as they do that call upon the saint departed in the time of war. As in time past / The English man upon S. George. The french man upon S. Denis / the Scot upon S. Andrew which is nothing else / but a very gentility and ethnic custom / as though their private gods / and singular patrons / could give the victory and upper hand in the field. or S. George favour him / that S. Andrew hateth. what thing is this else / but to set too souls at bate: as the gentiles did there gods / Juno / and Minerva / with Venus Verg. Aeneid. 1. & 2. Ovid. Metamor. 12. Hector addest, secumque Deos, in praelia ducit. That is to say: Hector is cum / and hath brought is gods with him to the field. what is there between the Greeks that trusted in Juno / and Neptunus / and the English man that trusteth in S. Gorge. or between the Trojans that trusted in Venus and here friends / and the Scots that trust in sanct Andrew / if they hope by there help / there wars shall prosper. but praised be the mercy of God / I hire say and believe it / that English man / hath resigned saint George's usurped title / to the living God / the God of battle. No god man will take me as though I meant Juno / Pallas / or Venus / were as god as Andrew or the Saints that be in glory ⟨p. LXVIII⟩for ever with god. But I say that these superstitious persons / that maketh there patrons / or singular helpers of the saints / differ nothing in this point from the heathen or gentle. for as the one honoureth he knoweth not what / so doth the other. both following there own imagination / and superstition without testimony and commandment of the scripture. Read the commentaries of Thom. valois / and Nicol. triveth in the 4. book of S. August. De civitate Dei / ca. 30. and they will tell thee / if thou believe not the scripture what superstition is: where as be these words. Supersticio aunt uocatur oins cultus superfluvius, quocunque modo superfluus, sive ex superfluitate eorū quae colunt: sive eorū quae in cultū assumū tur: sive ex modo assumendi. Hoc em̄ istud intelligitur noine superstitionis, undecumque nomen originē habuerit. That is to say / superstition is a superfluous religion / what ways so ever it be superfluous: whether it be of the superfluity of the things honoured / or of the things used for religion or of the manner in religion.
as they do that call vpon the sainct departyd in the time of warr. As in time past / The English mā vpon S. George. The frēche mā vpon S. Denys / the Scote vpon S. Anrey whyche is nothing else / but a very gentilite ād ethnycke custome / as thowghe theer priuate godes / ād singuler patrones / could yeue the victorie ād vpper hād in the feld. or S. George fauore him / that S. Andrey hatythe. what thing is this else / but to set too soules at bate: as the gentiles dyd there godes / Iuno / ād Minerua / withe Venus Verg. Aeneid. 1. & 2. Ouid. Metamor. 12. Hector adest, secumque Deos, in praelia ducit. That is to say: Hector is cum / ād hathe browght is godes withe him to the feld. what is there betwene the Grekes that trustid in Iuno / ād Neptunus / ād the Englyshe mā that trustithe in S. Gorge. or betwene the Troianes that trustid in Venus ād here frendes / and the Scotes that trust in sanct Andrey / if they hope by there helpe / there warris shall prospere. but preasyd be the mercy of God / I hyre saye and belyue it / that Englyshe man / hathe resignyd saynct Georgis vsurpyd title / to the lyuyng God / the God of batell. No godd man will take me as thowghe I ment Iuno / Pallas / or Venus / were as godd as Andrey or the Saynctes that be in glorye ⟨p. LXVIII⟩for euer with god. But I say that these superstitious persones / that makithe there patrones / or singuler helpers of the sainctes / differ nothing in this point frō the ethinne or gentill. for as the one honorithe he knowith not what / so doothe the othere. boothe folowīg there awne imaginatiō / ād superstitiō without testimonie ād cōmaū dement of the scripture. Rede the cōmentaries of Thom. valois / ād Nicol. triueth in the 4. booke of S. August. De ciuitate Dei / ca. 30. ād they will tell the / if thow beliue not the scripture what supersticiōe is: where as be these wordes. Supersticio aūt uocatur oīs cultus superfluuius, quocunque modo superfluus, siue ex superfluitate eorū quae colunt: siue eorū quae in cultū assumū tur: siue ex modo assumendi. Hoc em̄ istud intelligitur noīe superstitiōis, undecumque nomen originē habuerit. That is to say / supersticiō is a superfluous religion / what waies so euer it be superflous: whether it be of the superfluite of the thīges honorid / or of the thīges vsid for religiō or of the maner in religiō.
