be. Thus many who boast of having seen the whole body of St Claude, or of
any other saint, have never had the courage to raise their eyes and to
ascertain what it really was. The same thing may be said of the head of
Mary Magdalene, which is shown near Marseilles, with eyes of paste or wax.
It is valued as much as if it were God himself who had descended from
heaven; but if it were examined, the imposition would be clearly
detected.(130) It would be desirable to have an accurate knowledge of all
the trifles which in different places are taken for relics, or at least a
register of them, in order to show how many of them are false; but since
it is impossible to obtain this, I should like to have at least an
inventory of relics contained in ten or twelve such towns as Paris,
Toulouse, Poitiers, Rheims, &c. If I had nothing more than this, it would
form a very curious collection. Indeed, it is a wish I am constantly
entertaining to get such a precious repertory. However, as this is too
difficult, I thought it would be as well to publish the following little
warning, to awaken those who are asleep, and to make them consider what
may be the state of the entire church if there is so much to condemn in a
very small portion of it;--I mean, when people find so much deception in
the relics I shall name, and which are far from being the thousandth part
of those that are exhibited in various parts of the world, what must they
think of the remainder? moreover, if those which had been considered as
the most authentic proved to be fraudulent inventions, what can be thought
of the more doubtful ones? Would to God that Christian princes thought a
little on this subject! for it is their duty not to allow their subjects
to be deceived, not only by false doctrine, but also by such manifest
impositions. They will indeed incur a heavy responsibility for allowing
God to be thus mocked when they could prevent it.

I hope, however, that this little treatise will be of general service, by
inducing people to think on the subject; for, if we could have the
register of all the relics that are to be found in the world, men would
clearly see how much they had been blinded, and what darkness and folly
overspread the earth.

Let us begin with Jesus Christ, about whose blood there have been fierce
disputations; for many maintained that he had no blood except of a
miraculous kind; nevertheless the natural blood is exhibited in more than
a hundred places.