they say came dovvne from heauen the vvhich vvhosoeuer heareth and beleueth say they shall obtayne an othergets remission of sinnes then that vvhich Christ purchased for vs. thus went the affaâ—res then CAP. XXXVIII Of the persecution vnder Decius the martyrdome of many Bishops and how that Origen was persecuted AFter that Philip had bene Emperour seuen yeares Decius succeeded him who because of his offence grudg towardes Philip raysed persecution agaynst the Church in the which persecution Fabianus Bishop of Rome was martyred whome Cornelius did succeede In Palaestina Alexander Bishop of Ierusalem when he had the seconde time endured confession for Christ his sake before the tribunall seate of the President of Caesarea is cast into prison where after a notable and famous testimony of his true fayth geuen before the iudgement seate of the Lieuetenant he ended his mortall life After whome Mazabanes was chosen Bishop of IerusaleÌ„ And Babylas likewise Bishop of Antioch euen as Alexander Bishop of Ierusalem after he had rendred an accompt of his fayth died in prison whome Fabius succeeded but what thinges how great they were which happened to Origen in that persecution and how he dyed the spiteful deuill deadly pursuing him with his whole troope striuing against him with all might and euery kinde of sleight that possibly coulde be inuented specially against him aboue all the rest which then were persecuted to death and what and how great thinges he sustayned for the doctrine of Christ imprisonments and torments of body scurging at yron stakes stinch of close prison and how that for the space of many dayes his feete lay stretched foure spaces a sunder in the stockes and how that constantly he endured the threats of fire and all that the enemy coulde terrifie him with and how that he ended after that the iudge had wrought all meanes possible to saue his life and what languages he gaue very profitable for such as neede consolation sundry of his epistles truely faithfully and curiously penned doe declare CAP. XXXIX How Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria reporteth the perills him selfe stoode in TOutching Dionysius I wil alleadge out of his owne epistle vnto Germanus where he of him selfe writeth thus I take God to vvitnesse of that I speake and he knovveth that I lye not â— fledde avvay not greatly regarding myne ovvne person and yet not vvithout the vvill of God Long before that the persecution vnder Decius preuailed Sabinus sent the purueyer of corne to seeke me for vvhose comming I remayned at home three dayes but the searching all places high vvayes and floodes and fieldes vvhere he coniectured that either I hid my selfe in or passed by vvas I vvott not hovv blinded so that he founde not my house He litle thought that I continevved at home in that heate of persecution at length vvith greate difficultye God no doubt disposing my departure the fourth daye I and my children together vvith many other brethren left the citie and that our departure vvas caused by the diuine prouidence of God the sequels declared vvherein peraduenture I stoode vnto many in good steade A litle after he reporteth the casualties which happened after his flight in this sorte About sunne set I vvas led by the souldiers together vvith my company vnto Taposiris but Timothe as God vvould vvas neither present nor taken At length vvhen he came he founde the house desolate the seruantes keeping it but he perceaued that vve vvere taken and gone Agayne after a fewe lynes And vvhat a vvonderfull chaunce vvas that I vvill truely reporte it you one mett Timothe by the vvay as he fledd and seeing him troubled and disquieted in minde demaunded of him the cause of his so quicke a speede vvho forthvvith openeth vnto him the vvhole matter the vvhich vvhen the passinger had learned he passeth by and goeth still on his iorney vvhich vvas to a banquetthig â—â—idehouse the maner vvas at such meetinges to vvatch all night being come thither he tould the gestes at table all that he had hearde by the vvay They altogether headely as if it had bene a made matche rose vp and vvith all speede pursued vs vvith a clamorous tumult the souldiers vvhich garded vs fledd avvay then they fall vpon vs as vve laye in our bedds I God knovveth at the first tooke them for theeues thought their comming vvas to robbe spoile as I lay in my naked bedd I vvrapped me in the sheete reached them the rest of my beddings but they commaunded me to rise and quickly to departe then vnderstanding their drift I cryed out praying and beseaching them that they vvoulde suffer vs to be gone If they vvould benefitt me at all I prayed them to preuent such as vvoulde bring me 〈◊〉 to beheade me them selues VVhen I had cryed thus as my companions and partakers doe very vvell knovve they violently brake out I truely then caste my selfe prostrate vppon the pauement they tooke me by hande and foote they lugged me forth and caried me avvay there follovved after such as can testifie all these thinges namely Gaius Faustus Peter and Paul vvhich ledde me out of my lodging and layde me vpon the bare backe of an asse Thus Dionysius wrote of him selfe CAP. XL. Dionysius bishop of Alexandria reporteth tâ—â—â—onstancy of such as were martyred at Alexandria vnder Decius THe same Dionysius in his epistle vnto Fabius Bishop of Antioche describeth theire sundry torments which suffered martyrdome at Alexandria vnder Decius writing thus This persecution vvas not begonne by the Emperours edict but one vvhole yeare before for ther came vnto this city a certaine southsayer inuenter of mischief vvho moued and stirred vp the vvhole multitude of the heatheÌ„s against vs inflamed them to defend the superstition of their natiue soyle by vvhome they being thus prouoked and hauing purchaced on their side such as vvere of povver authority to perpetrate al impious acts they persvvaded them selues that the onely vvorship of deuils our slaughter vvas pietie it selfe First then they apprehend a certaine minister vvhose name vvas Metras commaunde him to vtter blasphemy vvho for disobedience therein is beaten vvith clubs his face eyes they pricked vvith sharpe quills aftervvardes they led him forth into the suburbes stoned him to deaâ—h Againe they bring into the temple of Idols a faithful vvoman named Quinta constrained her to vvorship vvho contrarying and abhorring their Idols had her feete bound together by them trayled lugged all along the streetes vvhich vvere sravved vvith sharpe pimple stones she vvas beaten against milstones sore scurged last of all she vvas brought forth to the same place executed vvhich being done they all vvith one accord violently rush into the houses of the religious euery one of the vvicked leadeth the heady multitude vnto their neighbours houses vvhom they knevve to be godly vvell disposed so that in the ende they destroy they spoyle they
that time from the beginning were friendes and fellowes of the Romaines These Armenians when as they were Christians and carefull about the seruice of God the tyrant enemie to God endeuoured to constraine them to do sacrifice vnto idols and deuills in stede of friends he made them foes in stede of felows enemies These things sodainly meeting together in one and the same time haue quelled the boasting of the presumptuous tyrant againste God wherwith he gloried that neither famine neither pestilence neither warre fell in his time for that he carefully worshipped idols and impugned the Christians CAP. VIII Of the grieuous famine and pestilence in the tyme of Maximinus of the godly affection which the Christians shewed to their heathen enemies THese things running in a heape and together contained foresignes of his death for he together with his army was sore vexed with the warres against the Armenians and the rest I meane the inhabitors of his cities sore pined away with famine pestilence so that one measure of wheate was solde for two thousand fiftie Aâ—â—icks An infinite number dyed through out the cities but more throughout the coÌ„tries and villages so that nowe the sundry and auncient sised valuations of husbandmen were in maner quite done awaye for because that all sodainely through want of foode grieuous maladie of the pestilence were perished Many therfore sought to sell vnto the welthier sort for most sclender foode the dearest things they enioyed Others selling their possessions by peeces fel at length into the miserable perill of extreme pouertie others gnawing the small shreded toppes of greene grasse and withall confusely feeding on certaine venemous herbes vsed them for foode whereby the healthie constitution of the bodie was perished and turned to poyson diuers noble women throughout the cities driuen to extreme neede and necessitie went a begginge into the contrey shewing forth by their reuerend countenance and more gorgeous apparell an example of that auncient and free maner of feeding certaine others whose strength was dryed vp tottering to and fro wending and slyding much like carued pictures without life for that they were not able to stand fell downe flat in the middest of the streets groueling vpon the grounde with their faces vpwarde and stretched out armes makinge humble supplication that some one woulde reache them a little peece of breade and thus lying in extremitie ready to yeelde vp the ghost cryed out that they were hungrie beyng onely able to vtter these wordes others which seemed to be of the wealthier sort amazed at the multitude of beggers after they had distributed infinitely they put on an vnmercifull and sturdye minde fearinge lest they shortly shoulde suffer the like neede with them that craued Wherefore in the myddest of the markett place and throughout narrowe lanes the deade and bare carcasses lay many dayes vnburyed and cast a longe which yeelded a miserable spectacle to the beholders Yea many became foode vnto doggs for which cause chiefely such as lyued turned them selues to kill dogges fearing lest they should become madd and turne them selues to teare in peeces and deuoure men And no lesse truly did the plague spoyle euery house and age but specially deuouring them whome famine through want of foode could not destroy Therfore the ritche the princes the presidents and many of the magistrats as fitt people for a pestilent disease because they were not pinched with penury suffred a sharpe and most swift death All sounded of lamentation throughout euery narrowe lane the market places and streetes there was nothing to be seene but weeping together with their wonted pipes and the rest of minstrels noyse death after this sort waging battaile with double armour to wete with famine and pestilence destroyed in short space whole families so that the dead carcasses of two or three were seene borne to the graue in one funerall These were recoÌ„pences for the bragging of Maximinus the edicts which he published aganst y â— ChristiaÌ„s throughout the cities when as by manifest tokens it appeared vnto all men how seruiceable godly the christians were in al things For they alone in so great an ouerflowing of mischiefe shewed forth true compassion and studious curtesie euery day some busily occupyed them selues in curing and burying the deade wheras infinite were otherwise despised of their owne friends others gathering together throughout the whole city into one heape and place the multitude of them which were in great daunger by reason of famine distributed breade vnto all to the end they myght make that benefite manifest famous vnto all men wherby they might glorifie y â— God of the ChristiaÌ„s coÌ„fesse that they alone were godly in deede and sound by their works to be the only worshipeâ—â— of God These things being thus 〈◊〉 might to passe the great celestiall God defender of y â— Christians which by the aforesayd calamities shewed his wrath indigâ—â—ioÌ„ against mortall men 〈◊〉 because they had vexed vs aboue measure made the bright countenance of his prouidâ—â—e towards vs placable coÌ„fortable so that therby peace shined with great admiratioÌ„ vnto vs like light vnto such as sate in darknes made manifest vnto all men that God him selfe is the continewall ouerseear of our affaires which chastiseth his people and exerciseth them with calamities for a season â–ª yet after sufficient correction appeareth againe tractable and mercifull vnto such 〈◊〉 trust in him CAP. IX The victory of Constantinus against Maxentius the Edict of Maximinus in the behalfe of the Christians WHerfore CoÌ„stantinus whome we haue termed emperour sonne of an Emperour godly of a most godly maÌ„ gracious in all things being raised vp by the highest king y â— god sauiour of all against these most impious tyrants waging battaile with theÌ„ by law of armes and boulstred with the ayde of God ouerthrewe miraculously Maxentius at Rome and foyled him vtterly Maximinus also in the east suruiuing a litle after his depareâ—â—e one of this â—â—fâ— dyed a most shamefull death procured by Licinius who theÌ„ as yet had not raged against vs netheâ— turned him selfe to persecute the christians but the forsayde Constantinus who was â—â—st in honor and possession of the empire tendering y â— Romaines estate whome the tyrant oppressed made supplication vnto the celestiall God his word euen to visus Christ the sauiour of all y â— world for aide succour to the end he might deliuer vnto the Romaines the libertie they enioyed from their forefathers and girded him selfe to battaile together with his whole host while that MaxeÌ„tius in the meane space trusting more in his magicall arts theÌ„ in y â— good will of his subiects durst not march forwards to meete him no not out of y â— towne walls but fortified euery place euery â—â—ast and city with innumerable multitudes of armed souldiers infinite garrisons full of fleight placed here and there on euery side throughout all Italie the other contries
to cleaue vnto his side He sent vnto the religious houses of the desert that they shoulde obey neither Dioscorus neither his brethren in so much their opinion was that God had no body For God saith he as holy scripture doth witnesse hath eyes eares handes and feete euen as men haue Dioscorus and his followeres sayth he are of a wicked opinion they denye with Origen that God hath eyes eares feete and handes With this subtle and crafty sleighte he allured to his side many of the religious men so that there rose much adoe and great dissention among them Such as were not be witched but guided themselues aright cleaued vnto the opinion of Dioscorus and Origen but the simpler sort which in deede were the greater number being kindled with the firie flame of contention and set against their brethrē fell for altogether from their sound opinion Wherfore they were deuided reuiled eche other for lewde impious persons The cōfederats of Theophilus called their brethren Origenists wicked men againe the complices of Theophilus were called Anthropomorphits by interpretation such as attribute to God the forme of man so that there rose no small bickering among the monkes nay it fell out to be a deadly battaile Theophilus perceauinge that his fetches framed at length after his will went with great power towards the mount Nitria where their religious houses stoode and ayded the monkes both against Dioscorus and also against his brethren The religious men being beset with great daunger had much adoe to saue their liues CAP. VIII Of the conuenticles hymnes which both the Arians and the professors of one substance songe ◠the night season their skirmishing also how the singing of Antemnes was first ordayned by Ignatius the disciple of Saint Iohn the Euangelist and Apostle IOhn bishop of Constantinople was altogether ignorant of the aforesayd great sturre contention raysed in the deserts of Aegypt he was a man that excelled in those dayes for the gift of vtterance he was also of great estimation He him selfe augmēted euening prayer I meane such seruice as vsually is sayd in the night and that vpon such an occasion as followeth The Arians as we sayd before had their conuenticles without y ◠walls of the citie in the suburbs Wherfore when the festiuall meeting throughout euery weeke was come I meane the Saturday and the Sunday vpon which dayes the Christians are wont solemnly to assemble in the church they I meane the Arians gathering thē selues together in the porche of y ◠citie gates songe interchaungeably such songes as they had made them selues and sauoured of the Arian opinion and this they did almost throughout the whole night First of all they were wont at the dawning of the daye to goe out at the gates and to singe Antemne wise such lewde songs through the midds of the citie vntill they came to the place of their assembled congregation But in so much they ceassed not to sounde out contumelious sentences agaynst such as fauored the faith of One substance for among diuers others this was one Where be these felowes which affirme three to be but one power Iohn fearinge lest any of the simpler sorte shoulde be snared and lest these opprobrious rymes woulde be stumblinge blockes and occasions to fall from the faith ordayned of the contrary certaine of his owne people which in like sort shoulde occupie them selues in the nyght in singinge of hymnes partly for to quell the insolencie of the Arians partly also for to confirme their owne side in the faith And for all the meaninge of Iohn was good and his dryft auaylable yet the ende proued very troublesome and perillous For when the hymnes extolled the faith of One substance and purchased greate maiestie and reuerence because of the melodious concent and sweete harmonie in the nyght season for there were siluer candlesticks after the maner of crosses deuised for the bearinge of the tapers and waxe candels all which Eudoxia the Empresse founde vnto them the Arians flocked together burned with emulation and for to reuenge them selues sett vpon their aduersaries And because that a little before their side had preuayled and gott the vpper hande they were then swollen with pride and egerly bent to take armour and made no accompt at all of such as fauoured the faith of One substance Wherefore without further deliberation on a certaine night they made an vprore In this skirmishe Briso an Eunuch of the Empresse and a fauourer of the hymnes that were song in the commendation of the clause Of one substance was taken in the forehead with a stone diuers of the common sort were slayne of ether side The Emperour vnderstandinge of this sturre was wonderfully incensed gaue the Arians strayght commaundement they should openly singe no more hymnes These things were then in this sort Now let vs record whence the hymnes that are songe interchaungeably in the church commonly called Antemnes had their originall Ignatius bishop Antioche in Syria the thirde bishop by succession from Peter the Apostle who was conuersant and had great familiaritie with the Apostles saw a vision of Angells which extolled the blessed Trinitie with hymnes that were songe interchaungeably and deliuered vnto the church of Antioche the order and maner of singing expressed in the vision thereof it came to passe that euery church receaued the same tradition So much of Antemnes CAP. IX Of the Monkes that were called longe and howe that about them Theophilus bishop of Alexandria pursued Iohn byshop of Constantinople with deadly hatred and fought to depose him howe Epiphanius bishop of Cyprus being wonne through the wiles of Theophilus called a Councell at Cyprus condemned the workes of Origen and reprehended Iohn for perusinge of them SHortly after the Monkes left the desert and came together with Dioscorus and his brethren vnto Constantinople There came thither also with them Isidorus the great friend somtime of Theophilus but then his deadly foe so became vpon such an occasion as followeth Theophilus conceauing great displeasure against one Peter head priest in the church of Alexandria determined to banishe him the churche he charged him that he had receaued into the communion a woman of the hereticall sect of the Manichees before he had conuerted her But when Peter auoutched that he both withdrewe her from that hereticall opinion and admitted her also into the churche with the consent of Theophilus makinge him priuye therevnto Theophilus stomaked the dealing as if Peter had done it in spite of him For he sayde that he knewe nothing of it Wherfore Peter called Isidorus to witnesse that Theophilus the bishop knewe of the womans admission Isidorus then was at the princely citie of Rome for Theophilus had sent him vnto Damasus bishop of Rome for to reconcile vnto him Flauianus bishop of Antioche For as many as were of Meletius side fell from Flauianus because he kept not his othe as we sayde before Isidorus
also the booke whiche he dedicated vnto Theodosius with other notable monuments of his industrie doe declare CAP. XVI Howe Ignatius was translated by Theodosius from Rome and buried at Antioch THe bigger sort of bones which the beasts left vndeuoured vnto holy Ignatius after the blessed martyr as Iohn the Rhetorician with others doe recorde had according vnto his desire enioyed the bowells of beastes in stede of his resting graue at Rome in the theatre and stage striuing of rauenous beasts were translated into the Churchyard of Antioch in the raigne of Theodosius which was a long time after his martyrdome for it was almightie God no doubt that inspired Theodosius with that good motion highly for to reuerence that godly martyr and to consecrate the temple whereof old deuells were honored called y ◠temple of the goddesse of fortune vnto Ignatius the holy martyr That which of olde was dedicated vnto fortune is nowe become a sanctuarie and a famous temple to celebrate the memore of Ignatius whose holy bones were caried in a chariott with great solemnitie and buried within the temple for whiche cause there is an holy day kept with great ioye euen at this day the which Gregorie the byshop hath set forth with greater royaltie These thinges came there to passe in such sort as you heare because God would haue there the memoriall of his saincts celebrated with honor and reuerence for the impious and wicked tyrante Iulian the Apostata being emperour and requiringe an aunswere of the oracle of Apollo who prophecied in Daphnis and spake by vertue of the fountaine Castalia whiche had not the power to open his mouth holy Babylas the martyr whose corps was hard by interred had tyed his iawes together Iulian I say against his will and as it were forced thereunto translated verie honorably the corps of Babylas and builded a goodly Churche which stands at this day without the the gates of Antioch this he did to th ende the dettells afterwarde might accomplishe their wonted treacheries euen as reporte goeth they promised before vnto Iulian. but this came to passe through the prouidence of God partly that the force and vertue of martyrs may be sene of all men and partly also that the holy bones of this blessed martyr should be buried in hallowed ground and beautified with so gorgeous a building CAP. XVII Of Attilas king of Scythia howe he destroyed both the Easterne and westerne parts of the worlde of the great earthquake and straunge wonders that were seene in the worlde IN those dayes there was a battell raised by Attilas king of Scythia which at this day is much spoken of but Priscus Rhetor declareth at large with flowing stile howe he inuaded both east and west howe many and what great cities he wonne and howe nobly he behaued him selfe vnto the finall end of his frayle life Furthermore in the time of the aforesaid Theodosius raigne there was a marueilous great earthquake the straungenesse whereof exceeded all the wonderfull earthquakes that euer were before which stretched it selfe in manner throughout the whole worlde so that many turretts within the pallace were turned downe to the grounde the longe wall of Cherronesus came to ruine the earth opened and swallowed vp in her gulphes many villages many woefull mischaunces befell vnto mankinde both by sea and by lande many welspringes were dried vp againe where fountaines were neuer seene before it flowed out manie trees were plucked vp by the rootes the valleis became high mountaines the sea threwe out fishes for dead many Islands were drowned the sea ouerrunning the bankes and ouerflowing the cuntreys many shipps sulcating in the maine seas were seene on ground the sea falling backe not yelding his wonted streames many cuntreys throughont Bithynia Hellespontus and both Phrygia endured such calamities that they were vtterly vndone This misery endured toe toe long yet did it not proceede with such vehement anoyance as it beganne for it fell and slaked by a litle and a litle vntill at length all was ended CAP. XVIII The buildinges of Antioch and the founders thereof ABout the same time Memnonius Zoilus and Calixtus great patrons of the true pietie and Christian profession were sent from Theodosius the Emperour to gouerne the noble citie of Antioch of which number Memnonius buylded from the grounde with gorgeous and goodly workemanship the place which we cal Psephium leauing in the middest an hal open in height to the tempered aer vnder heauen Zoilus erected the princely porche so called vnto this day and curiously wrought which is towarde the South side of the pallace called Ruffine moreouer Calixtus founded a goodly monument whiche both of olde and of late vayes is called Calixtus porche afore the shire hall and the iudgement seates ouer against the market and the princely house where the captaines of the garrisons are wont to lye After all these Anatolius president of the Emperours power in the east beinge sent thither buylte the tower whiche beareth his name and set it out with sundrie kindes of buylding Though these things seeme from the purpose yet in mine opinion the knowledge of them is profitable for the studious reader CAP. XIX Of sundrie battailes that were fought both in Italie and in Persia in the time of Theodosius the Emperour WHile Theodosius was Emperour there was great sedition throughout Europe yea whē Valentinianus gouerned the Romane dominions all which Theodosius with great power of horsemen and footemen by sea and by land suppressed And so quelled the hautines and furious race of the Persian blood whose king was Isdigerdes the father of Bararanes or as Socrates writeth Bararanes him selfe for when they had sent Legates vnto him to entreate for peace he graunted it the whiche continewed vnto the twelfe yeare of Anastasius raigne the whiche things are also remembred of other writers partly compendiously gathered by Eustathius Syrus of Epiphania otherwise called Antioch who layeth downe in like sort howe Amida was taken It is reported moreouer that then Claudian and Cyrus the famous Poets did florishe and that Cyrus was made chiefe president which our auncetors doe tearme the heade officer of the hall and then appointed general captaine of the Romane power in the west dominions when Carthage was wonne of the Vandalls and Genzerichus captaine of the Barbarian host CAP. XX. Of Eudocia the Empresse and her daughter Eudoxia of her voyage to Ierusalem and the picture where with the people of Antioch did honor her THeodosius through the procurement of Pulcheria the Empresse being his sister maried Eudocia borne in Athens and of goodly beawtie after she had bene baptised in the Christian fatth on whom he got a daughter by name Eudoxia when she came to ripenesse of yeares and mariageable Valentinianus the Emperour tooke her to wife brought her from Constantinoplc to olde Rome Eudoxia went afterwardes to the holy citie of Christ who is God where in the Oration she made vnto
for all that he thrust Zeno beside the Emperiall scepter he was ouercome of him againe and lost his head As for Valens that persecuted the Christians I wil yeld take him to thee thou speakest of none other Let no man take this our discourse for impertinent stuffe or bayne digressiō it is both profitable for the reader and agreeable with our purpose because the heathenish historiographers of spite and malice haue endeuored to corrupt the true histories And nowe let vs returne vnto the rest of Anastasius raygne CAP. XLII Of Chrysotelia a kind of tribute deuised by Anastasius EUen as the acts mentioned before were nobly done of Anastasius and agreeable with the maiesty of an Emperour so there ensued immediatly after other doinges of his which darkned the commendation and renowne of the former For he deuised the tribute called Chrysotelia He made marchandise of the souldiers stipend and wages not without greate domage vnto the cōmon weale He tooke away from the courts and places of iudgement their tribute and reuenewes appoynted throughout euery city suche as they call Proctors or Attorneys through the procurment as they say of Marinus Syrus the chiefe Magistrate called Presidente of the haule Thereof it came to passe that the greater part of the tribute and reuenewes was lost the worship and honor of cities decayed For vnto that time y ◠names of the Senatours or Aldermen were matriculated and euery city counted of the benchers as of a Senate CAP. XLIII The rebellion and tyranny of Vitalianus VItalianus a Thracian rebelled against Anastasius ouerranne Thracia Mydia as farre as Odyssus and Anchialus marched towardes Constantinople with a greate multitude of people which had no certaine dwelling but roged about and lay in the fleldes the Emperour sent Hypatius to geue him battail But Hypatius being betrayed of his owne souldiers taken aliue and ransomed with a greate summe of money Cyrillus made expedition agayust him fought a daūgerous and a doubtfull fielde so that many beganne to flee Agayne when Cyrillus by pursuing after the enemy calling agayne his owne souldiers seemed to haue the vpper hand Vitalianus turned him vnto Cyrill and as the souldiers recoyled of spite he tooke him in Odyssus Last of all be inuaded the wholl cuntrey vnto Sycae destroying with sword and consuming with fire all that lay in his way purposing fully to take Constantinople and to be crowned Emperour As he pitched his campe in Sycae Marinus Syrus mentioned before went from the Emperour with a great nauy to geue him battaill Wherefore whē theyr armies came nigh together the ones front was towards Sycae the others towards Constantinople First that for a while they sturre not next they skirmish and florish vpon the water no otherwise then daliaunce In the ende they close theyr nauies fought a sore battaill about Bytharia where Vitalianus hauing lost the greater parte of his power was altogether discouraged and tooke his flight Away went his souldiers with all speede so that the day after there coulde not one of the souldiers be seene either passing ouer the seaes or wandering about the city The reporte goeth that Vitalianus abode a while in Anchialus and there liued quietly Furthermore an other sorte of Barbarians who likewise liued abroade cut ouer the seae and inuaded Pylas a city in Cappadocia About the same time Rhodos on a certaine night now the third time was shaken with a wonderfull great earthquake and in manner all ouerthrowen CAP. XLIIII VVhen Anastasius would haue had this clause who was crucified for our sakes added to the hymne called Trisagium the people were on an vprore so that he sent vnto them he would be no longer theyr Emperour the people with that were appeased Not long after Anastasius died ABout that time there was among the citizens of Constantinople a sore tumult and sediciō because the Emperour had added vnto theyr Trisagium who was crucified for our sakes as if the interlacinge of that clause had bene an ouerthrowe vnto Christian religion The captayne and ringeleader of this hurlyburly was Macedonius with the Priests of his diocesse as Seuerus wryting vnto Sotericus doth remember This Seuerus was not then made priest but liued in the Emperours pallace being not expulsed his monastery with the reste as I sayde before I take that Macedonius was banished not onely for the crimes he was falsely charged withall but also for this present sedition And when the people were furiously disposed because of the former clause not onely the nobility were in great daūger of theyr liues but also many goodly buyldings were set on fire The people in theyr rage founde a certaine Monke a rude and simple fellowe in the house of Marinus Syrus firste they strike his heade of his shoulders sayinge that through his procurement the aforesayde clause was interlaced afterwardes they tyed him to a longe poll and lifted him on high with great shoutinge in derision of him here is he that conspired againste the Trinitye The slame of sedition did so flash about and theyr behauiour was so outragious that the Emperour for sorowe wist not what to doe he threwe aside the Emperiall scepter came vnto the theatre sente the bedells about to proclaime that with good will he woulde be Emperour no longer that many in no wise were to be preferred to that rowme for y ◠place allowed but of one which was to succeede him in the Empire The people hearing of this chaunged theyr minds vpō a suddayne requested Anastasius to take the crowne and in so doing they woulde be quiete Anastasius shortely after this sturre departed this life when he had bene Emperour of Rome twentye seuen yeares three moneths and so many dayes The ende of the thirde booke of Euagrius Scholasticus THE FOVRTH BOOKE OF THE ECCLESIASTICALL HISTORIE OF EVAGRIVS SCHOLASTICVS CAP. I. Of Iustinus the first Emperour of that name WHen Anastasius had chaunged the worse for the better life as I sayd before Iustinus a Thracian the nynth day of the moneth Panemus called of the Romaines Iulie the fiue hundredth threescore and sixte yeare after that the city of Antioch was so called tooke the gouernemēt of the Empire and was proclaimed Emperour by the pretoriā souldiers whose captaine he had bene what time he was maister of the hauliers He came vnlooked for vnto this Emperiall dignity for there liued thē many worthy personages of Anastasius alliance flowing in all welth and felicity and of that great power which accustometh to aduance and preferre men to that great honor and royalty CAP. II. Of Amantius the Eunuch and Theocritus and howe Iustinus put them to death ABout that time Amantius a man of greate power and chiefe of the Emperours chamber seing that no eunuch could be Emperour wished that Theocritus his sworne brother might attayne vnto y ◠Emperiall robe Wherfore he called Iustinus deliuered him a great summe of money bad him distribute it amonge such as he thought coulde doe
