How be yt we nede not mych to meruayle though Tyn∣dale [ A] and Luther and frere Huskyn aud theyr felowes, sette lytle by the sygne of the crosse made by a mannes hande in the ayre / syth we se that they set so lytle by an ymage of the crucyfyx, and also by Crystes holy crosse yt selfe / wherof Lu¦ther wryteth that yf he had all the peaces, he wolde caste thē all there as neuer sonne shold shyne vppon them. But all crysten men syth Crystes deth hytherwarde / hath set mych by that kynde of blessynge, in whych the sygne of the crosse is made vppon a mā eyther by hym selfe or by a nother. And not a few storyes are there that testyfye great thynges done in the vertue of that sygne / not onely amonge good crysten men, but also sometyme amonge euyll men and the very in¦fydeles them selfe.
And though that I entende not to prolonge this worke [ B] wyth wrytynge of storyes•• yet commeth there one to my mynde so mete for the mater, and wryten by so great autho∣ryte, that I cane not let yt passe.
Saynt Gregory Nazianzene the great famouse olde do∣ctour, wrytynge in his seconde oracyon made agaynste the great emperour infydele cōmenly called Iulianus aposta∣ta, wryteth that when that man was fallen from the fayth of cryste vnto paganysme and gentylyte / geuynge hym self therewyth not onely to the persecucyon of crysten men, but also to the folowynge of euery kynde of superstycyouse fo∣ly: he toke with hym on a tyme certayne necromācyers, and went in to a caue to coniure vp spyrites, to enquyre of them certayne thynges wherof he was very curyouse to knowe. And when he was in the pyt amonge them with theyr coniu¦racyons, [ C] there appered many terryble syghtes, so far forth that all be yt wyth the truste of his coniuracyons he bare yt oute a whyle, yet at the laste the terrour and feare so sore en¦creased, that he was fayne for the surest refuge to blesse him selfe wyth the sygne of the crosse, whych he so pursued and hated. At whyche onely sygne so made wyth the waggynge (as Tyndale calleth yt) of his hande in the ayre, as euyll an hande as yt was: yet were all the deuyls so sore a frayed, yt all theyr ferefull illusyons fayled & vanyshed quyte away.
Lo what a force and strength hathe that fasshyon of bles¦syng that Tyndale setteth a•• so lyght•• wherin many a man dayly fyndeth great profyte, in au••ydynge of temtacions of our goostly enimye the deuyll, and in manye a soden fere of