. And they have devised for that purpose to make us believe in
other vain things by his pardons; as to have remission of sins for
praying on hallowed beads; for drinking of the bakehouse bowl; as a canon
of Waltham Abbey once told me, that whensoever they put their loaves of
bread into the oven, as many as drank of the pardon-bowl should have
pardon for drinking of it. A mad thing, to give pardon to a bowl! Then
to pope Alexander's holy water, to hallowed bells, palms, candles, ashes,
and what not? And of these things, every one hath taken away some part
of Christ's sanctification; every one hath robbed some part of Christ's
passion and cross, and hath mingled Christ's death, and hath been made to
be propitiatory and satisfactory, and to put away sin. Yea, and
Alexander's holy water yet at this day remaineth in England, and is used
for a remedy against spirits and to chase away devils; yea, and I would
this had been the worst. I would this were the worst. But wo worth
thee, O devil, that has prevailed to evacuate Christ's cross, and to
mingle the Lord's supper. These be the Italian bishop's devices, and the
devil hath pricked at this mark to frustrate the cross of Christ: he shot
at this mark long before Christ came, he shot at it four thousand years
before Christ hanged on the cross, or suffered his passion.

For the brasen serpent was set up in the wilderness, to put men in
remembrance of Christ's coming; that like as they which beheld the brasen
serpent were healed of their bodily diseases, so they that looked
spiritually upon Christ that was to come, in him should be saved
spiritually from the devil. The serpent was set up in memory of Christ
to come; but the devil found means to steal away the memory of Christ's
coining, and brought the people to worship the serpent itself, and to
cense him, to honour him, and to offer to him, to worship him, and to
make an idol of him. And this was done by the market-men that I told you
of. And the clerk of the market did it for the lucre and advantage of
his master, that thereby his honour might increase; for by Christ's death
he could have but small worldly advantage. And so even now so hath he
certain blanchers belonging to the market, to let and stop the light of
the gospel, and to hinder the king's proceedings in setting forth the
word and glory of God. And when the king's majesty, with the advice of
his honourable council, goeth about to promote God's word, and to