deceaue the enemy They called for litle flagons filled them ful of towe hirds brimstone with other kinde of stuffe that easily woulde take fire and threwe them vpon the enemyes pile or contremure The flagons beinge violently throwen and chafed yeelded forth suche cloudes of smoke as darkened altogether the smoke and flame that rose of the enemies pile so that as many as were ignorant of the pollicie thought verilye there was no other smoke saue that which proceeded from the flagons But the thirde day after the flames were espied to flashe out of the earth and then the Persians which fought on the contremure perceaued the danger they stood in notwithstanding al this Chosroes going about to withstand the might and power of God brought the coÌ„duits which were without the walles of the citie vnto the pile hoping thereby to quench the fire But the fire receaued the water as if it had bene oyle brimston or some other such like thing raged out of measure burned all to ashes and brought the pile euen with the grounde In the ende Chosroes despairinge altogether of his purpose perceauing what reproche and infamye he had incurred because he determined to conquer God whom we honor and worship returned home with shame inough CAP. XXVII Of the straunge vision that was seene at Sergiopolis ANother thinge yet done by Chosroes at another time at Sergiopolis I thinke beste to laye here downe in writinge which is both worthie the penninge and the knowledge of the posterity Chosroes made preparation to assault this city also to besiege it being come to the walles the citizens within and the enemy without â—ell to parle and concluded that the city was to be redeemed with the holy treasure and monuments among which one was the crosse sent thither by Iustinian and Theodorus When these things were brought vnto Chosroes he demaunded of the priest and Persians which were sent for that purpose whether there were any more left behind to whom one whose lippes were not acquainted with the trueth made aunswere that there remained certen other monuments which a few citizens concealed Yet the messengers that brought away the treasure with other iewels had left behind nothing that was gold or siluer but some other mettall that was far more precious and consecrated vnto God namely the holy reliques of Sergius the valiant martyr of Christ which lay in a long chest that was ouerlaid with siluer wherefore Chosroes being perswaded with the aforesaid words let his host go to besiege the city and to win it The enemy espied vpon a soddaine a great multitude of men vpon the walles fenced with shieldes and ready to fight for the city they were amazed they wondred at the multitude and armour they went backe vnto Chosroes and told him the whole when he was againe geuen to vnderstande that there were but very few left in the citie and that they were eyther spent with age or of tender yeares for all that were of ripe yeares and mans state had bene rooted out he tooke that of a surety to be a miracle wrought by the holy martyr he was stroken with feare and had the Christian fayth in admiration he returned home and as report goeth was baptized in his later dayes CAP. XXVIII Of a pestilent disease which continewed two and fiftie yeares NOwe I am about to declare a certaine history which was not penned vnto this day it is of a certaine pestilent disease which plagued mankinde the space of two and fiftie yeares and preuailed so much that it destroyed in maner the whole world For it is reported that this contagious disease lighted vpon Antioch two yeares after the Persians had taken the citie in some part much like that which Thucydides hath described in other respects farre vnlike it beganne in Aethiopia euen as that whiche Thucydides wrote of and spred it selfe afterwardes throughout the whole worlde neither was there almost any one that escaped the infection thereof It raged so vehemently in some cities that all the inhabicantes thereof were dispatched with other townes it dealt more gently and mildely Neither began it at any one certen time of the yeare neither did it ceasse and relent after one maner order for in some places it entred with winter in some other places about the end of the spring in certen countreis about the mids of soÌ„mer in certâ—â— others in Autume In some regions wheÌ„ it had infected some part of on city or other it left y e rest vntoutched theÌ„ might a man haue sene very oft where this malady raigned certeÌ„ families wholly dispatched at an other time one or two rooted out all the city besides not once visited more ouer as we haue marked diligently the families which escaped this yeare were alone none others dispatched the next yeare And y t which is most of al to be marueiled at if any which inhabited y e infected cities fled into other countreis where y e sicknes was not they only were visited for al they remoued hoping y â— way to saue their liues out of y â— contagious into y e clear aer This calamity during y e terme compasse of these yeares which they call reuolutions passed through both towne and countrey but the greatest mortallitie of all fell vpon mankinde the seconde yeare of the reuolution which comprised the terme of fifteene yeares so that I my selfe whiche write this historie neyther will it be a misse to enterlace this that the consequentes may agree with the premises while as yet I frequented the schooles was then troubled with an impostume or swellinge about the priuey members or secret parts of the body morouer in processe of time when this sicknes waxed hot and dispatched diuersly sundry kindes of wayes it fell out to my great griefe sorow that God took from me many of my children my wife also with diuers of my kinsfolkes whereof some dwelled in the city some in the countrey such were my aduentures and suche were the calamities which the course of those lamentable times distributed vnto me When I wrote this I was eight and fifty yeare olde Not two yeares before this sickenesse had bene foure times in Antioch and when as at length the fourth reuolution and compasse was past besides my aforesaide children God tooke awaye from me a daughter and a nephewe of mine This disease was a compounde and mixt with many other maladies It tooke some men first in the head made their eyes as red as blood and puft vp their cheekes afterwardes it fell into their throte and whome so euer it tooke it dispatched him out of the way It beganne in some with a flixe and voydinge of all that was within them in some other with swellinge about the secret parts of the bodye and thereof rose burninge feuers so that they died thereof within two or three dayes at the furthest in suche sort and of so perfect a remembrance as if they had
became very strong the soldiers were animated and last of all the enemie terrified and altogether dismaid He found the citie trenched about with a great contremure raised nigh the wals all warlicke engins prepared for the winning of the citie as the great holow catapelts which shoote the dartes from a loft commonly called brakes or slings Chosroes with these helpes wonne the citie by force in the winter season when as Iohn the Maior of the towne toke no thought at all how he might repel the violence of the enemie nay rather he betraied the citie for both is reported Chosroes had besieged the citie aboue fiue moneths and in all that while there was not one that withstode him last of all when he had ransacked the citie of all that was in it and slaine many after a lamentable sort and taken many also aliue he fortified the citie lying very commodiously both for him and his subiects and so returned home CAP. XI Iustinus the Emperour fell into phrensie and Tiberius tooke the gouernement of the whole Empire I Vstinus vnderstanding that his dominions were inuaded in such sort as we haue declared before by reason of his ouer much insolencie and pride banished witte remoued reason out of her seat tooke his infortunate successe farre more greeuous then the common course of nature could beare and fell into frensie and madnes so that he had no sense or vnderstanding of any thing that was done Wherefore Tiberius a Thracian borne one that was of chiefest authoritie and estimation with Iustinus tooke in hand the gouernment of the Empire This man had lately bene sent by Iustinus with great power to geue battell vnto the people Abari Who when as his souldiers could not finde in their hearts to behold the Barbarians in the face had without all peraduenture bene taken had not the diuine prouidence of God beyond all mans expectation saued and restored him aliue into the Romaine dominions for by following the rash and headie aduisement of Iustinus he together with the whole common weale of Rome was in great daunger of vtter foile and of loosing vnto the Barbarians the great renowne of the Romaine Empire CAP. XII How Traianus went in embassie vnto Chosroes king of Persia and concluded a league betwene the Romaines and the Persians WHerfore speedie counsel was taken such as was meete and coÌ„uenient for the Romaine affaires to the ende that which they had lost with rashnes might be recouered wyth reason and sobrietie they sent vnto Chosroes king of Persia Traianus a man of great renowne by office a Senator of great honor and estimation with all men partly for his hore heare and partly also for his great wisedom his Embassie was not in the person of the Emperour or in the name of the Romaine common weale but only a message from Sophia the Empresse For she wrote letters vnto Chosroes where she lamented the wofull plight her husband stoode in and the lamentable state of the commoÌ„ weale wanting a head that it stoode not with his honor to triumph ouer a seely widowe to insult ouer an Emperour that was sicke and dedred and to inuade a common weale that was destitute of aide and succour That he of old being diseased had not onely the like humanitie shewed vnto him but also of the best Phisitions sent vnto him from the Empire of Rome which might ease him of his griefe Chosroes being perswaded with these circumstances although he had determined immediatly to ouerrunne the Romaine dominions yet confirmed he a league for three yeares space concerning the East countreys and decreed withall that Armenia should enioy the like benefite that no battell should be fought there and that none throughout the East countreys should be molested at all While the affaires of the East stoode in this sort Sermium was taken of the Barbarians a Citie of old inhabited of the people Gepaedi and afterwards by them deliuered vnto Iustinus CAP. XIII Of Tiberius who was made felowe Emperour and his disposition IN the meane while Iustinus through the couÌ„saile of Sophia the Empresse proclaimed Tiberius Caesar and vttered such lamentable words at his coronation as no historie either auncient or otherwise howsoeuer hath recorded vnto this day God no doubt of his mercy graunting vnto him so much time space as might suffice him both to coÌ„fesse his owne sinnes also to pronounce such things as were for the profite and commoditie of the common wealth For when Iohn the Bishop together with his companie the princes and magistrates last of all the pretorian souldiers were assembled in the open hall where of olde such solemnities were vsually celebrated Iustinus cladde Tiberius in the Emperiall robe and compassed him with the souldiers cloke saying aloud as followeth Let not the glory of this garment lead thee into errour neither be thou deceaued vvith the glorious shovv of such things as are subiect vnto the senses vvhervvith I my selfe novve alasse being snared haue brought my selfe foolishly into these grieuous torments VVherfore in gouerning the Empire vvith great moderation and mildnes of spirit redresse vvhat is amisse and correct vvhat I haue leudly committed And poynting at the Magistrates with the finger Thou must in no vvise sayth he be ruled by these men for these be they vvhich brought me into this lamentable plight and the miserie thou seest me in These with other sorrowfull wordes he vttered with many sobbes and sighes which made all that were present wonderfull pensiue and the teares to trickle downe their cheekes This Tiberius was a goodly tall man and well set one that excelled in the opinion of all men for comely proportion so that he passed not onely kings and Emperours but also all other sortes of men And first of all as touching the maner of his person it became very well the maiestie of the Emperiall scepter and as for his minde it was adorned with modestie gentlenes and curtesie His gracious fauour was such that it allured all men at the first sight to loue him He supposed that to be riches which suffised euery man to geue not onely for necessitie but also for plentie and abundance For he was of the opinion that not they onely were to receaue benefites which wanted but that it became the Emperour of Rome to be bountifull and liberally to geue He tooke that golde to be counterfait whiâ—h was gathered with the teares of the commonaltie He was so moued with these circumstances that he forgaue vnto them that were tributaries vnto the Empire one whole yeres tribute Againe such manours and fermes as Adaarmanes had in maner brought to decay by ceasing them at greeuous tribute he restored vnto their former libertie and not onely considered their losse but recompenced them ouer besides He forgaue the miurious exactions and pencions for the which other Emperours accustomed to deliuer and in maner to sell their subiectes to be abused of the magistrates at theyr pleasure and made a lawe
there should no such thing afterwardes be committed CAP. XIIII Tiberius the Emperour sent Iustinianus with a great armie against Chosroes and droue him out of the Romaine dominions THe aforesayd Tiberius hauing set in order as right and reason did require such summes of money as his predecessour had both wickedly and iniuriously appoynted to be gathered made ready for battaile gathered together a great armie of valiant souldiers and noble persons beyond the Alpes about Rhene on this side of the Alpes of the nation called Messagetae with other Scythian nations out of Paeonia Mysia Illyria and Isauria so that he had well nigh a hundred and fiftie * troupes of chosen horsemen ready and well appoynted by meanes whereof he gaue the vtter foile vnto Chosroes who immediatly after y â— winning of Daras had in the sommer time ouerrunne Armenia and thence marched forwards towards Caesarea y â— head Citie of Cappadocia This Chosroes behaued him selfe so insolently towards the Empire of Rome that when the Emperour sent Legates vnto him he would not once voutchsafe to geue them the hearing but very disdainefully bad them follow him to Caesarea and that there he would sitte and heare what they had to say When he sawe the Romaine host whose captaine was Iustinianus the brother of Iustinus that was piteously murthered at Alexandria all in armour comming of the contrary to meete him the trumpettes sowne to battaile the armies ready to ioyne together the clamour of the souldiers pearcing the cloudes in the skie orderly placed in the front in battaile aray foming out with great furie present death Last of all when he espied so great and so goodly a troupe of horsemen as none of the Emperours before euer thought of he was greatly astonied and by reason it so fell out vnlooked for and vpon a sodaine he sighed heauely and would not geue the first onsette As he deferred the battaile lingered still spent time idlely and craftely went about to deceaue them Curs a Scythian Captaine of the right wing of the battaile set vpon him and when the Persians could not withstand his violence but quite forsooke the front of the host Curs made a great slaughter of the ennemies Last of all he pursued the souldiers at their backs where the artillarie and preparation of Chosroes and of his whole armie lay He tooke all the kings treasure and Iewelles all his ordinance for warre yea when Chosroes both sawe and suffered it thinking that to be farre better then that Curs should sette on him Curs with his souldiers gotte great spoyle and summes of money and tooke away their beastes loded with fardelles and packes where also the fire lay which Chosroes king of Persia worshipped for his God thus hauing foiled the Persian armie and sounding a hymne to the praise of God he returned in the Euening about candlelight vnto his companie who by that time had left the aray they were sette in Chosroes in all this while stirred not neither as yet was the battaile begonne but only light skirmishes one while of this side an other while of that side as the maner is Chosroes sette a mightie beacon on fire in the night and purposed then to geue the ennemie battaile the Romaines hauing two armies he set about midnight on that host which lay in campe of the Northside they being sodainly taken and vnprouided recoyled and gaue backe he went forwardes tooke Melitina a Citie not farre of that was destitute of a garrison and Citizens to repell his violence sette all on fire and sought to cutte ouer the riuer Euphrates When the Romaine armies ioyned together pursued after him he fearing him selfe got vp on an Olyphant and passed ouer Euphrates â–ª but the greater part of his armie in swimming and conueying them selues ouer were drowned in the deapth of the water He vnderstanding of this misfortune got him away with all speede Wherefore Chosroes in the ende being thus plagued and recompenced for his insolencie and disdaine towards the Romaines returned into the East with as many as were left him aliue There the league was of force that none should assault him Iustinianus after all ouerrunne the marches of the Persian dominions continued there all winter long without let or anoyance About the eight â—alends of Iulie he returned backe without the losse of any one part of his host and spent all sommer with prosperous successe and ioy of Martiall prowesse about the boundes where the Romain and Persian dominions doe part a sunder CAP. XV. How Chosroes after great sorowe that he was foyled in battaile died and bequeathed the kingdom of Persia to his sonne Hormisda CHosroes being on euery side beset with miserie all dismaid and discouraged languishing for sorrow and pining away for care and pensiuenes as it were swallowed vp in the gulphs of his deepe sighes and heauy sobs died after a lamentable sort leauing behind him a law the which he made that the king of Persia should neuer from that day out take armour against the Romaines as an euerlasting memoriall of his flight and vtter foile After his desease his sonne Hormisda was crowned with the royall scepter of whom I will presently say no more for the Ecclesiasticall affaires do call me away and looke that now I should thitherwards direct my penne CAP. XVI Of the chiefe Byshops which flourished about that time WHen Iohn otherwise named Cateline departed this life Bonosus became Bishope of Rome whom an other Iohn succeded and after him Pelagius In the seae of ConstaÌ„tinople after Iohn came Eutychius who had bene Bishop there before The Citizens of Alexandria after the death of Apolinarius had Iohn to their Bishop whom Eulogius succeded The Bishoprike of Ierusalem when Macarus had finished his mortal race was gouerned by Iohn who sometime led a very poore and austere life in the monasterie of the vigilant Monkes during whose time the Church continewed at one stay without chaunge or alteration CAP. XVII Of the earthquake at Antioche in the raigne of Tiberius IN the third yeare of Tiberius Caesars raigne there rose about noone day so great an earthquake at Antioche and Daphne adioyning thervnto that all Daphne with the force violence thereof fell to the ground and many both publique and priuate buildings within the Citie of Antioch were vnioynted and broken asunder yet not so much that they fell to the ground there happened both at Antioch and at Constantinople other calamities which require a long discourse and vexed out of measure either of the Cities with great tumultes and sedition yet as they rose vpon a godly zeale so ended they very straungely But of them afterwardes CAP. XVIII Of the tumultes at Antioch and at Constantinople about wicked Anatolius ANatolius one sometime that was but a light and a commen felow yet afterwardes crept through wiles I wot not how to be a Magistrate and to beare office in the commen weale He liued at Antioch where
with great diligence he went about such affaires as he had in hand there he grew into great familiaritie with Gregorie Bishop of that citie and had oft recourse vnto him partly to conferre about his busines and partly by frequenting thither to purchase vnto him selfe greater authoritie and estimation It fell out that this Anatolius was found to haue sacrificed to Idolles and being examined he was manifestly proued a wicked man an Enchaunter and entangled with diuers other enormities Yet this magistrate together with his companions for he had others that helde with him and conuinced of Idolatricall sacrifice had almost escaped without punishment had not the people made an insurrection and sette all on tumultes that the hearing and examination of their impietie would by that meanes haue bene quite omitted Moreouer they exclamed at Gregorie the Bishop and said openly that he was altogether of Anatolius counsaile for the cursed deuil disquieter of mankind perswaded many of the citezens to accoÌ„pany Anatolius in his abhominable sacrifice Herevpon it rose that Gregorie was in great suspition that the people were so earnestly bent against him and herevpon he was so vehemently suspected that the Emperour Tiberius him selfe laboured to sift out the truth of Anatolius owne mouth Wherfore he gaue out his coÌ„maundement that both Anatolius and his companie should w t all speede be brought to CoÌ„stantinople Anatolius hearing of this raÌ„ne vnto the picture of Marie the mother of God that hong a loft in the prison by a cord set his hands behind him made supplication prayd vnto it the image detested him as a wicked person and one y â— God abhorred and turned it self from him a spectacle very straunge worthy of euerlasting memorie the gailer and keepers w t the soldiers of the garrison saw it and reported it to others The holy virgin appeared vnto diuers of the faithfull and set them against wicked Anatolius saying that he had reuiled her sonne Anatolius being brought to Constantinople and there chasticed very extremely he could not charge y t bishop with any thing but together with his companie was an occasion y â— the citie was on far greater sedition vprore for when some of these idolatrical sacrificers were coÌ„demned not to die but to perpetual banishment the people of a godly zeale boyled with anger and would not suffer them to be banished but tooke them in a fisherbote where they were set and with vniforme consent of all the people they were burned quicke they cried out also against the Emperour and Eutychius their bishop as traitors to the faith for without doubt they had dispatched both Eutychius such as were in commission to arraine Anatolius with his company they sought them out in euery place and beset them on euery side had not the prouidence of God which preserueth his people taken them out of their enemies clawes and appeased by a litle and a litle the rage of so furious a multitude So it came to passe that they committed no horrible acte that Anatolius was first throwne to the rauenous beastes in compasse of y â— theatre of theÌ„ to be torne in peeces next hanged on the gallowes neither ended he his life with those punishmentes but the wolues came pulled his carkasse to the earth which was neuer seene before and cruelly rent it in quarters with great rauâ—ning there was a Christian that sayd before these things came to passe that in his sleepe he sawe the people pronounce the sentence against Anatolius And againe a noble man president of the Emperours pallace one that made great frends for Anatolius said he sawe Marie the mother of God and that she spake vnto him in this sort how long dost thou take part with Anatolius who dealt contumeliously not onely with me but with my sonne also but this much of these things in this sort CAP. XIX Of Mauricius the valiaunt Captaine and his vertues TIberius being cladde with the Emperiall robe after the desease of Iustinus deposed Iustinianus of his dignitie because his later enterprises against the Barbarians tooke not such prosperous successe as afore time and appoynted Mauricius Captaine of the Easterne power who by birth and by name was of olde Rome yet because of his auncestors and parents he tooke Arabissus a Citie of Cappadocia for hys countrey He was a politicke and a wise man very diligent and carefull in all his affaires of a firme and a constant minde of good gouernment in life and conuersation and well disposed He so brideled fleshly desires and feeding of the panche that he abstained not only from necessaries and such things as might easily be gotten but also froÌ„ other things whatsoeuer prouoked to intemperate lust and sensualitie He would not geue the coÌ„mon sort of meÌ„ the hearing neither harkned he to euery mans tale for he knew y â— the one bred contempt the other brought nothing but flatterie He would very seldome graunt his presence vnto any yea and y t toe wheÌ„ he were earnestly besought vnto he stopped his eares from hearing of idle talke not w t waxe as the Poet couÌ„saileth but w t wisdom and reason which was vnto him in steede of a key both to open and to shutte them as time and occasion did require Ignorance the mother of boldnes for none is more bolde then blind bayard and faint courage her next neighbour be so banished from him that he thought verily in rashnes there was perill and in pawsing great securitie for wisedom and fortitude which were resiant in his brest so ruled his affaires as time and occasion required wythout geuing appetites the bridle that measure and moderation both sette them vp and pulled them downe but of this more at large heereafter Rule and gouernement doe most commonly declare how excellent a man is his nature and condition Magistracie openeth what man is for when life hath libertie and power to doe what her list then reuealeth she the secret clossets of her minde and settes them wide open to the face of the whole world This Mauricius waging battaile in foraine countreys tooke both cities and castels that lay most commodious for the Persians and caried thence so great a pray that he filled with the captiues he had brought with him Isles townes and countreys that lay of a long time desolate and not inhabited the land also that was vnmanured he caused to be tilled and made arable soyle of these men he had to serue his tourne great armies which both valiantly and couragiously fought against other nations and last of all he stored euery familie of seruauntes for then there were captiues great store and cheape inough CAP. XX. Mauricius foiled both Chosroes and Adaarmanes which led the Persian armies FVrthermore the same Mauricius waged battaile with the head and chiefest of all Persia namely Tamochosroes and Adaarmanes which ledde great armies to the field but after what sort when and how prosperously his enterprises went
giuen him but he receaued it not saying In somuch that vve haue forsaken our ovvne hovv can vve receaue other mens These things were done the three and forty yeare which being translated worde for worde out of the Syrian tongue we thought not amisse to printe in this place The censure of the Translator toutching the aforesayd Epistles BE it true or be it false that there were such epistles it forceth not greatly as the effect and contentes thereof is not to be preferred before all other writing in trueth so of the contrary it is not to be reiected for falshoode and forged stuffe Ierome with other graue writers affirmeth such circumstances to haue bene Eusebius whose creditt herein is not smale reporteth the same to haue bene taken out of their recordes in the city of Edessa regestred there in the Syrian tongue and by him translated out of the Syrian into the greeke tongue I sidorus and Gelasius the first of that name bishop of Rome about the yeare of our Lorde 494. together with 70. other Bishops decreed that the Churche of God should receaue the same epistles for no other then Apocrypha one thing I may not here runne ouerwith silence but admonishe the Reader of how that late writers namely Damascenus and that fabulous Historiographer Nicephorus haue added vnto this history fabulous reportes howe that Abgarus gouernour of Edessa sent his letter vnto Iesu and with all a certayne paynter which might vewe him well bring vnto him backe againe the lively picture of Iesu the which painter as they reporte being not able for the glorious brightnesse of his gracious countenance to bring his purpose to effect our Sauiour him selfe tooke an handkerchef and layde to his deuine and liuely face and by the wiping of his face his picture was therein impressed the which he sent to Abgarus Nicephorus patcheth other fables therunto first he sayth that the King of Persia sent a paynter vnto Iesu which brought vnto him the picture of Iesu and also of Mary his mother Agayne that the Edessaeans in the time of Iustinianus the Emperour being besieged and brought to such a narrowe straicte that there remayned no hope of deliuer ance but a present foyle and ouerthrowe in the same lamentable plight to haue runne vnto this picture for a refuge wher as they say they fouÌ„d preseÌ„t remedy beleue it who wil. Eusebius who searched their records who layde downe the copye of the Epistles who translated faythfully all that he founde there toutching Christ neyther sawe neyther heard of any such thing for he promised in the preface to his history to omitt nothing that shoulde seeme pertinent if the other writers founde it why did not Eusebius finde it if the other writers thought expedient to publishe the same why did Eusebius omitt it nay it was not there founde at al but forged therefore recount them for fables the first that reported them was a hundred yeares after Eusebius The ende of the first booke THE SECONDE BOOKE OF THE ECCLESIASTICALL HISTORYE OF EVSEBIVS PAMPHILVS BISHOP OF CAESAREA IN PALAESTINA CAP. I. Of the ordayning of Disciples after the ascention of Christ IN the former booke as by way of proëme we haue published which necessaryly did concerne the Ecclesiastical history ioyntly contriuing the declaration of the diuinitie of the worde of saluation of the auncient principles of our doctrine of the antiquitie of Gospelike policy among Christians of his late appearing among men of his passion and election of the Apostles Now it remayneth that we vewe those things which ensued after his assumption so that partly we note them out of the sacred scriptures partly out of prophane historyes knitting to our historye those thinges which we haue firmely committed to memory First of al the Apostleship is allotted vnto Matthias in the rowme of Iudas the traytour which as it is manifest was one of the disciples of the Lorde there were also seuen approued men ordayned Deacons through prayer and laying on of the Apostles handes for the publique administration of the Churches affaires ioyned with Stephen which first after the Lorde as soone as he was ordayned as though he were appoynted for this purpose is stoned vnto death by them which slewe the Lord and for this cause as the first of the triumphing Martyrs of Christ according to his name he beareth a crowne After him folowed Iames called the brother of Christ and counted the sonne of Ioseph This Ioseph was thought to be the father of Christ to whome the virgin was betrothed vvhiche before they came together vvas founde to haue in her vvombe of the holy Ghost as the holy Gospell declareth This Iames whome of olde they priueledged for his vertue with the syrname of Iustus is sayd to be the first which occupied the bishoplike Seae at Ierusalem Clemens in the 6. of his hypotyposeon writeth thus Peter saith he and Iames and Ihon after the assumption of our Sauiour though they vvere preferred by the Lorde yet chalenged they not this prerogatiue vnto them selues but appoynted Iames the Iust Byshop of Ierusalem The same Clemens in the 7. of his Hypotyposeon also maketh mention of him thus the Lorde after his resurrection endued vvith knovvledge Iames the Iust Ihon Peter They deliuered the same vnto the rest of the Apostles the Apostles aftervvards vnto the 70. disciples of vvhich number vvas Barnabas There vvere tvvo Iameses the one termed Iust vvhich vvas throvvne dovvne hedlonâ— from the pinacle and brayned vvith a fullers clubbe * the other beheaded Of him that vvas â—…d Iust Paul made mention saying I savve none of the Apostles saue Iames the brother of the Lorde Those thinges which the Lorde promised the King of the Osroënians then were performed Thomas by diuine inspiration sent Thaddaeus vnto the city Edessa to be their preacher and an Euangelist of the doctrine of Christ as a litle before out of the recordes we haue alleaged But he after his comming and hauing cured Agbarus by the word of God astonished all them with his straunge miracles workes which he wrought brought them to the worshipping of the diuine power of Christ and ordayned disciples of the doctrine of our Sauiour From that time vnto this day the whole city of the Edessaeans addicted vnto the name of Christ shew forth no smale argument of the great goodnes of our Sauiour towardes them But these thinges be premised taken out of their auncient historicall recordes and now let vs returne vnto the sacred Scripture The first and the greatest persecution being raysed of the Ievves agaynst the Church at Ierusalem about the tyme of the martyrdome of Stephen and al the distiples the 12. onely excepted being dispersed throughout Iudaea Samaria certaine of them as the holy Scripture beareth witnesse came vnto Phaenices and Cyprus and Antioche but these as yet dated not to deliuer vnto the Gentiles the word of fayth but shewed it onely vnto the Ievves At that
Agabus one of the Prophets then present foretold them of the famine to come Paul and Barnabus were chosen messengers for the ministery of the brethren CAP. IIII. How that Caius Caligula exiling Herode with perpetuall banishment created Agrippa king of the Iewes The commendation of Philo Iudaus TIberius when he had raygned about 22. yeares died him succeded Caius which anone committed the principalitie of the Ievves vnto Agrippa and together with his kingdome the tetrarchies of Phillip and Lysanias and not long after the tetrarchy of Herode which Herode together with Herodias beinge condemned for diuerse crimes and enormityes was committed to perpetuall banishement the same Herode was he which liued about the passion of Christ these thinges Iosephus doth witnesse About this tyme Philo did flourish a man not onely excelling our owne men but also such as passed in prophane knowledge lineally by descent an Ebrue borne inferior to none of them which excelled at Alexandria But what labour and industrye he hath employed in diuine discipline and the profit of his natiue countrey his workes now extant playnely doe declare and how farre forth he preuayled in philosophicall and liberall artes of prophane knowledge I suppose it nothing necessary to repeate But imitating the trade of Plato and Pythagoras he is sayd to haue excelled all the learned of his tyme. CAP. V. How Philo being sent in Embassye for the Iewes vnto Caius the Emperour behaued him selfe VVHat befell vnto the Ievves vnder Caius this Philo hath written in fiue bookes wherin he setteth forth the madnesse of Caius how he published him selfe God and besides dealt spicefully an innumerable sorte of wayes Moreouer what calamities happened vnto the Ievves in his tyme though Philo him selfe was sent in Embassye for his owne nation which inhabited Alexandria vnto the city of Rome and how that he pleading for the lawes of his contrey people gayned nothing but gibes and iestes returning with great hazarde of his life Iosephus made mention of these thinges in the eyghtenth booke of his Iudaicall Antiquities thus by word writing VVhen that dissention rose among the Ievves Graecians inhabiting Alexandria both parties seuerally sent three legates vnto Caius vvhereof Apion one of the legates for the Graecians of Alexandria shamefully entreated the Ievves vvith many opprobrious and blasphemous termes adding this vvith all that they despised the maâ—estye of Caesar And vvhen as all they vvhich vvere tributaryes to the Romaynes dedicated altars and temples vnto Caius and esteemed of him in all other respects as God These onely Ievves be they vvhich disdaynefully vvithstoode this honour done vnto him of men and accustomed to prophane his name After that Apion had thus spoken many and greeuous thinges to the ende he might incenâ—e Caius agaynst theÌ„ as it vvas very likely to be done Philo one of the Ievves legates drevv nigh a man excelling in all thinges and brother of Alexander Albarchus not ignoraunt in philosophy and of hability sufficient to aunsvvere the opprobrious crimes layde to their charge But Caius excluded him commaunding him forthvvith to departe and because he vvas throughly moued he seemed aâ— though he vvent about to practise some mischiefe tovvards him Philo bâ—ing â—euned vvent forth and vnto the Ievves vvhich vvere vvith him in company he â—ayd VVe ought to be of good cheare for by â—ight God should take our part Insomuch that Caius is incensed to the contrary thus farre Iosephus And Philo him selfe declareth at large in his written Embassye the thinges which then were done Whereof omitting many thinges I will presently toutch that whereby it may euidently appeare vnto the Reader what euils not long after happened vnto the Ievves for the thinges which by rashe enterprise they practised agaynst Christ. First of all Seianus in the city of Rome vnder Tiberius in great creditt with the King endeuored with al might possible to destroy al the Iewish nation And Pilate in Iudaea vnder whom that villany was committed against Christ practised against the temple which stood at Ierusalem that which seemed vnto the Ievves vnlawfull and intollerable whereby he greeuously vexed them CAP. VI. VVhat miseryes happened vnto the Iewes after that haynous offence which they committed agaynst Christ. PHilo doth write that after the death of Tiberius Caius hauing obtayned the empire vexed many with manifold and innumerable afflictions but chiefly among all others the nation of the Iewes which in few of his wordes may be gathered writing thus so greeuous sayth he vvas the dealing of Caius Caligula tovvards all men but specially bent agaynst the nation of the Ievves vvith greate indignation that in other cities yet beginninge in Alexandria he vvoulde chaleng vnto him selfe their prayers and supplications paynting in euery place the figure and forme of his proper picture and reiecting all others successiuely by might and force to place him selfe and dedicating the temple in the holy city vntill that tyme vndefiled free euery vvay to him selfe and his proper vse translating and consecrating the name to nevv Caius as a famous God And infinite more mischeeues which can not be tolde the same Philo reporteth to haue happened vnto the Ievves at Alexandria in his second booke of vertues And Iosephus agreeth with him which likewise signifieth all the miseryes of these men to haue had their originall from the tyme of Pilate and their rashe enterprise against Christ Heare then what he sheweth in the second booke of the Iudaicall warres thus writing worde by worde Pilate being sent from Tiberius Lieuetenant into Iudaea couertly conueyed by night into Ierusalem the vayled picture of Caesar vvhich they call his Armes vvhich thinge vvhen day appeared moued the Ievves not a litle For they vvhich vvere nearest vnto them at the sight therof stamped them vvith their feete as if they had bene abrogated lavves They iudged it an haynous offence that any carued image should be erected in the city But if thou conferre these with the trueth in the Gospell thou shalt easily perceaue how that not long after the voyce pressed them which they pronounced before Pilate saying VVe haue no other King but Caesar Moreouer the same historiographer reporteth an other calamity to haue eftsones ensued the former saying After this he raised an other tumulte for their heaped treasure vvhich they call Corbon vvas vvasted vpon a conduyte reaching the space of three hundred furlonges This vvas the cause of the commotion among the Ievves and vvhen Pilate vvas present at Ierusalem they compassed him crying out vnto him But he foreseeing their conspiracy assigned certayne armed souldiers in outvvarde shevv of apparell like vnto the common people vvhich he mingled vvith the multitude commaunding that no svvord should be vsed but such as of the multitude clamorously murmured a signe being giuen from the tribunall seate he caused to be beaten to death vvith clubbes The Ievves being thus foyled many perished of their vvoundes and many in their flight being
