An abridgement of the notable woorke of Polidore Vergile conteignyng the deuisers and firste finders out as well of artes, ministeries, feactes & ciuill ordinaunces, as of rites, and ceremonies, commo[n]ly vsed in the churche: and the originall beginnyng of the same. Co[m]pendiously gathered by Thomas Langley

The .vi. Chapiter. ¶The Niniuites, Assirians, Anto∣nians, and Ceretanes.

NO lesse supersticion is in the fraternite of the Ni∣niuites,* 1.1 although they a∣uaunce thē selues to haue receyued their maner of liuyng of y^e Apostles: for the end of their doynges is to worke their owne saluacion by dedes satis∣factory to God, wher in dede they de¦rogate the effecte and power of Chri∣stes blod. The rites be specified with outward holines:* 1.2 as often assēblyng to praier hiryng of chauntry priestes supportyng pouertie, & be clothed in sackcloth and scourge one another w^t whippes. Of this painted penaunce they call them selues Niniuites, as though they appeaced Gods wrathe in the same wyse, as they of Niniuie dyd, where in deede they had heartie cōtricion for their offēces, these haue but pretenced holines and penitence: they beganne vnder Clement the .iiii.

the yere of our lorde a thousand two hundreth threscore and fiue.

The maner of theyr whyppyng came of the Romayne sacrifices and Lupercalia,* 1.3 whereof I spake afore, for thei vsed the same custome of a su¦persticious opinion: Or if a manne wold be curious in boultyng out the original of their beatyng, it may ap∣peare to haue proceded of an obser∣uaūce of the Egyptiens. For y^e vsage was there,* 1.4 that whilest they offered a cow with many ceremonies to their gret Idole, as Herodotus witnesseth during y^e burnyng therof, they shuld, one beate another miserably with wandes or roddes. The title of their fraternitie came of the Romaynes, whiche had diuers felowshyppes as Sodales Titii,* 1.5 and Fratres Aruales that sacrificed to Ceres Goddesse of corne. Another sort there is not onely idle, but also theuishe, & they be cal∣led Assirians, the same that we name commonly Egyptians:* 1.6 These, as all men haue hearde,* 1.7 and many haue by experience proued, be so lyght fynge∣red, and suche rigbies chyldren, that they wyll fynde two thynges, afore

they lose one.

The men by suche pyllery, thefte, and playne stealyng, and women by palmestrye, blessynges,* 1.8 with lyke o∣ther sorcery, and wytchecrafte furni∣shed with lyes, seduce and deceyue a great nomber of symple people in e∣uery country and region.

And bicause they should haue more libertie to spede their purposes,* 1.9 they saye, it is their vowe, and penaunce is geuen them to go in continual pil∣gremage. Fye on that pylgremage, that is mayntayned by pickyng, and redoundeth to the profit of none, but to the extreme losse of manye as well countries as men.

The occasion that these vacabun∣des stray thus abrode came of an old Idol that they worshypped in their Paganisme named the goddesse of Si¦ria:* 1.10 wherwith they vsed to gadde frō place to place to begge monye, wyne, mylke, chese, corne, and other stuffe as Apuleius writeth.

The same people nowe thei be chri∣stened, playe theyr partes in like ma∣ner with sundry subtilties: and that they get by liyng, pickyng, stealyng,

brybyng, they make monye of, and so returne home laughyng to scorne all those symple persons, that they haue thus deceyued.

Seyng all other supersticions be a∣bolished and roted vp, it is pitie that this should take styl effect, and be vn¦punished. The Antonians were a counterfect of Antonies perfection,* 1.11 but they differ as muche frō his holy¦nes as whyte frō blacke, they haue a * 1.12 on their brest, that meneth Tolle, teaching them to take what they can get be it cowe, oxe, calfe, or pigge, for they offer swyne to him, as they dyd sacrifice shepe to Bel in Babilon, thei were instituted in the yere of Christ .CCC.xxiiii.

* 1.13The Ceretanes began in Ceretum a cytie of Vmbria, & euer they vsed to go a beggyng at the latter end of har¦uest when the barnes were stuft with corne, and so like drones deuour that that other haue gottē with the swet of theyr browes.

Of these valiant beggers there be in euery place mo then a great meny:* 1.14 but I cānot tel what tyme they were instituted, and howe sone they be put doune it skylleth not.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Niniuites.
• * 1.2

  Rites of Ni∣niuites.
• * 1.3

  Whippyng whēce it came Lupercalia
• * 1.4

  An vsage of the Egiptiās
• * 1.5

  Fraternities.
• * 1.6

  Assirians.
• * 1.7

  Egyptians.
• * 1.8

  Craftes of y^e Egytians.
• * 1.9

  The Egypti∣ans excuse.
• * 1.10

  Goddesse of Siria.

  Libro .viii. de asmo aureo.
• * 1.11

  Antonians
• * 1.12

  The token of Antonians.
• * 1.13

  Ceretanes.
• * 1.14

  Ceretanes play in somer and begge in wynter.