iendly people as those who went as
palmers before the settlement of the roads by Constantine or just
before the Crusades. During the stay of St. Jerome at Bethlehem, in the
fourth century, the pilgrims were so numerous that he speaks of them as
coming in crowds, and says that the praises of God could be heard there
in many languages.

[Sidenote: _Early Fathers and their Cautions_]

[Sidenote: _Warnings of St. Jerome_]

Some of the great leaders of the Church, Jerome himself with varying
note, were wise enough to point out the evils of these pilgrimages, and
to remind the faithful that the Christ might be honored by good deeds at
home. Gregory of Nyssa wrote: "The Lord has not said, 'Go to the Orient
and seek justice.' Travel even to the west and you shall receive
pardon." St. Augustine said in the first sermon on the words of the
Apostle Peter: "I am unwilling to consider a long journey. Where you
believe, there you arrive."[3] Jerome from Bethlehem itself writes,
"Heaven is equally open to Britain and Jerusalem." He could not have
advised against pilgrimages more strenuously if he had wished to keep
Bethlehem for himself and for the Roman ladies drawn thither by his
example.

[Sidenote: _Good Roads and Travelers' Homes_]

For several centuries the passion for the pilgrimage increased steadily.
Roads were indicated, resting places pointed out, and wealth sought to
buy salvation by building hospitals and providing for doles of bread and
wine to those who made the sacred journey. Charlemagne made their case a
tax on his subjects through whose bounds they passed. "Even in our
entire kingdom neither rich nor poor shall dare to deny hospitality to
the pilgrims.... On account of the love of God and the salvation of our
souls, no one shall deny them shelter, fire, or water."

[Sidenote: _Shelters in Jerusalem_]

In Jerusalem vast caravanseries were built for them, Gregory the Great
building there one of the largest of all shelters.

[Sidenote: _Washing Sins Away_]

The signs of the pilgrim--the staff, the wallet, and the
scallop-shell--were blessed by priest or bishop before departure, and
took on added sanctity, and even miracle-working power, if they had
reached actual use in the Holy Land. It was not long before an indulgent
Church guaranteed that bathing in Jordan should wash away all sin. And,
as the Holy Land must be rich in the bones of martyrs and in the relics
of Christ and His apostles, it was within the a