Iosep bell Iud. lib. 6. cap. 1. 2. Their estate was miserable the famyne lamentable the slaughter out of all measure such as came out of the city were hanged on gibbetts such as fledde away were taken of the fugitiues tvvo thousand had their bowels ript to see whether they had swalowed vp any golde lib. 6. cap. 15. report came vnto Titus that from the 14. of Aprill vntill the 14. of Iune there were brought out at one gate of the city fiftene thousande one hundred and foure score Ievves which dyed of famine bell Iud. lib. 6. cap. vlt. The temple is sett on fire the priestes the women and children with other people which hid them selues in vautts in walls and in corners of the temple which also were burnt to ashes came to six thousande lib 7. cap. 11. Titus tooke the citye the souldiours killed vntill they were weary Titus commaunded all that wore armour to be slayne such as were olde weake and feeeble the souldiours dispatched the yong the lusty and profitable they shutt vp in a certayne place of the temple for further consideration Many were solde for a smale price there were many to be solde but few to bye all the theeues robbers and seditious persons within the city he commaunded forth with to be dispatched the chosen yong men of goodly bodyes and tall stature he reserued for triumphe seuentene thousand of elderly yeares he sent bound to Aegypt for slauery druggery â–ª many others through out the prouinces he allotted for spectacles and teeth of wild beastes â–ª as many as were vnder sixtene yeres â–ª of age were solde â–ª of such as were shutt vp in the temple for further consideration during the time of this deliberation and disposed order there dyed tvvelue thousande of famine Iosep bell Iud. lib. 7. cap. 15. 16. The number of the captiues during the tyme of the warres mounted to foure score and seuentene thousande The number of all that dyed during the siedge within Ierusalem came to tenne hundred thousande no maruell at all that the city could comprise so many for at the feast of the Passeouer Cestius being Lieuetenant of Iudaea sent Neroworde that the high priestes had numbred at his request all that came to offer which came to seuen and tvventy hundred thousande lib. 7. cap. 17. and suche was the wofull and miserable ende of the Iewes Iosephus moreouer lib. 7. bell Iud. cap. 18. writeth of Ierusalem that it was taken at sondry tymes before his wordes be these Ierusalem vvas taken the 2. yeare of the raigne of Vespasian the 8. day of September it vvas taken fiue tymes before then agayne destroyed Asochaeus King of the Aegyptians after him Antiochus then Pompeius after these Herode and Sosius tooke the city and kept it â–ª and before that tyme the King of Babylon by conquest destroyed it a thousande three hundred three score yeares eyght moneths and six dayes after the building thereof The first founder of this city vvas the most potent Prince of the Chananits called after his contrey language The iust king â–ª for such a one he vvas in deede â–ª therfore he first ordayned a priesthood vnto God and hauing first buylded the temple he termed the city Ierusalem vvhich afore vvas called Solyma Leobius King of the Ievves hauing vanquished the Chananits deliuered the city to be inhabited of his ovvne people the vvhich vvas ouerthrovvne by the Babylonians foure hundred three score foure yeares and three monethes after From Leobius the King vvhich vvas the first Ievve that raygned in it vnto the ouerthrovv vnder Titus there vvere one thousande one hundred seuenty and seuen yeares Yet for all that neyther did antiquity preuayle neyther great riches profit neyther the fame dispersed throughout the whole worlde fauour them neyther the great glory they put in their religion helpe them at all that the city shoulde not perishe Discite iustitiam moniti non temnere Christum CAP. IX Of Iosephus and his commentaries in the ninth and tenth chapiters folowing BEsides all this I thinke it good not to be ignorant of Iosephus him selfe that hath stoode vs in so great steade for the furnishing of this our present historye whence and of what kindred he came which circumstance he him selfe sheweth saying thus Iosephus the sonne of Mattathias a priest of Ierusalem vvhich him selfe also at the first impugned the Romaynes and vvas necessarily present at the finall ende of their vvofull miseryes because of the Ievves of that tyme. This man was famous not onely among his owne nation but also among the Romaynes so that at Rome he was thought worthy the honor of a grauen picture and the bookes which diligently he wrote were thought worthy of the publike librarye He wrote tvventy bookes of Iudaicall Antiquities he testifieth him selfe therefore worthy of creditt that he gathered in seuen bookes the Romayne vvarres of his tyme and published it both in the Greeke and Hebrewe tongues Certayne others worthy the reading passe vnder his name for example Tvvo volumes of the Antiquitie of the Ievvish nation where he aunswereth Apion Grammaticus and certayne others which at that tyme impugned the Ievves and endeuored to disgrace the natiue lawe of the Iewishe nation In the first he layeth downe the number of the bookes of the olde testament deliuered by tradition and receaued without gainfaying of the Ievves saying as foloweth CAP. X. How Iosephus mentioned the bookes of the old testament and diuers of his owne THe bookes of the holy Scripture sayth he are not innumerable amongst vs disagreeing dissenting one from an other but only xxij contayning the circumstances of all times and vvorthy of creditt fiue of these are Moses vvorkes contayning the lavves the state of man continevved vnto his death the tyme of them contayneth litle lesse then three thousand yeares The Prophetes vvhich liued after Moses comprised in thirtene bookes the famous actes of their tymes from the death of Moses to Artaxerxes vvho after the death of Xerxes vvas king of Persia The other foure containe Hymnes vnto God and admonitions for the amendment of mans life From Artaxerxes vnto our tymes there are continuall bookes yet not of such creditt as the former in so much there is not diligently layd dovvne a continuall succession of the Prophets It is very apparent vvhat affection vve beare vnto our Scriptures because there is novv so much time past and yet none of vs dare presume either to adde any thinge thereto or to diminish anything therefro or to alter any thinge thereof this is engrassed in the sevves from their youth vp that they persvvade them selues this doctrine to be the vvritinges of God and to perseuere in the same and vvillingly if necessity so constrayne to dye in the quarrell these wordes I haue thought commodiously to haue bene by vs alleadged out of his commentaryes this writer hath published one other and no simple volume of the rule of reason whiche some haue fathered vppon
the faythfull in the slipery way of perdition vnder pretence of reducing them to the fayth to ouerwhelme them in the whirpoole deepe dungeon of damnation Out of Menander therefore whome before we termed the successor of Simon there budded out a doubtfull a viperous a twofolde heresie by the meanes of Sathan hauing two heades or captaynes varying among themselues Saturninus of Antioch and Basilides of AlexaÌ„dria whereof the one throughout Syria the other throughout Aegypt published hereticall and detestable doctrine Irenaeus sayth that Saturninus for the moste parte dreamed the same with Menander and that Basilides vnder pretence of more mysticall matters enlarged his deuise into infinitie inuenting monstrous fables to the furtherance of his Heresie CAP VII VVhat heretickes and ecclesiasticall wryters lyued then WHen as many ecclesiasticall persons in those dayes striued in the behalf of the trueth and contended with sure and certaine reasons for the Apostolicke and Ecclesiasticall doctrine some also as forefencers haue exhibited instruction to the posterity by their commentaries leuealing at the aforesayd heresies of which number one Agrippa Castor a stout champion and a famous wryter of those times published a confutation of Basilides disclosing all his Satanicall iugling hauing displaied his secrety he reporteth that Basilides wrote foure and twenty bookes vpon the gospell fayning vnto him self prophets whome he calleth Barcabus and Barcoph and certaine others neuer heard of before Inuenting those barbarous names to amaze the hearers withall teaching that indifferently thinges offred to Idols may be eaten that in time of persecution the fayth with periury may be renounced coÌ„maunding silence after the manner of Pythagoras for the space of fiue yeares And such like heresies of Basilides the sayd writer hathe plainely confuted Irenaeus wryteth that in the time of these two Carpocrates liued y e father of that heresie which the Gnostici hould who thought good not to publish the sorcery of Simon priuely after his manner but openly Glorying of charmed loue drinkes of diuelish dronken dreames of assistent and associate spirites with other like illusions They teach farther that who so will attaine vnto the perfection of their mysteries or rather abhominable deuises must worke such factes by they neuer so filthy otherwise can they not ouercome as they terme them the secular potentates vnlesse euery one play his parte after the same secret operation So it came to passe that Sathan reioycing in his deuelish subtlety seduced many of theÌ„ thus already snared whome he led to perdition by the meanes of such wicked ministers gaue hereby great occasion to y e infidels of blasphemy agaynst the diuine doctrine and spred a great slaunder in that the fame of them was bruted abrode throughout christendome By this meanes it fell out often that the infidels of those times conceaued a wicked absurde and shamefull opinion of vs that that we vsed the vnlawfull company of Mothers sisters that we fed vpon the tender infantes sucklinges But these reports preuailed not long for the trueth tride it self in tyme folowing shined as the sonne beames for the sleyghts and subtleties of the aduersaries turned to their owne confusion whilest that new heresies dayly sprong creeping one vpon an other the latter taking place the former vanished away encreasing into diuerouse manifold sectes chaunging now this way anone that waye they were destroyed The brightnes of the catholicke and onely true churche continuing alwayes the same encreased enlarged dayly the boundes thereof that the grauitie sinceritie liberty and temperancy of Godly conuersation and christian philosophie shined and florished among all the nations both of the Grecians and Barbarians Thus the slaunder slyded away with the time and the doctrine famous among as and forthered of all men specially for the pietie and modestie for the diuine and mysticall doctrine thereof tooke place so that from that time vnto this day none durst note y â— same of any haynous crime or â—â—famy as they durst before which conspired agaynst vs and the Christian fayth But the trueth brought forth many in those dayes which contended and dealt with these Heretickes some with inuincible arguments without the Scriptures some with manifest proofes and authorities of Scripture confuting their hereticall opinions CAP. VIII VVhat notable writers liued theâ— OF the number was Aegesippus whome we haue before ofteâ—â—ymes 〈◊〉 one ofthâ— Apostles tyme who in fiue bookes wrote the syncere tradition of the Apostles preaching â–ª signifying his owne time and making mention of such as in former times erected Idols where he writeth thus To vvhome they erected Idols and monuments and â—aloâ—â—â—d temples it is vvell knovvne Antinous the seruant of Adrianus Caesar had a festiual triumphe decreed vnto him called after his name Antinous vvrastling celebrated in our daies They buylded him a city after his name Antinoia they consecrated Priestes they appoynted Prophets At the same tyme Iustinus Martyr an embracer of the true philosophy well studied and exercised in the doctrine of the Gentiles maketh mention of the same man in his Apologie vnto Antoninus writing thus It shall not seeme impertinent if that vve propose vnto you the remembrance of Antinous and of that vvhich they celebrate in his name VVhome all doe vvorship as it vvote for feare vvhen as they knovv vvell inough vvho and vvhence he vvas The same Iustinus maketh mention of the warres helde against the Ievves saying thus In the Iudaical vvarres fresh before your eyes Barchochebas a captayne of the Ievvish rebellion commaunded the Christians only to be greuously punished vnlesse they renouÌ„ced Christ blasphemed God In the same place he declareth how that not rashly but after good aduisement taken he left pâ—gauisme and embraced the true and onely piety For I my self sayth he delighted vvith the doctrine of Plato hearing the Christians led captiues nether fearing death nether all the torments most terrible â–ª thought it could not be that this kinde of men vvas subiect vnto malice set on pleasure For vvhat voluptuous person or intemperate or delighted vvith deuoâ—â—ing of mans 〈◊〉 can so embrace death that he be depriued of his desire not rather endeuour â–ª that this life may alvvayes â—â—ste that he be able to deceaue Princes not betray him self to the death â–ª Moreouer this Iustinus writeth how that Adrianus receauing letters of Serenius Granianus a noble President signifying in the behalf of the Christians that it was very iniurious for no â—…e but onely at the outâ—ry of the people they should be brought forth and executed wrote agayne vnto Mâ—…ius Fundanus Proconsul of Asia and commaunded that none without greeuous crime and iust accusation shoulde dye the death The coppy whereof obseruing the Latins phrase as much as in him lay he added prefiring these fewe wordes And vvhen as vve might iustly require by vertue of the epistle of the most victorious noble Caesar Adrian your father that as
CAP. XVIII Of the workes and writinges of Iustinus IVstinus hathe leaft vnto the posterity many monuments of his instructed minde and right vnderstanding full of all kind of profitt vnto the which we referre the studious readers and withall we will note such as came to our knowledge first a supplication vnto Antoninus Pius and his sonnes and to the Romayne Senate in the defence of our doctrine Agayne an Apology vnto y â— sayd Emperours successor by sirnamâ— Antoninus Verus whose time we presently do prosecute He wrote also agaynst the Gentiles where at large he disputeth many questions both of ours and the heathenish philosophers doetrinet of the nature of spirites altogether impertinent for this our present purpose He wrote an other booke also agaynst the Gentiles intituled a confutation or reprehension After that of the monarchie of God collected not onely out of the sacred Scriptures but also out of prophane wryters Next one intituled Psaltes An other of the soule as by way of annotation alleaging diuersâ— questions and many opinions of the heathen philosophers differring the consutation and his definitiue sentence vntill an other place Lastly of all he wrote a dialogue agaynst the Ievves disputing at Ephesus with Tryphon then a famous Doctor among the Ievves where he beelaâ—eth how the mercifulnes of God brought him to the knowledge of the true fayth how he diligently studied philosophie and earnestly sought after the trueth In that dialogue of the Ievves declaring their spite against the doctrine of Christ he inueieth against Tryphon thus You haue not onely hardened your selues from repentance but haue sent chosen men from Ierusalem vvhich shoulde passe through out the vvorlde and pronounce that there vvas a certaine Christian Heresie spronge slaunderinge vs as the rest doe vvhich knovve vs not so that thereby you proued your selues authors of falsehood not onely to your ovvne people but to all other nations He wryteth also how that vnto his time the gifte of prophecy flourished in the Church He remembred the reuelation of Iohn plainely affirming that it was the Apostles he alleageth many places of the prophets charging Tryphon that the Ievves rased them out of the Bible It is reported he wrote many other things well knowne vnto diuerse of the brethrâ— His workes of old were in great reuerence Irâ—â—â—â—â— in his fourth booke remembreth him saying Iustinus vvryting agaynst Marcion sayth very vvell Nether vvoulde I haue beleued in the Lord if he had shevved any other God besides the maâ—â—â— of all thinges And in his first booke â–ª Iustinus sayd vvell that before the coÌ„ming of our Sauiour Sâ—thaÌ„ durst not blaspheme God in so much he knevve not certainely of his condemnation before that tyme. These thinges were needfull to be noted that the â—â—â—sous mightâ—â—â—â—nestly embrarâ— his workes so farre concerning Iustinus CAP. XIX The succession of Byshops in Rome Alexandria and Antioche IN y â— eight yeare of the sayd Emperours raygne when as Anicetus had bene byshope of Rome eleuen yeares Soter succeded And in Alexandria after that Celadion had gouerned fourteene yeares Agryppas came in place* In the Church of Antioche Theophilus was the sixt from the Apostles Heros the fift Cornelius the fourth CAP. XX. VVhat ecclesiasticall persons flourished at that time IN those dayes Egesippus flourished in the Churche one of the moste auncient and Dionysius byshope of Corinthe and Pinytus byshope of Creta Philippus Apollinarius Meliton Musanus Modestus but specially Irenaeus of all which number there are monuments leaft in wryting vnto the posteritie of their Apostolicke traditions and sounde fayth CAP. XXI By the reporte of Egesippus he declareth what vniforme consent in relligion there was in that age and who of olde were authors of sectes and heresies EGesippus in his fiue bookes left vnto the posteritie a full remembrance of him where he declareth that comminge to Rome and conferringe with many byshopes he founde them all of one minde and the same doctrine we haue also to vnderstande of the worthy reporte alleaged by him toutching the Epistle of Clemens wrytten vnto the CorinthiaÌ„s saying The church of Corinthe remayned in the pure and right rule of doctrine vnto the tyme of Primus byshop there vvith vvhome meaninge the Corinthians sayling to Rome I conferred and abode many dayes and vvas conforted very much by reason of them and their doctrine Being come to Rome I stayd there vntill that Anicetus vvas stalled byshop vvhose Deacon vvas Eleutherius vvhome Sother succeded and after him Eleutherius In all their successions and in euery one of their Cities it is no othervvise then the lavve and prophets and the Lorde himselfe preached The same author reciteth y â— originalles of y â— heresies in his tyme wryting thus After that Iacobus Iustus had bene martyred in such sorte as Christ himself vvas put to death this vncle SimoÌ„ Cleopas vvas chosen byshope vvhome all preferred because that he vvas the Lordes seconde kinsman vvherefore they called that church a pure virgin for as yet the deuell had not sovvne there any corrupt seed of false doctrine But Thebulis because he vvas not chosen byshop vvent about to corrupt the same beinge partaker of the seuen heresies vvhere of one is Symon of vvhome the Simoniani and Cleobius of vvhome Cleobiani and Dositheus of vvhome Dositheani and Gorthaeus of vvhome Gorthaeani and Masbothaei of vvhome spronge the Menandrianists Marcionists Carpocratians Valentinians Basilidians and Saturnilians vvhereof euery one hath sett a broche a proper seuerall opinion Of these sprang the false christs the false prophets the false-apostles renting a sunder the Church vvith their false doctrine directed agaynst God Christ our Sauiour The same author describeth likewise y t old heresies of the Ievves saying There vvere in the time of the circumcision sundry sectes among the children of Israell varying in opinions sett opposite agaynst the tribe of Iuda and Christ namely theese the Essaeans â–ª the GalilaeaÌ„s the Hemerobaptistes the Masbothaeans the Samaritans the Sadduces the Pharises diuerse other thinges he wryteth of the which haue bene partly remembred of vs before and applyes to their proper and peculier places Afterwardes he maketh relation of the Gospell after the Hebrevves and Syrians and seuerally of certayne Hebrue dialectes and that 〈◊〉 meanâ—s of the Hebrevves he attained vnto the Christian fayth with a recitall of other vnwrytten traditions of the Ievves â–ª Moreouer Egesippus and yet not onely he but also Irenaeus with the whole assembly and company of the elders â— haue termed the prouerbes of Salomon wisedome it self replenished with all kinde of vertue and godlines and by occasion reasoninge of the Scriptures called Apocrypha he sayde that in his time diuerse of them were published by Heretickes hereof thus much now to that which by order of history we are bounde vnto CAP. XXII Of Dionysius Byshop of Corinthe â–ª and his Epistles FIrst we haue to speake of Dionysius â–ª who being byshop of Corinthe freely
steale beare avvay the precious ievvels but the vile the base and the vvodden stuffe they throvve out into the streete and burne it to ashes shevving forth thereby a resemblance or spectacle of a city taken ransacked by the enemie The brethren gaue backe vvithdrevve them selues aside taking in good parte very cheerefully the losse of their goodes much like vnto them of vvhome Paul hath testified Neither do I remember any one onely excepted of them vvhich vvere apprehended vnto this day that denyed the Lorde furthermore they take holde vpon the elderly and reno vvined virgine Apollonia they beate her cheekes and knocke out all the teethe in her heade ouer agaynst the citie they prepare a pyle and threaten to burne her quicke vnlesse she vvould together vvith them vvtter blasphemye but she lingering a litle vvhile as though she vvoulde take further deliberation sodainly leapes into the fire and is consumed to ashes To be shorte they laye holde vpon Serapion vvho continevved in his ovvne house vvhome they vexe vvith sundry greeuous bitter torments brusing all the members of his body and throvving him dovvne headlonge from an vpper chamber There vvas no vvay for vs to passe no not the high coÌ„mon no strayte cricke for passage eyther by daye or by night they cryed out all and exclaymed euery vvhere there vvas no other choyse but eyther to vtter blasphemie or to be dravvne and burned at the stake And these thinges the more is the pâ—tye endured toe toe longe but in the ende this sedition and ciuill vvarre ouertooke the seditious persons them selues and turned vpon them the selfe same crueltie vvhiche they before had practised vpon vs so that for a litle season vve refreshed our selues their furye vvhervvith they raged against vs being somevvhat abated For all this in a vvhile after the alteration of the imperiall scepter vvas declared and openly knovvne vvhich afore time vvas very sauorable vnto vs but novve threatneth great mischiefe to ensue specially aboue all other vnto the christians for the Emperours edict is proclaymed that most dreadful saying of our Sauiour prognosticated long agoe novv taketh place that if it vvere possible the very elect them selues shoulde be offended â–ª all do tremble quake for feare some forthvvith of the mightier sorte flye avvay doubting vvhat vvoulde be fall them some of their ovvn accord are caried avvay vvith their vvorldly affaires some are persvvaded by their neighboures and being â—â—lled by their names are present at their profane and impious sacrifices some vvaxed pale and trembled not as though they vvoulde sacrifice but like to become sacrifices and oblations to the Idols so that the vvhole multitude in compasse derided them for they seemed manifestly to be timorous both to dye and also to doe sacrifice some vvent stoutely vnto the altars and affirmed boldely that they vvere neuer Christians of vvhome the Lorde hath moste truely fore tolde that such shoulde hardely besaued some other there vvere that helde vvith both sides some fledd some vvere taken vvhere of diuers endured fetters imprisonment other some after long imprisonment before they came vnto the tribunal seate renounced their faith some others after they had stoutly endured torments in the ende denied Christ but others that vvere blessed and valiaunt as pillers or bulvverkes of the Lorde being strengthened by him and stout in protesting their fayth hauing gotten vnto them selues vvorthy constancie and courage sufficient became renovvmed Martyrs of the kingdome of heauen The firste vvas Iulianus a goutye man not able eyther to stande or goe he vvas brought forth by tvvo vvhich bare him on their shoulders vvhere of the one aftervvarâ—s fell from the fayth The other called Cronion vvhose syr name vvas Eunus together vvith the olde Iulianus confessed and acknovvledged the Lorde as their bounden dutie required vvith a perfect and sounde fayth they vvere both layed vpon camels and scurged aloft in the ende being throvvne into the flashing fire they vvere burned to ashes in presence of the people vvhich compassed them rounde about vvhen as they vvere brought forth a certaine souldier rebuked such as reuiled them vvherefore they exclaymed against him so that this valiaunt vvarrier of the Lorde vvas brought forth to fight vvho after that he had stoutly behaued him selfe in that great skirmish for the Christian faith vvas beheaded After him an other by nation a Libyan by appellation and blessing the true Macar vvas often admonished by the iudgeto denye Christ and renounce his fayth vvho for not consenting vnto it vvas burned quicke After them Epimachus and Alexander vvhen they had bene long punished vvith fetters tormented vvith sharpe rasors and bitter scurges vvere throvvne into a fire pile together vvith foure vvomen Ammonarion also a holy virgine vvhome the iudge vvrested to and fro for that she foretould him she vvould obey him in nothing vvhich in deede she performed vvas brought forth to execution The rest as Mercuria a very honest matron and Dionysia a very frutefull vvoman for childe bearing the vvhich children for all that she preserred not before the Lorde vvhen they had confounded the iudg vvhich vsed all kinde of persvvasions and novv vvas of the vvomen ouercome after they vvere so tormented that they past all sense and feeling they vvere beheaded vvith the svvorde but Ammonarion passed them all notably enduring all kinde of torment Heron also and Ater and Isidorus being Aegyptians together vvith Dioscorus a yong man of fifteene yeare olde vvere committed First of all the iudge tooke the yong man in hande vvith fayre speaches as though he vvere easy to be entreated aftervvards vvith torments as though he vvere soone terrified but he for all his persvvasions vvoulde neither bovve at his flatteries nor breake at his threates the reste after they had endured the moste cruell renting and vnioynting of their bodely members he commaunded to be burned vvith fire but Dioscorus he sett at liberty vvondering at his gracious countenance vvhich gaue a glistering shine and the vvise aunsvveres vvhich proceaded out of his mouth saying he vvoulde graunt him longer space to repente and to remember him selfe for his tender yeares sake so that euen at this daye the moste renovvmed Dioscorus remayneth amonge vs vvayâ—ing for a larger and a longer combatt Nemesion also an Aegyptian is accused of theâ—te vvhereof after he had openly purged him selfe before the Oenturion agayne he is accused of Christianitie vvherefore he vvas bounde and brought before the President but the most cruell and vniust iudge deliuered him amonge the theeues to be tvvise more greeuously tormented and vexed making him thereby the more blessed and honored after the example of Christ There stoode before the tribunall seate certayne souldiers Ammon Zenon Ptolomâ—us Ingenuus and together vvith them olde Theophilus vvho vvhen any of the Christians came to heare the sentence or iudgement and novve vvas ready to shrinke so strugled that they vvere ready to burste
and Faustus and Maximus and Marcellus and Chaeremon vvere brought forth Aemilianus sate in the Presidents rovvme I haue signified sayth he by vvorde here vnto you the clemency of our leages and Lordes the Emperours tovvardes you They haue graunted you pardon so that you returne vnto that vvhich nature it selfe bindeth you vnto so that you adore the Gods vvhich garde this empire and forgett the thinges vvhich repugne nature VVhat aunsvvere make you vnto these I hope ye vvill not vngratefully refuse their clemencie in so much they counsayle you to the better Dionysius aunsvvered All men doe not vvorshippe all Gods but seuerall men seuerall Gods vvhome they thinke good to be vvorshipped But vve vvorshippe and adore the one God the vvorker of all thinges vvho committed this empyre vnto the most clement Emperours Valerianus and Galienus vnto vvhome also vve povvre incessant prayers for their raygne that it may prosperously continevve Then Aemilianus the President sayde VVhat lett is there I beseeche you but that naturally you adore that your God insomuch he is a God together vvith these our Gods Dionysius aunsvvered VVe vvorshippe no other God To vvhome Aemilianus the President sayd I see you are altogether vnthankefull you perceaue not the clemencye of the Emperours vvherefore ye shall not remayne in this citye but shal be sent into the partes of Libya vnto a place called Cephro This place by the commaundemente of our Emperoures I haue picked out for you It shall not be lavvefull for you and others to frequente Conuenticles neyther to haue recourse as they call them vnto Churcheyardes If any of you be not founde in that place vvhiche I haue appoynted for you or in any Conuenticle lett him vnder his perill There shall not vvante sufficient prouision departe therefore vvhither ye are commaunded But he constrayned me althoughe sickely to departe vvith speede differring no not one daye hovve then coulde I rayse or not rayse a Conuenticle Agayne after a fewe lynes he sayth Truely vve are not absent no not from the corporall congregation of the Lorde for I gather suche as are in the citye as if I vvere present being in deede absent in the bodye but present in the spirite And there continevved vvith vs in Cephro a greate congregation partely of the brethren vvhiche follovved vs from out of the citye and partely of them vvhiche came from Aegypt And there God opened vnto me a dore vnto his vvorde yet at the beginning vve suffered persecution and stoning but at the length not a fevve of the Panymes forsaking their carued Images vvere conuerted For vnto such as before had not receaued theÌ„ first of al we preached the word of god And in so much that therfore God had brought vs among theÌ„ after that the ministery was there completed he remoued vs vnto an other place for Aemilianus woulde transporte vs vnto more rough places of Libya as he thought gaue coÌ„maundemeÌ„t that al from euery where should repaire vnto Mareòta where he allotted vnto seuerall men the seueral villages of that place coÌ„maunded that we in our iourney first among all the rest should be preuented for by taking vs vp by the vvay the rest vvould easily follovv after But I hearing we must depart from Cephro knowing not the place whither we were coÌ„maunded to go neyther remeÌ„bred I that euer afore I heard it named for al that tooke my iourney willingly cheerefully But when I vnderstood we must remoue vnto Colluthio then howe I was affected my companions knowe very well And here I will accuse my selfe For at the firste I fretted and tooke it very greeuously If places better knowne and more frequented had fallen vnto our loâ—â—e it shoulde neuer haue greeued me But that place whither I should repayre was reported to be destitute of all brotherly and friendely consolation subiect to the troublesome tumulte of trauaylers and violent inuasion of theeues Yet I tooke no small comforte in that the brethren toulde me it was nigh a citye For Cephro brought me greate familiaritye with the brethren of Aegypt so that our congregation encreased â–ª but there I supposed it might fall out for that the citye was nighe we shoulde enioye the presence of familiar friendely and beloued brethren whiche would frequent vnto vs and refreshe vs and that particular Conuenticles in the farther suburbes might be raysed whiche in deede came to passe Agayne of other thinges whiche happened vnto him thus he wryteth Germanus peraduenture glorieth of many confessions and can tell a longe tale of the afflictions which he endured but what can be repeated on our behalfe sentences of condemnation confiscations proscriptions spoyling of substance deposition of dignities no regarde of worldly glory contempt of the prayses due vnto Presidents consuls threatnings of the aduersaries the suffring of reclamations perils persecutions errors griefes anguishes and sundry tribulatioÌ„s which happened vnto me vnder Decius Sabinus hitherto vnder Aemilianus novv I pray you where appeared Germanus what rumor is blased of him But peraduenture I bring my self into great folly for Germanus sake The same Dionysius in his epistle vnto Domitius Didymus made mention againe of them who then were persecuted saying It shal seeme superfluous to recite the names of our men in that they were many to you vnknowne For al that take this for suertie There were men women yong men olde men virgins olde women souldiers simple men of all sortes sects of people wherof some after stripes fire were crowned victorers some after â–ª sworde some other in small time sufficiently tried seemed acceptable sacrifices vnto the Lord. Euen as hitherto it hath appeared to suffice me because he hath reserued me vnto an other fitt time knowne vnto him self who sayth in time accepted haue I heard thee in the day of saluation haue I holpen thee And because you are desitous to vnderstand of our affayres I vvill certifie you in what state we stande You all hearde how I and Caius and Faustus Peter and Paul when we were ledd bounde by the Centurion captaynes souldiers and seruants certayne of the brethren inhabiting Mareôta rushed out and sett vpon vs pulled vs which were violently drawne and followed agaynstour will But I truely and Caius Peter alone among all the rest depriued of the other brethren were shutt vp in a close dungeon distant three dayes iourney from Paraetonium in the waste deserte and noysome contrey Afterwardes he sayth In the citie there hidd them selues certayne of the brethren which visited vs secretly of the ministers Maximus Dioscorus Demetrius Lucius and they that were more famous in the worlde as Faustinus and Aquila these now wander I wott not where in Aegypt And of the Deacons there remained aliue after theÌ„ which died of diseases Faustus Eusebius Charemon God strengthned and instructed this Eusebius from the beginning to minister diligently vnto the confessors in prison and to burye the bodyes of
