The history and antiquities of Boston, and the villages of Skirbeck, Fishtoft, Freiston, Butterwick, Benington, Leverton, Leake, and Wrangle; comprising the hundred of Skirbeck, in the county of Lincoln. Including also a history of the East, West, and Wildmore fens, and copious notices of the Holland or Haut-Huntre fen ... sketches of the geology, natural history, botany, and agriculture of the district; a very extensive collection of archaisms and provincial words, local dialect, phrases, proverbs, omens, superstitions, etc. By Pishey Thompson. Illustrated with one hundred engravings.

ST. MARY'S GUILD; INDULGENCES, ETC. 137
his gelly junkets, such as kings and princes only, said he, in the realme of England vie to
feed upon, desired the same to be accepted in benevolent part, which he and his companions, as poor suiters unto his Holinesse, had there brought and presented as novelties
meet for his recreation, &c. Pope Julius, seeing the strangenesse of the dishes, commanded
by and by his Cardinall to take the- assay, who, in tasting thereof, liked it so well, and so likewise the Pope after him, that knowing of them what their sutes were, and requiring of
them to make knowne the making of that meat, he incontinent, without any more adoe,
stamped both their pardons, as well the greater as the lesser.
"And thus were the jolly pardons of the towne of Boston obtained, as you have heard, for
the maintenance of their decayed port. The copies of which pardons (which I have in my
hands), briefly comprehended, cometh to this effect:-That all the brethren and sisters of
the Gilde of Our Lady in St. Botolph's church at Boston, should have free licence to chuse
for their confessor, or ghostly father, whom they would, either secular priest, or religious
person, to assoil them plenarily from all their sins, except only in cases reserved to the
Pope. Also, should have licence to carry about with them an altar stone, whereby they
might have a priest to say them masse, or other divine service, where they would, without
prejudice to any church or chappell, though it were also before day, yea at three of the
clock after midnight in the summer time. Furthermore, that all such brethren and sisters
of the said Gilde, which should resort to the chappell of Our Lady in St. Botolph's church at
the feast of Easter, Whitsuntide, Corpus Christi, Nativity or Assumption of Our Lady, or in
the days of them, the feast of St. Michael, and first Sunday in Lent, should have pardon no
lesse than if they themselves personally had visited the stations of Rome: provided, that
every such person, man or woman, entering into the same Gilde, at his first entering should
give to the finding of seven priests, twelve ministers, and thirteen beadmen, and to the
lights of the same brotherhood, and a grammar-school, five shillings and eightpence, and
for every yeare after, twelvepence. And these premises being before granted by Pope
Innocentius and Pope Julius II., this Pope Clement also confirmed, granting, moreover,
that whatsoever brother or sister of the same Gilde, through povertie, sicknesse, or any
other let, could not resort personally to the said chappell, notwithstanding he should be
dispensed withall, as well for that, as all other vowes, irregularities, censures canonical
whatsoever, only the vow of going to the stations of Rome, and going to St. James of
Compostella, excepted, &c.
" He also granted to them the power to receive full remission, a pcena et culpa, once in
their life, or at the hour of death. Itemz, That having their altar stone, they might have
masse said in any place, though it were unhallowed; and at the time of interdict, to have
masse or any sacrament ministered; and also being departed, that they might be buried in
Christian buriall, notwithstanding the interdict. Extending, moreover, his grant to all
such brethren and sisters in resorting to the aforesaid chappell of Our Lady upon the
Nativity or Assumption of Our Lady, giving supportation to the aforesaid chappell at every
such festivall day, to have full remission of their sins; or if they for any impediment could
not be present at the chappell aforesaid, yet if they came into their own parish church; and
there said one Paternoster and Ave Maria, they should enjoy the same remission above
specified; or whoever came every Friday to the same chappell should have as much
remission as if he went into the chappell of Our Lady called Scala Cmeli.1 Furthermore, that whatsoever Christian people, of what estate or condition soever, whether
spirituall or temporall, would aid and support the chamberlain or substitute of the aforesaid Gilde, should have five hundred years of pardon. Item, to all.brothers and sisters
of the same Gilde was granted free liberty to eate in the time of Lent, or other fast-days,
eggs, milk, butter, cheese, and also flesh, by the counsell of their ghostly father and physician, without any scruple of conscience. Item, that all partakers of the same Gilde, and
being supporters thereof, which once a quarter, or every Friday or Saturday, either in the
said chappell or any other chappell of their devotion, shall say a Paternoster, Ave fifaria,
and creed, or shall say, or cause to be said, masses for souls departed in pains of purgatory,
shall not only have the full remission due to them which visite the chappell of Scala Cceli,
or of St. John Lateran; but also the souls in purgatory shall enjoy full remission and be
released of all their paines. Item>, that all the souls of the brothers and sisters of the said
Gilde, also the souls of their fathers and mothers, shall be partakers of all the prayers,
suffrages, alms, fastings, masses and mattens, pilgrimages, and all other good deedes of all
the holy church militant for ever.
"These indulgences, pardons, grants, and relaxations, were given and granted by Pope
Nicholas V., Pope Pius II., Pope Sixtus, and Pope Julius II., of which Pope Julius it seemeth
that Cromwell obtained this pardon aforesaid, about the year of our Lord 1510, which
1 There was a chapel of this name in the Church of St. Botolph. See the history of that church in a
subsequent Division of this work.
T