66 III. " and whos feet thei kissen in devoutist maner thei kunnen CHAP. "thilk thing thei taken for her souereynest and higest Lord. -But so it is, that to the crosse in Good Fridai, men 66 comen in lougest wise creeping on alle her knees, and to "this crosse in so louge and devout maner thei offren, "and the feet of thilk crosse thei in devoutist maner "kissen, &c." 31. To the objections of the Wiclifists against images, going on pilgrimages, and offering to them, our Bishop thus replies. First, he observed, that hearing and reading, though good means, are not sufficient without rememorative signs, which are more lively, strong and affecting, and do that at once, and with less labour or pain, which the reading whole volumes can scarce effect. Besides, that many cannot read at all, and at the best, reading and hearing alone leave but faint and dull and transient impressions, and convey a great deal less to the mind than a visible representation and reading both together. Christ added visible Sacraments to supply the defect of mere reading or hearing, so necessary was it to have something visible added to the other. For, says his Lordship, to soone and ofte come into remembraunce of a long mater bi ech oon persoon, and also as for to make that the mo persoones come into remembraunce of a mater, ymagis and picturis serven in a specialer maner than bokis doon, tho' in another maner ful substanciali bokis serven bettir into remembrauncing of the same materis than ymagis and picturis doon -Marke whoso whole in his mynde all the bokis whiche been in London writun upon Seint Katheryns liif and passiouns, and y dare weel seie, that thoug ther were x thousind mo bokis writun in Londoun in thilk day of the same seintis liif and passioun, thei schulden not so moche turne the citee into mynde of the holi famose liif of Seint Kateryn, and of her dignitee in which sche now is, as dooth in each yeer the going of peple in pilgrimage to the college of Seint Kateryn bisidis Londoun. As y dare juxta Turoutte this into judgment of whomever hath seen the pilgrimage doon in the vigil of Seint Kateryn bi persoones Nov. 24. rim. III. CHAP. of Londoun to the seid college. Wherfore rigt greet special commodities and profitis into remembrance making ymagis and pilgrimagis han and doon, whiche writing is not so han and doon. His Lordship added, That the Clergy are not bound, neither can they be always intent upon the office of instructing the people; that they have their health and their studies, their maintenance and several other private affairs to look after; that when they have done their utmost, it will not amount to so much as that, and the other means both together: That a living man does not represent Christ as hanging on a cross, stripped, wounded, scourged, or the like, and therefore is not a competent representation: That it does not appear, that the Devil has any thing to do with the images of the Church, and that the case is very different; for the people, of whom the legend speaks, took the image for their God, and were justly deceived by the Devil. Whereas Christian people use the images as signs only or tokens of God: That many other good things are the occasions of much sin, as well as images and pilgrimages; but that they are not therefore to be laid aside, or not used, but the abuses of them to be corrected or prevented: That to argue, that the pains and costs, &c. spent on images and pilgrimages, might be better employed, is to fill men with endless scruples; since if we are never to do any good work, till we are sure that we might not in the same time do better, we may possibly sit still and do no good work at all. It is sufficient that the thing be good, though in a lower way, and that a man employs himself either in the higher or lower exercises, as occasion offers, and does good of all kinds : That as to adhering only to what Scripture prescribes, &c. whatever right reason approveth God approveth, though not prescribed in Scripture; that nevertheless Scripture is not entirely silent in the present case, but has scattered some hints here and there, which favour the practice or use of images and pilgrimages: That it is not III. vain philosophy, but true wisdom which introduced them, CHAP. and that therefore St. Paul's caution against vain philosophy does not at all relate to them: That carrying images openly to offer up at the place of pilgrimage, is the best way of exciting others to follow our example, and to preserve the memory of what we have done to future generations for their instruction and benefit: That it does not follow, because Joshua commanded the people to put away all strange gods, that therefore all images must be put away, since images are not strange gods: That neither Jews nor heathens worshipped mere images, but devils as it were incorporate in the images. The hethen men helden her god to be bodili, and bodied in a maner which thei couthen not at fulle undirstonde; even as we Cristen men holden now our God to be bodili and bodied in a man. And as it is trewe, that Cristen men worschipe a man for her God, but thei worscipen not so the pure manhoode in himsilf, withoute more therto sett; so the hethen men worschipeden a ymage and a bodili graved thing for her God, but not the pure bodili graved ymage in himsilf withoute more for her God. And so these ii. thingis which Scripture seith of idolatrers stond togedere and be trewe; that alle goddis of heathen men ben feendis; and also, that the goddis of hethen men ben gold and silver the workis of mennis hondis.