mention of that which Eusebius wrote cap. 14 and cap. 30. he maketh mention of that which Eusebius wrote cap. 2. as wrytten by himselfe therefore it is like Eusebius wrote this fragmente The sixt reason that moueth me to annexe this as parte of the booke is the shortenes of the booke for if we end at the 18. chapiter where the fragmente beginneth the booke may seeme to be no booke but rather an entrance or beginning of a booke Eusebius in the beginning of this 8. booke cap. 2. promised to wryte of martyrs thinkest thou Gentle reader that he woulde be so briefe and make so short a treatise where occasion was ministred to wryte not one booke onely but rather 3. bookes if he were disposed omitting nothing as he promised li. 1. ca. 1. touching the martyrs of his time to write of all the martyr doms suffred vnder Diocletian Maximinian and Maximinus Last of all this fragment endeth in very good order He promiseth to discourse of Maximinus the tyrantes recantation the which Eusebius performeth in the booke followinge For looke howe the. 8. booke endeth with the same the. 9. beginneth Therefore Eusebius was the author of this fragment CAP. XIX Howe the. 4. emperours Diocletian Maximinian Maximinus Constantius ended their liues THe author of this former edict not long after his foresayd coÌ„fession being rid of that his lamentable plight departed this life He is reported to haue bene the chiefe autor of the cala mity which befell vnto the christians during the time of persecution a good while agoe before y â— whurly burly raised by the rest of the emperours to haue gone about to peruert the christians which liued in warefare but aboue all such as were of his owne familye to haue depriued some of their martiall dignity renowne to haue encreated some others reprochefully without al shame Moreouer to haue persecuted some of them to the death and last of all to haue prouoked y â— other his fellowe emperours to persecute all christendome the ends of which emperours if that I passed ouer with silence I shoulde greatly offende The empire being deuided into foure parts foure seuerall princes bearing rule they two which were first proclaimed emperours and prefer red in honor before the rest hauing not raigned fully two yeares after the persecution deposed theÌ„ selues as we haue sayd before led thence forth the rest of their liues priuatly after y â— vulgare sorte of men hauing such an end as followeth the first hauing gotten y â— chief honor due to y â— imperiall scepter primate by creation after long great greuous disseases consumed wasted away by a litle a litle so died The seconde secondarily ruling the empire being priuey in consciâ—ce to many his lewd mischiuous practises committed in his life time hanged himselfe by the procuremeÌ„t of a wicked spirite which ledd him thereunto The later of them two which immediatly succeeded these whome we haue termed y â— author ringleader of y â— who le persecution suffred such tormeÌ„ts as we haue meÌ„tioned before CoÌ„stantius who weÌ„t before him by vertue of his prerogatiue in y â— imperiall dignity being a most mild curteous emperour as I sayd before led a worthy life during his whole raigne not onely because y t in other things he behaued himself most curteously most liberally towards al meÌ„ but also in y â— be was no partener w t y â— enemy in the persecutioÌ„ raysed against vs nay rather he maintained preserued such as were of y â— godly vnder his dominioÌ„ he neither rifled neither destroied the holy churches neither practised any other mischief preiudiciall to the christian affairs he obtained an end both blessed thrise happy he alone in his kingdome to y â— comfort of his naturall sonne successor in the empire a prince in all things both most sage religious enioyed a noble a glorious death His sonne forthwith entring into his raygne was by the soldiers proclaimed chief emperour Augustus who imitated that diligently his fathers stepps as a paterne of piety to the embracing of christian religion such an end at seuerall times had the aforesayd foure emperours of y â— which he alone mentioned a litle before together with others his emperiall associats published vnto the whole world by his writteÌ„ edict the aforesayd confession CAP. XX. Of the martyrs in Palastina IT was the ninetenth yeare of Diocletians raigne and the moneth Zanthicus the which the Romaynes call Aprill the feast of Easter theÌ„ drawing nigh Flauianus being gouerner of Palaestina wheÌ„ the emperours edicts were euery where proclaimed in y t which it was commaunded y t the churches should be destroyed that the holy scriptures should be burned y t such as were of creditt should be contemned y t such as led a priuate life if they retayned the christian professioÌ„ should be depriued of their freedome such were the contents of the first Edict but in the proclamation which immediatly folowed after it was added y t the pastors throughout all congregations should first be imprisoned next withall meanes possible constrained to sacrifice to be short the first of the martyrs in Palaestina was Procopius who before he had bene any while imprisoned stepping forth at the first iumpe before the tribunall seat of the presidents being commaunded to doe sacrifice vnto their gods made answere that to his knowledge there was but one only God to whom as y â— selfe same God had coÌ„maunded he was bound of duely to sacrifice And when as they commauÌ„ded him to offer sacrifice for y â— prosperous state of the foure emperours he recited a certaine verse out of a poet which pleased theÌ„ not for the which immediatly he was beheaded the verse was this Not many Lordes auayle vs here let one beare rule and raygne This was y e first spectacle exhibited at Caesarea in Palaestina the eight day of the moneth Desius before the seuenth of the Ides of Iune called of the Romaynes the. 4. day of the sabaoth After him there suffred many of the inhabiters of the same citie of the chief gouernours of y â— ecclesiasticall affayrs who endured that cherefully most vitter torments gaue the aduenture of most valiaÌ„t enterprises other some fainting for feare were quite discouraged at the first all the rest tried the experience of sundry torments one scurged from top toe an other wrested vntil y â— his ribbs brake a sunder in the squising bonds by reason whereof it fell out that some had their hands strooke of thus together they enioyed such an end as befell vnto them according vnto the secret wisedome iudgement of God one was led by the hand lugged to the altar his hands violeÌ„t stretched to toutch their detestable sacrifices in the end let go for a sacrificer an other when y â— he had neither approched neither toutched such
after there were other two committed to take their lots among them wherof one by name Agapius had before that time yelded an accompt of his faith by suffring of many bitter and greeuous torments the other by name Dionysius who carefully prouided for the corporall reliefe of the Martyrs All these in number eyght were in one day beheaded in the citie of Caesarea the foure and twentieth daye of the moneth Dystros that is the ninth of the Calendes of Aprill About that tyme two of the Emperours whereof the firste enioyed the prerogatiue of honor the seconde was next which gouerned the Empire embraced a priuate trade of lyuinge after the vulgare sort of men and the state of the publicke weale immediatly beganne to decaye In a while after the Romaine Empire was deuided the Emperours amonge them selues one againste an other fought great and greuous battailes neither was that tumult and sedition ceassed before that firste of all peace was restored and established throughout all the parts of the worlde which were subiect to the Romaine Empire for when as peace once appeared againe much like sonne beames shining after a mistie and darke night the publicke state of the Romaine empire was a gaine established the bonde of amitie linked againe mutuall amitie and concord retained of olde was againe recouered But of these things we will entreate hereafter more at large when more fitt oportunitie shall serue now let vs proceede vnto that which followeth CAP. XXII Of Apphianus the Martyr MAximinus Caesar who by maine force intruded him selfe into the Empire laynge wyde open vnto the whole worlde manifest proofes of his deadly hatred and impietie towards God as it were naturally growing in his fleshe and graffed in his bones persecuted vs more vehemently and more generally then the other his superior emperours wherfore when as trouble tumult no small confusion hanged ouer our heads some were here there scattered endeuoring by all meanes possible to auoide y t perill ensuing that a greuous coÌ„motion had now ouerrunne the contrie no toÌ„gue can worthely declare no speache sufficiently expresse the deuine loue liberty of faith wherewith Apphianus y â— blessed martyr of God yelded an accoÌ„pt of his profession Who shewed vnto y â— citizens of Caesarea asseÌ„bled at their spectacle or sacrifice in y â— porche of the teÌ„ple a liuely signe or tokeÌ„ of the singular zeale he bare godwards when he was not at that time no not xx yeare old he coÌ„tinewed a long time at Berytos in Phaenicia applying his minde to the study of prophane literature for he came of such parents as flowed in worldly wealth It is in maner incredible how he ouercame all youthly affectioÌ„s drowned all his wild otes in so vicious so corrupt a citie how y t neither by reason of his youthly floure lately florishing in his greene body neither by reason of his coÌ„panie and acquaintance with youthly mates he sucked the iuyce neither swallowed the sopps of lewde and wanton conuersation but embracing temperancie led a reuerent life peculier to christian religion in modesty sobrietie godlines If in case we be coÌ„strained to mention his contrey and to honor the same for bringing forth so valiant a champioÌ„ to wrastle in the caÌ„pe of this world vnder the baÌ„ner of Christ truely we will performe the same neither without good consideration for who so euer knoweth Pagas no obscure citie of Lycia it was there that this yong man was borne he after his returne from schoole and the study of prophane literature applied at Berytos not pleased with the conuersation of his father who then gouerned that whole contrey neither with the conuersation of his kinsfolks with whome he liued because they framed not their liues after the rule of piety being pricked with the instinct motion of the spirite of God inflamed with a certaine naturall nay rather celestiall true loue of sincere wisdome cast in his mind to consider of weyghtyer matters then this fayned counterfeite glory of the world beares vs in hande laying aside therfore all the sweete baites of fleshly pleasure he forsooke fled away priuely from his friends and families not weying at all the want of necessary prouision but casting his whole care confidence vpâ—â— God was ledd no doubt by the deuine spirite as it were by a stryng into the city of Caesarea where the crowne of martyrdome beynge the reward of godlines was prepared for him for whilest that he liued among vs he profited in holy scripture during that short terme of his life more then any man coulde thinke and practised such discipline as tended to godly life preparing a perfect way to dye well But toutching the ende he made who is it that beholdinge the same with single eye wyll not be astonyed and howe so euer againe he be disposed which only with fame and hearesay attaineth vnto the knowledge of his setled mind his noble courage his immouable constancie and aboue all his faithfull trust endeuour wherby the tokens of vnfained godlines and feruent spirite appeared which passed all the reach of mans reasons how can he chuse but woÌ„der therat for when as in y â— third yeare of our persecution vnder the raigne of Maximinus the seconde whurlyburlie was raysed against vs and the tyrants letters then first of all were brought to Vrbanus charging all the people of what degree or callinge so euer that they shoulde sacrifice vnto their gods the magistrats also throughout euery cytie busily applying them selues to the same and that the beadells throughout all the cytie of Caesarea shoulde by vertue of the Presidents edict summone the fathers the mothers and their children to appeare at the Idols temple and that the Tribunes shoulde likewise out of a scroule call euery one by his name by reason whereof there was no where but heauynesse sobbinge and sighinge the aforesayde Apphianus letting not one to vnderstande of his purpose vnknowinge vnto vs which accompanyed with him in one house vnknowinge vnto the whole bande of the captayne came cherefully vnto Vrbanus the President as he was a sacrificinge and boldly without any feare at all tooke holde in his ryght hande and stayed him forthwith from doynge sacrifice exhortinge him also both wisely and grauely with a certayne godly protestation and cheerefulnesse of minde thenceforth to ceasse and be no more seduced sayinge moreouer there was no reason that he shoulde despise the one the onely true God and offer sacrifice to idols and to deuells Such an enterprise the yonge man tooke in hande beynge prouoked thereunto as it seemeth vnto vs by the deuine power of God sounding in the eares of all mortall men by this his fact that the Christians which ryghtly do chalenge that name are farre from falling away from the seruice due vnto God the author of all goodnesse so that they not onely suffer and variantly endure threates and plagues
and punishments which commonly chaunce vnto them but thenceforth also pleade more boldly and yeelde an accompt of their faith more freely their tongue neither stuttinge neither stammeringe for feare yea and if it may any kind of waye come to passe they dare reuoke the persecutors and tormentors them selues from their blinde ignorance and constrayne them to acknowledge and embrace the one onely God Immediatly after he of whome I speake as it was moste like to happen vnto so bolde an enterprise was haled of the Presidents trayne as of sauadge beastes furiously raging against him and tormented ouer all his bodie with infinite stripes the which he paciently suffred and for a while was clapt in prison Where for one whole daye and nyght he was piteously tormented with both his feete in the stockes streatched farre a sunder the thirde daye he was brought forth before the Iudge And as soone as they enioyned him to sacrifice he resisted and shewed forth the greate pacience ingraffed in his minde for the suffringe of all terrors and horrible punishments so that the executioners rent his sides with the lashe of the whippe not once and twise but often euen vnto the bone and inwarde bowells lashinge him also on the face and the necke vntill that his face was swollen with the print of the stripes so that they which afore time knewe him well and discerned him by his countenance thenceforth missed of their marke and knewe him not at all When they sawe he woulde not yeelde for all these manifolde and sundrie tormentes the executioners at the commaundemēt of the president wrapped his feete in slaxe oyled all ouer and sette the same a fire whereof howe great and what greuous payne be suffred I am not able to expresse It runne ouer his fleshe it consumed the same and pearced vnto the marowe bredd within the bones so that his whole bodie larded and distilled muche like vnto droppinge and meltinge waxe Yet there was breath left and life remaininge for all these torments the aduersaries and executioners them selues were weryed at his intollerable pacience which farre exceeded the common nature of man after all this the seconde time he is cast into prison Three dayes after he is brought againe before the Iudge and beyng founde freely to confesse the same faith as aforetime although by reason of his woundes he was readie to yeelde vp the ghost yet was he throwen into the surginge waues of the seas If we shoulde make relation of the miracle which immediatly followed peraduenture such as sawe it not with their eyes will giue no creditt at all thereunto and though we perswade our selues that men will hardlie beleue it yet there is no reason to the contrarie but that we committe to memorie and deliuer in writinge the historie as it was indeede insomuch as in maner all which inhabite Caesarea are witnesses to the same There was no not a childe in Caesarea but was present at this straunge spectacle As soone as they had plunged as it pleased them best that holie and blessed martyr of Christ in the deepe goulphes of the mayne sea there rose vpon a sodaine such a storme not after the wonted maner of weather and such a noyse in the ayre not onely ouer the sea but ouer the whole lande whiche shooke both the earth and the whole citie with the violence and force therof and together with this wonderfull and sodaine earthquake the sea caste vp before the gates of the citie the martyrs carcasse as if it had bene of strength not bigge inough to beare so holie a burthen Such were the circumstances toutching blessed Apphianus who suffred martyrdome on good friday that is the second day of the moneth Zanthicus the 4. of the Nones of Aprill CAP. XXIII The Martyrdome of Vlpianus and Aedesius THe same time of the yeare and in maner on the selfe same dayes in the citie of Tyrus there was a yonge man by name Vlpianus who after most bitter stripes and greuous lashes was wrapped together with a dogge and a serpent in a greene oxe hyde and caste into the deapth of the sea And therefore I thought good to place him the next martyr in order of historie vnto Apphianus Not long after Aedesius not onely brother in God but also by birth and blood naturall brother by the fathers side vnto Apphianus suffred like brotherly and in maner the selfe same torments with him after infinite confessions of his faith after long fettering and stocking after sentence pronounced of the president cōdemning him to the myne pitts quarries in Palaestina after his holy trade of life led vnder the philosophicall habite being farre more profounde in prophane literature and better skilled in philosophie then his brother at length hearinge the Iudge giue sentence vpon the Christians in the citie of Alexandria and raging against them beyonde all reason shamefully entreating some times graue and sage and sober men some other times deliueringe chaste matrons and consecrated virgins to brothell houses to the ende they should be beastly abused he enterprised the selfe same thinge which his brother had done before And because he could in no wise away with those horrible offences he went boldly and courageously vnto the Iudge and told him to his face of the filthie and shamefull acts he had done both by worde and deede for which bolde reprehension he suffred sundry bitter torments with great constancie and pacience and last of all he was throwen into the sea enioying the like ende with his brother so farre of Aedesius And these things as I sayd before ensued not long after CAP. XXIIII Of Agapius the Martyr IN the fourth yeare of the persecution which plagued vs sore and the twelft Calendes of December the twentieth day of the moneth Dius beyng the fridaie and in the same citie of Caesarea such an act was committed in the presence of Maximinus the tyrant who then celebrated his birth day with royall spectacles and sumptuous maskes together with the people as may be thought worthy of memory and the printing in marble And because the custome then preuailed that sundry showes how so euer it fell out at other times in presence of the emperours should be exhibited with princely port maiestie to their great delight pleasure and that varietie full of newe and straunge deuises besides the common and vsuall maner should then be ministred so that some times beasts which were fett out of India Aethiopia other places were let loose in cōpasse of the theatre some other times men with lewde and wanton gestures delited the beholders wonderfully and the emperour also him selfe made sport and pastime it behoued that a notable spectacle full of admiration shoulde shine in that gorgeous and princely showe And what thinke you was that A martyr and a witnesse of our christian religion brought to the ringe and readie to wrastle for the sole and syncere seruice of God by name Agapius whome
a little before we haue reported to haue bene throwen together with Thecla at the feete of wylde beasts he beyng brought out of prison and linked with malefactors to pastime and sport the people when that he had openly runne the race and played the man and that thrise yea and oftenner to because the Iudge after sundrie threates sundry torments either pitying his case or hoping he woulde recant reserued him to other newe combatts at length he is agayne brought forth in presence of the Emperour no doubt beynge appoynted for that fitte tyme that the sayinge of our sauiour foreshewed vnto his disciples to wete They should be brought before kings and princes to witnesse of him might truely be fulfilled in him first of all he is brought forth together with a malefactor and a wicked varlet of whome the report went that he murthered his maister Afterwards this varlet who of ryght shoulde haue bene deuoured of wild beasts was pardoned by the bountifulnes and clemencie of the Emperour euen in maner after the example of Barrabas the murtherer whome the levves begged of Pilate condemning Christ wherat the whole theatre reioyced and shouted because that he was not only graciously pardoned by the Emperour but also restored to honor and fredome But this faithfull and godly champion first of all is called vpon of the tyrant next intreated to reuoke his opinion he is promised to be sett at libertie of the contrary he plainely pronounceth and that with a lowde voyce that he was disposed and woulde willingly suffer and that with all his hart all the torments and plagues that shoulde be layde vpon him not for any horrible or haynous crime committed by him but for Gods cause and in his quarell who was the creator of all thinges The which he had no sooner spoken but it came to paâ—â—e for there was a Beare let loose at him the which he mette face to face and yelded him selfe willingly to be deuoured Last of all while as yet he drewe breath he was cast into prison where he continewed one whole day the thirde day he had stones tyed to his feete and him selfe throwen in the deapth of the sea such was the martyrdome of Agapius CAP. XXV The martyrdome of Theodosia a virgine of Domninus and Auxentius the death of Vrbanus the president THe persecution beyng nowe continewed vnto the fift yeare the seconde daye of the moneth Zanthicus to wete the 4. of the Nonnes of Aprill the selfe same sonday being the resurrection of our sauiour called the feast of Easter againe Theodosia a virgine a modest christian mayd of Tyrus who had neuer yet seene the full coÌ„passe of eightene yeares came to certaine prisoners in Caesarea staÌ„ding at y â— barre which with coÌ„stancy protested y â— kingdome of Christ both louingly to salute them also as it is very like to entreate theÌ„ to remeÌ„ber her after their departure vnto the Lord. the which when she had done as if hereby she had coÌ„mitted some hainous and horrible offence y â— catchpoles hale hir present hir before the president he forth with like a mad maÌ„ bereued of his wits scourgeth her bare sides with bitter and greuous lashes renteth with the whip her white breasts tender duggs vnto the bare bones In the end this holy virgine hardly drawing breath yet pacient cherefull inough for all these punishments was throwen at the coÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„t of y â— presideÌ„t into y â— swift waues of y â— surging seas Afterwards hauing ended with hir he takes the other coÌ„fessors in hand condemneth theÌ„ to the digging of metalls in Phaenos of Palaestina After these thinges the fift day of the moneth Dius after the Romaines in the nonnes of Nouember the same president in the selfe same citie coÌ„demned Siluanus who as then was minister had freely protested his faith who also in a while after was chosen bishop dyed a martyr together with other confessors after their great constancy in defence of christian religion to the same druggery digging of metalls first he commaunded their knees should be vnioynted sawed of afterwards seared with hott yron then sent to the quarries The senteÌ„ce was no sooner pronouÌ„ced vpon these but he chargeth that Domninus a man very famous among the inhabitants of Palaestina for his infinite protestations of the Christian faith and his libertie of speache in the behalfe of our religion should be bounde to the stake and burned to ashes after whose condeÌ„nation the same iudge a suttle inuentor of michiefe deuiser of crafty sleyghts contrary to the doctrine of Christ found out such punishments as neuer were heard of before to vexe the godly withall he gaue senteÌ„ce that three of theÌ„ should buckle iuyst and buffet one an other he deliuered Auxentius a graue a godly a good old man to be torne in peces of wild beasts other some of mens estate and of great strength he gelded and condeÌ„ned to y â— quarries againe others he tormeÌ„ted greuously and chasticed with imprisonment and fetters of which nuÌ„ber was Pamphilus of all my familiars my dearest friende a man who amonge all the Martyrs of our tyme excelled for euery kinde of vertue First Vrbanus made a tryall of his gift of vtterance and skill in philosophicall discipline next he enioyned him to sacrifice whome when he perceaued to be altogether vnwillinge and not at all to weye of his thunderinge speaches beyng throughly moued with boyling choler and burning heate of furious rage coÌ„maundes that forth with he should be greuously and bitterly tormented wherefore the mercilesse and moste cruell president mangled the tender sides of the blessed martyr with the longe incision of sharpe rasors at length hauinge his fill and as it were ashamed of his fact commaundeth he should be kept in the noysome stinch of the close prison where the rest of the confessors remayned but what maner of reward Vrbanus was like to enioye after this life by the iust iudgement of God and vengeance like to light vpon him 〈◊〉 for so great crueltie and tyranny practised vpon the sainctes of God and blessed Martyrs of Iesus Christ we may easily gather by the plagues which happened vnto him in this life which wer◠〈…〉 or preambles â–ª vnto eternall punishments in the life to come â–ª for not long after this villany exercised vpon Pamphilus vengeance from aboue beganne on a sodaine to take holde â—pon him while as yet he gouerned in this sorte He who lately being placed in an highe and lofty throne pronounced sentence and gaue iudgement he who a litle before was garded with a troope of souldiers he who gouerned â–ª all the countrey of Palaestina he who was hayle mate and liued cheeke by â—ole with the Emperour â–ª euen he who was of his secretie and companion at meate the same by the iust iudgement of God â–ª in one night was not onely depriued of all so greate a porte and dignitie
the misery and lamentable state of such as were thus afflicted but also their owne case and the ignominie redounding therby vnto nature the common parent of all This spectacle of mans fleshe not in one place deuoured but piteously scattered euery where was subiect to euery mans eye rounde about the walls of the towne and exceeded all that thereof may be spoken and euery lamentable and tragicall shewe Some reported they sawe quarters whole carkasses and peeces of bowells within the walls of the citie while this continewed the space of many dayes such a miracle was seene as followeth When the weather was calme aud the ayre cleare and the cloudes vnder heauen which compasseth all banished away the pillers of the citie vpon a sodaine which helde vp the great and common porches swett or rather poured out many droppes of water much like vnto teares the markett place also and the streetes when as there fell not a droppe of rayne I wot not how neither whence soked with moysture and sprinkled dropps of water so that immediatly the rumor was bruted abroad in euery mans mouth that the earth being not able to away with the hainous and horrible offences of those dayes poured out infinite teares after a wonderfull sort and that the stones and senselesse creatures bewayled those detestable mischieues reprouing man most iustly for his stoâ—y heart his cruell minde voyde of all pitie and compassion but peraduenture this story will seeme fabulous and ridiculous vnto the posterity yet not vnto such as then were present and were fully perswaded with the trueth thereof CAP. XXVIII The martyrdome of Ares Promus Elias Petrus Apselamus and Asclepius a Bishop of the opinion of Marcion THe fourteneth daye of the moneth Apellaeâ—s which next ensued that is about the nynetenth of the Calends of Ianuary certaine godly men trauellers out of Aegypt their iourney was into Cilicia minding to finde some reliefe at Caesarea for the confessors whiche there abode were taken of the watch which sate at the gates of the citie searched incommers Of which men some receaued the self same sentence as they had before whom they went about to relieue to were y â— pulling out of their eies the maiming of their lyâ—â—â—es and left legges Three of them yelding forth a maruelous constancie at the confession of their faith ended their liues with diuers kindes of torments at Ascalon where they were apprehended One of them whose name was Ares was throwne into a great flaming fire and burned to ashes â–ª the other two whose names were Promus and Elias had their heads stroken of from their shoulders The eleuenth day of y â— moneth Audinaeus y â— is about the thirde Ides of Ianuary Petrus called also Apselamus a worshipper or religious man borne in the village Anea which bordered vpon Eleutheropolis being very often entreated by the iudge and his asistents to remember him selfe to pity his case and to tender his youthly yeares and florishing age contemned their perswasions and cast his whole care vpon Almighty God preferring that before all other thinges yea and before his proper life and at Caesarea tried by fire his faith in Christ Iesu with a noble and valiant courage much like vnto most pure golde together with him on Asclepius a Bishop as men sayd of the heresie of Marcion with godly zeale as he thought but not with that which is according vnto knowledge departed this life in the selfe same burning fire and thus much of them CAP. XXIX Of 12. Martyrs that suffred together in one day with Pamphilus and of the martyrdome of Adrianus and Eubulus TIme now draweth me away to paynt forth vnto the posteritie that noble and glorious theatre of Martyrs which suffred together with Pamphilus whose name I doe alwayes honour and reuerence They were twelue in number and thought worthy not only of y â— Prophetical or rather the Apostolike gift but also the number of the Apostles whose captayne and principall was Pamphilus â–ª minister of the Churche of Caesarea a man very famous for sundry his vertues throughout the whole race of his life singuler in despising and contemning this present worlde bountifull for liberalitie bestowed vpon the poore wonderfull in neglecting the care fixed vpon transitory thinges excelling in behauiour and Philosophicall trade of liuing moreouer passing all the men of our age for feruent zeale and earnest desire and study of holy Scripture maruelous constant in all his doings and enterprises and also very ready to ayde and helpe such as were of his kinne and familiar acquaintance other his vertues and well doinges because it required a longer treatise we haue lately and that largely published in a seuerall and peculier volume entitled of his life and deuided into three bookes Therefore such as are desirous to learne more exactly and more exquisetly to knowe his vertuous life we referre thither and presently we minde onely to prosecute such thinges as concerne the Martyrs which suffred persecution together with him The seconde after Pamphilus that came forth to wrastle was the reuerent whore headed Valens Deacon of the city Aelia a graue father in euery mans eye and greatly skilled in holy Scripture if then there was any such in the worlde he was so expert therein that if he hearde any percell thereof by any man alleadged forthwith was he able by rote to repeate it as well as if then he read it out of the booke The thirde was Paulus a man wonderfull zealous and feruent in the spirite borne in the citye Iamnia where he grewe to greate fame before martyrdome he endured the scorching and searing of his fleshe with hott yrons and passed through a worthy combatt at the confession of his fayth the martyrdome of these was differred by reason of their continewance in prison two whole dayes In the meane while came the brethren of Aegypt which suffered martyrdome together with them these Aegyptians when they had accompanied the confessors of Cilicia vnto the place appoynted for the digging of mettals returned home againe in their returne they were taken of the watch which kept the gates of Caesarea which were barbarous and rude groomes and examined who they were and whence they came when they could not conceale the trueth they were layde in holde as if they had bene haynous trespassers and had committed some horrible crime In number they were fiue which were brought before the tyrant and after their examination clapt in prison The thirde daye being the sixtenth of the moneth Peritius after the Romaynes about the fouretenth of the Calendes of March these together with Pamphilus and the rest of his companions mentioned a litle before by commaundement were brought before the iudg This iudge first of all trieth with sundry and manifold torments with new and straung deuises the inuincible constancy and valiant minde of the Aegyptians And with all he demaunded of the chiefe principal in this combat what his name was then
endeuored with all might possible to ouerthrow for when he tooke vpon him the patronship of that councels decrees he supposed it was his bounden duety to foresee lest the canons and decrees of that councell shoulde any kinde of way be impayred Wherefore being now busied with this controuersie he layd aside the quirks of logicke and fledd for ayde and asistance vnto Almighty God he gaue him selfe to continewal fasting and left no prayer vnrepeated such a kind of seruice deuotion he solemply embraced He got him into the Church of Peace for so they called the Church he locked in him selfe and finished such kinde of seruice as pleased him best he gott him to the Altare and downe he fell on his bare knees before the communion table praying vnto God w t teares that trickled downe his cheekes in which kinde of order he continewed many dayes and many nights He called for helpe at the handes of God and his petition was graunted His prayer was thus Graunt I besech thee o Lorde sayth he that if the opinion of Arius be true I my selfe may neuer see the ende of this sett disputation but if the fayth which I holde be true that Arius the author of all this mischiefe may receaue due punishment for his impious deserte This was the zealous prayer of Alexander The Emperour being desirous to knowe the minde and disposition of Arius sent for him to his pallace demaundes of him whether he woulde subscribe vnto the Canons of the Nicene councell He without any more adoe very cheerefully putts to his hande When as for all that he dalyed both craftely and lewdely with the decrees of that councell The Emperour maruelling at this put him to his othe he falsely and faynedly sware also The crafty â—uglinge which he vsed to bleare their eyes in subscribing as I haue hearde was this Arius wrote his opinion in a peece of paper of his owne the same he caryeth vnder his arme comming to the booke he takes his othe that he veryly beleeued as he had written This which I write of him I haue hearde to be moste true But I gather playnly that he sware after his subscription out of the Emperours letters The Emperour beleeuing verily that he dealt playnely commaundes Alexander Bishop of Constantinople to receaue him to the communion It was vpon a saturday the day after Arius looked to be receaued into the Church and communion of the faythfull â–ª but vâ—ngeance lighted forthwith vpon his lewde and bolde enterprises When he had taken his leaue and departed out of the Emperours hall he passed through the middes of the citie with great pompe and pontificality compassed with the faction and trayne of Eusebius Bishop of Nicomedia that wayted vpon him As soone as he came nigh Constantines market for so was the place called where there stoode a piller of redd marble sodaine feare of the haynous faules he had committed tooke Arius and withall he felt a greate laske Syrs sayth Arius is there any draught or iakes nigh when they tolde him that there was one in the backe side of Constantines market he gott him thither straight The mans harte was in his heeles he looked pitiously together with his excrements he voydeth his gutts a greate streame of bloode followeth after the sclender and small bowells slyde out bloode together with the splene and liuer gusheth out â–ª immediatly he dieth like a dogge Those iakes are to be seene vnto this day at Constantinople behinde as I sayd before Constantines markett and the porch shambles All passengers as many I say as goe by are wonte to pointe at the place with the finger to the ende they may call to remembrance and in no wise forgett the miserable ende of Arius that died in those iakes This being done terror astonishment amazed the mindes of Eusebius his confederats that followed him The report thereof was bruted abroad not onely throughout the whole citie but in maner as I may say throughout the whole world The Emperour by this meanes cleaued the more vnto christian religion and sayd that the Nicene Creede was ratified and confirmed to be true by the testimony of God him selfe and reioyced exceedingly at the thinges which then came to passe His three sonnes he made Caesars seuerally one after an other euery tenth yeare of his raygne His eldest sonne whom after his owne name he called Constantine the tenth yeare of his raygne he made Emperour ouer the westerne partes of the empire the seconde sonne whome after his graundfathers name he called Constantius the twentieth yeare of his raygne he made Emperour ouer the Easterne partes of the empire The third and yongest of all called Constans he consecrated Emperour the thirtieth yeare of his raygne CAP. XXVI The sicknes the Baptisme the death and funerall of Constantinus magnus THe yeare after Constantine the Emperour being threescore and fiue yeare olde fell sicke and leauing Constantinople sayled to Helenopolis vsing for his healthe the hott baths that were nighe the towne When that he sickned more and more he differred bayning of him selfe left Helenopolis and gott him straight to Nicomedia â–ª Abiding there in a certayne manour without the towne walls he was baptized in the fayth of Christ In the which baptisme he greatly reioyced made his last will testament appoynted his three sonnes heyres of the empire distributed to theÌ„ their seuerall inheritances as he had in his healths time he bequetheth to Rome and to Constantinople many famous monuments he putteth the Priest by whose meanes Arius was called from exile of whome we spake a litle before in trust with his testament charging him to deliuer it to no mans hand saue to his sonne Constantius whome he had made Emperour of the East His will being made and his life lasting a fewe dayes after he died At his death there was none of his sonnes present Wherefore there was a Post sent into the East for to signifie vnto his sonne Constantius the deathe of his father * The Emperours corps his familiares and dearest friendes chested in a coffin of golde and carryed it to Constantinople there they sett it in an high lodging of the pallace doing thereunto great honor and solemnitie vntill that one of his sonnes was come When that Constantius was now come from the East they sett forth the corps with a princely funerall and buried it in the Apostles Churche for so was it called the which Church Constantine buylded lest that the Emperours and Priestes shoulde be bereued of the Apostles reliques The Emperour Constantine liued threescore and fiue yeares he raygned 31. and died the two and twentieth day of May Felicianus and Tatianus being Consuls the second yeare of the two hundreth seuenty and eyght Olympiade This booke compriseth the historie of one and thirtie yeares The ende of the first booke of Socrates THE SECONDE BOOKE OF THE ECCLESIASTICALL HISTORYE OF SOCRATES SCHOLASTICVS CAP. I. The proeme where
