Note 14 — LETTER XXXIII.

The Origin of this Ceremony, if we may believe Father Sirmond and Ciccarelli, was this: It comes from a Custom they had at Rome, of distributing to the People upon every Whitsunday the Remainder of the Paschal Wax-taper, which was consecrated on Holy Saturday. The Vulgar, who are always superstitious, appropriated several Virtues to this consecrated Wax, particularly that ’twas a Preservative against the Delusions of the Devil, and the Injuries of Lightning, &c. and they us’d to burn little Pieces of this Wax in their Houses. There being not enough left of the Paschal Wax-taper to satisfy the Cravings of the People, the Archdeacon took it into his Head to take some other Wax, which he sprinkled with Oil, bless’d it, and made little Bits of it in the Form of a Lamb, and then distributed them to the People. Afterwards they only flatted those Pieces of Wax, and impress’d ’em with the Stamp of a Lamb bearing the Standard of the Cross. They believe that none but such as are in Orders have the Power to touch them, and they are cover’d neatly with embroider’d Stuff to be given to the Laity. There is nothing by which the Monks more successfully impose upon the Credulous; for to such they distribute Agnus Dei’s that were never on t’other Side of the Alps.