in to a church for to praye and there found a vayle hangynge before the dore and an image paynted theron / as it had bene of christ or some saint. For the bisshope was so moued therwith / because saith Saint Hierom / that it was contrary to the scripture / that he cutte it and counseled to bury some dede therin and sent a nother cloth to hange in the sted. And aftirward when they ware crepte in a litle and litle: there was no worshepynge of them / at the least waye generally vntyll the tyme of S. Gregory.

In so moch that when Cirenus the bisshope of Masilia offended with the supersticiousnesse of the people burnt them / Saynt Gregory wrote that he shuld not destroy the images / but teach only that the people shuld not worshepe them. But when it was so ferre come that the people worsheped them with a false faith (as we now know no nother vse) and were no longer memorials only / then the bisshopes of grece and the emproure gathered them to gether / to prouide a remedye agenst that misheue and concluded that they shuld be put doune for the abuse / thinkynge it so most expedient / hauinge for them / first the ensample of God whom a man maye boldely folowe / which commaunded in the beginnynge of all his preceptes / that there shuld be no image vsed to worshepe or pray before / not for the image it selfe / but for the wekenesse of his people: and hauinge agayne before theyr eyes / that the people were fallen vn to Idolatrie and imageseruinge by the reason of them.

Now answere me / by what reason canst thou