paschal candle, or any other consecrated wax, and consecrated rue; and having sprinkled them with holy-water, he wraps them all up in the aforesaid paper, and hangs them about the neck of the patient.-Meng. p. 256, 257. leave him in a transport of joy, and ance to all the devils in hell. And now I bidding defi CHAPTER XXIII. OBSERVATION OF HOLY-DAYS. THE institution of festivals by the heathen in honour of their gods, and the conformity of our Romanists herein, were before asserted and cleared. I come now to remark the manner of their observation, or with what rites and ceremonies they were solemnized; wherein also the Church doth exactly symbolize with them. This hath been confessed by many, and lamented by some of their own writers, Nicolaus de Clemangis, Erasmus, Cornelius Agrippa, Polydor Virgil, &c. The last tells us, "that in his time holy-days were most acceptable to young men for no other reason but that they had then leisure to lead about dances; especially among the Italians, who, after the custom of the ancient Pagans, did usually exhibit shows and plays unto the people, reciting comedies, and personating the lives and martyrdoms of the saints, in churches; in which, that all might receive equal delight, they acted them in their mother-tongue. Thus was it heretofore among the ancient Romans."-De Inventor. Rerum. lib. v. cap. 2. For the further illustration of this point, I will instance in several festivals. THE FEAST OF OUR SAVIOUR'S NATIVITY. That the Pagan Saturnalia were kept about the same time that we observe our Christmas, is agreed upon by most authors, Gyraldus, Rosinus, Macrobius, &c. And that our Romanists celebrated this feast with the same solemnities, will appear if we consider these following particulars. 1. The ancient Romans and Grecians on their Saturnalia entertained their friends and neighbours with most costly feasts, and banquets, and so spent the time in excessive eating and drinking. Mutuas inter sese cænas epulationesq. agitabant. -Hospin. Fest. Pagan. p. 130; Lazius de Repub. Roman. lib. x. cap. 9. And thus do our Romanists celebrate this great festival of our Saviour's nativity. This is so notorious to all men, that it will be unnecessary to mention authors. Their practice is thus described by Naogeorgus, apud Hospin. Fest. Christ. Selectis onerant dapibus mensasq. fæcumq. 2. In the ancient Saturnalia, masters feasted their servants, and became servants to them. Maxima pars Graium Saturno, et maximè Athenæ, Quisq. suos, nostriq. itidem : et mos traditus illinc And Tyraquellus hath produced the testimonies of several authors for this custom.-Annot. in Genial. Dier. lib. ii. cap. 22. On these days servants did take upon them to command their masters, and slaves had liberty to be unruly without fear of punishment, wearing on their heads a cap as a badge of freedom while those days lasted. Lazius and Hospinian further add, that servants wore the apparel of their masters, and masters the apparel of their servants.-Lazius de Repub. Roman. lib. x. cap. 9: Hospin. Fest. Pagan. p. 131. And do not Papists the very same thing at Christmas? "In France, (saith Hospinian,) one of the servants at court is chosen king; upon whom the king, and the rest of the nobles, wait at table. And in Germany this is observed (saith the same author) through all universities 5 and cities by students and citizens; that is, they create one king, prepare a magnificent feast for him, and minister unto him."-Fest. Christ. p. 29. And Polydor Virgil affirms, that our Christmas-Lords of Mis-rule (which custom, saith he, is chiefly observed in England,) to whom both masters and servants must be obedient, were derived from these Roman saturnalia.-De Invent. Rer. lib. v. cap. 2. 3. The ancient Romans celebrated their Saturnalia with masks, interludes, dancings, &c.Ovid. Fast. lib. i; Herod. Histor. lib. i. On the ides of January, men went through the streets in women's apparel, and were most immodest and lascivious in their deportment. Alexand. ab Alexandro in Genial. Dier. lib. iii. cap. 18; Plut. Quæst. Rom. Quæst. 55. This was a time dedicated to debaucheries and disorders. We have them described by Alcuinus: "These calends, according to the madness of the Gentiles, ought rather to be called cavendæ than calendæ. This day they hallowed with many villanies; some changed themselves into monstrous shapes, and transformed into the habit of wild beasts; others put on women's apparel, and wearied themselves in dances, &c.; whereupon the universal church appointed a fast on the first of January, to bewail these exorbitances, and beg of God that he would put an end to them."-De Divin. Offic. cap. 4. And Isidor. Hispan. speaks to the same purpose. -De Eccles. Offic. lib. i. cap. 40. were And do not our Romanists herein symbolize with the heathen? How do they spend this time in masques, plays, dancing, &c.? What hellish and monstrous impieties are committed? All places are full of drunkenness and uncleanness. Lazius having mentioned these disorders and extravagances, concludes thus: "Ita veterum consuetudinum solenniorumq. reliquiæ, ac saltem imagines illius magnificæ Reipublicæ nobis manserunt." Thus the relics of their ancient customs and solemnities, and at least some images of old Rome, are retained by us.-De Repub. Rom. lib. x. cap. 9. The ancient Romans ran up and down in visors, madly and lasciviously committing many immodesties. This is not only imitated, but outstripped by Papists in their carnivals: for this madness of committing outrages in visors (as if they could hide themselves under them from the eye of God) lasteth not two days, but two whole months in many places. At which time also they indulge themselves in intemperance of eating and drinking, as if they intended to make their bodies cellars and store-houses against the approaching fast of Lent. So that this carnival (as one observes) seems to be a conjoining of those two lewd pagan solemnities, I mean their Ludi Megalenses and Saturnalia. The foul and abominable miscarriages of which festivals, in unclean and impudent gestures, and all manner of |