by giving fome profound Mystical meaning of it; or by fome fpecious turn or other to make all out; and the common unthinking Idols fwallow all with a forward and blind obedience to these their Guides; as it is no hard thing for a T. p. 102. Crafty and Ingenious Artift to gild over a rotten Nutmeg fo as to make it pafs for a found one with fond and unwary Cuftomers. The common People in

the

In Gabr. Phil.

the East, Priests or Laymen, are wonderfully ignorant and illiterate; and T. p. 102. you will find amongst the very Metropolites and Bishops themfelves, very few who will pretend to any deep or fpeculative Notions in Divinity; but if they venture upon any Controverfy with us, you fhall have only fome indigefted Scholaftical fcraps from them, which they have received from the dictates of Romifh Itinerants. There were in my time, and I doubt not but there are there ftill, infinite numbers of these Latin Agents, practifing up and down every where; Jefuits, Dominicans, Francifcans, Zuccolanti and others; There were feveral whole Convents of them in Galata. Now you must not think that these good Men are difperfs'd thus up and down to Convert the Mahometans; they dare as well Murder a Turk, as in the least meddle with his Religion; and no Chriftians in the World, as to their outward Practice and Worship, are more odious and abominable to him than these. Their only bufinefs therefore is to Pervert and Poison the Greek and Eastern Churches, by any Arts and Methods to corrupt and feduce both Priests and People to their own novel Inventions, deceiving and being deceived. Since that Bdéxuyua, that Abomination of the Latins Tranfubftantiation, hath been fet up, you may fufficiently fee by the foregoing Difcourfes, what extraordinary pains have been taken by them, and what Sophiftry and Artifice have been used to make the Greeks admit it amongst them, and to reconcile their Liturgies, (as well as their own Maffes) to that most abfurd and monstrous Doctrine; yet after all they can by no means make it pafs to their own minds; there remain ftill infuperable difficulties; neither can the Greeks and Latins agree with one another, as to that Point; nor Greeks or Latins amongst themselves; Quifque pro fuopte ingenio venatus Myfteria, every one hunts for Myfteries according to his own Talent, as the judicious Simon faid in another cafe. And befides all thofe Controverted Points before treated of, they are fufficiently p. 76. b. 77. puzzled and perplext to make thefe, uepides Portions (laft mention'd) All but one Sacrifice, that is according to them, all together one Chrift's Body. Some Arcud. l. 3. will have only his Portion confecrated, others will have all the other Portions c, 10, 11. &c. confecrated as well as it. The truth is, they have had fo many various Rites and Ceremonies, fo many odd Fragments and Patches brought into the Greek Worship and Liturgies by degrees, no Man knows how, or when, or by whom; that now to fave their Credit, and put the beft Glofs they can upon the matter, myftical, forced, abfurd, nonfenfical Interpretations have been invented by the Greeks themselves; and to reconcile, if poffible, all this confused ftuff to that Master-piece of the School-men, Tranfubftantiation, the Latins have imploy'd all their Wits and Inventions to their affiftance. The vicarious Lections in every Office in the Euchologion, manifeftly fhews either the Inconftancy or Careleffness, or Vanity, or Pride of the Greeks, every Governour of a Church patching or altering, putting in or leaving out what they pleafcd; or framing the Office to his own way; they had no regular, fixt, uniform way of Liturgies, or Offices, or Prayers, or any thing, every where obferved after one and the fame manner. The Latins nicely furveying all this, readily admit and highly applaud whatever chimes in with their own Superftitions, or fuits with their Doctrines or Defigns; but whatever is of a different nature, they either (as counting themfelves the only true Catholick Church) Magisteriously condemn as Heritical or Schifmatical at leaft; or if it be of moment and hath any face of Authoriry to back it, they with their utmost cunning refine upon it, and wreft it and turn it to their own Senfe. It is remarkable how in this, they often differ amongst themselves, mistaking and refusing one anothers Interpretations, and every one sticking to his own; which to me is a plain demonftration that all this their Labour is a meer exercise of Wit, Fancy, and Invention, for Interceft or Glory, and no honeft and fincere fearch after plain Truth. But let thefe great Churches thus go on in trying to wash their Ethiopian white. For my part I must think, to reform them and bring them back to the Primitive Simplicity and Original Purity of the Apoftolick

Church

Goar 119.41.

43.

T p. 7o3.