the threats of Ieâ—â—â—bel For it is written howe that in those dayes the sonnes of the prophets beinge sought for hid them selues and through the helpe of Abdias â—urked in denns VVhat haue they not read these auncient stories vvhat are they ignorant also of such thinges as the Euangelists haue vvritten For the Disciples fearinge the levves stole them selues from amonge them Moreouer Paul beynge at Damascus â–ª and sought out by the gouernour of that countrey vvas lett dovvne ouer the vvall in a basket and so escaped the magistrate Seeinge that holie scripture hath thus remembred the behauiour of holie men â–ª vvhat coulourable shyfte can they finde to cloke their impudent dealinge If they charge them vvith timorous feare the fault recoyles and lighteth vpon their owne distempered brayne If they report it to be contrarie to the will of God then are they founde altogether ignorant of the vvorde of God For it is commaunded in the Lawe that sanctuaries and cities of refuge shoulde be ordayned for such as vvere pursued to death vvhere after they had sledde vnto them they might lyue in safetie Furthermore the vvorde of the father vvhich in olde tyme spake vnto Moses hath commaunded in these last dayes VVhen they shall persecute you in this cytie flye into an other And agayne VVhen you see sayeth Christ the abhomination of desolation mentioned in the Prophete Daniel standinge in the holie place he that readeth lett him vnderstande it then lette them that be in Iudaea flye vnto the mountaynes â–ª he that is on the house toppe lette him not come dovvne to take ought out of his house and lett not him that is in the fielde returne home for his raymente The vvhiche vvhen holie men had learned they framed their trade of lyfe agreeable therevnto For looke vvhatsoeuer the Lorde commaunded at that tyme the same he vttered by the mouthes of his Sainctes yea before his incarnation And this is the vvay to perfection for men to performe that in deede vvhich the Lorde commaunded in vvorde VVherefore the vvorde of God being made man for our sakes sticked not to hide him selfe as vve commonly doe vvhen he vvas sought for and agayne to flie to the ende he might auoyde the conspiracie of the Pharises vvhich persecuted him For euen as by pacient sufference of hunger and thurst and such kinde of miseries he vvoulde shevve him selfe to be true man so also by flyinge avvay from the face of the aduersary Moreouer euen from the very cradle and svvadling cloutes as soone as he had taken fleshe of the virgine being as yet but a childe he gaue charge vnto Ioseph by the Angell saying rise take the childe together vvith his mother and flie into Aegypt for it vvill come to passe that Herode vvill goe about to seeke the life of the childe Likevvise after the desease of Herode vvhen he hearde that Archelaus the sonne of Herode raygned in his steede it pleased him to goe aside into the partes of Nazareth Aftervvardes vvhen he made him selfe manifest to be God and healed the vvithered hande the Pharises vvent out and tooke councell hovve they might dispatche him but Iesus perceauinge their conspiracie conueyed him selfe from amonge them Agayne vvhen he restored Lazarus to life from that daye forth sayth the text they tooke councell hovve they might put him to death Iesus therefore after that tyme shevved not him selfe openly amonge the Ievves but departed vnto a solitary place adioyning vnto the vvildernesse Beside all this vvhen our Sauiour auoutched saying before Abraham vvas I am the Ievves tooke vp stones for to throvve at him but the Lorde hid him selfe and vvent out of the temple and passing through the middest of the thronge escaped avvay VVhen they see these examples but they seeing as it is vvritten doe not see and bethinke them selues of these presidents are they not invvardly pricked in conscience vvhen as they preâ—mue thus vnaduisedly to bolt out sentences and sit in iudgment both vpon the sayings and doings of our Sauiour To this purpose vvas that of Iesus vvho vnderstanding of the beheading of Iohn the Baptist and the burying of his body by his disciples tooke shiping weÌ„t aside into a desert place Thus the Lorde him selfe both did these thinges and taught the same I vvoulde to God these men vvoulde novv at length be ashamed of their doings and cease euen presently from sclaundering of true professors and not proceede on further in their furious disposition charging yea our Sauiour him selfe vvith timorous feare and faint corage blaspheming vvith all might the maiestie of his blessed name â–ª but no man can avvay vvith such kinde of persons that are vvholy geuen ouer vnto all vngracious behauiour it may easily be proued that they are altogether ignorant vvhat the Euangelists haue left vs in vvriting The cause that moued our Sauiour to slie and goe aside being layde dovvne in the Gospell seemed not onely to be agreeable vnto reason but vvas in very deede most true vve therefore haue to coniecture that the same by all likelyhoode happened vnto all the Sainctes of God for vvhatsoeuer thinges are vvritten to haue chaunced vnto our Sauiour after the maner of men vve haue not referre the same vnto all mankinde in so much he tooke our nature vpon him and liuely expressed in him selfe the humane affections of our fraile constitution euen as it is vvritten in the Gospell after Iohn they sought to take him but no man laide handes vpon him because that his houre vvas not as yet come Yea before this came about he sayde vnto his mother Mine houre is not as yet come He spake also vnto them that vvere called his brethren my tyme is not yet come Agayne vvhen the houre vvas come he sayd vnto his disciples sleepe on novv and take your rest beholde the houre is at hande the sonne of man shal be betrayed into the handes of sinners Therefore neyther suffred he him selfe to be taken before his tyme vvas come neyther hid he him selfe vvhen the houre vvas at hande but yelded him selfe vnto the enemie In like sorte the blessed Martyrs in the great heate and troublsome stormes of persecution vvhiche often came to passe being pursued by men fledde avvay and hid them selues in secret and solitary places but being taken they valiantly encountred vvith the aduersaries ended the combatt vvith martyrdome These were the reasons of Athanasius layd downe in his Apollogie the which he wrote in the defence of his departure from his bishopricke in the time of persecution CAP. VII Eusebius after the councell held at Alexandria was broken vp returned to Antioch where he founde the people at variance by reason that Paulinus was there chosen Bishop and when that he coulde not preuaile among them with exhort ations to peace and vnitie he gott him home to his owne bishoprick of Vercellae EVsebius Bishop of Vercellae immediatly after the dissoluing of the
Thence he tooke his voyage towards Cōstantinople came vnto a place called Dedastana lying in y e middest betwene Galatia and Bithynia There was he mett of Themistius the philosopher together with other Senators and noble personages who then pronounced before him his oration intituled Consul the which afterwards also he vttered at Constantinople in the hearing of the whole multitude The empire of Rome had enioyed great prosperitie the state of all people both hygh and lowe the ecclesiasticall affaires of the church of God by reason of so vertuous an Emperour had florished exceedingly had not death vnlooked for pearced his breast with her poysoned dart and depriued him of all his princely ioy for he dyed in the aforesayde place in winter of the longues beynge stopped with deadly obstructions the 17 of Februarie he him selfe together with his sonne Varonianus being Consul He was Emperour seuen moneths and departed this lyfe beyng three and thirtie yeare olde This booke compriseth the space of two yeares and fiue moneths The ende of the thirde booke of Socrates THE FOVRTH BOOKE OF THE ECCLESIASTICALL HISTORYE OF SOCRATES SCHOLASTICVS CAP. I. Howe that after the death of Iouian Valentinianus was chosen Emperour who ioyned with him his brother Valens Valentinianus him selfe was a true Catholicke but Valens was an Arian WHen Iouian the Emperour had runne the race of his naturall lyfe and departed out of this worlde at Dadastana as we sayde before the seuentienth of Februarie beynge Consull him selfe together with Varonianus his sonne the souldiers which came from Gallatia the seuenth daye after into Nicaea a citie of Bithynia proclaymed with vniforme consent and one voyce Valentinianus for their Emperour the fiue and twentie of the sayde Februarie and in the aforesayde Consulship This Valentinian was by byrth of Pannonia and of the citie Cimale who applyinge him selfe to feates of armes proued both a skilfull and a valiant warryer He was a man of a noble minde and seemed alwayes to deserue farre greater honor and dignitie then he enioyed As soone as he was created Emperour he gott him with all speede to Constantinople and thirtie dayes after his coronation he made his brother Valens fellowe Emperour with him And though they were both Christians yet did they disagree in poyntes of religion Valentinian embraced the faith established by the Councell of Nice but Valens after a certaine toye conceaued in his braynes cleaued vnto the Arian heresie the which opinion tooke roote in his breaste by reason he was baptized of Eudoxius the Arian bishop of Constantinople They were both earnest followers of the faith which they embraced and beynge created Emperours the one was farre vnlike the other in condicion and trade of lyfe For though before that tyme vnder the raygne of Iulian the one beynge Tribune I meane Valentinian the other beynge of the ordinarie garde and dayly about the Emperour I meane Valens they both declared vnto the worlde the zeale they bare vnto Christian religion for beynge constrayned to sacrifice they chose rather to flinge from them their sworde gyrdels then forsake the faith of Christ so that the Emperour Iulian deposed nere nother of them from their dignities no more he dyd not Iouian who immediately succeeded him in the Empire perceauinge they were profitable members of the common wealth yet afterwardes hauinge gotten the supremacie the emperiall scepter notwithstandinge their diligence and care was alike in the administration of the publicke weale at the beginninge of their raygne for all that toutchinge the faith as I sayde before they varyed one from an other and shewed a contrarie and a diuers countenance vnto the professors of Christian religion Valentinian as he honored and reuerenced the fauourers of his faith and opinion so he molested the Arians not at all yet Valens endeuoured not onely to encrease the numbre of the Arians but also as hereafter shall more manifestly appeare greeuously to persecute the contrarie opinion About that tyme Liberius was bishop of Rome and at Alexandria Athanasius was ouer the congregations which addicted them selues vnto the faith of One substance but ouer the Arians was Lucius whome the heretickes chose to their bishop immediatly after the desease of Georgius The Arians inhabitinge Antioch had Euzoius to their byshop Such as maynetayned there also the faith of One substance were deuided into two partes ouer the one was Paulinus ouer the other Meletius Cyrillus was then bishop of Ierusalem and Eudoxius the Arian bishop of Constantinople The defenders of the creede which contayned the clause of One substance were fayne to meete in a litle chappell within the sayd citie and there to celebrate their wonted solemnity The sect of the Macedonians which varied from the Acacians in Seleucia enioyed their churches throughout euery citie And thus went the affayres of the church in those dayes CAP. II. VVhen Valentinianus abode in the VVest the Macedonians repayred vnto Valens at Constantinople and obtayned of him to summone a councell How that Valens being an Arian persecuted the true Christians THe Emperour Valentinian tooke his iorney with all speede into the West whither he was constrained by reason of earnest busines to remoue But Valens as he remayned at Constantinople was visited of the Bishops which were of the sect of Macedonius and requested to summone an other synode for the establishing of the true faith The emperour thinking verily they were of one opinion with Acacius Eudoxius gaue them licence to call a councell together They from euery where cited the bishops to meete at Lampsacum But Valens with all celerity gott him to Antioch in Syria fearing lest the Persians should breake the league of thirty yeares made in the raygne of Iouianus and inuade the Romaine dominions where he founde that the Persians were quiet and meant no harme The Emperour therefore liuing in peace and enioying quietnes raised great and grieuous persecution against them which embraced the faith of one substance And although he molested not Paulinus the Bishop for his rare vertues and singuler giftes yet banished he Meletius but others of the Churches of Antioch that woulde not communicate with Euzoius he vexed diuersly and plagued with sundry penalties and punishments It is reported moreouer that he threwe many into the riuer Orontes which runneth by the citie and there drowned them CAP. III. VVhile Valens the Emperour persecuted the true Christians in the East Procopius the tyrant rebelled at Constantinople then also were seene great earthquakes and ouerflowing of the sea which destroyed many cities WHen Valens exercised such practises in Syria Procopius the tyrant rebelleth at Constantinople Who when in short space he had gathered great power marched forwards to geue battell vnto the Emperour Valens vnderstanding of this was in a sore taking and by reason of this sturre his tyranny cruelty rested a while from persecuting In the meane space while y ◠smoke of this tumult waxed hott there rose vpon a sodaine
that sea◠departed this life all was there on an vprore about the election of a bishop and great strife there was whilest that some woulde preferre this man some other that man vnto the bishopricke The tumult beinge raysed Ambrose Liuetenant of the citie who also was a Consull fearing greatly lest that schisme woulde breéde mischiefe in y ◠citie came purposely into the church for to appease the sedition After that his presence had preuayled very much with the people after that he had geuen them many notable exhortations after he had mitigated the rage of the heady and rashe multitude all of a sodayne with one voyce and with one mouth nominated Ambrose to their byshop For in so doinge there was hope that all woulde be reconciled and that all woulde embrace one faith and opinion The bishops that were present thought veryly that the vniforme voyce of the people was the voyce of God him selfe Wherefore without any further deliberation they take Ambrose and baptize him for he was a Catechumenist and stall him bishop But when Ambrose came willingly to the baptisme yet denyed vtterly he would be bishop they make the Emperour Valentinianus priuie to their doings He wonderinge at the consent and agreement of the people supposed that which was done to be the worke of God him selfe and signified vnto the bishops that they shoulde obey the will of God who commaunded they shoulde create him bishop that God rather then men preferred him vnto this dignitie When that Ambrose was thus chosen bishop the citizens of Millayne who aforetime were at discord among them selues thenceforth embraced peace and vnitie CAP. XXVI Of the death of Valentinianus the Emperour AFter the aforesayde sturre was ended when the Sarmatians assaulted the Romaine dominions the Emperour raysed great power and made expedition against them The Barbarians vnderstanding of this and foreseeing their owne weakenes that they were not able to encounter with so great a power sent embassadours vnto the Emperour crauinge of him that he would ioyne with them in league establishe peace betwene them As soone as the embassadours had presented them selues before him and seeynge that they were but abiects and raskalls demaunded of them what be the rest of the Sarmatians such men as you are When the Embassadours had answered yea O Emperour thou seest the chiefest of the Sarmatians before thee Valentinianus was wonderfully incensed against them and brake out into vehement language that the Empire of Rome had yll lucke to fall into his handes vnder whose raygne so beggerly and so abiect a kinde of Barbarians coulde not quiete and content them selues with safetie within their owne boundes but they muste take armour rebell agaynste the Romaine Empire and so boldely proclayme open warre He strayned him selfe so muche in exclayminge agaynste them that he opened euery vayne in his bodie and brake the arteries asunder whereof there gushed out such a streame of bloode so that he dyed in the Castell commonly called Bergitium in the thirde Consulshippe of Gratianus together with Ecoetius the sixtienth of Nouember He lyued foure and fiftie yeares and raygned thirteene The sixt daye after the desease of Valentinianus the souldiers of Italie proclaymed Emperour Valentinianus the yonger so called after his fathers name who was of very tender yeares at Aconicum a citie in Italie The rest of the Emperours vnderstāding of this tooke the matter very grieuously not because Valentinianus who was y ◠ones brother the others brothers sonne was chosen Emperour but because he was appointed without their consent vnto whome it belonged to create him Emperour But both gaue their cōsents that he shoulde be Emperour and thus was Valentinianus the yonger sett in the emperiall seate of his father We haue to learne that this Valentinianus was gott vpon Iustina whome his father maryed for all that Seuera his firste wyfe was alyue and that for this cause Iustus the father of Iustina who a good while agoe in the raigne of Constantius the Emperour was Liuetenant of Picenum sawe in his sleepe that his right side was deliuered of the emperiall purple robe When that he awoke he tolde his dreame to so many that at length it came to the Emperour Constantius eare He thereby was geuen to coniecture that there shoulde one be borne of Iustus which shoulde be Emperour and therefore he sent from him that shoulde dispatche Iustus out of the waye Wherefore Iustina nowe bereaued of her father contineweth a virgine In processe of time she became acquainted with Seuera the Empresse and had often conference with her When that there grewe greate familiaritie betweene them they vsed both one hath for to bayne them selues Seuera seeyng the beautie of this virgine as she bayned her selfe was wonderfully in loue with Iustina she tolde the Emperour also what a goodly mayde she was that the daughter of Iustus passed for beautie all the women in the worlde that she her selfe though she were a woman yet was wonderfully enamored with her sweete face The Emperour printinge in his harte the wordes which seemed onely to pearce but the eare deuised with him selfe howe he myght compasse this beautifull Iustina to his wyfe not diuorcinge Seuera ▪ vpon whome he had gotten Gratianus whome also he had made Emperour a little before Wherefore he made a lawe that as many as woulde myght lawfully haue two wyues the which he proclaymed throughout euery citie When the lawe was proclaymed he tooke Iustina to his seconde wyfe vpon whome he gotte Valentinianus the yonger and three daughters Iusta Grata Galla. Of the which two lead they re lyues in virginitie the thirde Galla by name was maryed to Theodosius Magnus on whome he gotte his daughter Placidia For he gotte Arcadius and Honorius of Placidia his former wyfe But of Theodosius and his children in an other place CAP. XXVII After that Themistius the Philosopher had made an Oration in the hearinge of Valens the Emperour relented from persecuting of the Christians and howe the Gothes in the tyme of Valens embraced the Christian faith VAlens makinge his abode at Antioche although he warred but litle with forayne nations the Barbarian nations kept them selues within their boundes yet pursued he continewally such as helde the faith of One substance and ceassed not dayly to inuent newe deuises and straung torments wherewith he myght plague them ▪ vntyll that his fierce and cruell minde was somewhat mitigated with the Oration which Themistius the Philosopher pronounced before him where he admonished the Emperoure not to maruayle though the Christians varyed amonge them selues in religion that if Christianitie were compared with infinite multitudes of opinions raygninge amonge heathen philosophers sure he was that there were aboue three hundreth opinions and greate dissention about rules and preceptes wherevnto euery sect necessarily addicted them selues it woulde seeme but a very small thing and that God woulde sette forth his glorie by the diuersitie and discorde in opinions to
EuaÌ„gelists presse y â— ChristiaÌ„s w t the yoke of bondage seruitude but left y â— remeÌ„braÌ„ce of the feast of Easter the obseruation of other holidayes to their free choice discretioÌ„ which haue bene benefited by such daies And because meÌ„ are wont to keepe holidaies for to refreshe their wearisome bodies already pining w t toyle labor therfore it coÌ„meth to passe y â— euery one in euery place of a certaine custome do celebrate of their owne accord y â— remeÌ„braÌ„ce of y â— Lords passioÌ„ â–ª for neither our sauiour neither his Apostles haue coÌ„mauÌ„ded vs any where to obserue it neither haue they layd it downe as a law neither haue y â— EuaÌ„gelists apostles threatned vs or inioyned vs a penalty or punishmeÌ„t as y â— law of Moses hath done vnto y â— Iewes but only y â— EuaÌ„gelists make meÌ„tioÌ„ of this fest partly to y â— great shame of y â— Iewes who defiled their bodies and prophaned their solemne feasts with blood and slaughter and partly also to signifie that our sauiour suffred death for the saluation of mankind in the dayes of vnleauened bread The drist of the Apostles was not to lay downe canons and decrees concerning feasts and holy dayes but to become paterns vnto vs of pietie of good life and godly conuersation I am of the opinion that as many other things crept in of custome in sundry places so the feast of Easter to haue preuayled among all people of a certaine priuate custome and obseruation insomuch that as I sayde before not one of the Apostles hath any where prescribed to any man as muche as one rule of it The successe and euents haue manifestly declared vnto the worlde that of olde time it was obserued not by canon but of custome The greater part throughout the lesser Asia haue solemnized this feast of olde vpon the fourteenth day of the moneth without any accompt made or heede taken of the sabaoth day For all that while they did so they were not at discord with such as retayned a contrary obseruation of that feast afore that Victor bishop of Rome through boyling heat choler had excoÌ„municated all Asia I meane such as obserued the feast of Easter the fourteenth day of the moneth For which act Irenaeus bishop of Lions a citie in Fraunce inueyed bitterly in his letters againste Victor rebuked him for his fuâ—â—ishe dealing and furious rage put him in remembrance that the elders and auncient fathers who varyed amonge them selues about the obseruation of this feast communicated neuerthelesse one with another and also that Polycarpus bishop of Smyrna whiche suffred martyrdome vnder Gordianus communicated with Anicetus bishop of Rome neither fell he out with him at all as Eusebius reporteth in the fift booke of his ecclesiasticall historie for all that he kept the fourtienth day of the moneth as the custome of Smyrna where he abode did preuaile Some as I sayd before in the lesser Asia doe celebrate that feast the fourteenth daye of the moneth some againe inhabiting the farthest parts of Asia eastwards vary in the moneth yet hold the feast vpon the saturday they thinke that the Iewes are herein to be followed for all they curiously marke not the time of the feast these men doe solemnize it after the Aequinoctiall space yet doe they detest the time limited by the Iewes for the celebration therof for they thinke that Easter is euer to be kept when the sunne is in Aries after the Antiochians in the moneth Xanthicus but w t the Romaines in Aprill That also therein they followed as Iosephus writeth in his third booke of Iudaicall antiquities not the Iewes of the later age who foully erred therein but the eldest and most auncient And as these men varied thus among themselues about the obseruation of the feast of Easter so is it manifest that all other contreys throughout the west parts of the world whose bankes are beaten with the surging waues of the Ocean sea of old tradition prescribed custome haue celebrated this feast after the Aequinoctiall lime And for all that these contreyes these nations and languages thus varyed one from the other yet they neuer deuided the communion of the church neither brake they asunder y â— bond of vnitie Neither is y â— true which is rife in the mouthes of malicious men that the councell summoned in the time of Constantinus Magnus peruerted set quite out of order the maner and custome retayned about the celebration of this feaste For Constantinus him selfe wrote vnto such as varied from others exhorting the fewer multitude to follow the greater number the which epistle of the Emperour thou shalt finde wholly in Eusebius thirde booke of the lyfe of Constantine But some portion thereof which specially concerneth the feaste of Easter is read in this sorte In my simple iudgement that is a notable custome the vvhiche all the churches VVest South and North together vvith manie contreyes of the East doe retayne and therefore it commeth to passe that all presently doe thinke verie vvell of it I my selfe haue presumed so muche vpon your discrete vvisdomes that vvhat custome so euer is obserued vvith vniforme consent in the cytie of Rome Italie Aphricke and all Aegypt Spayne Fraunce Brittayne Libya and all Greece in the prouinces of Asia Pontus and Cilicia you moste vvyllingly vvoulde approue the same vveyinge vvith your selues aright that there are not onely more churches but a greater number of people in those partes and that all of duetie shoulde vvishe and earnestly desire that thinge to be moste religiously established vvhich ryght and reason requireth vvhich also hath no fellovvshippe vvith the open periurie of stubburne and stifnecked Iewes This is a peece of the Emperours epistle They that keepe Easter the fourteenth day of the moneth bring forth Iohn the Apostle for their author such as inhabite Rome and the west partes of the worlde alleage Peter and Paul for them selues that they should leaue them such a tradition Yet there is none that can shew in writing any testimonie of theirs for coÌ„firmation proofe of their custome And hereby I do gather y â— the celebration of y â— feast of Easter came vp more of custome theÌ„ by any law or canon Euery sect religioÌ„ hath suÌ„dry diuers rites ceremonies yet coÌ„ceaue they no worse opinioÌ„ of others therfore theÌ„ of theÌ„ selues for they whiche are of one faythe and opinion varye amonge them selues in rites and obseruations Wherefore occasion is nowe ministred to discourse of the diuersitie of ceremonies and customes throughout all contreyes and Christian congregations The maner of fastinge vsually obserued before Easter as it appeareth vnto the whole worlde hath diuersly bene obserued Such as inhabite the princely citye of Rome doe faste three weekes together before Easter exceptinge the Saturdaye and the Sundaye Illyrium all Greece together with Alexandria beginne their fastinge dayes six weekes before Easter and that space
kneeled the souldiers of Theodosius came and stroke his heade of his shoulders These thinges were done the sixt of Septembre in the thirde Consulship of Arcadius and the seconde of Honorius Arbogastes the autor of so great a slaughter two dayes after the ende of the battell seeing that by flight there was no way possible for him to saue his life ranne vpon a naked sworde and dispatched him selfe CAP. XXV How immediatly after this battell the Emperour Theodosius sickned and departed this life afore the triumphes were fully ended THe Emperour Theodosius by reason of the trauell and great toyle he had taken about those warres beganne to be very ill at ease And when that his disease gaue him to vnderstande that the mortall race of his naturall life was then to be finished care and doubts appertayning vnto the gouernment of the common weale troubled him more then the frayle departure or the feare of death yea when he considered with him selfe how many calamities do commonly happen vnto the empire when the Emperour and the scepter be parted asunder Wherefore he sent in post hast for his sonne Honorius to Constantinople purposing to establish through him peace and tranquilitie in the West partes of the worlde At the comming of the sonne to Millayne the father was somewhat recouered and beganne to celebrate exercise of triumphe for ioye of the victory gotten of the tyrant In the morning he felt him selfe so well that he honored the triumphe with his presence In the afternoone he was so sodainly taken with his disease that he was not able to goe beholde the solemnitie but charged his sonne to see all the royaltie accomplished the night following he departed this life It was when Olybrius and Probinus were Consuls the seuenteneth of Ianuary the first yeare of the two hundreth nynety and fourth Olympiad This Theodosius the Emperour liued three score yeares and raygned sixteene This booke contayneth the history of sixteene yeares and eyght moneths The ende of the fift booke of Socrates THE SIXT BOOKE OF THE ECCLESIASTICALL HISTORYE OF SOCRATES SCHOLASTICVS The proeme of Socrates signifying that nowe he beginneth the history of his tyme. I Haue performed most holy Theodorus in the former fiue bookes the promise I made and the taske you haue enioyned me as touching the continewing of the ecclesiasticall history from the raygne of Constantine vnto these our dayes after my sclender skill and the simple talente bestowed vpon me But I woulde haue you knowe afore ye reade them that I haue not curiously addicted my selfe vnto lofty stile neither vnto a glorious shewe of gay sentences for so peraduenture in running after words and phrases I might haue mist of my matter and fayled of my purpose and intent had I attayned yet was it not in my reache to laye downe that forcible kinde of stile vsed of auncient wryters wherewith they amplifie and diminish they extoll and debase at their pleasure Agayne such a penning profiteth very litle the vulgare and ignorant sorte of people who desire not so much the sine and elegant phrase as the furtherance of their knowledg and the trueth of the history Wherfore lest that our story shoulde halt of both sides and displease the learned in that it doth not counteruade the artificiall skill and profounde knowledge of auncient wryters the vnlearned in that their capacitie can not comprehende the substance of the matter by reason of the paynted Rhetorick and picked sentences I haue tyed my selfe vnto such a meane for all the handling is simple the trueth is soone founde and the effect quickly vnderstoode Furthermore nowe entring into discourse of our sixt booke I must needes tell you the trueth that I am euen in maner dismayed when I take penne in hande to paynt for the vnto the posteritie the famous acts of these our florishinge dayes lest it fall out that we laye downe in writinge such thinges as may offende some kinde of men or as commonly we saye lest trueth be constrayned to trye her friendes when as we publishe not with prayses and commendations the names of such as they like well of or extoll not vnto the skies the fame of their noble and famous acts The fauorers of Prelats and patrons of clergy men will blame vs for not intitling the Bishops moste godly moste holy and such like epithetons Other sortes of men somewhat more curious then the rest will misconstrewe our meaning for not calling the Emperours Lordes and most vertuous with other such like honorable titles vsually geuen them of men But seeing that I am able to proue and iustifie out of auncient wryters that the seruant in their bookes hath called his Lorde and Maister no otherwise then after his christened name I will laye aside these lofty titles and tye my selfe as my bounden duety requireth vnto the trueth of the history and keepinge my selfe within the compasse and limites of faythfull Historiographers which couet a simple and a playne kinde of stile I will nowe to the matter and write of such thinges as I haue partly seene and partly learned of such as sawe them with their eyes the which I haue better liking of because the reporters varied not amonge them selues I had much adoe and greate labour in sifting out the trueth because that sundry men of diuers fortes made relation thereof vnto me wherof some affirmed that they had bene present some other that they had occasion to searche out all circumstances CAP. I. Howe that after the death of Theodosius the Emperour his sonnes parted the empire Of the Bishops then florishing and howe that Arcadius meeting the army at the gates of the citie had Russinus a Magistrate of his slayne at his feete by the souldiers WHen y â— Emperour Theodosius had departed this life in y â— Consulship of Olybrius Probinus y â— seuententh of Ianuary his sonnes tooke in hand the gouernment of the Romaine empire Arcadius ruled the East Honorius the West then was Damasus bishop of the princely citie of Rome Theophilus of Alexandria Iohn of Ierusalem Flauianus of Antioch and of Constantinople otherwise called newe Rome Nectarius was Bishop as I remembred in the former booke The eyght of Nouembre he being Consul him selfe the corps of Theodosius was brought to his resting graue and solemnely interred with noble funerall by his sonne Arcadius Shortly after being the eyght and twentieth day of the same moneth the Emperour Theodosius army which ouerthrewe Eugenius with all his host was come thither When the Emperour Arcadius went forth as the maner is vnto the gates of the citie to meete the army the souldiers presently layd hands vpon Russinus the Emperours Embassadour and beheaded him for he was suspected of treason and the report went of him that he procured the Hunnes a barbarous nation to inuade y â— Romaine dominions at the same time also they destroied Armenia with other contreyes of the East The same day when Russinus was beheaded
