and the last pagent of the terement, & gen'all obyte, of the brether'n & suster'n, that be passed to god; with clayne obseruances & prayers, to stere the people to the more devocion TOWARD' THE

SEYDE BRETHERHODE.

"A keybande of derys leder, wyth a keveryng of cheverell, wyth purses thereuppon," garnysshed, conteyning iij keyes, made and ordeyned alwey to be in the kepyng of the maist' for the tyme beyng, accordyng to the statut's and ordenaunces thereof made, as it apperith in this blake booke, the xxxj lefe.”

Then there is the description of the last mentioned book: namely, "A Blake Registre Boke with a kalender, in the which is written the dedes, testament's, wylles, evidences, & other writyng's, conc'nyng' the lyvelode of the breth'hode; & there registred for the well & more surete of the same." This Blake Registre Boke is that from which I am transcribing.

The annual accounts of this brotherhood evidence the pains they took to entice people by their exhibitions. As the beginning of the fraternity grew out of the glare of thirteen wax tapers, they kept up these lights by the following statute: "Also there ben ordeyned xiii tapers of wex, and eu'y taper of sex pounde of wex, with dysches of pewtre, accordynge th'to, forto brenne about the sepulcr' on estres eue' & estres day, al so longe as the mane' es in' holy chirche." They always had store of wax. They enjoined attendance at mass, "vpon peyne of a pound of wex ;" on the transfer of their gear from the old to the new wardens, their "paynted cofres" and " spruce chests" conteyned "long tapers, short tapers, long torchys, short torches, and

Before the Reformation, the imago principalis, the principal image in the rood loft, now the organ loft, was an image of the Holy Trinity, which was represented by a weak old man, with Christ on the cross between his knees, and a dove on his breast; this image was richly gilt. In 1443, Rob. Norwych, Esq., gave to it his silver collar which was presented to him by the emperor; and in 1499, Lady Margaret Shelton put about it a gold chain of 25 SS. weighing eight ounces, with four small jewels, one great jewel, and a rich enamelled rose in gold, hanging thereon.—Blomefield's Norwich, 1806, 8vo. vol. ii. p. 29.

"wex;" they always "gadyred" of the people for "lygth," and there are numerous charges "for the makyng of of the BRAUNCHE byforne the Trinptie and waste of wex."

Perhaps the branch was that which, also in olden time, was called a "Jesse," from a block of wood being carved into the figure of a man, representing Jesse, lying on his back, with a tree or branch growing out of the stomach, as genealogies are sometimes drawn. The carver's "Jesse," was a personification of "There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots."(Isaiah, xi. 1.)

From Jesse's root behold a branch arise,

Whose sacred flower with fragrance fills the skies;
Th' ætherial spirit o'er its leaves shall move,
And on its top descend the mystic dove.

Pope.

The "Jesse" was a distinguished ornament in old pageants and shows: when introduced into churches, the branch was filled with lighted tapers; and, hence, perhaps, the cluster of brass candlesticks in a church is still called the branch.

In the accounts of the wardens of this brotherhood for "the x yer of king Harry the vite," there is the charge of an "item, to the wexchaundeler, for making of the sepulcr," lyght iij tymes, and of other dyuers lyghts, that longyn to the Trinite in dyu's places in the chirche, lvijs. xd.”—a large sum in those times, and must have produced a prodigious illumination.

From the third century when, besides adopting other pagan ceremonies, "they also lighted torches to the martyrs in the day time as the heathens did to their gods," (1) the use of torches and tapers in churches, both by day and night, has prevailed in Catholic worship to the present hour; and Catholic allegorists have contrived to spiritualize these burning ornaments of their temples for the edification of the devout. According to their account, candles or tapers represent Christ; the wax, signifies his flesh; the fire, his deity; the wick, his humanity; the light, his doctrine. The wick further signifies humility; the moulded wax obedience; the flame, the love of God.

(1) Sir Isaac Newton on Daniel, 4to, p. 207.

