The second tome of homilies of such matters as were promised, and entitled in…The second tome of homilees of such matters as were promised, and intituled in…

And concerning the first part of the idolatrious opinions of our image maintainers. What I pray you be such saints with us, to whom we attribute the defence of certain countries, spoiling God of his due honour herein, but Dij tutelares of the Gentiles idolaters? Such as were Belus to the Babylonians and Assyrians, ¹O siris and Isis to the Egyptians, Vulcan to the Lemnians, and such other. What be such saints to whom the safeguard of certain cities are appointed, ²but Dij praesides, with the Gentiles idolaters? ⟨p. 99⟩Such as were at Delphos Apollo, at Athens Minerva, at Carthage Juno, at Rome Quirinus. &c. What be such saints, to whom contrary to the use of the primitive Church, Temples and Churches be builded, and altars erected, but Dij patroni, of the Gentiles idolaters. ³Such as were in the Capitol Jupiter, in Paphus temple Venus, in Ephesus temple Diana, & such like. Alas, we seem in thus thinking and doing, to have learned our religion not out of Gods word, but out of the Pagan poets, who say, Excessere omnes aditis, arisque relictis, Dij quibus imperium hoc steterat. &c. That is to say: All the gods by whose defence this Empire stood, are gone out of the temples, and have forsaken their altars. And where one saint hath images in divers places, the same saint hath divers names thereof, most like to the Gentiles. When you hear of our Lady of Walsingham, our Lady of Ipswich, our Lady of Wilsdon, & such other: what is it but an imitation of the Gentiles idolaters? Diana Agrotera, Diana Coriphea, Diana Ephesia, &c. Venus Cipria, Venus Paphia, Venus Gnidia. Whereby is evidently meant, that the saint for the image sake, should in those places, yea in the images them selves, have a dwelling, which is the ground of their idolatry. For where no images be, they have no such means. Terentius varro showeth, that there were three hundred Jupiters in his time, there were no fewer Veneres and Dianae, we had no fewer Christophers, Ladies, and Mary Magdalens, and other saints. Oenomaus and Hesiodus show, ⟨p. 100⟩that in their time there were thirty thousand Gods. I think we had no fewer saints, to whom we gave the honour due to God. And they have not only spoiled the true living God of his due honour, in temples, cities, countries and lands, by such devises and inventions, as the Gentiles idolaters have done before them: