742 



PILGRIMAGES POCOCK. 



priests avowedly claimed the gifts as their own. 

 At the celebrated image of Our Lady in St Paul's, 

 even the candles set up by devotees were not al- 

 lowed to burn, but were regularly taken down and 

 carried to a room below the Chapter-House, where 

 they were melted down as a perquisite of the 

 canons. The same appears to have been the case 

 with the offerings at nearly all the shrines in Lon- 

 don ; and from the loss of this source of revenue, 

 the value of many of the livings was sensibly di- 

 minished lit the Reformation. 



To this cause may also perhaps be attributed the 

 excessive number of rural shrines. Under strong 

 temptations of gain, there will never be wanting 

 persons in any profession to take advantage of ig- 

 norance and credulity ; and such disinterested for- 

 bearance was least of all to be expected in the 

 clergy of the middle ages. The history of one of 

 the absurd relics mentioned in the preceding pages, 

 the good sword of Winfarthing, is probably a lair 

 sample of that of a majority of the shrines, if their 

 origin could be known. This precious relic was 

 originally the sword of a robber, who took sanctu- 

 ary in the churchyard, but escaped through the 

 negligence of the watchman, and left this sword 

 behind him. It was laid up for many years in an 

 old chest ; but the parson and clerk at length 

 striking on the idea of proclaiming it as a relic, 

 drew it from its obscurity, and made a handsome 

 revenue of their device. " The taking up of a 

 man's bones," says Sir Thomas More, " and set- 

 ting them in a gay shrine, hath made many a 

 saint." The image of the Virgin at Worcester, 

 when unfrocked by the reformers, was found to be 

 the statue of one of their bishops. 



Many of the shrines were as mean in external 

 apparatus as they were absurd in purpose. The 

 jealousy of Alexander on the subject of his por- 

 trait, might have been adopted at them with good 

 effect. The usual representation of God the Fa- 

 ther resembled " an old broken-backed man, with 

 a white head and beard, a wrinkled forehead, large 

 hanging lips, and toothless gums." It is probable, 

 however, that this description might apply chiefly 

 to the smaller shrines. The richer ones were 

 often furnished with great sumptuousness, and, 

 like the magnificent edifices in which they were 

 placed, were well calculated to inspire the awe 

 and wonder of a rude and barbarous people. Many 

 of them were of solid gold, or richly gilt and set 

 with jewels. Tapers were continually burning 

 before them; banners were suspended over them, 

 and sometimes the effigies of knights, in complete 

 armour, stood around them, as if for a guard. 



There can be no doubt of the injurious effects 

 which, in some cases, arose from pilgrimages, and 

 especially those of the lower orders. In almost 

 every town and neighbourhood, the loose and idle 

 part of the population seem to have been the most 

 persevering pilgrims. The interlocutor before 

 quoted in Sir Thomas More's Dyalogue cbserves 

 that " the most part that cometh, cometh for no 

 devotion at all ; but only for good company to 

 babble thitherward, and drinke dronke there, and 

 then dance and reel homeward. Many that seem- 

 eth an honest housewife at home, hathe helpe of a 

 bawde to bring her to mischief as she walketh 

 about upon her pilgrimages." But so far as posi- 

 tive evidence goes, the pilgrimages of the better 

 classes were more severe in their character, or at 

 least mote decorous. Instances might occur of 

 their being converted into licentiousness ; but they 



were probably productive, on the whole, of far 

 more good than evil. A part of the imputatiom 

 under which they lie arose from the conduct of 

 persons who were merely pilgrims in disguise. 

 There were love pilgrims, trading pilgrims, pil- 

 grim adventurers, &c., whose objects hud scarcely 

 in profession any connection with religion. Of 

 course, the crimes or irregularities of such maskers 

 cannot with any fairness be charged upon those 

 who assumed the profession in reality. 



PLIOCENE PERIOD, in geology, constitutes 

 the last division of the tertiary strata, or that im- 

 mediately preceding the recent era. The term is 

 derived from vXuav, greater, and x<v;, recent, as 

 the greater proportion of the fossil shells found in 

 these deposits are recent. Of 226 shells f'owid in 

 the Sicilian beds, 216 were of existing species. 

 The Pliocene strata are divided into newer and 

 older. The district around Naples, and a portion 

 of the strata of Sicily, belong to the newer ; the 

 Subappennine deposits in Italy and Tuscany, to 

 the older. 



POCOCK, ISAAC, the writer of several popular 

 dramatic pieces, was born at Bristol, 2nd March, 

 1782. When a child he evinced a talent for draw- 

 ing, and he was placed first as a pupil with Rom- 

 ney, after whose retirement he studied under Sir 

 William Beechey, by which means he acquired the 

 bold style of the former with the richness and de- 

 licacy of colouring of the latter. In 1805 " The 

 British Institution for the promotion of the Fine 

 Arts " was established in Pall Mall, and as a stu- 

 dent there he distinguished himself by some very 

 fine copies of pictures of the ancient masters. In 

 1807 he entered the lists with numerous competi- 

 tors for the first prize given by that Institution for 

 the best original historical painting; he chose for 

 his subject the Murder of Thomas a, Becket, and 

 gained the prize. After this encouragement, he 

 painted several other historical and poetical sub- 

 jects, as well as portraits, in all of which there 

 was so much merit, that, had necessity compelled 

 him to devote his undivided attention to the art, 

 and to prosecute it with industry, he would 

 doubtless have realised the expectations formed of 

 him by his old masters and his friends, by attaining 

 a high rank amongst the artists of his day. But, 

 having the prospect of an independent fortune, 

 being young, and mixing much in society (for 

 which his varied accomplishments, originality of 

 humour, and agreeable manners peculiarly fitted 

 him), he gradually relaxed in the prosecution of 

 that profession. About this time also, on the sug- 

 gestion of a friend, he tried his powers as a drama- 

 tist ; and, the attempt succeeding, he made further 

 contributions to the drama from time to time, and, 

 although celebrity was not sought by him, he 

 eventually became known as one of the most suc- 

 cessful dramatists of his day. In 1818, he suc- 

 ceeded to the property of his uncle and aunt, Sir 

 Isaac and lady Pocock, and took up his residence 

 at Maidenhead, where he employed himself in the 

 duties of a country gentleman, at times using both 

 his pencil and his pen, and producing works which 

 show how highly he was gifted. Some of his 

 poetical pieces are found with the fugitive litera- 

 ture and music of the day. His last historical 

 painting was an altar-piece (" Our Saviour blessing 

 little Children ") presented by him to the new 

 chapel at Maidenhead. During his residence in 

 London, at the period of Bonaparte's threatened 

 invasion, he was appointed first lieutenant of " The 



