Page:A dictionary of printers and printing.djvu/277

 268

HISTORY OF PRINTING.

1538. King Henry VIII. granted a license to James Nicholson, a printer, who resided in St. Thomas's hospital, in Southwark, to print the New Testament in Latin and English, in quarto. The English was Covevdale's version, and the Latin, that of the Vulgate. Coverdale wrote a dedication to the king, in which he assured his majesty " that his principal design was to induce such as knew the English only, and were not learned in Latin, that in comparing these two texts together, they might the better understand the one by the other; and he did not doubt, but such ignorant bodies, as having care and charge of souls, were very unlearned in the Latin tongue, should through this small labour be occasioned to attain unto knowledge, and at least be constrained to say well of the thing which heretofore they had blasphemed."

16:J8. Nov. 16. The proclamation of Henry VIII. following the formal trial and condemna- tion of the shrine and goods of Thomas a Becket,* declaring that he was no saint, but a rebel and a traitor to his prince, and caused his bones to be burnt by the hangman. The account of the miracles wrought at his tomb filled two folio vo- lumes. His jubilee of fifteen days was attended by 100,000 pilgrims, and the offering, in two years, to God, were £3 2». 6d. ; to the virgin, £67 7s. 2d.-, but to Saint Thomas, £1786 ISs. 6d. The shrine was estimated at above a million of money.

When relics of saints were first introduced, the relique-mania was universal ; they were bought and sold like other articles of commerce ; and the collectors made no scruple to steal them. It IS entertaining, says Mr. D'Israeli, to observe the singular ardour and grasping avidity of some, to enrich themselves with these religious

educated at Oxford and Paris. Henry II. appointed him, in 1158, chancellor and preceptor to the prince. In li6a he was elected archbishop of Canterbury, on which he resigned the chancellorship, and assumlnr the arrogance of a sovereign pontur, came to hostilities with the king, who endeavoured to effect a reform among the clergy. In a convention held at Clarendon, laws were passed respecting the privileges of the church, to which Becket assented at first, but afterwards retracted, and endeavoured to leave the kingdom, to communicate his ^evances to the pope. This occasioned a parliament to be called at Northampton, in 116s, when the archbishop was sen- tenced to forfeit all his goods to the king; On this he left the kingdom, and Henry seized upon the revenues of his see. Becket resigned at Sens his archbishopric into the hands of the pope, who returned it to him with assur. ances of support. The prelate now fulminated his ana- themas against several bishops and noblemen, which so irritated the king that he banished all his relations. An accommodation was at last concluded between Becket and the king, but Becket refusing to withdraw his ox- communication of the bishops, they laid their complaints before Henry, who was in Normandy. In a fit of passion the king exclaimed how unhappy he was, that among so many attendants none had gratitude enoagh to rid liim of one who caused liim so much disturbance. On this, four knights set out for Canterbury, and assassinated the arch- bishop at the altar of his cathedral, December 2g, 1171. For this the king was obliged by the pope to do penance at Becket's tomb, where he was scourRed by the monks, and passed the whole day and night fasting upon the bare ■tones. The murderers were sent on penance to the Holy Land, where they died. Becket was canonized two years after ; and his pretended miracles were so nume- rt«ns, that his shilue became the richest in Europe.
 * Thomas * Becket, wu botn in London, In 111}, and

morsels; their little discernment, the curious impositions of the vender, and the good faith and sincerity of the purchaser. The prelate of the place sometimes purchased for the holy benefit of the village or town.

The following legend concerning Thomas a Becket, is taken from the Golden Legend, printed by Wynkyn de Worde, 1498, folio : — ^ And anon after, Saint Thomas came to Rome on Saint Marcus day at afternoon, and when his catonr should have brought fish for his dinner, by cause it was fasting day, he could get none fur no money, and came and told his lord St. Thomas so. And he bade him buy such as he get ; and then bought flesh, and made it ready for theii dinner; an St. Thomas was served with a capon roasted, and his meyne with boiled meat ; and so it was that the pope heard that he was come, and sent a cardinal to welcome him; and be found him at his dinner eating flesh ; which anon returned, and told the pope now he was not so perfect a man as he had supposed ; for, contrary to the rule of the church, be eated this day flesh. The pope would not believe him, but sent another carding, who, for more evidence, took the leg of the capon in his keuerchyef, and afiBrmed the same. And opened his keuerchyef to fore the pope, and he found the leg turned into a fish called a carp. And when the pope saw it, he said they were not true men to say such things of this good bishop. They said faithfully it was flesh that he did eat. Ana after this, St. Thomas came to the pope, and did his reverence and obedience, whom the pope welcomed ; and after certayn communication, ne demanded what meat he mid eaten ? and he said flesh, as ye have heard to fore ; because he could find no fish, and very need compelled him thereto. Then the pope (understood of the miracle that the capon's leg was turned into a carp) of his goodness, granted to him and to all them of the diocese of Canterbury, license to eat flesh for ever on Saint Marcus day, and pardon withal ; which is kept and accustomed unto this day."

The Roman church not being able to deny, says Bayle, that there have been false relics, which have operated miracles, they reply that the good intentions of those believers who have recourse to them obtained from God this reward for their good faith ! In the same spirit, when it was shown that two or three bodies of the same saint are said to exist in different places, and that therefore they all could not be authen- tic, it was answered that they were all genuine ; for God had multiplied and miraculously repro- duced them for the comfort of the faithful.

Canute II. who reigned in 1041, commissioned his agent at Rome to purchase St. Augustine's arm lot one hundred talents of silver and one of gold ; a much greater sum observes Granger, than the finest statue of antiquity would have sold for. Henry III. of England, who reigned from 1216 to 1272, was so deeply tainted with the superstition of the age, summoned all the great in the kingdom to meet in London. This summons excited the most general curiosity, and

VjOOQ IC