[1] [2] This rumor rose so fast, that at length (by bruting abroad, that certeine miracles should be wrought by a chaine,An old whor|monger, and a new saint. wherein he was bound in time of his im|prisonment) he was taken for a saint. The place also where he suffered, was visited by women, and other superstitious folks, as a plot of great holinesse, till at length the archbishop caused it to be watched, to the end that no such foolishnesse should be vsed there. In fine, the opinion which the people had thus fondlie conceiued of his vertue and innocencie, was by lit|tle and little remooued out of their heads, when his acts were more certeinlie published: as the sleaing of a man with his owne hands, and the vsing of his concubine within Bowe church, during the time of his being there. Also the archbishop accursed a préest, which had first brought vp the false report and fained fable of the miracle wrought by the chaine, whereby the occasion of idolatrie was first giuen, and might easilie haue béene continued, if the archbishop had not béene the wiser man, and by such means repressed the rumour. ¶ So that we are to note by this example the force of counterfeit holinesse and feigned harme|lesnesse in hypocrits,

—qui pelle sub agni

Vipereum celant vi [...]us morés, luporum,

Et stol [...]dos ficta virtutis imagine fallunt.