We did not desire to disbelieve these statements, and yet we could not feel certain that they were correct -- partly because we could have broken that chain, and so could St.John, and partly because we had seen St.John's ashes before, in another church.

We could not bring ourselves to think St.John had two sets of ashes.
They also showed us a portrait of the Madonna which was painted by St.
Luke, and it did not look half as old and smoky as some of the pictures by Rubens.

We could not help admiring the Apostle's modesty in never once mentioning in his writings that he could paint.
But isn't this relic matter a little overdone?
We find a piece of the true cross in every old church we go into, and some of the nails that held it together.

I would not like to be positive, but I think we have seen as much as a keg of these nails.

Then there is the crown of thorns; they have part of one in Sainte Chapelle, in Paris, and part of one also in Notre Dame.