or order that God calleth them to, doe busie them faithfully for to occupie all their wits bodilie and ghostly, to know truely, and to keepe faithfully the biddings of God, hating and fleeing all the seven deadly sins, and every branch of them; ruling them vertuouslie (as it is said before) with all their wits; doing discreetly, wilfully, and gladly, all the works of mercy, bodilie and ghostly, after their cunning and power; abling them to the gifts of the holy ghost, disposing them to receive them in their soules; and to hold therin, the right blessings of Christ; busying them to know and to keepe the seven principall vertues, and so then they shall obtaine here through grace, for to use thankfully to God, all the conditions of charitie. And then they shall be moved with the good spirit of God, for to examine oft and diligently their conscience, that neither wilfully nor wittingly they erre in any article of beleefe, having continually (as frailtie will suffer) all their businesse, to dread and to flie the offence of God, and to love over all, and to seeke ever to doe his pleasant will. Of these pilgrimes I said, whatsoever good thought that they any time thinke, what vertuous word that they speake, and what fruitfull worke that they worke; every such thought, word, and worke is a step numbred of God, toward him into heaven. These foresaid pilgrimes of God, delight sore when they heare of saints or of vertuous men and women, how they forsooke wilfully the prosperitie of this life, how they withstood the suggestion of the feend, how they restrained their fleshlie lusts, how discreete they were in the penance doing, how patient they were in all their adversities, how prudent they were in counselling of men and women, moving them to hate all sinnes, and to flie them, and to shame ever greatly thereof, and to love all vertues, and to draw to them, imagining how Christ, and his followers, by example of him, suffered scornes and slanders, and how patiently they abode and

5 The seven deadly sins.] "Ye shall knowe that there are seven capitale, or pryncypall deadely sinnes, it is to witte, pride, envy, wrath or anger, slouth, covetousness, glottony, and lechery. And also there are seven pryncipall, or cheyfe vertues, it is to wytte, fayth, hope, charytie, prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude or strength." Bonner's profitable and necessarye Doctryne, signat. B b b 2. The expressions which follow, viz. " all their wits," "works of mercy, bodily and ghostly," "gifts of the Holy Ghost," and "right blessings of Christ," are also all of them of the nature of technical divisions in the religion of those times. See also archbishop Peckham's Constitutions, the form of Confession in the primer of Cardinal Pole, signat. D d 3. A.D. 1555. Lewis's Life of Wickliffe, p. 136, n. edit. 1820, &c.

tooke the wrongfull manacing of tyrants; how homely they were and serviceable to poore men to releeve and comfort them bodily and ghostly, after their power and cunning; and how devout they were in prayers, how fervent they were in heavenly desires, and how they absented them from spectacles of vaine sayings and hearings; and how stable they were to let and destroy all vices, and how laborious and joyfull they were, to sow and to plant vertues. These heavenly conditions and such other, have pilgrimes, or endevor them for to have, whose pilgrimage God accepteth.

And againe, I said, as their workes shew, the most part of men and women that goe now on pilgrimages, have not these foresaid conditions, nor loveth to busie them faithfullie for to have. For as I well know, since I have full oft assaid, examine whosoever will twenty of these pilgrimes, and hee shall not find three men or women that know surely a commandement of God, nor can say their Pater noster, and Ave Maria, nor their Creed readilie in any maner of language. And as I have learned, and