-The hethen men camen into thilk greet synne of ydolatrie bicause thei never receyveden the ffeith whiche othere men not being ydolaters in the same daies receyueden manye also of the Jewis, whiche weren bifore sufficientli instructid in the feith of oon God, and of veri God, and in the evidencis longing therto, fellen bi her negligence fro the attendaunce whiche schulde have be gouum bi a continuaunce to tho euidencis- -But now sume what bifore the birthe of Crist, alle Jewis camen into so grete attendance to the evidencis of veri feith, teching oon God to be, and also aftir the passioun of Crist, hiderto in this present day, so III. CHAP. greet resoun hathe ben founde bothe of hethen men and of Jewis and of Cristen men―That a this side the passioun of Crist, was not into this present day eny ydolatrie among Jewis, neither among hethen men whiche lyven in eny notable famose sect; or if among hethen men be eny ydolatrie, it is in ful fewe placis, among wrecched persoons, not sett bi of othere hethen men. Hereof it muste nedis folewe, that nowe adaies it is not perel to Cristen men, neither to the Jewis, neither to hethen men for to have and entermete with ymagis of God, as it was in the daies fer bifore going the incarnacioun of Crist. 32. As to the hymns, responses, &c. in the Church-offices, produced to prove that prayers are offered up to the cross, the Bishop observed, that these and the like expressions of devotion are to be taken for figures of rhetoric, and not to be soberly interpreted, understanding them not strictly of the cross, but of Christ himself upon the cross, and of saving men in and by the cross. As for example, when the Church prays, O cross of Christ, y prie thee helpe me and defende me, and justifii me; the dew undirstonding herof mai be this, O Crist y prie thee helpe me and justifie me bi thi crosse, as therto the helping instru ment. 33. To the two last objections, the Bishop thus answers: All what in suche processiouns was seid and sungun to the crosse in eelde daies of the Chirche in Palme Sunday, was seid of Crist ymagined to be bodili present with, and in the crucifixe or crosse which the peple in processioun bihelden. And herbi git into ferther encrecing of devocioun to crux ave spes unica Te, fons salutis trinitas, Amen. III. and good affeccioun, to be gendrid upon Crist, thei crepiden CHAP. toward and to such an ymage of the crucifex in Good Fridai-and git ferther, into more love and good affeccioun they kisseden the feet of the ymage-And this devout practise namelich in his outward deede abdith git in al the Westchirche a this side Greek-lond, however it be of the inward ymaginatiif deed, whiche, as I trowe, abidith ful littil or nougt; the more harm is. And so it mai be seid, that nothing is seid and sungun to the nakid and bare crosse in processioun of Palme-Sunday, neither eny creping or offring, or kissing is maad to the crosse in Good Fridai; but al this is doon to Christis persoon in his manhede which is ymagined there to be in, and with the ymage crucified, heed to heed, hond to hond, foot to foot, thoug it be not trowid so to be, but thoug the contrari is trowid to be. And herbi is sufficient answere govun to the xiiiith and xvth argumentis togidere. Whoever schal cleerli and perfectli undirstonde the answere whiche is now bifore made to the xiiii and xv argumentis, he schal therbi take sufficient ground for to excuse fro blame, and fro unfruytful and lewid gouernaunce alle tho whiche wolen touche with her hondis the feet and other parties, and the clothis of ymagis, and wolen thanne aftir sette to her visage, and to her igen, and to her mouthis, tho her hondis with whiche in the now seid maner thei toucheden the ymagis or the clothengis of the ymagis -And sitthen what a man mai not have and do at the next and immediatli, he wole be weel paied and weel plesid for to have it mediatly, that is to seie, for to have it arombe, and hi a meene it folewith, that it is coveitable to a man for to gete to him, and to have unto his visage, or igen, or mouth, the touche of Cristis feet, or of his mouth, or of his hond, or breste, bi meene of the touche whiche the hond gittith fro hem, and upon hem immediatli. 34. To there being some special virtue in some images above others, and the making pilgrimages to some places for the sake of these images rather than to others, it was objected by the Wiclifists, that God is present every |