CHURCH FURNITURE. 



and a pewter stock for holy water for is. ^d. In 1513 a ' desk' 

 in Magdalen College Chapel was purchased for 53.$-. 4^. Two 

 charnel stools in the chancel of Sidmouth Church cost is. 8d. 

 in 1451, and a vexillum for Bury Church was bought by Ramsey 

 Abbey in 1420 for is. 6d. 



Incense, under that name, and also under the names of ' thus/ 

 olibanum, and frankincense, is constantly found in the ac- 

 counts, being purchased by the pound. Resin is also fre- 

 quently entered, and appears to have sometimes been employed 

 for fumigation in church, for mixing with wax in order to 

 manufacture torches, and later on for secular purposes. These 

 articles are all, I believe, of foreign origin. The commonest 

 word is ' thus.' Once I find thumiama. Olibanum occurs only 

 three times. 



The price of the article for there does not seem to be any 

 reason to believe that these four words refer to different ob- 

 jects, but they are, it appears, synonyms varies exceedingly. I 

 have found it as low as id. a pound in 1462, 1515, and 1543, 

 \\d. in 1513, \\d. in 1541, i\d. in 1506 and 1522, and 3^. in 

 1491, 1509, 1526 and 1544. On the other hand, I find it at 

 is. 4d. in 1424 and 1478, is. id. in 1403, 1404, and 1476. 

 Naturally when it is purchased in small quantities the price is 

 higher. An average taken from the entries of fifty-seven years, 

 in which these articles are priced, is a little over l\d. the 

 pound. As might be expected, its use disappears in the reign 

 of Edward, reappears under that of Mary, and continues for 

 the first two years of Elizabeth, when it is finally lost to the 

 accounts. 



Resin is bought in small quantities by the pound or by the 

 dozen, in larger quantities by the hundredweight. It is much 

 dearer when bought in the former manner than it is when 

 bought wholesale. 



The first entry by the hundred is at Sion in 1496, when it is 

 purchased at the very low price of is. yd. I cannot but con- 

 clude that this was an occasional bargain. Omitting this 

 entry, I find that the average price of the hundredweight 



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