Page:Life of John Knox (3).pdf/6

6 which he illustrated in this manner. Seeing we say, good day, father, to any old man in the street, we may call a saint pater, who is older than any alive; and seeing they are in heaven, we may say to any of them, “Our father who art in heaven;" seeing they are holy; we may say, hallowed be thy name;" and, since they are in the kingdom of heaven, may add, "thy kingdom come;" and as their will is God's will, "thy will be done;" but when he came to “give us this day our daily bread," he was much at a loss, confessing it was not in the power of the saints to give us our daily bread yet they may pray to God for us," he said, "that he may give us our daily bread." The rest of his commentary being not more satisfactory, set his audience a laughing, and the children on the streets calling alter him, Friar Paternoster, he was so much ashamed that he left the city.

The only device by which they attempted to bring back the people to their allegiance was equally, unfortunate and imprudent; they had recourse to false miracles, which the vigilance of the reformers detected and exposed to ridicule. The barefaced impositions that were practised by the monks on the credulous, are almost inconceivable.—Among other customs of those times, it was common for them to travel to Rome and come home laden with relics, blessed by his holiness, dispensations for sin by which they wheedled the credulous out of their money. One of these, on a holiday, endeavouring to vend his wares to the country people, among other things shewed them a bell with a rent in it, possessing the virtue of discovering the truth or fallacy of an oath; for, as he pretended, if any one swore truly, with his hand on the bell, he could easily remove it, without any change; but if the path was false, his hand would stick to it, and the