1 593-] SUPERSTITION DENOUNCED. 131 



May no Proud-youth and ignorant Declaimer 



Ever sound his poor Orations in thy Land, 



Nor his Antichristian Satyrs 



Under the Name of Preaching. 



May no unskilful Cojjyist, nor bold Parrot, 



Have the liberty to pretend to teach thy People. 



May thy sacred Sanctuaries. 

 (The Palaces of the Holiness of the Almighty,) 



Never be miserably cfiang'd 



Into Theaters, Shops, and Retreats for Robbers. 



Let never Dispute upon a Word,i create Schism, Hatred or Cruelty 



Among thy Children. 



Let never any foolish or superstitious Bigot, 



Corrupt or dishonour the Divine Laws, 



By his Trifles or Fables. 



Never let any Man by his extravagant Devotion ,2 



Enormities the Popes have been guilty of, distributing scepters and 

 treading crown'd Heads under their Feet, notwithstanding they retain'd 

 the qualities of Priests ; and what is worse than all the rest, to set a 

 certain rate of Absolution upon the most abominable Crimes that can 

 be committed ; witness the Book intituled The llaUs of tlie Apostolical 

 Chamber (sold publickly to this day at Paris), which I bought some 

 days ago. 'Tis true they have since endeavour'd to suppress the Book, 

 by inserting it in the Index Expunjatorius of the Council of Trent, but 

 continue nevertheless in selling their Dispensations. 



' Venalia nobis 

 Templa, Sacerdotes, Altaria, Sacra, Coronaj, 

 Ignis thura preces, Coelum est venale Deus.' " 



{B. Mant.) 



1 Allusion to the dispute on VinQViOTAfiUoque in the Creed between the 

 Oriental Greek and Roman Churches. Writing from Venice, January 

 20, 1688, i\Iax. Missoa mentions with regard to this : " They (the 

 Greeks) use Confession, but not after the manner of the Romanists : 

 concerning the Article of the Proceeding of the Holy Ghost, they say 

 as little now as they did formerly dispute upon it, looking upon it as a 

 point that has more of nicety than usefulness ; they also preserve 

 Relicks, but never worship them." {Letter xvi.) 



2 In orig : " Que jamais extravagant Devot.'' 



Max. Misson, writing from Loretto, February 26, 1688, says : '-But 

 the greatest Curiosity is, the Processions of the Devotees, who crawl 

 round the Holy House upon their Knees, some five times, others seven, 

 and others twelve times, according to the different degrees of their 



