The Relics of Rome, Part 16
Of the Ornamētes of the Church.
Fontes.POpe Pius the fyrst brought ye font into the Church▪ In the yeare. &c. 147. Plat. Sabel. Chron.
Pope Boniface the seconde ordayned the particion betwene the chauncell and the Churche, whiche we now commonly call the Roodeloft, Roodeloft.and commaunded that the people should heare the diuine seruice, as they terme it, in a seuerall place from the clergye. In the yeare, &c. 529. Albert. Crantz. Plat…. Ioan. Laziardus. D. Barns. Pantal.
Pope Sabiniane commaunded,Lampes, that Lampes shoulde be kept continuallye burning in the Church. In the yere, &c. 603. Platina. Albertus. Crantz. D. Barnes. Pantaleon.
Pope Innocent the thyrde bearyng rule,Light before sacramēte of ye altare. Eustace ▪ Abbot of Flare came out of Normandye into Englande, and among hys other deuises he caused that lyghte shoulde brenne alwaye in the Churches before the little Gods body. Ranulph. Cest.
Pope Zacharye deuised oyle for the Lampes in the Churches.Oyle. In the yere, &c. 752. Plat. Pantal.
Pope Gregory the fyrst brought into ye church,Tapers. Torches. Candles. Belles. Ringing to seruice. tapers, torches, candles, &c. In the yeare, &c. 590. Volat. Pantal.
Pope Sabiniane decreed fyrst that the people should be assembled and come together to heare their diuine seruyce at certayne houres of the day by ryngging of bels. In the yeare, &c. 603. Plat. Durand. D. Barns. Pantal.
The Aue bell.Pope Iohn the .xxii. ordayned, that bels should be tolled eueryevery daye thryce in the euening, and that then eueryevery mā shoulde streyght wayes knele downe, & say thrice the Aue Maria in the worship of our Lady. In the yere, &c. 1309. Chron. Ioannes. Stella.
The noone bell.Pope Calixt the thirde also made a decre, yt eueryevery day at, xii. of the clocke ye sexten or parish clerke shuld toll noone and yt so many as heare ye bels, streight waies shoulde say an Aue Maria in the honoure of oure blessed Ladye. In the yeare of our Lorde. 1455. Phil. Bergom.
Durandus sayth, that bels be of suche vertue,The wonderful vertue of bels. that when they be roung, they stirre men to deuotion, they preserue the frutes of the earth, they kepe both the mindes and the bodies of the faithfull from al daunger, they put to flight the hostes of our enemyes, & dispatche all the suttelties of oure euell willers they cause the boysterous hayle, ye sharp …ormes, the violent tempestes, the terrible thundringes, the fearefull lyghtnings, and fearce windes to cease, they driue away also al wicked spirites and deuills. Ration. di. off.
Pope Vitalian brought in Organs to make the people merye.Organs▪ In the yeare of oure Lorde. 653. Chronic. Volat. Platina. &c.
Pope Sixtus the seconde ordayned fyrst of al,Altares. that the Supper of the Lord shuld be celebrated at an altare: which before was not the vse. For the holy mysteryes of the Lordes bodye and bloude vntill that time was ministred vponupon a table according to the practyse of Christ,When altares came fyrst into ye Churches. of hys Apostles, and of ye primatiue Church. And here may all men see, from whence the popyshe altares come, for the which the stubborne, sturdye stoute papistes doe so stoutly striue Aboute the yeare of oure Lord, (if stories bee true) two hundred three score and fiue, came in the altares fyrste into the Church. Other affyrme, that they came in aboute the yeare of our lorde, 294… But I beleue that altares came not in the Churche before the yeare of our Lorde. 590. When the popishe, peuyshe, priuate Masses beganne fyrst to creepe in▪ Volat. Durandus. Fasci…. Temp. Mas. Pet. Aequillinus. Ioannes. Stella.
Pope Felix the fyrst instituted the halowing of altares,Halowing of altares. commaunding yt no Masse shoulde be song vponupon any altare, til it be halowed. In the yeare, &c. 272. Sabell. Pantal.
Pope Hormisda decreed, yt no altares should be set without the consent and special licence of the Metropolitane or of the Byshop of the diocesse. In the yere of our Lord. 514. Chron. Ioan. Stella. D, Barns.
Pope Boniface the thyrde appoynted white linnen clothes to be layd vppon the altares. In the yere, &c. 605. Pol.
Altare clothes.Pope Sixtus the fyrst ordayned, that the corporasse clothe, which the prieste vseth at hys masse, shoulde be made of fine white linnen cloth, In the yere, &c. 129. Plat. Sabell. Grat. D, Barnes. Pantal.
The same Pope also ordayned, that laye men,An hye poin… in a lowe house. but specially laye women, shoulde not once touche the ornamentes of the Church, as copes, vestments, altare clothes, &c, nor the halowed vessell, as Chalice, Pixe, Crosse, Chrismatorye, Sensers, Candlestickes, &c. Plat. Sabell.
