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HISTORY OF PRINTING.
render and pav it again as soon as he might, and gave none other pledge. And this man held this money so long that the Jew demanded and asked his money, and he said that he had paid him. Then the Jew made him to come before the law in judgment, and the oath was given to the debtor, and he brought with him an hollow staff, in which he had put the money in gold, and he leaned upon the staff; and when be should make his oath and sware, he delivered his staff to the Jew to keep and hold whilst he swore, and then sware that he had delivered to him more than he owed to him. And when he had made the oath he demanded his staff again of the Jew, and he nothing knowing of his malice delivered it to him. Then this deceiver went his way, and laid bim in the way, and a cart with four wheels came with great force and slew him, and brake the staff with gold, that it spread abroad. And when the Jew heard this, he came thither sore moved, and saw the fraud. And many said to him that he should take to him the gold. And he refused, saying, but if he that was dead were not raised again to life by the merits of Saint Nicholas, he would not receive it. And if he came again to life he would receive baptism, and become a Christian. Then he that was dead arose, and the Jew was christened. — Beloe't Anecdotet of Literature.
The Liwi of the Saintt, by Alban Butler is the most sensible history of these legends ; Ribade- neira's Livei of the Saint* exhibit more of the legendary spirit, for wanting jud^ent and not faith, he is more voluminous in his details. The antiquary may collect much curious philosophi- cal information, concerning the manners of the times, from these singular narratives.
Oldham, in his Satiret upon the Jemits, a work which would admit of a curious commen- tary, alludes tb their legends, and the innume- rable impositions they practised on the credu- lous. We quote a few lines, in which the amours of the Virg^ Mary are detailed : —
Tell, how bleued Virgin to come down wm seen. Like play-bouse panic descending in machine. How she writ biilet-dous and love discourte. Made otMignaiionSt visits, and amours; How hosts distrest, her smock for banner wore. Which ranqoished foes !
howj!»A in conrenticlea met.
And mackerel were with bait of doctrine caught :
How cattle bare judicious hearers been 1 —
How consecrated hives with bells were hung,
And bees kept mass, and holy anifiems sung.
How pigs to th' rosarp kneelM, and sheep were taught
To blert Te Deum and Magnificat ;
Hoys flg-fiap, of church-censure houses rid
Of insects, which at curse of fryar died.
How ferrying cowb religioits pilgrims bore
O'er waves, without the help of sail or oar;
How zealous crab the sacred image bore.
And iwam a catholic to the distant shore.
With shams like these the giddy rout mislead,
Their folly and their supeistition feed.
All these are allusions to the extravagant fic- tions in the Golden Legend. Among other gross impositions to deceive tlie mob, Oldham like- wise attacks them for certain publications on topics not less singular. The tales he has re- counted, Oldham says, arc only baits for chil-
dren, like toys at a fair; but they have thdr profounder and higher matters for the learned and the inquisitive. He goes on: —
Ose undertakes by scales of miles to tell The bounds, dimensions, and extent of Bn-L ;* How many German Magues that realm oontains ! How many chaldrons Hell each year expends In coals for roasting Hogonots and friends ! Another frights the ront with oscftal stories Of wild chimeras. Umbo's, rvaoATOBisa Where bloate<l souls in smoky durance hung Like a Westplialia gammon or neat's tongue, Tn be redeem'd wm masses and a song.
Such were the inventions that created and
Ctified the cravings of bigotted ignorance be- ! the art of printing was giveft as a divine blessing to mankind, " to dispel the gloom of superstition ; to wrest the world from the hands of ecclesiastics, who too often superseding the Christianity of the gospels by that of tradition, policy, hall-delirious bigotry, feelings often fan- tastic, and unenlightened enthusiasm, pursued too often a spurious plan of forcing mankind to become technical automatons of rites and dreams, words and superstitions."-!- " Until the time of Luther," says Mr. Hone, "religion, which in principle is a pure science, was regarded as an art ; it was the occupation of the clergy, who taught it as mystery, and practised it as trade."
1483, Dec. 23. The Booke ctdlyd Cathon, (Magnus). Folio.
Caxton's preface, which is both curious and interesting, after informing us that this work had been translated out of Latin into English, by Master Benet Burgh, late archdeacon of Colchester, &c. But, that his translation was made from the French, which he presents to the city of London. He says, "And by cause of late cam to my hand a book of the said Caton in Frensshe, which reherceth many a fayr lem- ynge and notable ensamples, J have translated It out of Frensshe in to Englisshe, as al along here after shalle appiere, whiche J presente vnto the Cyte of london."
Next follows Caxton's very loyal address to the "Cyte of london," of which he styles him- self " Cytezeyn, &c." Of Caf Ao, he says " in my Ju^ment it is the best boke for to be taught to yonge children in scole." Afterwards he relates 'the following story : " There was a noble clerke named pogius of Florence, And was secretary to pope Eugenye, & also to pope Nycbolas which nad in the cyte of Florence a uoble and well stuffed lybrarye, which all noble straungyers comynge to Florence desyred to see. And therin they fonde many uoble and rare bookes And whanne they had axyd of hym which was the best booke of them afle, and that he helde Cathon glosed for the best book of his lyberarye, &c."
- Treatises and topographical descriptions of hcU, pur-
gatory, and even heaven, were once the ftivoorite re- searches amonjr certain zealous defenders of the Romish church, who exhausted their ink-horns in building up a hell to their own taste, or for thehr particular purpose. We have a treatise of cardinal Bellarmin, a Jesuit, on Purgatory ; he seems to have the science of a surrcyor, among all the secret tracks and the formidable divisians of " the bottomless pit."
t Turner's History of the Anglo Sojmu. Vol 3, p. 5 1 6.
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