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for Italian pilu;rims. Here were the relics of St. 

 Nicholas, the uiost popular perhaps of all the 

 saints among sailors. Another perhaps more 

 f'lmous was at Loreto, where there was no less a 

 treasure than the holy house of the Virgin, which 

 bad been removed from Bethlehem At one time 

 the signs of this shrine bore in unusual form, a 

 cup of pottery made from clay in which a small 

 quantity of the'dust which collected upon theholy 

 Louse had been previously mixed. These were 

 decorated with an image of the Virgin, also in- 

 scribed " Compot de Santa Casa," and sealed with 

 the seal of the Church. In France, one of the 

 most famous, as it was also one of the richest, was 

 the magnificent shrine of St. Martin of Tours, 

 the saintly Bishop to whom our own vener- 

 able little church, the very oldest Christian 

 church in England, was dedicated just thirteen 

 centuries ago. The sign of St. Martin was a 

 goose. Other popular French shrines were those 

 of St. Denis, the Patron Saint of France, to whom 

 St. Thomas himself commended his spirit as he 

 fell upon his knees after receiving the fatal blow 

 from FitzUrse; and of St. John at Amiens.where 

 the head of the Baptist was an object of the 

 greatest veneration. The signs of the saint 

 usually take the form of that in our collection, of 

 a head seen in full face surrounded by a Gothic 

 inscription proclaiming its identity. Another 

 historic shrine of great importance was at Rheims, 

 where the ampulla of sacred oil with which the 

 French Kings were anointed was faithfully 

 preserved. Others, only less celebrated, were St. 

 Maure des fosses, represented on his sign as stand- 

 ing spade in hand, St. Eloy, St. Michel de Tombe- 

 laine and St. Hubert, a particular favourite with 

 sportsmen. His emblem, a hunting horn, may 

 be seen among those in our own collection. 

 Besides these there were the famous shrines of 

 the Virgin at Paris, where, in Notre Dame, there 

 was also a colossal and much esteemed figure of 

 St Christopher, whose sign was in brisk demand 

 as a talisman against sudden death. At Chartres, 

 is a " Black Virgin," which, like the cathedral in 

 which it is preserved, is said to antedate the birth 

 of the Founder of Christianity Himself, an honour 

 it IS said to share with Notre Dame de Boulogne, 

 a particularly popular shrine among sailors 

 and Englishmen. There are four pilgrims' tokens 

 from Boulogne in oui collection, representing the 

 Virgin with the Saviour in her arms, standing 

 upon what appears to be a crescent, but which is 

 really intended for the sailless and oarless little 

 boat in which she miraculously appeared at the 

 French haven. la England popular shrines were 

 numerous. Those of St. Edmund at Bury St. 

 E Imund's, of St. Alban at St. Alban's. and St. 

 Cuthbert at Durham, were all notable, scarcely less 

 so were those of the Virgin at Lynn and at 

 Stratford. Chester and Branxholme in Norfolk 

 were alike celebrated in tbeir possession of portions 

 of the true cross and the various cruciform signs 

 and brooches in collections may generally be 

 assigned to these hallows, of which there are two 

 examples in out own. More famous, however, 

 than any of these, fitting the renown of the great 

 churches which contained them, were the wondrous 

 shrines of the Virgin at Canterbury and West- 



minster, the latter possessing also the Royal 

 shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, whose token, 

 was sometimes a crowned head or a crown alone, 

 as seen in our own collection, as well as the 

 additional treasure of an ancient crystal col taining 

 some of the sacred blood of Christ Himself. 

 Similar treasures were also preserved at Hailes, 

 Ashridge, and at the great Abbey of Glastonbury, 

 to all of which holy places pilgrims were wont to 

 resort. With one notable exception, however, by 

 far the most celebrated of all English hallows, was 

 the marvellous Norfolk shrine of our Lady of 

 Walsingham. Here was preserved the famous 

 crystal containing some of theVirgin'smilk ; here 

 too weie thetwo holy springs whose healing waters 

 were said to owe their miraculous power to her 

 influence. For nearly three centui ies the "straight 

 road," the green way to Walsingham, was trodden, 

 by countless thousands of pilgrims of all grades 

 and of all nationalities. Even the "milky way," 

 the " Watling Street of Heaven," was rechristened 

 the " Walsingham way," as if it had been specially 

 designed to light them on their iourney. From 

 the reign of King Henry III. to the reign of King 

 Henry VII.,every Enslish monarch registered his 

 vows at this famous £hrine,and where the King led 

 the way his subjects followed. The Walsingham 

 signs usually took the form of an image of the 

 Virgin or of the initial letter V or M, surmounted 

 by a crown. Walsingham pilgrims also brought 

 away with them small leaden ampulla* containing 

 water from the sacred wells, and it will perhaps 

 give some idea of the wealth of some of these 

 shrines if I quote the words of Erasmus in 

 describing his own visit to Our Lady ot Walsing- 

 ham. At the same time I cannot do better than 

 quote the same high authority when he speaks 

 afterwards of that still more famous shrine of St. 

 Thomas of Canterbury. Erasmus first published 

 his " Familiar Colloquies" at Basle in 152H, audit 

 may pei haps assist u.': in understanding the general 

 drift of what he says if we remember the monkish 

 gibe "that although Luther batched the Refor- 

 mation, it was Erasmus vho laid the egg." 

 " I reprehend," says ho in his preface, "those who 

 have tumultuousJy cast all images out of 

 churches, and also those that are mad upon groing 

 on pilgrimages under pretence of religion." Those 

 persons also are remarked upon " who show un- 

 certain relics for certain ones and attribute more 

 to them than they ought and basely make a gain 

 of them." His descriptions of the shrines are con- 

 tained in " Pilgrimage for Religion's Sake " and 

 appear in the form of a conversation with a friend 

 who, under a disguised name, is really none <ither 

 than John Colet, Dean of St. Paul's. Greeting his 

 friend, he asks " But what stiange dress is this. 

 It is all over-set witV shells and scalloped, full of 

 images of lead and tin, and chains of straw-work, 

 and the cuffs are adorned with snakes' egi;s, 

 instead of bracelets." " 1 have been to pay a visit," 

 says the pilgrim, " to St. James of Compostella, 

 and after that to the famous Virgin of Walsing- 

 ham on the other side of the wat^r in England." 

 " I have often heard of James." he replies, '" but 

 prithee give me some account of that beyond-sea 

 lady." " I will do it as briefly as I can, 

 her name is very famous all over England 



