the feast of the Translation of St. John of Beverley, and was ascribed
to his merits. His festival had before been kept on the 7th of May;
but now it was ordained to be celebrated for ever on the 25th of
October. But that was the feast of Crispin and Crispianus; and so the
authorities of the church decreed that all three saints should share
in the offices of that day.[147]

[Footnote 147: Foed. viii. 236.]

The Archbishop declares that this ecclesiastical constitution was made
in full convocation by the will, counsel, and consent of all his
brothers, and also at the special instance of their most Christian
King.

The document abounds to the overflow with the gross superstition of
the age. It is only by recalling what that degrading superstition was,
that we can estimate at their proper value the blessings of the
Reformation. Of the genuineness of this document there can be no
doubt. It was addressed by Henry Chicheley, Archbishop of Canterbury,
to the Vicar of the Bishop of London, who was then at the council of
Constance; and its preamble at least deserves a place here.

"Henry, by divine permission, Archbishop of Canterbury, (p. 195)
Primate of all England, and Legate of the Apostolic see, to our
beloved son the spiritual Vicar-general of our venerable brother
R. by the grace of God, Bishop of London, now in foreign parts.
The holy honour of the English church (whose praise and fame, in
devoted veneration of God and his saints, the whole world extols
above the churches of other regions and provinces,) requires that
the same church shall more abound with the praises of those, and
more exultingly rejoice in glad devotion to them, by whose
patronage and grace of miracles she rejoices to flourish; and by
whose pious intercession the state, not only of the church, but
of the whole realm, together with the inward sweetness of peace
and quiet, and with victory gained over foreign enemies, is
defended by just rulers.

"The grace of this help, though God to the same church, and to
the inhabitants of the realm of England, hath often decreed to
show by the merits of divers saints, (with whom she shines
gloriously on every side,) yet in these last days He has
evidently deigned more miraculously and more especially to
console the aforesaid church, together with the aforesaid nobles,
inhabitants, a