tribune of the souldiers in Phrygia being somewhat a kinne vnto him and also of his conspiracye subdued all the Phrygian nation Gainas then made earnest sute vnto the Emperour in his owne behalfe that he woulde make him Liuetenant of Phrygia The which Arcadius the Emperour without foresighte of that which was like to ensue graunted vnto him with a willinge minde He immediatly as they reported wente to geue battaill vnto Tribigildus but as trueth was to playe the tyrant brought at his tayle thousands of the barbarous Gotths He was no sooner entred into Phrygia but all the contrey yelded vnto him The Romaines were in a woefull plight partely because that so greate a multitude of Barbarians followed after Gainas and partely also because that the Easterne parts of the empire were in great daunger of inuasion Then the Emperour yelding vnto y ◠necessity of y ◠time aduised himselfe dealt subtlely with y ◠Barbariā sent vnto him Embassadours and sought by all fayre meanes to pacifie him And when that he requested the Emperour to send vnto him Saturninus and Aphelianus who were Consuls head Senatours whome he suspected to be hinderers of his enterprised conspiracy the Emperour though vnwilling yet because of y ◠time yelded vnto his request They being of a noble valiant courage desirous also of death in the qua rell and defence of theyr countrey obeyed the Emperours commaundement To be short they met the Barbarian in a playne greene where they vsed to iust and runne at tilt a good way of Chalcedon and redy they were to endure what torment so euer were layde vpon them But he did them no harme for he dissembled his drift got him to Chalcedon there Arcadius the Emperour mett him The Emperour and the barbarian being together in the temple where the corps of Euphemia the martyr lyeth interred sware one to the other that nere nother would conspire neither procure the others death But although y ◠Emperour a man both godly zealous made great accōpt of his oth and kept it vnuiolably yet Gainas forsware himselfe brake the league and ceased not to proceede on in his former treason and conspiracy But deuised with himselfe howe he might settt the citie of Constantinople on fire ouerrunne the whole Empire of Rome Wherefore Constantinople vp reason of the infinite number of Barbarians which abode there became in maner a Barbarian citie of the citizens and inhabitants there was no other accompte made then of captiues and bondeslaues The citie was in so great a daūger that a wonderfull great Comet reaching in maner frō y ◠skie vnto y ◠earth the like whereof was neuer remēbred to haue bene seene before prognosticated the same Gainas first of all laing shamefastnes aside steeling his face with impudencye purposed in his minde to rifle the shoppes of the bankers and exchaungers But when as the report thereof preuented his lewde purpose and the bankers remoued theyr exchaunginge tables and conueyed awaye theyr money he endeuored to compasse an other mischieuous act for he sent in the nighte season a multitude of Barbarians to fire the pallace of the Emperoure At what time it appeared vnto the wholl world how carefull God was ouer that citie For an iufinite nūber of Angells resembling men of monstrous bodies all in glisterng armour were seene of these rebels that went about to set the pallace on fire the Barbarians supposing they had bene a greate armie and a mightie host were astonied and ranne away Gainas hearinge of this thought it a thinge incredible He knewe for certaintie y t so great a power of Romaine souldiers coulde not possibly be there for they were appointed seuerally throughout euery citie The night followinge he sent thither others that not once neither twise whē as y ◠souldiers being oftē sent of him reported y ◠same for the Angells of God were alike in the sight of the traitors at length he went thither himselfe with great power for to knowe the certainety of the wonderfull sight He perceauinge of a surety that it was an army of souldiers hiding themselues in the day time and withstanding his violēce in the night season went about to compasse a crafty feate as he thought whereby he might greatly hurt the Romaynes but as the euent declared it auayled them very much He fained himselfe to be possessed of a Deuell and therefore he got him to the Church of Saynct Iohn the Apostle which was not farre frō the citie there for to pray The Barbarians went forth w t him conueying armour priuely in tunnes and vessells coueringe them also with other sleyghtes and deuises When the watch porters of the citie gats perecaued theyr wile treason they commaunded them to carye forth no weapons the Barbarians hearinge this drewe theyr swords and dispatched thē euery one Immediately all the citie was on an vprore and death seemed to stande at euery mans dore Yet for all that the citie was safe the gates on euery side beinge shutte and well fortified The Emperour aduisinge himselfe in tyme proclaimed Gainas a traitor and an open enemy ◠he commaunded that the Barbarians which remayned in the citie shoulde be slayne euery one this was the day after the death of the porters the souldiers within the walls of the citie nigh the Gotthicke church for there all the Barbarians were assembled together dealt hande to hande with the Barbarians set the Churche on sire and slewe manye of them Gainas hearinge that as many of his complices as he left behinde with in the citie were executed and perceauing that his traiterous conspiracye had no prosperous successe left his hypocriticall prayers got him to the coasts of Thracia And comming into Cherronesus he tooke shippinge thence in all the hast to Lampsacum for to subdue from that place forewards all the Westerne partes of the worlde When the Emperour had preuented him in those countreyes by sending thither great power both by sea and by land it fel out y ◠God of his prouidence shewed there his wonderfull power the second tyme. For when the Barbarians wanted shippes they fell a framinge of newe vessells and so to transporte souldiers in them The Romayne nauye came thither and ariued at the very pinche or as commonly we saye in the nicke for they had winde and sayle at will the Westerne Zephyrus blewe on theyr side And as the Romayne power conueyed themselues thither with ease and pleasure so the greater parte of the Barbarian nauye bothe horse and man shippes and all were tossed to and fro scattered one from the other and suncke in the deepe gulphes of the surginge waues of the seaes Diuerse also of the Romaines were drowned alike And thus there was then an infinite number of the Barbarians destroyed But Gainas remouinge thence taking his flight by Thracia lighted by chaunce into the hands of the Romaine souldiers which dispatched both him
went about but aboue all others he vsed the aduise of Troilus the Sophist a man very wise of great experience and singuler pollicie he was nothing inferior to Anthemius and therefore Anthemius retayned him of his counsell in all his affayres CAP. II. Of Atticus Bishop of Constantinople WHen the Emperour Theodosius went on the eyght yeare of his age the thirde yeare of Atticus bishop of Constantinoples consecration the which he enioyed with great commendation was expired a man he was as I sayd before of meane learning yet in life godly and of great wisedome and therfore the Churches in those dayes encreased and florished exceedingly He reconciled not onely such as were fauorers of his owne faith but also made the hereticks to haue his wisedome in admiration whome he would in no wise molest but after that he had ratled them againe he woulde shewe him selfe louing and amiable towards them He was a painfull student for he bestowed great labour he spent the greater part of the night in reading ouer the works of auncient wryters in so doing there was no grounde of philosophy no quirck in sopistrie that coulde blanke or astonish him He was gentle and curteous vnto such as conferred with him and with the sorowfull he seemed to sorowe him selfe In fewe wordes he became as the Apostle writeth all vnto all men First as soone as he was made Priest the sermons which with great labour he framed together he learned out of the booke and pronounced in the Churche In processe of tyme by dayly exercise and greate diligence he so boldned him selfe that he preached ex tempore his maner of teaching was very plaine his Sermons were so simple that the auditors thought them not worthy the bearing away neyther the writing in paper to the knowledge of the posterity following Thus much of his conditions behauiour learning and gift of vtterance now to the history of that tyme. CAP. III. Of Theodosius and Agapetus Bishops of Synada THeodosius Bishop of Synada a citie of Phrygia pacatiana was a sore scurge vnto the here ticks for in that citie there were many of the Macedonian sect he banished them not onely the towne but also the contrey Neyther did he this according vnto the rule of the Catholicke Church which accustometh not to persecute men neyther with zeale of the right and sincere fayth but in hope of fifthy suere and foule gayne for to wringe money from the hereticks Wherefore there was no way that might grieue the Macedonians left vnassayed he mayntayned his owne clergie against them there was no deuise but he practised for to afflict them with he sticked not to bring them in fetters to holde vp their handes at the barre but aboue all others he plagued their Bishop Agapetus with sundry griefes and vexations And when as he perceaued that the chiefe Magistrats within that prouince were not of autoritie sufficient and that their commission ertended not to the punishment of the Macedonians he gott him in all the hast to Constantinople and sued out a commaundement of the Lieuetenant of that prouince for the sharpe correction of them Whilest that Theodosius the Bishop made friends at Constantinople for the furtherance of his sute Agapetus whome I tearmed the Macedonian Bishop was conuerted and fell to embrace the right and sound faith For after he had assembled together all the clergie and layty within his iurisdiction he perswaded them to receaue the faith of one substance This being done he went with speede together with a great multitude nay with the whole citie into the church where after prayers and solemne seruice he gott him into the seate of Theodosius Immediatly after the linking of the people together in the bonde of loue and vnitie thenceforth he maintayned the faith of one substance so that he obtayned the gouernment of the Churches belonging vnto the diocesse and citte of Synada Shortly after Theodosius came home to Synada and brought with him autoritie from the Lieuetenant whereof he bragged not a litle and being ignorant of all the thinges that were done in his absence straight way he gott him into the Church there he founde but small welcome for the dores were made fast against him and after that he vnderstoode of their dealing againe he posteth to Constantinople There he be wayled his state before Atticus the Bishop and openeth vnto him how that he was iniuriously thrust beside his bishoprick Atticus vnderstanding that all fell out to the great profitt and furtherance of the Church of God beganne to pacifie him with milde and curteous languages exhorting him thenceforth to embrace a quiet life voyd of all trouble and molestation and not to preferre his owne priuate gaine and lucre before the profit and commoditie of the whole Church he wrote moreouer vnto Agapetus willing him to enioy the bishoprick and not to feare at all the displeasure of Theodosius CAP. IIII. Howe a lame Iewe being baptized of Atticus Bishop of Constantinople recouered againe his lymmes EVen as the aforesayde circumstance which fell out in the florishing dayes of Atticus was a great furtherance to the church of God so likewise miracles with the gift of healing which raygned in those times turned to the glory of God and the profitt of his people for a certayne Iewe being helde the space of many yeares with a paulsey was faine to keepe his bed and hauing tried all the salues and medicens all the practises and prayers of the Iewes was not a iote the better at length he fled for refuge vnto the baptisme ministred in the Churche of Christ perswading him selfe for suertie that by the meanes of this being the true phisicke of the soule he might recouer the former healthe of his bodye Atticus was immediatly made priuey vnto this his deuoute minde and godly disposition he instructed the Iewe in the principles and articles of Christian religion he layd before him the hope that was to be had in Christ Iesu he bidds that Iewe bed and all shoulde be brought vnto the font and place appoynted for the ministration of baptisme This Iewe being grieuously taken w t the paulsey was no sooner baptised in the faith of Christ and taken out of the font but his disease left him so that he recouered his former health This gift of healing being wrought by the power of Christ preuayled in the worlde amonge the men of these our dayes Many of the Gentils hearing the fame of this miraculous power receaued the faith and were baptized but the Ievves for all they sought after signes and wonders yet could they not with signes be brought to embrace the Christian faith CAP. V. Howe that Sabbatius a Iewe borne being Priest of the Nouatian Church fell from his owne sect FOr all that Christ the sonne of God bestowed the aforesayd graces and benefitts of his singuler loue and goodnes towards mankinde yet the greater part weying not thereof more is the ptty wallowe still in
accustomed to adore in a certaine house fire which continewally burneth vnder the ground they conuey a man whome they make to rore and to crie out as followeth when the king is at his prayers The king must be thrust out of his kingdome He behaueth himselfe lewdly in taking the Christian priest for a godly person Isdigerdes for so was their king called hearing this dreadful voice for all that he reuerenced Maruthas yet purposed he to sende him awaye Then Maruthas being a right godly man gaue himselfe wholly to prayer whereby he found out the fraude and deceate of the Magicians Wherefore he reasoneth thus with the kinge Be no longer deceaued O king but get thee into the house cause the earth to be digged vp thou shalt easily perceaue theyr guile For the fire speaketh not it is a certaine deuise inuēted by men for y ◠purpose The king yeldeth vnto the counsell of Maruthas in he goeth againe vnto the house where the fire continewally burned As soone as the voice was heard the second time he commaunded the earth should be cast vp and there was he founde which spake and cried out the which clamor they tooke to be the commaundement of God himselfe The kinge when he espied theyr lewde treachery was exceedinge wroth and gaue forth charge that euery tenth of the Magician kinred shoulde be executed he turned him to Maruthas and willed him to buylde churches where pleased him best Upon this occasion it fell out that y ◠faith in Christ florished exceedingly in the kingdome of Persia For that time Maruthas left Persia and tooke his voyage to Constantinople Shortely after he went againe in embassie into Persia by that time the Magicians found out other deceytfull deuises and a freshe they fall a forging to the end the kinges mind might be alienated from him Of sette purpose they infected the ayer of a certaine place where the king was wont to frequent with a stinking sauour and with all they sclaunder the Christians that it was scattered by them But the kinge hauinge iust cause to suspect the Magicians for theyr former wiles made great inquire who should play so slutush a parte at length by longe sifting it was knowen that the Magicians themselues had caused this corrupte odour for the nonce to be spred all ouer the place wherefore againe he executed many of them but Maruthas he had in greate estimation Thence forth he loued the Romaynes entirely embraced thē in league of peace friendship The king was almost become a christian when Maruthas together w t Ablaatus the Persiā bishop published vnto y ◠world an other experimēt or triall of the Christian faith for they both beinge continewally geuen to watch and to pray cast a Deuell out of the kinges sonne which tormented him out of measure But death preuented him and abridged the raines of his mortall rare ere he coulde fully be instructed in the Christian faith After his desease his sonne Bararanes enioyed the crowne in whose dayes as it shall be hereafter more plainely declared the league betwene the Romaynes and the Persians was broken CAP. IX The succession of Bishops in the Church of Antioch and Rome ABout that time when Flauianus Bishop of Antioch had departed this life Porphyrius was chosen in his rowme and after Porphyrius Alexander was made Bishop of that seae In the Churche of Rome when that Damasus had gouerned the Ecclesiasticall affayres the space of eighteene yeares Siricius succeeded him in the Bishoprick Againe after that Siricius had continewed there the tearme of fifteene yeares departed this life Anastasius was Bishop three yeares after his desease Innocentius who firste droue the Nouatians out of Rome and depriued them of many Churches was made Bishop of that seae CAP. X. Howe that Alarichus tooke Rome and made it subiect vnto the Barbarians IT fell out in those dayes that Rome was taken of the Barbarians For one Alarichus a Barbarian being in league with the Romaynes and sometime ayded the Emperour Theodosius in the battaill agaynst the tyrant Eugenius and therefore was aduaunced into great honour by the Romaines when he could not paciently content him selfe with the prosperous sayle of fortunate successes although he aspired not vnto the Emperiall seepter yet left he Constantinople and posted in all the hast into the Weste partes of the worlde He was no sooner come into lllyrium but he subdued vnto him all that contreye As he went forewardes on his iorneye the Thessalians withstoode him aboute the entries of the riuer Peneus the readye waye by Mounte Pindus vnto Nicopolis a citie of Epirus the sielde beinge there pitched the Thessalians slew aboue three thousand men After that bloody s kirmishe the Barbarians which accompanied Alarichus ransackinge and spoylinge both towne and coutrey as they went tooke at length the citie of Rome They rāsacked the citie They defaced and fired many worthie monuments they violently spoiled the citizens of theyr money they executed many of the Senatours with sundry kindes of tormente Alarichus to the ende he might bring the Royall porte and maiestie of the Emperiall scepter into contempt and derision proclaymed Emperour one whose name was Attalus this man by his procuremc̄t walked abroade the space of one wholl daye with a garded troope of souldiers the next day after in the attyre and habite of a seruant When these things preuailed then in suche sorte as you heare Alarichus tooke his heeles and ranne away for the reporte that was bruted abroad of Theodosius y ◠Emperours great power marching to geue him battaill astonied his mind and put him in great feare Neither was it a fable or a forged rumor but for moste certaine trueth that the Emperours host made expedition to wage battaill with him He when as he coulde in no wise away with that fame gaue him selfe to flight The reporte goeth that as he went towardes Rome a certaine monk met him which admonished him not to delite him selfe with perpetrating of such haynous and horrible offences neither to reioyce in committing of slaughter and bloodshed Whome Alarichus answered in this sorte I God knovveth doe take this voyage agaynst my will There is one which molesteth me dayly nay he compelleth me by force and sayth thus vnto me goe on thy iorney destroy the citie of Rome So farre of Alarichus CAP. XI Of the Bishops which in those dayes gouerned the Church of Rome AFter Innocentius Zosimus gouerned the Churche of Rome the space of two yeares after his desease Bonifacius was Bishop three yeares whome Celestinus succeeded This man banished the Nouatians out of Rome depriued them of their Churches and constrayned Rusticula their Bishop priuely to rayse priuate conuenticles For vnto that time the Nouatiās florished at Rome enioyed many churches had vnder thē great cōgregatiōs but they were thē hated out of measure whē as the bishop of Rome no otherwise thē the bishop of
of the Nouatians was set on fire SHortly after Paulus the Nouatian bishop although aforetime counted a very godly man yet then specially it fel out y â— men conceaued a farre better opinion of his piety theÌ„ euer they did before At ConstaÌ„tinople there happned such a fire y â— like whereof was not remebred before For the greater parte of the citie was consumed to asses the famous graynard the market house called Achilleus were quite burned Last of all the fire crept into the Nouatian church which adioyned vnto the signe of the Storck Wherefore Paulus as soone as he perceaued the churche to be in great daunger fell prostrate before the Altare referred vnto God in his prayer the preseruatioÌ„ of the church neither ceassed he to inculcate as well the remembrance of the citie as of the church God as it proued in the end gaue eare vnto his prayers For all y e fire flashed into the church both by dore and by windowe yet was there no harme done nay though the buylding round about was on fire though the church was inuironed w t burning flames by the power of God the church was preserued and ouercame the furie rage of the fire It was not quenched the space of two dayes two night s the citie burned all that while In the end though many partes of the citie were vtterly come to nought yet the church as I sayde before escaped that lamentable ouerthrowe And that which was more to be wondred at no signe of the smoke no scorching of the flame no parching of the heat could be seene vpon the timber beames or walls This came to passe the seauenteenth of August in the fourteenth Consulship of Theodosius and the first of Maximus The Nouatians since that time doe yearely keepe holyday the seauenteeneth of August in remembrance y â— their church was then miraculously preserued from fire at what time they render vnto God harty thankes all men doe reuerence that church for the miracle and not only the Christians but also y e Ethniks doe honor it as an holy place So farre of that CAP. XXXIX Howe that Proclus succeeded Maximianus in the Bishoprick of Constantinople WHen Maximianus had peaceably gouerned the church the space of two yeares and fiue moneths He departed this life in the Consulship of Areobindus Asparis the twelf of Aprill It was the ember weeke next before Easter and on good fridaye At what time Theodosius the Emperour plaid a very wise part For lest that tumult dissention should be raised againe in y e church wtout any further delay while as yet y e corps of Maximianus was aboue grouÌ„d he procured the bishops then present to stall Proclus in the Bishops seae To this end the letters of Celestinus bishop of Rome were brought vnto Cyrill bishop of Alexandria vnto Iohn bishop of Antioch vnto Ruffus bishop of Thessalonica certifieng them that there was no cause to the contrary but that one either alredy nominated bishop of some certaine citie or stalled in some proper sea might be translated vnto an other bishopricke As soone as Proclus then tooke possession of the bishoprick he solemnized the funerall of Maximianus and interred his corps CAP. XL. Of Proclus Bishop of Constantinople and what kinde of man he was NOwe fit oportunity is offred to say somewhat of Proclus This Proclus from his youth vp was a reader he frequented the schooles and was a great student of Rhetoricke When he came to mans estate he had great familiarity with Atticus for he was his scribe Atticus seeing his forewardnes in learning good behauiour in life made him Deacon But wheÌ„ he was thought worthy the degree of a priest Sisinius as I sayd before made him Bishop of Cyzicum But these things were done a good while before At that time as I saye he was chosen Bishoppe of Constantinople A man he was of a maruelous good life for being trained vp vnder Atticus he became an earnest follower of his vertuous steps As for pacieÌ„t sufferaÌ„ce he farr excelled Atticus Euen as Atticus as time and place required could terrifie the heretickes so he behaued him self tractable towardes all men perswaded him selfe that it was farre easier for him by faire meanes to allure vnto the Churche then by force to compell them vnto the faythe He determined to vexe no secte whatsoeuer but reserued and restored vnto the Churche that renowmed vertue of meekenesse required in Clergie men Wherein he imitated the EmperoureÌ„ Theodosius For euen as it pleased him not to execute the Emperiall sworde agaynste suche as committed haynous crimes and wrought treason so Proclus made no accompt at all of suche as were of the contrary fayth and opinion CAP. XLI Of the clemencie of Theodosius the Yonger THeodosius the Emperour did highely commende Proclus for the aforsayde vertues For he counteruayled in pacience y â— holy pryests of God he could not away w t persecutors yea â—o say the trueth he passed all the priestes of God in modesty and meekenes of spirite euen as it is wrytten of Moses in the booke of Numbres Moses was the mildest man vpon earth so may it nowe be sayd of Theodosius that he is the mildest man in the world for which cause God subdued his enemies vnto him without slaughter bloodshed euen as the victory he got of Iohn the tyrant and the ouerthrowe of the Barbarians did manifestly declare vnto the worlde For God bestowed such benefittes vpon this most holy Emperour as he did of olde vpon the righteous and vertuous liuers Neyther truely doe I wryte these thinges in the waye of flattery but I will heareafter declare vnto the world more plainely that they are as true as I reporte them CAP. XLII VVhat calamity befell vnto the Barbarians which ayded the tyrante and rebell Iohn AFter the desease of the tyrante the Barbarians whome he had gathered together to wage battaill with the Romaynes purposed to ouer runne certaine dominions that were subiecte vnto the Empire of Rome The Emperour hearing of this referred vnto the wisedome of God after his wonted guise the wholl matter he gaue him selfe altogether vnto prayer and in the end obtayned his desire It shall not be amisse presentely to laye downe the miserable endes of the Barbarians First of all theyr captayne Rugas was slaine with a thunderbolt Next there ensued a plague which dispatched the greater parte of his souldiers Neither seemed this a sufficiente punishment but there came fire also from heaueÌ„ consumed many of them that remained the which thing did greatly astonish y â— BarbariaÌ„s not so much because they presumed to take armour against y â— fierse valiaunt Romaynes as when they saw y â— Romaynes asisted by the mightie arme inuincible power of God At that time Proclus the Bishop repeated some parcell of Ezechiels prophecy expounded it in the Churche and applied it with singuler commendation to haue bene foreshewed of
Theodosius the Emperour beganne to offer praises and thankesgeuing for the benefits he receaued of God and to exâ—oll w t diuine laudes the name of Christ Moreouer he sente Eudocia the Empresse to Ierusalem for he promised y â— she should performe this vowe if he might see his daughter maried But she both at her going and at her returne bewtifled with sundry ornaments not onely the churches of Ierusalem but also throughout all the cities of the Easte CAP. XLVII Of Thalassius Byshop of Caesarea in Cappadocia PRoclus about that time in the seauenteenth Consulship of Theodosius tooke in hand a maruelous enterprise suche a thinge as none of the bishops of old haue at any time brought about After the desease of Filmus bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia the Caesareans came to Constantinople for a bishop When Proclus mused with himselfe whome he should assigne to be theyr bishop by chaunce on the sabbaoth day as he sought a fit maÌ„ for the rowme all the Senators came to the church for to see whome he woulde elect of which number Thalassius was one Liuetenant gouernour of the nations and cities throughout Illyrium Who as reporte goeth being commauÌ„ded of the Emperour to gouerne certen contreyes of the East was consecrated of Proclus and in steede of a Liuetenant made bishop of Caesarea And thus y â— Ecclesiasticall affayres of those times enioyed peace and tranquility But here I will cut of and make an end of my history prayinge for the continewance of peace and prosperous estate of all churches vnder heauen for the wealth of all people for the coÌ„cord and vnity of all cities and contreyes For when peace preuayleth there is no matter for an historiographer to occupie his peÌ„ne for most holy Theodorus which hast inioined me this taske nowe at length performed in these seaueÌ„ bookes of the Ecclesiasticall history there would haue bene no matter ministred for my penne if such as set theyr minds on seditioÌ„ discorde had bene at peace and vnity among them selues This seauenth booke contineweth the historye of two and thirty yeares our wholl history being deuided into seaueÌ„ bookes compriseth the compasse of one hundreth and forty yeares begining at the first yeare of the two hundreth and first Olympiad when Constantine was proclaimed Emperour ending the second yeare of the three hundreth fift Olympiade being the seauenteenth Consulship of Theodosius the Emperour The ende of the seauenth booke of the Ecclesiasticall historie of Socrates Scholasticus The Translatour vnto the Reader HItherto Christian reader haue I translated Eusebius Socrates vvhich continevved their histories from the birth of Christ vnto the raigne of Theodosius Iunior I vvould haue thee knovve that at one tyme vvith Socrates there vvrote tvvo other Grecians Sozomenus and Theodoret beginninge vvhere Socrates beganne and endinge their histories vvith him at Theodosius Iunior Their argument is one to vvit The Ecclesiasticall historie their language one they vvrote all in Greeke their yeares one for they florished the same tyme. Little difference there is betvvene them in substance sauinge vvhere the one is longe the other short vvhere the one is obscure the other playne vvhere the one is taedious the other pleasaunt To translate them all three vvoulde not in my opinion be so profitable as paynefull the volume both vvoulde be toe huge and the reader soone vvearyed vvith the oft repetition of one thinge Cassiodorus the Senatour and compiler of the Tripartite historie preuentinge this inconuenience and seeyng that these three vvriters agreed in substance deuised vvith him selfe hovve to ease the reader of so greate a labour and hovve to rydde him from so taedious a studie He made an Epitome or briefe collection of them all three I meane Socrates Sozomenus and Theodoret and called it the Tripartite historie The creditt of the Epitome and collector doeth not counteruayle the authoritie of the author Antiquitie vvith the trueth is to be preferred Therefore in translating I thought farre better thou shouldest see not the authors to auoyde repetition and vvearisome reading but the author him selfe I meane Socrates alone in steede of the tvvo other vvhome I haue chosen as the soundest vvriter the faithfullest historiographer and the absolutest delyuerer of the historie in all poyntes vnto the posteritie VVherefore if ought be vvell done geue the prayse vnto God lette the paynes be myne and the profit the Readers THE ECCLESIASTICALL HISTORIE OF EVAGRIVS SCHOLASTICVS A NOBLE MAN OF ANTIOCH AND ONE OF THE EMPEROVRS LIVETENANTS COMprised in six bookes beginning where Socrates left and ending a hundreth and seuentie yeares after VVRITTEN in the Greeke tongue about nine hunderd yeares agoe translated by M. H. Imprinted at London by Thomas Vautroullier dwelling in the Blackefriers 1576. TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVL THE GODLY AND VERTVOVS GENTLEMAN CHRISTOPHER KENNE ESQVIER INCREASE OF VVORSHIP CONTINEVVANCE OF GODLIE zeale and health in Christ Iesu WHeÌ„ I cal to memorie right vvorshipful the saying of the holy Apostle S. Paul that God according vnto his vnsearcheable vvisedome chose not many vvise men according vnto the fleshe not many mightie men not many noble men to plant the principles of his Gospell amonge the nations vnder heauen I can not chuse but honor studious nobilitie and reuerence vertue vvhere I finde her for the rarenesse thereof hovve precious is a litle siluer amonge a great deale of drosse one fruitfull tree in a vvide barren forest one ruddye rose amonge manie pricking thornes one pearle though founde in a puddle of mire one tvvinkeling starre through manie thicke and mystie cloudes one Lotte in Sodome one Helias in Israel one Iob in Husse one Tobias in Niniue one Phoenix in Arabia and one Euagrius a noble gentleman imploying his trauell to the furtherance of the Ecclesiasticall affayres Dionysius byshopp of Alexandria vvritinge a booke of repentaunce sent it to Conon byshopp of Hermopolis vvho by repentaunce had renounced the idolatrie of pagans and zealously cleaued to the Christian profession as a fit reader of so vvorthy a theame Origen vvriting of martyrs sent his treatise vnto Ambrose and Protoctetus ministers of Caesarea such as had endured great affliction and grieuous crosses vnder Decius the emperour vvhere they might haue a vievv of their valiant and inuincible courage The philosophers of Alexandria Aegypt such as in those dayes excelled in prophane literature vvrote great volumes of their profound skill and sent them vnto the famous philosopher and Christian doctor Origen the great clarke of Alexandria Of mine ovvne part right vvorshipfull not attributing vnto my self such excellency of vvit singularitie of giftes as raigned in the aforesaide vvriters vvhen I had finished the translation of the former histories I meane Eusebius and Socrates dedicated them vvhere duety did binde me vnto the right honorable and my very good Lady the Countesse of Lyncolne I thought good to send this present translation of Euagrius vnto your vvorship a noble Gentleman vnto a vvorshipfull Esquier a lieuetenant
through the procurement of Anastasius his disciple called the blessed mother of God not the mother of God but the mother of Christ and therefore was counted an hereticke In so much that Nestorius who called together against Christ a seconde councell with Caiphas who builded a slaughterhouse of blasphemies where Christ a newe is both slaine and solde who seuered and deuided a sunder his natures that hong on the crosse and had not as it is written no not one bone broken throughout all the members of his bodie neither his vnseamed coate parted of such as put the Lorde to death reiected the clause of the mother or bearing of God framed of the holy Ghost by the meanes of many learned and godly fathers set against it this saying the mother or bearing of Christ leudly forged of his owne braine and filled the Churche of God with sedition ciuill warres and cruell bloodshed I thinke verily my penne can not wante matter to paint and orderly to continue the historie and so to proceede vnto the ende if that first of all through the helpe of Christ the ayder of all men I beginne with the blasphemie of Nestorius the schisme which thē rose in the church had such a beginning as followeth Anastasius a certain priest of a corrupt and peruerse opinion an earnest maintainer of the Jewishe doctrine of Nestorius and his companion in the voyage he tooke from Antioch to be byshop of Constantinople whē he heard the leude reasons and conference which Nestorius had with Theodolus at Mopsouestia in Cicilia he fell from the right fayth and as Theodorus writeth of that matter in a certaine epistle he presumed in the open audience of the Church of Constantinople in the hearing of such people as serued God deuoutly to say these wordes let no man call Marie the mother of God for Marie saith he was a woman and it is vnpossible that God shoulde be borne of a woman when the religious people misliked with his reasons and counted not without cause of his doctrine as of blasphemie Nestorius the ringleader of his impietie not onely not forbad him neither maintained the right opinion but first of all confirmed his sayings to be true and was very earnest in the defence of them Wherefore after he had annexed and lincked thereunto his owne opinion and the deuise of his owne braine when he had powred into the Church of God the venome of his poysoned doctrine he endeuoured to establish a farre more blasphemous sentence to his owne destruction he said as followeth I verily will not call him God who grewe to mans state by two monethes three moneths and so forth euen as Socrates Scholasticus and the former councell helde at Ephesus haue informed of him CAP. III. VVhat Cyrill the great wrote vnto Nestorius the hereticke and of the third◠councell of Ephesus whereunto Iohn byshop of Antioch and Theodoritus came shorte CYrill byshop of Alexandria a man of great fame and renowne confuted the leude opinion of Nestorius in seuerall letters yet for al that Nestorius stiffely withstood his confutation yelded not one iote neither vnto Cyrill neither vnto Celestinus byshop of olde Rome but vomited out the venome of his cankered stomacke vpon the Churche and made sute vnto Theodosius the younger who was Emperour of the East that by his authoritie the first councell of Ephesus might be called together Wherfore the Emperour wrote vnto Cyrill and to all y ◠other ouerseers and byshops of the Churches throughout euerie citie geuinge them to vnderstand that the day of Pentecost was prescribed for their assemblie on which day the liuing and ghostly spirit descending from heauen shined among vs. but Nestorius by reason that Ephesus is not farre from Constantinople was there before them Cyrill together with his company came thither also before the day appointed Iohn byshop of Antioch was absent with his prouince not of set purpose according vnto their report which defend his doings but because he coulde not in so short a space call together the byshops of his prouince for many of their cities were distant from Antioch of olde so called but now Theopolis vnto a swift and stoute goer twelue dayes iourney vnto some others more and Ephesus is from Antioch about thirtie dayes iourney And when as Iohn aunswered plainely he was not able to meete them on the Sundaye appointed for so was the day called all his diocesse sturred not a foote from home CAP. IIII. Howe Nestorius the hereticke was deposed by the councell of Ephesus in the absence of Iohn byshoppe of Antioch When the day appointed for their meeting and fifteene dayes ouer were expired the byshops which assembled at Ephesus thinking verily that the easterne byshops would not come or if peraduenture they came it woulde be long ere they mette together when as Cyrill also moderated the councell in steade of Celestinus who as I said before gouerned the seae of Rome called Nestorius before them and willed him to aunswere vnto the crimes that were laid to his charge And when as the first day he promised to come if the case so required and being afterwardes thrise cited to appeare made light accompt of his promise the byshops that were present called the matter into controuersie and began to reason thereof Wherefore after that Memnon byshop of Ephesus had numbred the dayes that were past since the prescribed time to wit seuenteene after they had reade the epistles of the reuerende Cyrill vnto Nestorius and suche as he wrote vnto Cyrill againe together with the holy epistle of the renowmed Celestiniu sent in like sort vnto Nestorius after that Theodotus byshop of Ancyra and Acacius byshop of Melitina had made relation of the blasphemous sentences whiche Nestorius bolted out at Ephesus and after that many notable sayinges to the iustifying of the sincere fayth were vttered in that assembly of holy and learned fathers interlacing sometimes the vnaduised and blasphemous phrases of Nestorius the holy councell pronounced this sentence against Nestorius in maner as followeth Omitting other hainous crimes of the reuerend Nestorius in so much he was cited and would not appeare neither entertaine the most holy and religious byshops which we had sent vnto him vve were driuen of necessitie to sifte and examine his leude and wicked doctrine And seeinge vve founde him to haue belieued impiously and to haue taught heretically partly by perusing of his bookes and epistles and partly also by the blasphemous sentences he vttered of late in this noble citie we were moued both by the canons of the Church and the graue censure of the most holy father our College Celestinus byshop of Rome yet not without sheding of many teares to pronounce against him this seuere and sharpe sentence VVherefore our Lord Iesus Christ in derogation of whose maiesty Nestorius sticked not to pronounce such horrible blasphemie hath decreed and ordained by this sacred assembly that he shoulde both be deposed of his