Also, the wax and wick represent body and soul; and the light the shining of the faith. (')

This brotherhood of the Trinity contributed their share to the vulgar gratification of the deluded people in other ways. For the years from the "xxj to the xxvth yer of Reyn'g of kyng harry the vjth," there are charges "for p'stis hir, for repa'c'ons, for costis on the Trynyte Sonday, & on the evin for mete & drynk, & Stately Clothes mynstrelles, synger," &c. Their inventories evidence that they knew how to get up popular shows and entertainments; they had "pillows of silke, reed & yellow knotts, banner clothes, a blake palle of blake damaske with a white crosse, staynede bordere with the fyve wondys of owre lorde, and a border of blak with the kyng's armys and estryge ffethers conteyning' in len'th iij ell's iij q'rt'rs." Doubtless these fripperies were borne in their public processions, for one of which there is a positive statute in these words:-" Also gif it by falle, that eny of the breth'hede falle seeke, fyue myle eche wayes aboute London,"

(1) Some one who had a spite against St. Kentigern, put out all the fires in his monastery, whereupon he snatched a green hazel bough, and in the name of the Holy Trinity blessed it and blowed upon it, and immediately by fire sent from Heaven the bough produced a great flame, and he lighted the candles for the vigils, "wherefore the light ceased from the wood."-Capgrave Vit. S. Kentig. f. 208 (Patrick's Reflect. on Devot. of Romish Church, 8vo, 1674, p. 357.)

2. February (Candlemas Day) is called "Candlemas, because before mass is said that day, the church blesses her candles for the whole year, and makes a procession with hallowed or blessed candles in the hands of the faithful."-Posey of Prayers, or the Key of Heaven, 1799, 18mo. p. 15.

The Church ordained, that lighted tapers should be carried upon Candlemas Day, in order to avail itself of a custom continued from the ancient Romans, who marched in procession with lighted tapers and candles, in honour of Februa, the Mother of Mars, the God of War; and sacrificed to Februas, Pluto, the God of Hell, that he might be merciful to the souls of their friends. The Roman women on the same day kept the Feast of Candles, in honour of Proserpine, who was so beautiful that Pluto carried her off, and her parents sought her in Hell, with lights and tapers. Pope Sergius adopted this practice by ordaining Christians should upon this day, walk round the Church with consecrated tapers in their hands, lighted up to the honour of the Mother of God."-The Legend, Fr. (Conf. A. & M. Cer. p. 113.)

that

and dyeth there, that gif the wardaynes of that yere ben ysent aft', than it is ordeyned that thei schullen wende, and fecche home the body, to London'; and that alle the bretheren be redy, at her warnynge, and go agens the body, with outen the citee, townes ende, for to bry'ge the body in to the place, with worschyppe." These were means that they seem to have used, according to their own words, " to stere the peple to the more devocion TOWARD THE BRETHERHODE." Of pure devotion towards the Supreme Being, they appear to have been wholly ignorant.

No portion of Scripture was ever possessed by this fraternity; for the volume repeatedly registers their entire property at different periods, and mentions nothing of the kind except their "myssall," most likely overlaid by prayers to the saints, notices of indulgences" for sin, and pictures of unedifyng superstitions. To be sure there was their "Rolle of velom with the Pagent of the Holy Trinity paynted and lemenyd with gold,” and the annual charge for making the branch and lighting it up; but whatever Holy Trinity was lemenyed on this Pagent, it is impossible to suppose that such display should suggest an idea of Him, who is a Spirit. There is however, a figure which may have been that upon their pageant. It frequently occurs. (1) "They in their churches, and Masse bookes, doe paint the TRINITIE WITH THREE FACES: for our mother the holie Church did learne that at Rome, where they were wont to paint or carve Janus with two faces. And then further, there is written in John, that there are three in heaven which beare witnesse, the Father, the Worde, and the Holie ghost; and these three are one, &c. (2) then, of necessitie, they must be painted with THREE HEADS, OR THREE FACES, UPON ONE NECKE.”(3)

I insert an engraving of this Trinity, in all respects the same as a smaller one, an initial in the Salisbury Missal of 1534, fo. viii.

(1) In Enchirid. Ecclesii Sarum, Paris, 1528, 24mo. vol. i. fol. xiiii. in various other editions; and in the Hora B.V. Maria continually; besides MS. Missals, Lyndewood's Provinciale, &c.

(2) 1 John, v. 7.

(3) Beehive of the Romishe Church, Lond. 1579, 8vo. p. 191.

(*) The triangle in this cut, "a Trinity argent on a shield azure," was the arms of Trinity Priory, Ipswich, and is figured in Mr. Taylor's Inder Monasticus,) Diocese, Norwich,) 1821, fol. p. 96.-May not the triune head have been originally suggested by the three headed Saxon deity named Trigla? There is a wood cut of a triune headed Lucifer in Dante, ed. Venice, 1491, fol. copied by the Rev. T. F. Dibdin in his Edes Althorpianæ, vol. ii. p. 116.