Pope Stephen the fyrst made a decre,Copes▪ Uestmēts. yt a priest in hys diuine seruice, shoulde vse none other but halowed garments In the yeare, &c. 261. Sabell.
Pope Adriane the fyrst being bishop of Rome,Surplesse. there was a synode or councell holden at Franckforde, in y• which it was decreed, that whosoeuer doth any seruice in the Churche, he shoulde weare a surples vponupon hys backe in seruice tyme, and no man to goe in hys common apparel withoute a surples, no, not so muche as the sexten or Belringer. In the yeare of our Lord. 796. Christ. Massaeus.
Pope Siluester the fyrst cōmaunded,Linnen Albes. that the priest at his masse shuld weare no silke, nor any coloured clothing, but a white linnen Albe only. For Christ, sayeth he, was buryed in a fyne white linnen cloth. In the yeare, &c 315. Grat. Plat. Ioan. Stella. D. Barns.
Pope Zepherinus commaunded,Chalices of Glasse. chalices of glasse to bee vsed in the ministration of the Lordes Supper. In the yere,Cuppes of beoode &c. 208. For before that tyme the sacrament of the holy signe of Christs bloude was ministred in cuppes made of woode, accordyng to ye vse of Christ of his apostles, & of ye primatiue church Petrus de nat. Plat. Math. Pal. Pantal.
Pope Vrban the fyrst ordayned afterward, that the chalices should be made eyther of siluer,Chalices of golde siluer and tinne. or of golde, or of tinne In the yeare of our Lord .222. Platina. Grat. Pol. Bergom.
The saying of Byshop Boniface concerning chalices and byshops, is very notable, and aunswereth iustly to our tyme. Olim, inquit: Episcopi aurei lignei… vtebantur calicibus: nunc vero lignei Episcopi calicibus vtuntur aureis. In times paste, sayth he: Golden byshops vsed wodden chalices, but now wodden bishops vse golden chalices.
PaxePope Leo the second deuised yt Paxe, In the yeare of our Lord. 676. Platina. Pasc. Temp.
Pope Innocent ye third inuented pixes and boxes for the reseruation of the sacramentall bread.Crosse▪ In the yere, &c. 1195. Paul. Volat. Phi. Pol. Pantal.
Pope Agapetus the fyrst commaunded the people to go on procession, on ye Sondayes, & to folowe the crosse. In the yere, &c. 533. Plat. Pal. D. Barns.
Pope Gregorye the fyrst broughte in banners into the churche.Banners. Thys was that Gregorye, Austen the monke.whiche sente Austen the Monke into Englande to preache to the englyshe nation the fayth and doctryne of the bishop of Rome with al hys superstitious traditions, counterfayte religions, and such other wicked abhominations. Thys Monkyshe Austen with, xl. Monkes moe, when they arriued and came on lande in the easte side of Kent in ye Iland of Thanet, entred in with a crosse, & with banners displayed hauing a crucifixe paynted vppon eueryevery one of them, singing the Letanye with orate pro nobis to al aungels, Archangels, Patriarches, Prophets, priestes, Apostles, Martirs. Confessors, Uirgins, Monks, Nunnes, Heremites, and finally to all he saintes and shee Saintes, yt they mighte hauehave good lucke and well to fare in settyng forth their Romyshe religion. Whiche swarme of monkes, when they hadde once thorow their hipocrisy and flattering, obtained of ye Kyng to inhabite at Canterbury, went ioyfully forth on their iourney, hauyng their crucifi…e crosse and banners borne before them, and singing Alleluia with a lustye courage and merye voyce vntil they came to ye city, where they practised al kinde of superstition, as beades bidding, popyshe fasting, wiuelesse liuyng, long laten Mattens and Masses singing, Saintes reliques boastyng, &c. In the yeare of oure Lorde. 590. Chron. Ranulphus. Cestrens.
Pope Fabiane the fyrste deuised the Chrismatories.Chrismatoryes. In the yeare, &c. 242. Plat. Volat. D. Barns.
Sensers.Pope Leo the thirde brought in the sensers. In the yeare, &c. 817. Pol. Doct. Barns. Pantal.
Holy water buckets & sprinckles.Pope Alexander the fyrste (as they fayne) inuented the holy water with the holy water buckets and sprinckels In the yeare, &c. 119. Libro. Concil. Grat. Pol. Plat. Sabel.
Pope Siluester the fyrst with ye oyle brought in also the oyle pots.Oylepots. In the yeare, &c. 315. Sabell. Plat. Pantal.
Pope Iohn the eyght made a decree, that if any man dyd take awaye anye thyng once appoynted and dedicated to ye seruice of god either out of an holy or vnholy place, ye same man should be counted gilty of sacrilege. In the yeare of our Lorde. &c. 887. Quest. 17. cap. 4. Siquis. Ioan. Laziard.