vnto Basilius beinge but very briefe I thinke best to lay downe for the louinge reader it was as followeth Vnto the most religious most holy and dearly beloued of God my lord Basil the archebyshop Symeon an humble sinner sendeth greeting in the Lorde Now we may very well say blessed be God which hath not turned away our petition neyther withdrawen his mercie from vs miserable sinners VVhen I had perused the letters which your holinesse sent vnto me I fell into an admiration of the singuler care and pietie of our most holy Emperour reuealed and made manifest vnto the worlde by the affection he bâ—re not onely vnto the holy fathers but also by the zeale he shewed vnto the fayth confirmed by them but this commeth not of our selues it is as the holy Apostle writeth the gifte of God who by the meanes of your prayers graunted vnto him so prompt and willing a minde Againe after a fewe lines he saith VVherefore I beinge an abiecte and vile creature as it were the vntimely birth of the monkes signified vnto the Emperour what I my selfe thought of the creede layde downe by the sixe hundred and thirtie holy fathers whiche assembled at Chalcedon affirming that I helde with that fayth published no doubt by the instinct motioÌ„ of the holy ghost for if our sauiour be in the middest of two or three gathered together in his name howe can he chuse but be present at the assembly of so many holy fathers seing the holy ghost hath bene with them from the beginning After this againe VVherefore be of good cheere and defende stoutly the true fayth in such sort as Iesus the sonne of Naue seruant of the Lorde of hostes gouerned and desended the people of Israell I beseeche you salute from me all the clergie of your prouince with the holy and faythfull people CAP. XI The banishment of Timotheus Aelurus byshopp of Alexandria and the election of Timotheus Salofaciolus of Gennadius and Acacius byshopps of Constantinople AFter the aforesaide sturre Timotheus syrnamed Aelurus was banished Alexandria and enioyned to make his abode at Gangrena wherefore the people of Alexandria those Timotheus whome some called Basilicus some other Salofaciolus to succeede Proterius in the byshopricke When Anatolius had departed this life Gennadius gouerned the byshopricke of the princelie citye of Constantinople after him succeeded Acacius maister of the hospitall or College of Orphans CAP. XII Of the earthquake whiche happened at Antioch three hundred forty seuen yeares after that whiche was in the time of Traian IN the seconde yeare of Leo the Emperours raigne there was suche a marueylous great earthquake shaking of the fundations at Antioch that it can not sufficiently be described before it beganne certaine people that were borne within the citie waxed mad raued aboue measure and seemed vnto vs farre to exceede all furious rage of brutishe flercenesse and crueltie as a preamble forerunninge so great a calamitie This grieuous earthquake happened the fiue hundred and sixth yeare after the citie was called Antioch the fourteenth day of the moneth Gorpiaeus after the Romaines September about the fourth houre of the night the Sunday goinge before the eleuenth course of the reuolution three hundred forty seuen yeares after the earthquake vnder Traian That earthquake was a hundred fifty and nine yeares after the grauntinge of the charter and incorporation of the citie but this fell in the raigne of Leo the fiue hundred and sixth yeare as the historiographers who diligently described the circumstances thereof haue left vs in writinge It turned vpside downe in manner all the buyldinge of this newe citie beinge well peopled without a wast corner or ruinous peece of buyldinge but all adorned and gorgeously sett forth by the bountifulnesse of the Emperours contendinge amonge themselues successiuely who shoulde passe other Moreouer as ye goe in the first and seconde lodginge of the pallace were ouerthrowen the rest standinge vp with the bath adioyninge thereunto which bath aforetime serued to no vse yet then of necessitie by reason the other bathes wente to ruyne supplyed their wante and stoode the citie in good steede the portly gates of the pallace the place called the fouresquare porche the vtter turretts and galleries nighe the gates where their stage playes were kept and some porches that came out thence some part of the bathes of Traian Seuerus Adrian the adioyning Ostracina together with the porches Nymphaeum were turned downe to the grounde all whiche Iohn Rhetor hath largely discoursed of he sayth further that in consideratioÌ„ of the premises the Emperour forgaue the citie a thousand talents of gold of the tribute which they payd him released such citizens as sustained losse of theyr rente last of all that he tooke vpon him to repayre the publique edifices CAP. XIII Of the fire that raged at Constantinople THere fell moreouer at ConstaÌ„tinople a calamity not much vnlike the former nay farr more grieuous it beganne in that part of the city which lay to the sea is called the Oxe Causei The reporte goeth that a despitefull and wicked deuell in the forme of a woman or a poore woman through the instigation of the deuell both is reported went about candel light with a candell in her hand vnto the market for to buy some saltfish left her candell vpon the stall and went away When the candell had wasted to the ende of the wike it rose into a great flame and stroke immediatly in the buylding ouer heade which burned at the first it tooke hold also of the houles that were next not onely such as easily might be set on fire but also the stony buylding and burned them to ashes They say this fire lasted the space of foure dayes no man was able to quenche it it flashed throughout the middes of the citie consumed from the north part to the south end all houses fiue furlungs in length and fourteene in bredth left no buylding either publique or priuate no pillours no stony arches or vaultes in all that tyme and in all that compasse vnburned to the fundation but to haue perced the flinte stone and harde mettall as if it had bene stuble or strawe Of the north part of the citie where the hauen lieth this lamentable destruction reached froÌ„ the Oxe-Causei so is the place called vnto the old temple of Apollo in the south side froÌ„ the hauen of Iulian vnto the temple of Concorde in the middest of the citie froÌ„ Constantines market vnto the market of Taurus a pitiefull shewe and dredfull to behold The goodly places gorgeous high buyldings that had bene within the citie the costly carued tymber yelding heretofore great maiesty vnto the eye of man both publique and priuate were then become like craggy hills and rocks that no man could passe through confused heapes of filth and all kind of stuff full of deformity that the owners of them them felues could not discerne the bounds of theyr possessioÌ„
most in preferringe Theocritus to the crowne But Iustinus either by bribing the people in his owne behalfe or by winning with money the watch and good will of the garde both is reported got to be Emperour him self And immediatly after he executed Amantius Theocritus with many others CAP. III. Howe Iustinus through wiles bereaued Vitalianus of his life WHen Vitalianus who sometime attempted to vanquishe Anastasius the Emeperour led his life in Thracia Iustinus sent for him to Constantinople For he feared not only his power but the variable aduentures of battaill the fame of his person which was rife in euery mans mouth and his aspiringe minde vnto the Empire And when he foresawe by coniectures nay perceaued without all doubt that he coulde by no meanes ouercome him vnlesse it wer vnder cloke of fayned friendship he put on a dissembling visage which easily may not be espied made him one of the captaynes called Present And to the ende Vitalianus mighte buylde the more boldlye vpon him and be snared the sooner he aduaunced him to be Consull When he was made Consull and had his conuersation in the pallace he was by conspiracy slayne in a certaine gate behind the Emperours haule and suffered this punishment for the haynous offences he had vnaduisedly practised against the Empire of Rome But these things were done a good while after CAP. IIII. After the depriuation of Seuerus Bishop of Antioch Paulus succeeded and after him Euphrasius SEuerus Bishop of Antioch because he ceased not daily to accurse the councell of Chalcedon specially in his stalling letters so called of the setling of bishops in their episcopal seaes and in other Epistles wrytten in the defence of these although they were sent vnto all Patriarchs yet onely Iohn Bishop of Alexandria the seconde of that name Dioscorus and Timothee accepted of them the letters are to be seene in these our dayes and because that herevpon there rose greate schâ—sme and contention in the Church so that the people were deuided into sundry factions therefore Seuerus was seuerely punished For Iustinus in the first yeare of his raygne commaunded as some doe wryte that his tongue should be pulled out of his mouth and that Irenaeus a magistrate of Antioch sittinge then vpon some matter in commission in the East should see the execution done Seuerus him selfe doth witnesse in the letters he wrote vnto the citizens of Antioch declaring the manner of his flight that Irenaeus was autorised to worke the feate where passing the boundes of modesty he reuileth Irenaeus saying that he layd all the wayt that could be to the end he might not escape his handes There are which reporte that Vitalianus beinge then in greate fauor and credit with Iustinus requested of the Emperour that he would geue him Seuerus tongue because that Seuerus had reuiled him out of measure in his sermons He for sooke his Bishopricke and fled away in the moneth Gorpieus called of the Romaynes September the fiue hundred threescore seuenth yeare after the city was called Antioch After him succeeded Paulus who was charged publiquely to preach the councel of Chalcedon This Paulus voluntarily left Antioch his last houre came then followed he on the way where all fleshe must goe his Byshopricke Euphrasius one that came from Ierusalem tooke and gouerned CAP. V. Of the fire and earthquake at Antioch and howe Euphrasius lost his life in that lamentable calamitie ABout the same time in the raygne of Iustinus there happened in Antioch so greate and so grieuous a fire and burning as preambles and forewarninges of the dreadfull earthquaks with other lamentable calamities that were to followe after and to light vpoÌ„ that city For immediatly the seuenth yeare of Iustinus in the moneth Artimesius called of the Romaynes May the nyne and twentieth day beinge friday in the after none there was such a shiuering ratling and shaking of the fundations which in maner ouerthrewe the wholl city after these came fire againe ioyning as it were in league with the former calamities and readye to make a hande of all For whatsoeuer the earthquake had not destroyed that did the fire take hold of flashed about very horribly to be seene burned y â— wholl to ashes What partes of the city came by this meanes to vtter ruyne how many men perished as it is very likely with fire falling of houses what lamentable misfortunes so straunge that they can not sufficieÌ„tly with any stile be expressed happened in those dismall dayes Iohn Rhetor hath very lamentably bewayled them so that the reader by perusing of his history can not chuse but be moued to shed teares and with the rehearsall of them he ended his story Laste of all Euphrasius whose departure was a second destruction vnto the citie was crushed to death with ruinous building lest any one migh remayne for to ouersee the city CAP. VI. Of Euphraemius who succeeded Euphrasius in the seae of Antioch THe carefull and louinge prouidence of God towardes mankind which accustometh before the plague lighteth to prouide remedy to slike the sword of his wrath w t clemency when things growe vnto a desperate point to set wide open the fountaynes of his mercye raised vp Euphraemius Liuetenant of the East cuntreys to be carefull of the city that she might want no necessaries whome the people of Antioch reuerenced highly therefore and chose to their Bishop Wherefore in recompence and rewarde of so great a care ouer the city he was presented with the Apostolicke seae Againe two yeares and six monethes after that city was shaken with an earthquake at what time in steede of Antioch she was called Theopolis and enritched by the Emperours bountifullnes with diuers great benefits CAP. VII Of Zozimas and Iohn Chuzubites who were famous about that time for theyr life and miracles SEing we haue remembred the aforesayde calamities nowe we thinke beste to annexe therevnto certaine other things worthy of memory credibly reported vnto vs by such as sawe theÌ„ with theyr eyes One Zosimas a Phoenician borne in Sinda a village vpon the seae coaste of Phoenicia not twenty furloÌ„gs of Tyrus leading a monastical life had y â— grace of God so abundantly bestowed vpoÌ„ him partly by abstinence from meates partly by receauing of them w t other vertuous and godly liuing that he not only foresawe things to come but was voyd of all perturbation When by chaunce he was in companye at Caesarea in Palaestina with a noble Senatour and wise man by name Arcesilaus one that was of greate honor and renowne euen in that very momente when Antioch fell vpon a suddayne he beganne to mourne to lamente to fet sobs and sighes froÌ„ the hart roote he shed teares so infinitly that the earth was moystened therewith next he called for a sensar and filled the quire where they sate with the sauor of the insence he fell grouelinge vpon the ground seeking to pacifie the
them as they haue learned by heresay or conceaued by selfe opinion who most commonly by reason of ignorance are deceaued and so halt or through toe muche partialitie or negligent or by occasion of spite and hatred are so blinded that they can not vtter the trueth CAP. IIII. Of captaine Priscus and the insurrection of the soldiers against him PRiscus succeeded Philippicus in the rowme of a captaine and was so stately that none coulde speake with him vnlesse it were about weightie and great matters For he was of the opinion that if he vsed litle familiaritie he might doe what him selfe listed and that his soldiers vnderneath him woulde stand in awe of him and the sooner obey his commaundement But comming on a certaine time vnto his armie with high lookes and hauty disdaine with his whole body set vpon toe arrogant gestures he made them an oration of soldiers patience in perill of warres of fine and picked harnesse and last of all of the rewardes they were to reape of the common weale for their trauell and seruice they knowinge of these thinges as well as he beganne openly to reueale their wrath and conceaued displeasure againste him and rushinge in thither where he had pitched his tent as if they had bene Barbarians They spoyled him of all his sumptuous store and precious treasure not onely this but without doubt they had also dispatched him had not he with al speede taken horse and fled vnto Edessa Yet they besieged this citie and commaunded that Priscus should be deliuered them CAP. V. Of Germanus whom the soldiers made Emperour against his will VVHen the citizens of Edessa woulde not restore Priscus the soldiers left him and by force tooke Germanus captaine of the warefaringe soldiers in Phoenicia of Iabanesia and proclaimed him their captaine and Emperour While he refused the office and they vrged it vpon him there rose great contention of either side for he would not be constrained and they would needs compell him they threatned to execute him vnlesse he would willingly accept of the dignitie he of the contrary protested openly he was neither affraide neither woulde yelde one iote At length they went about to lash him with whips to maime the members of his body which torments they perswaded them selues verily he would not endure that there was not in him more hardnesse to beare away stripes then nature and yeares gaue them to vnderstande they tooke him in hand knowing well inough what he was able to suffer dealt very circumspectly lest they wounded him sore vntil in th end they forced him to condescend and with anoth to promise them his faith and fidelitie Wherfore thus they compelled him whom they had ruled to rule and whom they had gouerned to gouerne and whom they led captiue to become their captaine furthermore they displaced all other officers as captaines tribuns centurions decurions and placed in their rowmes whom pleased them best reuiled the empire with railing speaches And though they bore them selues towards such as were tributary milder then the common vse and maner is of Barbarians yet were they altogether alienated from their companions members with them of one common weale For they tooke not their wayfaring vittailes by weight and measure neither were they pleased with suche lodginge as was appointed for them but tooke their owne lust for lawes and pleasure for prescribed order CAP. VI. The Emperour sent Philippicus againe among the soldiers but the armie refused him WHen the Emperour sent Philippicus to redresse the aforesaide enormities the soldiers not onely reiected him but menaced and conspired the deaths of suche as seemed to take his part CAP. VII Of Gregorie byshop of Antioch how he proued the report that was raised of him to be a meare sclaunder THe affaires of the common weale lying at this poynt Gregorie byshop of Antioch returned from Constantinople after the ending of a bitter conflict the which I am now about to declare when Asterius was lieuetenant of the east contention risen betweene him Gregory first all the head citizens tooke part with Asterius next the artificers stuck vnto him sayinge that Gregory had iniuried them euery one last of al it was permitted for the common people al to reuile Gregory both high and low conspired together and ceassed not either in the streat or on the theatre to raile very contumeliously at byshop Gregory neither was their scaffold and enterludes without skoffs Therefore Asterius was deposed of his Lieuetenantship and Iohn elected to succeede him whom the Emperour charged diligently to examine the circumstances of that seditious controuersie This Iohn was a man vnfit for the hearing of trifling causes much more for the examining of so weighty a matter the executing of so worthy a function wherefore when he had set the whole city on tumults published an edict where it was lawful for him that could say any thing to come forth accuse the byshop a certen exchaunger presented him y â— he had companied with his owne sister whom he maried vnto an other Againe others of y â— kinde of people charged him that he had disturbed the quiet and good estate of the citie and that not once but very oft But Gregory purged him selfe of that sclaunder and appealed vnto the Emperour and to a councell for the hearinge of the other matters I was my self in his company and present when he purged him of these crimes at Constantinople And when as al y â— patriarchs either by them selues or by their substitutes were at the hearing of Gregories purgation and the cause heard of the holy Senate and of many holy bishops â–ª after great sturre and much adoe the sentence went with Gregory that his accuser should be racked â–ª carted about the citie and banished the countrey After all this Gregory returned vnto his byshopricke againe in the meane while the soldiers ceassed not from raising of sedition for Philippicus the captaine made then his abode about Beroea and the citie of Chalcis CAP. VIII Howe Theopolis otherwise called Antioch was againe tossed with earthquakes FOure moneths after the returne of Gregorie from Constantinople in the sixe hundred thirtie and seuenth yeare after Antioch was so called and the threescore and firste yeare after the earthquake whiche went next before when as I my selfe the last day of September had taken to my wyfe a virgine of tender yeares and the citye therefore kept holiday and flocked wyth great pompe and solemnitie to my wedding caâ—â—ber feasting house about the third houre of the night there rose such an earthquake that with the violence thereof it shooke together the whole citie It so tossed the fundations that all the buildinges about the most holy Churche were turned downe to the ground except onely the hemispherical rouf that Euphraemius had made of baye trees which also was sore hurt of the earthquake in the time of Iustinus and so tossed also by other earthquakes
Ionas was in the whales bellie yet hauing escaped that daunger was he not without miserie Ieremie was persecuted oftentimes imprisoned very sore throwne into the deepe dungeon where he stoode in mire vnto the eares at length stoned to death in AEgypt Ezechiel was slaine at Babylon by the Duke of the people Daniel was throwne among the hungrie Lions yet God preserued him The three children were throwne into the firie fornace but the fire did them no harme Baruch was faine to flie away to saue his life from king Ioachas handes The Prophet Vrias was slaine with the sworde by king Ioacim Iohn the Baptist was beheaded of Herode the Tetrarche Steuen was stoned to death Iames was beheaded by Herode Agrippa Peter was crucified at Rome vnder Nero with his heade downewardes Paule was likewise beheaded at Rome vnder Nero. Andrevv was crucified by AEgeas king of Edessa at Pataras a Citie in Achaia Iames Alphaeus that was Bishop of Ierusalem was throwne downe from an high and brained with a fullers clubbe Thomas was slaine at Calamina a Citie in India the Painims ranne him through with a dart the which some doe call a speare or iauelin Philip was crucified at Hierapolis in Asia Bartolomevv was flaine aliue in India his skinne pulled ouer his eares and after all beheaded Mathevv vvas runne through vvith a naked sworde in AEthiopia Simon was crucified Iude vvas slaine Iohn was scurged and often persecuted it is saide that Domitian the Emperour caused him to be throwne into a tunne of hotte skalding oyle yet tooke no harme Matthias was knockt on the heade with an axe and immediatly beheaded Marke the Euangelist had a rope tied about his necke and by that dravvne throughe the strete of Alexandria that his flesh vvas rent in peces the stones coloured with blud and in the ende he vvas burned to ashes Barnabas had a rope about his necke and there vvith pulled to the stake and burned This is to beare the crosse of our Sauiour this is to drinke of one cuppe vvith Christ this is it which S. Paule sayth Whosoeuer liueth godly in Christ Iesu shall suffer persecution for through many tribulations vve haue to enter into the kingdome of heauen This present treatise of Dorotheus hath moued me thus to vvryte and the matter it selfe is so copious that I can hardly holde my penne yet I hope the reading of these briefe stories vvil not seeme tedious vnto any As for the liues following I would haue thee gentle reader to know that where Dorotheus seemed vnperfect and to haue ouerskipped certen liues worthie the noting and the knowledge of the posteritie I haue either borowed the same of some other auncient vvryter or gathered it my selfe out of holy scripture This is the marke to discerne the one from the other Where anyone life is altogether of Romaine letters the same is none of Dorotheus If thou thinkest I haue done vvell geue the praise to God if in thine opinion it seeme othervvise suspende thy sentence and be not singuler in reprehending that vvhich peraduenture after aduisement taken may frendly be interpreted Farevvell DOROTHEVS OF THE PROPHETS APOSTLES AND SEVENTIE DISCIPLES Samuell SAMVEL was both a Prophet a Priest and a iudge ouer Israel He liued in the dayes of Heli Saule and Dauid His father was called Elkana his mother Henna she was of a long time barren and praying vnto God made a vowe that if she bare a man childe she woulde dedicate him to the Lord all the dayes of his life She conceaued bare a sonne and called his name Samuel who being a childe was girded with a linnen Ephod and ministred vnto the Lord. All Israel knew him for the true Prophet of God he rebuked the sinnes of the people he exhorted them to turne vnto the Lord he tolde Heli the high Priest that God would plague his house VVhen the people cried vnto him for a king he vsed all meanes to perswade them to the contrary and seeing they would not be answered he tooke Saul and anoynted him king to raigne ouer them This Saul was a wicked king and because of his impietie the Lord sent Samuel vnto him for to tell him that his raigne should not last long but Samuel was sorowfull and mourned so long ouer Saul vntill the Lord was angrie with him for it Afterwardes God sent him to anoynt Dauid king ouer Israel In the ende this Samuel waxed olde and died in the time of Dauid king of Israel and was buried at Rama Nathan NAthan was of Gabaon in the time of king Dauids raigne He instructed this king in the law of the Lord and foresaw that Dauid would offend with Beersabea when he made speede to admonish the king Belial staid him for as he went he found by the way a dead horse all bare and because of that continewed there a while This Nathan died and was buried in Gabaon his owne land Epiphanius Bishop of Cyprus who liued Anno Dom. 401. wryteth thus of Nathan THe Prophet Nathan of the house of Thock born in Gabath a Citie of Galilee liued in the time of Dauid and taught him the lawe of the Lord. he foresaw that Dauid was too farre in loue with Bersabea and therfore immediatly left Gabath and gotte him towardes Ierusalem for to staie the king from committing so hainous an offence And beholde Beliar stopt him for when he found him dead and lying all bare on the high way he stayed as long as he was a buryinge of him leste the carkasse of man shoulde vnreuerently be torne in peeces of brute beasts and rauenously deuoured In the same night vnderstoode Nathan that Dauid had committed that horrible offence wherefore he mourned out of measure and went backe againe to Gabath with great lamentation VVhen Vrias the husbād of Bersabea was slaine by the procurement of Dauid the Lord sent Nathan vnto him that he should rebuke him sharply for his offence Then at length Dauid remembring him selfe was astonied and trembled for feare of the Lord because he perceaued plainly that the Lorde was highly displeased with him for his adulterie Dauid knew moreouer that the Prophet Nathan was inspired with the holy Ghost he honoured the man and reuerenced his person as the true messenger of God This Nathan became olde and died and was buried at Gabath his owne land Gad. THe Prophet Gad liued in the dayes of king Dauid and told him what he should doe when he fledde from the face of Saul After Dauid had numbred the people he brought a message vnto him from the Lord and badde him chuse of three plagues VVhether he would haue seuen yeres hunger or flee before the ennemie three moneths or endure three dayes pestilence Ahias THis Ahias was of Silon where the tabernacle out of the Citie of Heli was He died was buried nighe the Oke in Silon He is called also Adonias Epiphanius wryteth thus of Ahias AHias the Selonite born in Selom of the tribe of Iuda
I frame the thunder and create the winde reuealing my Christ among men Again In that day wil I raise vp the tabernacle of Dauid that is falne down and close vp the breaches therof and I will raise vp his ruines and I wil build it as in the dayes of old that they may seeke the Lord which are the remnant of men all the heathen vpon whom my name is called sayth the Lord which doth this Iames made mention of this Prophecie in the Acts of the Apostles This Amos was of Thecna Armasias king of Iuda persecuted him very oft chastized him many times at length the sonne of Amasias tooke him with a clubbe on the temples of the head and killed him while as yet he drew breath after his wound they brought him to his owne countrey and within two dayes after he died and was there also buried Esaias THis great Prophet Esay the sonne of Amos foresaw in a figure the mysterie of Christ when he sawe the Lord sitting vpon an high and glorious seate where sayeth he the Seraphines stoode about him whereof one hadde sixe wings and an other hadde sixe wings wherewith they couered their faces and cried one to the other in this maner Holy holy holy is the Lorde of hostes the whole earth is full of his glory Then was there one of the Seraphins sent which tooke of the altar an hotte cole with the tongs and touched his lips saying this taketh away thine vnrighteousnes He was so fully instructed by the vision he sawe and perswaded of the type and figure that he foreshewed the mysterie of Christ Againe he was so endued with grace from aboue that he prophecied of the mysterie of Christes passion in this sort He was ledde as a sheepe to be slaine yet was he as still as a Lambe before the sherer and opened not his mouth The Eunuche of Ethiopia reading this Prophecie requested Philip to expound it vnto him who immediatly declared that the Prophet had said this most truely of Christ our Lord. againe he saith He is suche a man as hath good experience of sorowes and infirmities And againe He did none euil neither was there guile found in his mouth yet the Lord will clense him of his wound and shewe light vnto him Againe Thus sayth the Lord Behold I lay in Sion for a foundation a stone euen a tried stone a precious corner stone a sure foundation and who so beleeueth on him shall not be confounded Againe The spirite of the Lord is vpon me therefore hath he anoynted me c. When the Lord readd this in the synagogue on the Sabaoth he sayd Verely I say vnto you this day is this scripture fulfilled in your eares This Esay was of Ierusalem He died at Ierusalem vnder king Manasses being sawed a sunder in two partes and was buried vnder the Oke nighe the well of Rogel hard by the place where the waters ranne which king Ezechias dammed vp It was by this Prophet that God wrought the monument and memoriall of the place called Siloam for when breath failed him before death came he called for a litle water to drinke which was immediatly sent vnto him out of this brooke therfore the place is called Siloam which is by interpretatioÌ„ as much to say as sent In y â— time of Ezechias before this lake or pond was made there came out a litle water at y â— prayer of Esay for the people were then in the plaine couÌ„treys of y â— Moabites who were aliens and left y â— citie perished through want of water for the enemies enquired where they might drinke the Citie being beset they besieged also the brooke Siloam which was drie vnto them there came forth water when the Iewes prayed together with Esay Therefore it runneth continewally after a secret sort vnto this day for to reueale this great myracle And because this was done by Esay the Iewes for memorial therof buried him with great care and honor nigh Siloam that by his holy prayers they might in like sort enioy the benefite of this water after his departure out of this world for he had an aunswere from aboue to doe as he did His sepulchre is nighe where the kings are buried behinde the buriall of the Iewes towardes the Southe Solomon builded the tumbe of Dauid vnto the East of mount Sinâ— hauing an entraunce to goe in from the way which cometh out of Gabaon out of the Citie about a twentie furlongs He made it so crooked and so awrie that it can hardly be perceaued so that many Priestes and in maner the whole nation of the Iewes coulde not vnto this day finde the way that goeth in King Solomon had laide vp there golde that came out of Aethiopia and spice And because Ezechias shewed and dishonored the bones of his fathers therefore God badde him assure him selfe it woulde come to passe that his seede should serue his ennemies and he made him baren and frutelesse from that day forth Ioel. GOd gaue of his spirite vnto the Prophet Ioel that he foreshewed the mysterie of Christ For he sayeth And it shall be in the last dayes sayth the Lorde Of my spirite I will poure out vpon all flesh your sonnes your daughters shall prophecie your yong nien shall see visions and your old men shall dreame dreames On my seruauntes on my handmaideÌ„s I vvill poure out of my spirit in those dayes and they shal prophecie I wil shew wonders in heauen aboue tokens in the earth beneath bloud fire and the vapour of smoke the sunne shal be turned into darknes and the Moone into bloud before that great notable day of the Lord come And it shall come to passe that whosoeuer shal cal vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued S. Peter rehearsed this Prophecie in the Acts of the Apostles that it was euen then fulfilled wheÌ„ as the holy Ghost came downe from heauen and rested vpon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost This Ioel was a neighbour vnto the citie Bethomeron in Rubim where he died was also buried in peace Ionas IOnas hath not barely in word but truely in deede foreshewed the mysterie of our sauiours resurrection For Christ sayth in the gospell Euen as Ionas was three dayes and three nightes in the bellie of the whale so shall the sonne of man be three dayes and three nights in the bowelles of the earth Euen as the whale cast vp Ionas vncorrupt so hathe the sepulchre restored the Lorde to the better life This Ionas was of Cariathmaus nigh Azotus a Citie lying on the sea coaste towardes the Gentiles After he came out of the whales bellie and taken his way to the Citie of Niniue he taried not in that lande but tooke his mother and soâ—orned in Assur a foraine soyle He thought with him selfe by this meanes I shall take away the infamie which I haue purchased vnto my selfe by prophecying falsely against
