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 .v. Chapiter. ¶Of the temples, churcheyardes, when the crosse was firste had in reuerence.

IN the old testement, Mo∣ses sette vp a tabernacle curiously edified to God wherin supplicacion and intercessiō was made to hym for the sinnes of the people.* 1.1 And in that he made the Arke of couenaūt in the whiche he put the twoo tables of stone,* 1.2 conteignyng the lawe of the ten commaundementes, Aarons rod, and the potte of Manna. After hym Salomō kyng of the Hebrues made at Hierusalē a temple of costly araie and sumptuously wrought.* 1.3 I cannot (to saie trueth) perfectely tell where the firste churche of christen menne was buylded,* 1.4 but by all coniecture it semeth that it was made of the Apo∣stles, either in Ethiopia, where Mat∣thewe preached, or in lower Inde, where Bartholomewe taughte, or in Scythia, where Andrewe shewed the worde of God. Where thei doubtles either caused newe churches too bee edified, or els transposed the idolles temples to serue the christen mennes

vse, abolishyng supersticion, & plan∣tyng the true religiō of Christ. Albeit it were not against reason to suppose there was a temple or hous of praier appoyncted by Iames at Hierusalē.

IN Rome the first that I reade of was cōsecrated by Pius bishoppe of Rome in the strete called Patricius at Nouatus bathes in honour of the virgin Prudentia,* 1.5 at the requeste and suite of Praxedis her sister. And after Calistus made a temple to the virgin Mari in a place beyōde Tyberis, and instituted a churcheyarde in Appius strete,* 1.6 and called it after his owne name:* 1.7 notwithstandyng Abraham was the first that made any place of buriall in Hebron, where he bought of Ephron an Hethite y^e double caue for thre hundred sicles of siluer with the grounde aboute it, and ther was Sara his wife and he himself buried.

NOHA buylded the firste alter,* 1.8 and offered vpō it a burned sacrifice to the lord. And Bonifacius the third caused that thei wer couered with li∣nen clothes. Constantinus when he had wonne the battaill against Ma∣xentius, by reason of a vision that he

sawe of the crosse the daie of the bat∣taill,* 1.9 ordained that from thēce furth no manne should suffre death on the crosse. And so in processe of tyme it was had in muche reuerēce and wor∣ship. And Theodosius made a lawe that there should no Image of the crosse bee grauen in stone,* 1.10 marble, or in yearth, lest men should tread on it. Helene Constantines mother a verie vertuouse woman repaired too Hie∣rusalem, to seke the crosse of our lord where with greate laboure and dili∣gence she found it, and with it the o∣ther twoo whereon the theues were hanged, but it was easy to perceiue Christe his crosse by the title, whiche then did remain, albeeit sore wasted and corrupted with antiquitee.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Moses buyl∣ded a taberna∣cle.
• * 1.2

  The Arke.
• * 1.3

  Salomon made the first tēple to God
• * 1.4

  The firste churche of christians.
• * 1.5

  First churche in Rome.
• * 1.6

  A churchyard
• * 1.7

  Abraham or∣daigned the firste place of buriall.
• * 1.8

  Noha buyl∣ded the first alter.

  Bonifacius caused alters to be couered with lenyn clothes.
• * 1.9

  Cōstātine for bade puttyng too death on the crosse.
• * 1.10

  No Image of the crosse mighte not bee grauen in yearth.

  Helene found the crosse.