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 .x. Chapiter. ¶Of Images, tithes, and who permitted the Clergye to haue possessions.

AT the fyrst there was no I∣magery nor pictures in the churches, but all occasions of Idolatry were withdra∣wen

accordyng to the cōmaūdement of the olde lawe. Notwithstandyng it crepte in among christans by lytle and lytle, and men made Images of Christ on the crosse after the example of Moses whiche set vp y^t brasen ser∣pent, and Abagarus duke of Edisse∣mans a nacion beyond the riuer Eu∣phrates sente a Painter to drawe the Image of our sauiour Iesus, but for somuche as he could not beholde the brightnes of his face, Chryst layde a napkyn on his face, wherin he by his diuine power prynted the resēblaūce of his visage, and sent it by the pain∣ter to the duke. A lytle napkyn was geuen by him (as it is sayd) to a wo∣man, that had the blody flixe, whose name newe writers say was Veroni∣ca, and Luke the Euangelist had the Image of Mari the virgyn in a table painted. And in the sixt coūsel had at Constantinople by the cōmaundemēt of Cōstantine & Iustiniane, the second his sonne, it was decreed that Ima∣ges should be receyued into the chur∣ches, and worshypped with great re∣uerence, as a thing wherby the laitie might be instructed, as in steade of

scripture, and that encense might be burned, and tapers lighted afore thē. This was about the yere of our lord vi.C.xxxii. or as some take it aboute the .vii.C.iii. yere of our lorde, what tyme Agathus was bishop of Rome. Afterward Constantine bishop there confirmed that decree, and caused I∣mages in the churche of sainct Peter and pronounced Philippe the empe∣rour an heretike, bycause he had sha∣uen & scraped away y^• Imagery that was in sainct Sophies temple. Not long after they were ratified & esta∣blished in the counsel of Nice where were assembled by the procurement of Hyrene mother of Constantine the sixt .CCC.l. byshoppes. The great prophet of God Moses, and his suc∣cessour Iosue diuided the land of Ca¦naan among y^e Israelites, assignyng no parte therof to the tribe of Leuye, because they were the lordes por••ion sauyng that he gaue thē habitacions in euery tribe, and a lytle pasture for their nee••e, shepe, and other cattel. Therefore, because they m••nistred in the tabernacle of the lord, and execu∣ted suche ceremonies, as apperteined

to theyr religion, he appointed for them the fyrst fruites and tenthes to liue on. And after this sorte begāne the paiyng of tithes by the instituciō of Moses.

And Origene on the boke of Nume¦ry affyrmeth that this commaunde∣ment is to be obserued of vs after the letter, without any allegory or misti∣cal interpretacion.

And it appeareth by Christes wor∣des, that he alloweth the litterall sense of the olde lawe, wher he sayth in y^e gospel, wo be vnto you Scribes and Pharises, ye that tythe Mynte and Rue, and al maner of Herbes, & passe ouer iudgemēt & y^e law of God, these ought to haue bene done, & not to leaue the other vndone, where you maye perceyue howe that as he com∣maundeth one, so he would not haue the other omitted, that be signified there litterally, Eutichianus, bicause in the olde testament the fyrst fruites were offered to the lorde, ordeyned that corne should be consecrated on the alter: as Oyle and encense was burned in the Hebrues Synagoge, and that decree remayneth styl in

effect in some places. But so the prie∣stes vertue is so olde, and mennes de∣uocion waxeth so colde, that in stead of the fyrst fruites, nowe a daies the people vse to bryng on the sondaies a fewe loaues of bread, in some places two or thre as they bee disposed, and those the priest consecrateth, and par¦teth by peeces among the people, that where as in time past they vsed to re∣ceyue the sacrament on those dayes, now they eate this bread halowed in memorial of it. And this they do af∣ter the paterne of Christ, whiche was euer wōt to halowe bread afore he ei∣ther eat it or gaue it to his disciples. Other naciōs also vsed to offer their fyrst fruites & tithes, as the Romay∣nes offered to Hercules, and Bacchus offered to Iupiter, Mars gaue to Iu∣piter the tenth of his pray of Lydia. Vrbanus a man of godly liuyng, and singular learnyng aboute the yere of our lord .CC.xxii. decred that it was lawfull for priestes to receyue suche rentes or landes, as were geuen thē: Albeit there was nothyng priuate to any man, but cōmon to all. And thus by lytle & lytle the spiritual possessi∣ons

were enlarged, and bishoppes of Rome were greatly enriched. Luci∣na an holy mayd of Rome made Mar¦cellus byshyp there, her heyre and executour, and afterward Con∣stantine dyd largely endowe the same bishop.

Notes

• Images.
• Abagarus.
• Veronica.
• Images were cōmaunded to be honored
• Philip empe∣rour is pro∣clamed an heretike.
• Hyrene.
• Tythes.
• Origenes opi¦nion of tithes Homelia .xi.
• Luke .ii. Christ allow∣eth tythes.
• Holy bread.
• Fyrst fruites were offered of diuers countries.
• Possessions are permitted 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the clergy.