session of all the church lands; and his commission had
given him full powers to that purpose. See Harleian Miscellany, vol.
vii. p. 264, 266. It is true, some councils have declared, that it
exceeds even the power of the pope to alienate any church lands; and the
pope, according to his convenience or power, may either adhere to, or
recede from, this declaration. But every year gave solidity to the right
of the proprietors of church lands, and diminished the authority of
the popes; so that men's dread of popery in subsequent times was more
founded on party or religious zeal, than on very solid reasons.]

[Footnote 22: NOTE V, p. 448. The passage of Holingshed, in the
Discourse prefixed to his History, and which some ascribe to Harrison,
is as follows. Speaking of the increase of luxury: "Neither do I speak
this in reproach, of any man, God is my judge; but to show that I do
rejoice rather to see how God has blessed us with his good gifts, and to
behold how that in a time wherein all things are grown to most excessive
prices, we do yet find the means to obtain and archive such furniture
as heretofore has been impossible. There are old men yet dwelling in the
village where I remain, which have noted three things to be marvellously
altered in England, within their sound remembrance. One is, the
multitude of chimnies lately erected; whereas in their young days, there
were not above two or three, if so many, in most uplandish towns of
the realm; (the religious houses and manor-places of their lords always
excepted, and peradventure some great personage;) but each made his fire
against a reredosse in the hall where he dined and dressed his meat. The
second is, the great amendment of lodging; for, said they, our fathers
and we ourselves have lain full oft upon straw pallettes covered only
with a sheet under coverlets made of dagswaine or hopharlots, (I use
their own terms,) and a good round log under their head instead of a
bolster. If it were so, that the father or the goodman of the house had
a matrass or flock-bed, and thereto a sack of chaff to rest his head
upon, he thought himself to be as well lodged as the lord of the town,
so well were they contented. Pillows, said they, were thought meet only
for women in childbed. As for servants, if they had any sheet above
them, it was well; for seldom had they any under their bodies to keep
them from the prickling straws, that ran oft through the canvass,
and razed their hardene