Page:Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme.djvu/45

Rh beginning of King James the first : when the Qad-flje had hap- pened to sting his Oxen, or Cowes, and made them to mn-away in that Champagne-conntrey, he wonld ran after them, crying out. Praying, Grood Saint Katharine of Winterborne stay my oxen, Good S^ E^atharine of Winterborne stay my Oxen, &c. This old Bronsdon was wont in the snmmer-time to leave his Oxen in the field, and goe to the church to pray to Saint Katha- rine. By that time he came back to his oxen perhaps the Gadfly might drive them away, upon such an occasion he would cry out to St. Kath. as is already here sayd. We must not imagine, that he was the only man that did so heretofore; and the like Invocations were to other Saints and Martyrs, e. g. at S* Oswald's-Downe and Forde-downe, &c. thereabout the Shepherds prayd at night & at morning to S^ Oswald (that was martyred there) to preserve their Sheepe safe in the fi^ld. S^ Oswald was slayne by Penda on the great downe east of Marsfield in Glocestershire as you ride to Gastlecombe firom whence it is called S^ Oswald's-downe : in these parts, nay as far as Auburne-chase (and perhaps a great deale fbrther) when they pent their 1»heep in y* Fold, they did pray to God & S' Oswald to bring the sheep safe to y® Fold : and in the morning, they did pray to Grod & Saint Oswald, to bring their sheep safe from y« Fold. The countrey folk call St. Oswald St Twosole.

In those dayes, when they went to bed, they did rake up their fire and make a ^ in the Ashes, and pray to Grod and Saint Sythe (t) St. Osythe to deliver them from fire, and from water and from all misadventure.

When the bread was putt into the Oven, they prayed to God & Saint Stephen, to send them a just Batch and an even. They were wont to please the Fairies, that they might doe them no shrewd turaes, by sweeping clean the Hearth and setting by it a dish of fair w' [water] halfe sadd bread wheron was set a messe of milke sopt with white bread. And on the morrow they should find a groate of w*^ the .... if they did speak of it they never had any again. That they