• A commandement of God.] For some ages before the Reformation, the ignorance of the people in regard to religion was almost universal, and pitiable in the extreme. In a supplication of certain inhabitants of Norfolk and Suffolk tendered to the commissioners of queen Mary, about the year 1556, they complain, in their expostulations, against the revival of the Latin service: "Afore the blessed reformation, begun by the most noble prince of godly memorie the queenes good father, and by our late holie and innocent king, her good brother, finished; it is not unknowne what blindnesse and error we were all in, when not one man in all this realme, unlearned in the Latine, could say in English the Lord's prair, or knew any one article of his beleefe, or rehearse anie one of the ten commandements. And that ignorance, mother of mischief, was the very root and wel-spring of all idolatry." Fox, p. 1727. Again, in a Dialogue or familiar talk, by Michael Wood, A.D. 1554. signat. C 2 b. "Who coulde twenty yeares agone saye the Lordes prayer in English? Who could tell anye one article of his faith? Who had once heard of anye of the ten commaundements? Who wist what Cathechisme ment? Who understoode anye point of the holye baptisme? If we were sycke of the pestylence, we run to sainte Rooke, if of the ague to saint Pernel, or master John Shorne. If men were in prison, thei praied to saint Leonarde. If the Welch-man wold have a pursse, he praied to Darvel Gathorne. If a wife wer weary of her husband, she offred otes at Poules at London, to saint Uncumber." In another part, the dialogue is thus carried on. “Oliver. Cannest thou saye the Lordes praier? Nicholas. Nay, nor our Ladies neither. I can say my Pater Noster. Oliver. What is Pater Noster? Nich. Mary, Pater Noster: what can ye make of it? Oliver. But why have you not learned the Lordes praier in English al this while? Nich. Sir John bad me kepe me to mi old pater noster, for he said the newe wold not abide alway. And nowe I see he is a true man.' Signat. C 8.

also know somewhat by experience of these same pilgrimes, telling the cause, why that many men and women goe hither and thither now on pilgrimage; it is more for the health of their bodies, than of their soules; more for to have riches and prosperitie of this world, than for to bee enriched with vertues in their soules; more to have here worldly and fleshly friendship, than for to have friendship of God, and of his saints in heaven; for whatsoever thing man or woman doth, the friendship of God, nor of any other saint cannot bee had, without keeping of Gods commandements. Further with my protestation, I say now as I said in Shrewsburie, though they that have fleshly wils, travell farre their bodies and spend mikle money, to seeke and to visit the bones or images (as they say they do) of this saint or of that, such pilgrimage going is neither praiseable nor thankfull to God, nor to any saint of God, since in effect, all such pilgrimes despise God and all his commandements and saints. For the commandements of God they will nother know nor keepe, nor conforme them to live vertuouslie by example of Christ and of his saints. Wherfore sir, I have preached and taught openly, and so I purpose all my life time to do with Gods helpe, saying that such fond people wast blamefully Gods goods in their vaine pilgrimages, spending their goods upon vitious hostelars which are oft uncleane women of their bodies: and at the least, those goods with the which they should doe workes of mercie after Gods bidding, to poore needie men and women.

These poore mens goods and their livelode, these runners about offer to rich priests which have mikle more livelode than they neede. And thus those goods they wast wilfully, and spend them unjustly against Gods bidding upon strangers, with which they should helpe and relieve, after Gods will, their poore needie neighbours at home: yea and over this follie, oftentimes divers men and women, of these runners thus madly hither and thither into pilgrimage, borrow hereto other mens goods, yea and sometime they steale mens goods hereto, and they pay them never againe. Also sir, I know well that when divers men and women will goe, thus after their owne wils and finding out, on pilgrimage, they will ordaine with them before, to have with them both men and women, that can well sing' wanton songs; and some other

7 Can well sing.] Mine host of the Taberde, in Southwarke, well understood this temper of his guests, the pilgrims, and so suggested the scheme of the Canterbury Tales. Cantantes licet usque, minus via lædet, eamus. [Fain

pilgrimes will have with them bagpipes; so that in everie towne that they come through, what with the noise of their singing, and with the sound of their piping, and with the jangling of their Canturburie bels, and with the barking out of dogs after them, they make more noise, than if the king came there away, with all his clarions, and many other minstrels. And if these men and women be a moneth out in their pilgrimage, many of them shall be an halfe yeare after, great janglers, taletellers, and liars.

And the archbishop said to me; Leaud losell, thou seest not far enough in this matter, for thou considerest not the great travell of pilgrims, therefore thou blamest that thing that is praiseable. I say to thee, that it is right well done, that pilgrims have with them both singers and also pipers, that when one of them that goeth barefoote, striketh his toe upon a stone, and hurteth him sore, and maketh him to bleed, it is well done that he or his fellow begin then a song, or else take out of his bosome a bagpipe, for to drive away with such mirth, the hurt of his fellow. For with such solace, the travell and wearinesse of pilgrimes, is lightly and merrily borne out.

Fain wold I don you mirth and I wist how.
Ye gon to Canterbury, God mote you spede,
The blissful martyr quite you your mede :
And well I wot, as ye gone by the way,
Ye shapen you to talken and to play :
For truly comfort ne mirth is there none,
To riden by the way as dumb as a stone:
And therefore wold I maken you disport,
As I said erst, and done you some comfort.

P. 7. Edit. 1687.

An elder satirist gives us a still less favourable picture.
Pilgrimes and palmers plyght hem togyther
For to seke S. James, and sayntes at Rome :
They went forth theyr way wyth many wyse tales,
And had leve to lye all hyr lyfe after.

Hermets on a heape wyth hoked staves

Wenten to Walsingham, and her wenches after,

Great loubeis and longe that loth were to swynke.

Visions of Pierce Ploughman, fol. 1. b.

Of the controversy respecting pilgrimages, as it was debated about this period, many further particulars may be learned, on both sides of the dispute, by consulting Lewis's Life of Pecock, p. 92-114. See also Sir Thomas More's Dialogue concerning Heresies, book i. Works, p. 105-40, and the Index of this work, and that of the Christian Institutes, under Pilgrimages.

And I said; Sir, S. Paul teacheth men to weepe with them that weepe.

8

And the archbishop said, What janglest thou against mens devotion? Whatsoever thou or such other say, I say that the pilgrimage that now is used, is, to them that doe it, a praiseable and a good meane to come the rather to grace. But I hold thee unable to know this grace, for thou enforcest thee to let the devotion of the people: since by authority of holy scripture, men may lefully have and use such solace as thou reprovest. For David in his last psalme, teacheth men to have divers instruments of musicke for to praise therewith God.

And I said; Sir, by the sentence of divers doctors expounding the psalmes of David, that musicke and minstrelsie that David and other saints of the old law spake of, ought now nother to be taken nor used by the letter, but these instruments with their musicke ought to bee interpreted ghostly: for all those figures are called vertues and graces, with which vertues men should please God, and praise his name. For saint Paul saith all such things befell to them in figure. Therefore, sir, I understand, that the letter of this psalme of David and of such other psalmes and sentences doth slay them that take them now litterally. This

A good meane.] The religious ceremonies with which the pilgrims set out upon their journey, if the prayers had been in their mother tongue, were of an imposing and impressive character.

The following is an account of the office prepared for the occasion, and still extant in the Salisbury manual.

"First of all the pilgrims were to be confessed of all their sins. Then they were to prostrate themselves before the altar, and to have said over them the psalms and prayers there appointed. The pilgrims were then to stand up, and the priest was to bless their scrips and staves, praying to God that he would vouchsafe to sanctify and bless them; that whosoever, for the love of his name, should put that scrip to his side, or hang it about his neck, or carry that staff in his hands, and thus going on pilgrimage, should desire, with an humble devotion, to obtain the suffrages of the saints, might be protected by the defence of God's right hand, and deserve to come to the joys of the eternal mansion. And then, after sprinkling holy water on the scrips and staves, the priest put his scrip about each of the pilgrims' neck, and delivered his staff into his hand, with a set form of words. If any of the pilgrims were going to Jerusalem, they were to have their garments marked with a cross; and the crosses were to be blessed and sprinkled with holy water; and his garment so marked was to be delivered to every one of the pilgrims with a set form of words. All which being ended, a mass was said for their good journey."-Lewis's Life of Bishop Pecock, p. 94. edit. 1744.