there remaineth no hope for vs he perswaded them by prophecying of dead bones that there was comfort inough left for Israel both for the present and for the time to come This Prophet Iudged Israel and shewed what shoulde become both of Ierusalem and the Temple He was taken from Babylon that he came to Ierusalem the same houre to rebuke suche as beleeued not in God This Prophet sawe euen as Moses did before him the fygure of the Temple the Wall and what was thereabout and the gate through the whiche the Lorde was to enter in and toe goe out and that it woulde come to passe that the same gate woulde be shut and that all nations shoulde put their trust in the Lorde In Babylon he iudged the tribe of Dan and of Gad because they wrought wickednes in the sight of the Lord in persecuting them that kept the â—awe and he gaue them a terrible token for Adders destroyed their children and all their cattell for their sinne and iniquitye He prophecyed also that for their sakes the people shoulde not returne vnto their owne countrey but shoulde remayne in Media vntill they had repented them One of these was he that slewe this Prophet Daniel THe prophet Daniel prophecied in Babylon and was accepted of as one that was fit to prophecy of Christ. Know therefore vnderstand saith he that froÌ„ the going forth of the coÌ„maundement to bring againe the people and to build Ierusalem vnto Messias the prince there shal be seuen weeks and threescore two weekes c. Againe in an other place There vvas a sâ—one cut vvithout hands the stone smote the image it became also a great mountaine and filled the vvhol earth Againe And behold there came one in the clouds of heauen like the sonne of man vvhich vvent vnto the auncient of dayes vnto him there vvas geuen honor povver wyth other things that ther are laide downe This Daniel was of the tribe of Iudah a noble man borne being a yong childe he was led into captiuity out of Iudaea into the land of the Chaldees he was in the vpper Betheron so chasâ—â— man that the Ievves thought he had bene gelded he bewayled verye muche both the people and the holye citie Ierusalem He brought him selfe verye Iowe and weake by fastinge and abstayninge from delicate foode feedynge vpon the fruite of the earth In forme of bodye he was drye and leaue but in the fauour of God he was moyste and of good likinge At the request of Balthasar the kings sonne this prophet prayed very much for king Nabuchodonosor who was transformed into the figure of a monstrous beast that his father should not be cast away In the fore partes and the heade he was like an Oxe the hinder partes with the feete resembled the Lyon his heares were as Egles feathers and his nayles lyke byrdes 〈◊〉 â–ª It was reuealed vnto this holye man that the Kinge for his brutishe sensualitye and stifneckednesse â–ª shoulde be transformed into a beaste That is to saye he shoulde be made subiecte vnto Belial lyke an Oxe vnder yoke and resemble a Lyon for his raueninge tyrannye and crueltye These are the propertyes of Potentates in their youth vntill at length they are become bruite beasts rauening slaying practising tyrauny and all kinde of impieâ—y and in the end they receaue of the iust iudgment of God the reward of their wickednes The spirit of God gaue this holy man to vnderstand that like an Oxe he woulde â—eede vpon hay which was his food Wherefore Nabuchodonosor after he had digested this meate he recouered the sense and vnderstandinge of man he wept he made supplication vnto the Lord day night he prayed vnto y e Lord forty times And being come vnto him self yet forgate he that he had bene made a man The vse of his tongue was taken away that he could not speak and vnderstanding of that immediatly he fel a mourning His eyes by reason of his continuall lamentation gaue forth a dead look Many went out of y e citie to see him yet only Daniel would not go for al â–ª y â— while he was so transformed Daniel ceassed not to pray for him his saying was he wil become a man again theÌ„ wil I see him but they gaue no credit vnto his words Daniel by praying vnto y â— most highest brought to passe y t the seuen years whoÌ„ he called seuen times were turned into seuen moneths that y e mystery of y e seuen times should in theÌ„ be finished within y â— space ofâ—enen mâ—â—eths he was restored vnto him selfe y e sixe yeares y t were behind the fiue moneths he prostrated him self before the Lord confessing his sinnes iniquity And when he had obtained remission of sinne he gaue his kingdome vnto y e prophet he eat neither bread neither flesh nor dronk wine but coÌ„fessed his sinnes vnto y e lord For Daniel had coÌ„maunded him to feed vpoÌ„ pulse herbs so to please y e Lord â–ª wherfore he called Daniel Balthasar would haue made him cahere w t his sonnes â–ª but as toutching the kingdome the holy prophet would none of it his aunswere was be fauourable vnto me O Lorde that I forsake not the inheritance of my fathers and become heire vnto the vncircumcised He wrought many straunge wonders in the presence of the other kings of Persia whiche are not written Daniel dyed in Chaldaea and was honorably buried alone in a princely sepulchre he gaue a terrible token as toutchinge the mountaines ouer Babylon saying When ye see them smoke of the North side the destruction of Babylon is at hand When ye see them burne then the whole worlde is nigh to an ende If out of these mountaines in time of calamitie there shall flowe out water then the people shall returne into their owne lande if blood doe runne out there will be greate slaughter throughout the worlde After all this holy man of God rested in peace Baruch BAruch liued in the time of the prophet Ieremy he was his scribe he wrote out of Ieremies mouth read it before Ioachas the sonne of Iosias king of Iuda after he had read it he was faine to flye awaye and hide him selfe together wyth Ieremy for the booke was burned It appeareth after this â—light he was verye timorous God sent Ieremye to reproue him for it Beinge ledde captiue into Babylon when Ieremye went downe to Aegypt he wrote that booke which beareth his name the which was sent from thence to Ierusalem to be read in the temple vpon high dayes Vrias VRias was of Cariath-iarim the sonne of Semei he prophecied against the citie of Ierusalem and the whole lande of ludaea euen as Ieremye did Ioacim the sonne of Iosias kinge of Iuda sought to kill him therefore Vrias hearing of it was very much affraide fled away and got him into Aegypt but king Ioacim sent meÌ„ after Vrias which brought him out
Iosias was king of Iuda 31. yeares 4. Reg. 22. Neri   Ioachas was king 3. moneths 4. Reg. 23. Ioas.  3429. Ioacim otherwise called Eliacim raygned ouer Iuda 11. yeares 4. Reg. 23. Selam Ieremie in the daies of Amon. Ezechiel in the daies of Iosia Daniel in the daies of Ioachas Abacuk in the daies of Ioacim Nahum In the daies of Iechonias  Ioacim otherwise called Iechomas raigned 3. moneths 4. Re. 24. Helchias Virias in the daies of Sedechias Iere. 26. I woulde not haue the times of these Prophets so precise taken but that they were also at other tymes 3440. Sedechias raigned in Ierusalem 11. yeares 4. Reg. 24. vnder whom the captiuity befell both city and temple were destroied the people led into Babylon Sareas   Eusebius Chron. sayth that froÌ„ the first building of the temple in the 4. yeare of Solomon vnto the captiuitie vnder Nabuchodonozor there are 442. yeares the whiche I finde to be true if we attribute 28. yeares to king Iorams raigne From the buylding of the teÌ„ple vnder SolomoÌ„ vnto the captiuitie vnder Nabuchodonozor in the time of Sedechias ther were 18. highpriestes as Iosephus writeth Antiq. lib. 20. cap. 18.  3510. The captiuitie continewed 70. yeres Zacharie 1. Ieremi 25. 29. Euse Chronic. Clemens Alexandrin but some as Euseb sayth begine to tell the yeares from the 3. of Ioachim vnto the 20. of Cyrus some from the 13. of Iosias vnto the firste yeare of Cyrus the fift age of the worlde froÌ„ the captiuity of BabyloÌ„ vnto Christ  Nabuchodonozor raygned 26. yeares after he lead the people captiue The eleuenthe yeare of Sedechias was the 19. of Nabuchodon Ierem. 32. Euilmerodach his sonne raygned 30. yeares Regasar 3. yeares Labarsadach 6. yeares Baltassar 5. yeares Iosedech with others Daniel Sidrach Misach Abednago Zacharie Malachias Nehemias Aggaeus in the dayes of Zorobabel The 70. yeares of the captiuitie 3510. King Cyrus released the captiuitie and gaue them licence to build againe their temple in Ierusalem but they were hindred so that they coulde not beginne afore the 2. yeare of Darius the temple was finished the sixt yeare of the raygne of Darius 1. Esdras 6. the temple and the walls were a finishing vntill the 32. yeare of Darius 2. Esdr 5.    Darius raygned 36. yeares Euseb Chronic. Iesus the sonne of Iosedech was priest 56. yeares Captaines of the Iewes  Darius Hystaspis called bothe Xerxes and Artaxerxes Assuerus raygned 20. yeares Euseb Ioachim in whose time was Esdras was priest 8. yeres Eliasib was priest 21. yeares Zorobabel was ouer the Hebrevves 58. yeares  Artabanus was Kinge 7. moneths Euseb  Resa 66. yeres  Darius Artaxerxes called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Longimanus raigned 40. yeares Euseb Ioachas was priest 48. yeares in his time were Hester and Mardocheus   Xerxes 2. was king 2. moneths Sogdianus 8. moneths Euseb Darius Nothus raygned 19. yeares Euseb Ioaida 24. yeares   Artaxerxes Memnon raygned 40. yeares Euseb  Ioanna 53. yeares  Artaxerxes otherwise called Darius Ochus raygned 26. Euseb Ioathan 24 yeares   Arses otherwise called Arsanes the sonne of Ochus raygned 4. yeares Euseb    Darius the last Monarche of Persia in the sixte yeare of his raygne was slayne by Alexander Magnus Euseb Iaddaeus 10. yeares Iudas 14. yeres in his time the Persian monarchy ended 3700. The Persian Monarchie lasted 191. yeares AlexaÌ„der magnus was Monarche 5. yeares he had gouerned 7. yeares before Onias was highpriest 27. yeares Philo Iud. Iosephus became ruler ouer the Iewes the 1. yeare of Alexander magnus continewed 7. yeares in whose time 3724. The space of 12. yeares after Syria was tossed  Alexander did greate reuerence both vnto the temple and to the highpriest Philo Iud. 3755. Seleucus Nicanor was the first king of Syria and Babylon he raygned 32. yeares Euseb SimoÌ„ highpriest 23 1. Machab. 13. 14. Philo Iud. Abner Semei 11. yeares in his time Ptolomaeus ransacked Ierusalem Philo Iud. Mattathias Eli 12. yeares 3774. Antiochus Soter was king in Syria 19. yeares Euseb Chronic. Eleazar highpriest 20. yeares he was enemy to Antiochus Theos in his time at the request of Ptolomaeus the Septuagints translated the old testameÌ„t out of hebrew into greek Philo Iud.  3789. Antiochus Theos raygned 15. yeares   3809. Seleucus Gallinicus was kinge of Syria 20. yeares Euseb    Seleucus Ceraunius raigned 3. yeares   3848. Antiochus magnus raigned in Syria 36. yeares Euseb Manasses highpriest 27. yeares he was a great friende of Seleucus Gallinicus Aser Maath 9. yeares Nagid Arphaxat 10. yeares in the time of Eleazar the highpriest the Septuagints  Seleucus Philopator raigned 12. yeares  Agar Heli 8. yeares Maslot Naum 7. yeares Amos Syrach 14. yeare Mattathias Siloa 10. yeares Philo Iud. 3868. Antiochus Epiphanes raigned 11. yeares Euseb SimoÌ„ Iustus highpriest 28. yeares he was honored of Antiochus magnus Onias highpriest 39 yeares he was spoiled of Seleucus Philo Iud.   Antiochus Eupator was king in Syria 2. yeares   3878. Demetrius Soter raygned 10. yeares  Ioseph Arses 60. yeares he was honored of Ptolomaeus and Antiochus magnus Philo Iud. Ianneus Hircanus 16. yeares Philo Iud.  Alexander raigned 5. yeares Iason FroÌ„ Antiochus Epiphanes vnto Christ the captaines of the Iewes became both Kings highpriestes Phil. Iud. Iudas Machabeus gouerned the Iewes 5. yeares he tooke armour against Antiochus Epiphanes Antiochus Eupator â–ª Demetrius Philo Iud.  Demetrius Nicanor 2. yeares Onias in whose time Antiochus Epiphanes plagued the Iewes Nicephor   Antiochus Sedetes 3. yeares Alcimus   Triphon 3. yeares Onias the sonne of Onias Ionathas his brother was both Priest and Prince 19. yeares Philo Iud.  Antiochus pius 12. yeares  Simon Ionathas 8. yeares Ioannes Hircanus the sonne of Simon 34. yeares  Demetrius Nicanor 4. yeares    Alexander 2. yeares   3907. Antiochus Gryphius raigned 29. yeares    Seleucus Gryphius together with others stroue 10. yeares for the kinge   dome Aristobulus his sonne one yeare   The Syrians seeing that the princes contended among them selues for the crowne tooke it in ill parte and chose Tigranus king of Armenia to gouerne them which ruled 18. yeares Alexander was Prince and priest 27. yeares   Pompeius the Romayne captaine conquered Syria ouercame Tigranus brought all subiect vnto the Empire of Rome led Aristobulus king of the Iewes captiue to Rome made Hircanus high priest whome the other had deposed and appointed Antipater Liuetenante of Iudaea Alexandria his wife gouerned the Iewes 9. yeares after her husbaÌ„ds death Hircanus the sonne of AlexaÌ„der Alexandria was high-priest 9. yeares  Caius Iulius Caesar 17. yeares after was Emperour of Rome and raygned 5. yeares Hircanus after the desease of his mother was bothe priest and prince  Â
Andrewe hearde he followed him Ioh. 1. The next day the Lorde found Philip and sayd follow me Ioh. 1. The third day there was a mariage in Cana of Galilee there Christ wrought the firste miracle Ioh. 2. The Iewes Passeouer was at hand then Iesus went vp to Ierusalem threwe the bâ—ers and sellers out of the temple Ioh. 2. He came thence into Iudaea Ioh. 3. He walked about the seae of Galilee Luc. 5. He chose 12. Disciples whome he called Apostles Math. 10. He appoynted also other 70. Luc. 10. Christ went about the contrey preached many Sermons wrought many miracles About this time Iohn Baptist is imprisoned Haec alia Anno suae praedicationis primo Iohn Huss      The Mazarâ—ans were such as vsed no liuing creatures they abhorred the eating of flesh â–ª they allowed of Moses and of the lawe writteÌ„ by him but they denied that the 5. bookes vnder his name were written by him affirming them selues to haue fouÌ„d other bokes Epiphan lib. 1. tom 1. heres 18. Christ in the 2. yeare of his preaching came to his owne contreye Math. 13. Herode was desirous to see him This Herode beheaded Iohn Baptist in prison Math. 14. Iesus weÌ„ttheÌ„ce into the wildernesse he also his disciples went into the land of Genazareth through Bethsaida Mat. 14.      The Herodians were they of the Iewes which thought that Herode was Christ and applied vnto him the prophecie of Iacob geÌ„ 49. the scepter shall not depart from Iuda c. which is verified in none other but in The Acts of Christ and the yeares of the incarnation The Councells sometimes of the vvicked as of the Pharises heretickes sometimes of the godlie as of the Apostles and Apostolicke men Sectes heretickes as well among the Iewes as afterwardes amonge the Christians He passed throughe the coastes of Tyre and Sidon Mathewe 15. This being done he weÌ„t vp to Ierusalem at the feast of Pentecost Iohn 5. Iesus went away thence and came neare vnto the sea of Galilee from thence he tooke ship and came to the partes of Magdala Math. 15. Afterwards into Caesarea Philippi Luc. 9. after 6. dayes Math. 17. after 8. dayes he transfigured him selfe in mount Thabor Luc. 9. TheÌ„ce he went to Capernaum Math. 17. After these thinges he came from Galilee into Iudaea Math. 19. Againe he went to Galilee Ioh. 7. They bid him go out of Galilee for Herode sought to slay him Luc. 13. He vvent vp to the feast of Tabernacles although he told his brethren he vvoulde not Ioh. 7. he preached many sermons he wrought many miracles c. Haec anno praedicationis suae 2. Iohn Huss The Scribes the Pharises gathered a councell at Ierusalem sent froÌ„ theÌ„ Scribes Pharises and Leuites vnto Iohn Baptist to knowe who and what he was Iohn 1. Christ Epiphani lib. 1. tom 1. heres 20. Christ in the 3. yeare of his preaching vvent vp to Ierusalem to the feast of dedication it vvas vvinter and he vvalked in the temple in Solomons porch Iohn 10. Thence he went beyonde Iordan aftervvardes he came to Bethania where he raised Lazarus Ioh. 10. Iohn Huss The high priests Pharises gathered a councell in the hall of the high priest to aduise them what was best to be done touching the doinges of Christ if they let him a lone then feared they lest the Romaynes came and tooke their place and nation they decreed therein that whosoeuer knewe the place of his abode he should enforme them thereof they decreed also that whosoeuer confessed christ should be excommunicated they consulted howe they might put Lazarus to death and howe they might take Iesus by subteltie kill him then Iudas went into them and sayde what will ye geue me and I will deliuer him into your handes and they appointed him 30. pieces of siluer Ioh. 1â— 12. Math. 26. Iudas Gaulonites and Sadochus a Pharise mayntained the heresie of the Galilaeans Ioseph Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 1. In the beginning of the 4002. yeare of the worlde the 10. daye of the moneth March Christ came ouer Iordan into Bethabara Ioh. 10. The 11. day hearing of the disease of Lazarus he continewed there 2. dayes Iohn 11. The 13. day Lazarus died and Christ tooke his iorney to goe and raise him Ioh. 11. The 14. day he entreth into Iericho and healeth the sonne of Timaeus Marc. 10. The 15. daye he spendeth by the way The 16. day he commeth to Bethania where he raiseth Lazarus nowe 4. dayes dead Iohn 11. The 17. daye he goeth to the desert into the citie of Ephraim Iohn 11. The 18. day he contineweth in the desert The 19. day being 6. dayes before the passouer he returneth to Bethania and suppeth with Lazarus Iohn 12. The 20. day was Palme sonday so called because the multitude tooke braunches of Palme trees and went to meete Iesus comming to Ierusalem Iohn 12. That euening he returned to Bethania Math. 21. The 21. day comminge out of Bethania he cursed the Figge tree Math. 21. In the euening he goeth out of the citie Marc. 11. The 22. day in the morning he passeth by the vvithered figge tree Marc. 11. That nyght Christ supped in Bethania in the house of Simon the leper 2. dayes after vvas the feast of passouer Mat. 26. Mar. 14. The 23. day Iudas couenaunted to betray him Luc. 22. The 24. daye in the euening Christ celebrated the Ievves passouer Aftervvards his ovvne called the Lordes supper He vvasheth the disciples feete he goeth out into Mount Oliuet he prayeth he svveateth blood he is taken he is brought to Caiphas Peter denyeth him Math. 26. Marc. 14. Luc. 22. Iohn 18. Cytraeus in the 21. cap. Math. Iohn Huss  Simon Galilaeus taught the heresie of the Galilaeans aboue mentioned Euseb eccle hist lib. 1. cap. 6. Ioseph bel Iud. lib. 2. cap. 7. The Acts of Christ and the yeares of the Incarnation The raigne of the Emperors The famous men and sauorers of the trueth the Kings of Iudaea The highpriests of the Iewes in Ierusalem The CouÌ„cells some times of the wicked as of the Pharises hereticks some times of the godly is of the Apostles Apostolicke men Sects hereticks as well amonge the Iewes as afterwards amonge the Christians Our sauiour Christ Iesus wheÌ„ he had liued heere on earth 33. yeares full some what more sustâ—â—ed death for the saluation of man kind the 25. days of Mâ—…h the 18 yerâ— oâ— the 〈◊〉 of T 〈…〉 â—â—nâ—â—us Pâ—â—te beinge presidente of Iudaea Hâ—â— de the 〈◊〉 king of the Iewes 〈◊〉 iâ— highpâ—â—est 〈◊〉 in â—1 cap. Math. â—â—sâ—b Chronic. 〈◊〉 Chronic. Euseb â—â—â—l hist li. 1. cap. 11. Anno 18. â—â—heâ—â— Euseb Chronic When Christ was on the crosse ther stode by his mother Marie Cleopas his mothers sister and Marie Magdalene the disciple whome Christ loued Ioh. 19. Herode the tetrarch wheÌ„ he had mocked Christ whome Pilate
demaunded of him the like he sayd It is no hard matter to bereaue a man of his life but when he is gone there is no man be he neuer so sory for him that can restore him to life againe saue God alone He was alwaies of y ◠mind that if any cōmitted treason he would not suffer him to go as farre as the gates of the citie towardes the place of execution but of his clemencie he called him backe againe The same man againe when he published spectacles on a certaine time at Constantinople w t the bickering and fighting of beasts in cōpasse of the theatre and the people shouted vnto him requiring that one of the strōgest men should be turned vnto the sauadge beast which rainged about his answere was in this sort Doe not you know that we can not away with cruell spectacles When the people hearde this they learned thenceforth to refraine from cruell showes Moreouer he was so religious that he honored all the priests of God but specially such as he knew did excell in godlenesse The report goeth that he made searche for the sackcloth which the bishop of Chebrū wore that died at Constantinople aud being found they say he more it how homely soeuer it was thinking verely to gett vnto him selfe thereby some of the deade mans holinesse As he soleminzed on a certaine tempestuous and stormie tyme of the yeare the people requiringe the same the vsuall and wonted spectacles and showes in the place called Circus enuironed with a wall and galeries round about when the rowme was full of people and the tempest waxed sore there fell vpon them sodainly a great cloude of snow then the Emperour renealed vnto the worlde what affection and zeale he bare towards God he willed the bedells in his name to say thus vnto the people It is far better for vs to lay aside these sowes and pastime and with one voyce to fall a praying vnto God that he will deliuer vs out of this present storme The words were no sooner spokē but all ioyntly fell downe to the ground and poured out earnest zealous praiers vnto God so y ◠the whole citie was become like one church The Emperour him selfe in the middest of the assembly arrayed in cōmon vsuall attire began the hymnes neither failed he of his purpose For the wether became faire againe the great derth and scarsitie was turned by the goodnes of God into plenty and abūdance of all things If warres at any time were proclaimed he followed the example of Dauid he made God his refuge perswading him self for certaine that God ruled and gouerned all battails and by the meanes of prayer he obtayned euer a prosperous successe CAP. XXIII Of Iohn who after the desease of the Emperour Honorius playd the tyrant at Rome how God deliuered him through the prayers of Theodosius into the hands of the Romaine souldiers OCcasion is presently ministred to discourse howe Theodosius being ayded frō aboue foyled the rebell and tyrant Iohn immediatly after the Persian battaile the desease of Honoritu in y ◠cōsulship of Asclepiodotus Marianus y ◠15. of August In mine opiniō y ◠acts of those dayes are worthy y ◠writig such they are as of right should be recorded to y ◠knowledge of the posterity in time to come For the like thigs which hapned vnto the Hebrewes vnder Moses as they passed through the red sea new befell vnto the emperours captaines being set against y ◠tyrāt the which I mind briefly to rūne ouer leauīg y ◠large discourse because it requireth a seuerall volume vnto others Although Theodosius knew that Honorius y ◠Emperour had departed this life yet cōcealed he his death frō others so y ◠an other deuise which hereafter shal be spokē of begutled many therin He sent priuely a souldier vnto Salonae a city of Dalmatia to geue warnig y ◠if any nouelty were attēpted in y ◠west parts of the world there should be such preparatiò as might quickly suppresse y ◠authors therof Whē he had brought y ◠about he opened vnto all men y ◠death of his vncle In y ◠meane while Iohānes one of y ◠Emperours chiefe secretaries being not of setled disposition to beare y ◠saile bāner of prosperity chalēged the empire sēt embassabours vnto y ◠emperour Theodosius requiring him to proclaime him emperour Theodosius tooke his legats layd thē in hold sēt vnto Iohn Ardaburius y ◠captaine who of late had behaued him self valiātly in y ◠battaile agaīst the Persians he cōming to Salonae sailed into Aquileia whence as it is thought he tooke a wrōg course the chaunce was as followeth Being in the surging waues of y ◠maine seae y ◠winde blewe against him brought him ere he was ware into y ◠tyrāts clawes The tyrant laying hand on him was now in good hope y ◠Theodosius would be brought of necessitie if he tendered y ◠life of his captaine Ardaburius to create proclaime him Emperour whē these thīgs came to light both Theodosius him selfe his army also which marched forwardes against y ◠rebell were wonderfull sory lest Ardaburius should take any harme at y ◠tyrāts hāds Aspar also y ◠sōne of Ardaburius seing both his father taken captiue also hearing for certainty y ◠an infinite power of Barbariās wēt to ayde the rebell knewe not what to doe he was at his wittes ende To be short y ◠prayers of y ◠godly Emperour thē also proued thē selues againe to be very effectuall for an Angell of God in y ◠forme of a shepherd guided Aspar on his iourney led his army by a lake adioyning vnto Rauēna for there it was that the tyrant kept captaine Ardaburius in hold which way as fame goeth there was neuer man y ◠found passage But God opened a way vnto Aspar where as it is thought others coulde not goe He led then his armie through the lake which then as it fell out was dryed vp by the handy worke of God he rushed in at the gates of the citie which lay wide open dispatched the tyrāt At what time the most godly Emperour vnderstanding of the tyrāts death as he celebrated those showes and spectacles in Circus made manifest his singular zeale pietie godwards for thus he spake vnto the people Let vs geue ouer this vaine pastime and pleasure let vs rather repaire vnto the church and serue God deuoutly pouring vnto God zealous prayers yelding vnto him harty thankes who with his owne hande hath bereaued the tyrant of his life He had no sooner made an end of speaking but ther gaue ouer their spectacles and showes they set all at nought they passed throughout the theater sounding out thanks geuing with one voyce together with the Emperour they went straight to the church and spent there the whole day so that
all the citie seemed to be as one church CAP. XXIIII Howe Theodosius the Emperour after the execution of Iohn the tyrant proclaimed Valentinianus the sonne of Constantius and Placidia the Aunt of Theodosius Emperour at Rome WHen the tyrant was dispatched out of the waye Theodosius began to consider with him selfe whome he should proclaime Emperour of the west parts of the worlde He had to his kinseman one Valentinianus a very yong gentleman begotten on Placidia his aunt for she was the doughter of Theodosius Magnus the Emperour and sister to Arcadius and Honorius the Emperoures Constantius that was made Emperour by Honorius and gouerned the empire with him a very shorte space for he dyed immediatly was the father of Valentinianus Theodosius made this his cosin Caesar sent him into the west and put his mother Placidia in truste with the emperiall affaires Afterwards whē he determined to go him selfe into Italie for to proclaime his Cosin Emperour and in his owne person to counsell the Italians that they shoulde not lightly geue eare vnto tyrants and rebelles he came as farre as Thessalonica and there he was hindred with sicknes so that he could goe no further Therefore he sent the emperiall scepter vnto his Cosin by Helion the Senatour and returned him selfe backe againe to Constantinople But of these things thus much shall suffice CAP. XXV Of Articus bishop of Constantinople how he gouerned the churches Also howe he caused that the name of Iohn Chrysostome should be canonized among the saincts of that church ATticus the bishop was a great furtherer of the ecclesiasticall affaires for he gouerned with great wisdome and exhorted the people diligently with heauenly doctrine to vertuous and godly liuinge When he sawe the church deuided and that the Iohannits vsed their priuate meetings and conuenticles he commaunded that the memoriall of Iohn shoulde be solemnized at seruice time as the maner is of other Bishops that are deseased for by that meanes he hoped veryly it woulde come to passe that many of them woulde returne vnto the Church He was so bountifull and liberall that he prouided not onely for the pouerty of his owne Church but also sent money vnto the next Churches for to supply the want of the needy for he sent vnto Calliopius minister of the Church of Nice three hundreth peeces of golde and withall letters contayning this forme Aiticus vnto Calliopius sendeth greeting in the Lord. I am geuen to vnderstand that there is an infinite number in your city ready to perish with famine stand in neede of the almes charity of godly weldisposed persons VVhere I write an infinite number I meane a great multitude the certayne nūber wherof I do not readily knowe Therefore seeing I receaued money of him which bestoweth aboundance and plenty of ritches vpon them which vse it a right seeinge also dayly experience teacheth vs that some do want to the end that such as be welthy minister not vnto them may throughly be tryed my will is welbeloued brother that thou receaue from me these three hundreth peeces of golde and distribute them at thy discretion among the poore people of thy parish see that thou deale the same not among such as respect only the belly make a liuing or trade throughout their life time of begging but among such as are ashamed to begge Neither vvoulde I haue thee herein to respecte any opinion o◠sect vvhatsoeuer neither to preiudice them which practise in doctrine a contrary faith vnto vs but onely to haue consideration of this that thou relieue them which hunger thurst haue not vvherevvithall to helpe them selues Thus was he carefull of the pouerty of such as dwelled from him in farre forayne contreyes Againe when he vnderstood y ◠such as seuered them selues from the Nouatians about y ◠keeping of Easter had translated the corps of Sabbatius out of the Isle Rhodos for there he died in exile buried it solemnly and praied vpon his tumbe he sent certaine thither in the night time charging them to remoue the corps of Sabbatius bury it in an other sepulchre such as vsed to frequent the place when they saw the graue digged vp ceassed thenceforth to honour the tumbe of Sabbatius The same Atticus did passe in assigning of proper names to things for the rode in y ◠bosome of Pontus Euxinus which of old was called poyson he called Medicen lest he should there raise an assembly appoynt thereunto a place called after a foule name Moreouer he tearmed a peece of the suburbes of Constantinople Argyrople vpon such an occasion as followeth Chrysople is a rode in y ◠head of the sea Bosphorus Many auncient writers make mention therof namely Strabo Nicolaus Damascenus the famous writer Xenophon who both in y ◠sixt booke of Cyrus expedition in the first of y ◠famous acts of y ◠Grecians remembreth the said towne y ◠Alcibiades wal led it about how there is a place therein assigned for y ◠paiment of tyth tribute for such as loose out of the maine sea ariue at y ◠place doe vse there to pay tyth Wherfore Atticus seeing the place ouer against him had so worthy a name procured this rode thenceforth to be called Argyrople As soone as he spake y ◠word the name was immediatly chaunged Againe when as some men said vnto him y ◠the Nouatians should not haue their conuenticles assemblies w t in the walls of the citie what do ye not remember saith he what troubles vexations they endured when we were tossed w t the grieuous storme of persecution in y ◠raigne of Constantius Valens howe y ◠at sundry other times they testified together w t vs the true faith which we maintaine Moreouer for all they were of old deuided from the church yet attempted they to establish no noueltie as toutching y ◠fayth Againe this Atticus being at Nice about the ordayning of a bishop seing there Asclepiades a Nouatian bishop who was a very old man he asked of him how many yeares he had bene a Bishop when the other had answered fifty yeares thou art truely a happy man saith he in y ◠God graunted thee to enioy so worthy a function so long a time he said againe vnto Asclepiades verily I doe commende Nouatus but I allowe not of the Nouatians Asclepiades maruelling what he shoulde meane in so saying replyed how so O bishop Atticus made answere I do commend him saith he for refusing to communicate w t such as had sacrificed to Idols for I would haue done no lesse my selfe But I like not of the Nouatians because they exclude from the communion such as of y ◠layty haue lightly offended Asclepiades replied againe vnto these things besides y ◠sinne of sacrificing vnto Idols there are as holy Scriptures do witnes many other sinnes vnto death for the which you depriue onely the
where the old tabernacle of the Arke out of Armathen the towne of Heli the Priest was to be seene This is that Prophet which prophecied of Salomon the sonne of Dauid that he woulde fall from the Lord. He rebuked Ieroboam saying that when he came to be king he woulde deale vnfaithfully with the Lord. He sawe in a vision a yoke of oxen destroying the people and assaulting the priestes He prophecied vnto Solomon that women woulde withdrawe his minde from the Lord. This Ahias became so olde that his sight was dimme he died not farre from the Oke in Silo and there was buried Asaph ASaph was a fear that is a Prophet in the time of Dauid He appoynted him chiefe of those that praised the Lorde in Psalmes Idithum IDithum was one of king Dauids Prophets and appoynted by him to prophecie with harpes psalteries and cymbals Addo ADdo of some called Iddo was a prophet in the time of Solomon Roboam and his sonne Abia. The doings of Solomon are said to be wrytten in his visions he is sayde to haue wrytten the genealogie of Roboam The maners and sayings of Abia the sonne of Roboam are sayde to be wrytten in the storie of the prophet Iddo which is not extant Semeia SEmeia prophecied in the dayes of Roboam king of Iuda and wheÌ„ Roboam would haue fought with Ieroboam the word of God came vnto Semeia saying speake vnto Roboam the sonne of Solomon king of Iuda and vnto all the house of Iuda and Beniamin and to the remnaunt of the people ye shall not â—ight against your brethern c. VVhen Roboam forsooke the lawe of the Lord Semeia was sent vnto him with this message Thus sayeth the Lord ye haue left me and therefore haue I also left you in the handes of Sesac king of Aegypt Ioath THis Ioath was of y â— land of Samaria A Lion smote him y â— he died and was buried in Bethel nighe y â— false prophet which deceaued him Epiphanius wryteth thus of Ioath whom he calleth Ioam THe Prophet Ioam was of Samaria a Lion mette him by the way and slewe him This is he that reprehended Ieroboam for the goldeÌ„ calues he erected that tooke away also that wicked oblation and sacrifice VVhen Ieroboam stretched forth his hand against him his hand was withered Immediatly after an olde prophet deceaued this Ioam for when he had constrained him to eate breade and to drinke water otherwise then the Lord had commaunded Ioam a Lion met him and killed him without any harme done to his asse He was buried in Bether harde by this olde false prophet VVhen that shortly after this false prophet died he requested of the priests he might be buried where Ioam was laide because he had deceaued him and that either of them was to receaue at the resurrection according vnto their doings VVherefore they were both laide in one sepulchre Oded ODed the prophet and father of Azarias the prophet liued very long vnto the time of Achas king of Iuda his abiding was in Samaria when the host of the king of Israel had taken great spoile and made great slaughter of the tribe of Iuda Oded the prophet went forth before the host that came to Samaria and sayd vnto them Beholde because the Lord God of your fathers is wroth with Iuda he hath deliuered them into your hand and ye haue slaine them with crueltie that reacheth vp to heauen And nowe ye purpose to keepe vnder the children of Iuda and Ierusalem and to make them bondmen and bondwomen and doe ye not lade your selues with sinne in the sight of the Lord your God now heare me therefore and deliuer the captiues againe which ye haue taken of your brethren for els shall the great wrath of God be vpon you Azarias THis Azarias was of Synatha put away froÌ„ Israel the captiuity of Iuda he died was buried in his owne countrie Epiphanius writeth thus of Azarias AZarias the prophet was of the house linage of Symphata this is he that took away by his prayers the captiuitie that was threatned in IerusaleÌ„ to light vpon Iuda he prophecied somewhat of the comming of the Lord. he rested in the Lord in his owne countrey where he was also buried Hanani THe prophet Hanani prophecied in the daies of Asa king of Iuda when Asa for fear of Baasa king of Israel ioyned in league with Benhadab king of Syria Hanani the prophet came to Asa and said vnto him because thou hast trusted in the king of Syria not rather put thy trust in the Lord thy God therfore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand had not the Aethiopians Lubin an exceeding great host with many chariots horsemen and yet because thou didest trust in the Lord he deliuered them into thine hand for the eies of the Lord behold all the earth to strengthen them that are of perfect heart toward him herein thou hast done folishly therefore from henceforth thou shalt haue war so Asa was wroth with the prophet and clapt him in prison for he was displeased with him because of his prophecie Iehu IEhu the son of Hanani the prophet liued in the daies of Iosaphat king of Iuda he prophecied against Baasa king of Israel that god wold root him out with al his posterity for murthering of Nadab the sonne of Ieroboam when Iosaphat tooke part with Achab king of Israel against the king of Syria Iehu went forth to meete him saide vnto him wouldest thou helpe the vngodly loue them that hate the Lord therfore is wrath come downe vpon thee froÌ„ before the Lord. neuertheles there are some good acts founde in thee in that thou hast hewen downe the groues out of the land hast prepared thine heart to seek God this Iehu is said to haue noted the acts of Iosaphat in the book of the kings of Iuda Iehaziel IEhaziel prophecied in the daies of Iosaphat king of Iuda when all Iuda stood in great feare of the host multitude of enemies that came against them the spirit of the Lord came vpon Iehaziel in the mids of the congregation he said hearken al Iuda ye inhabitors of Ierusalem thou king Iosaphat thus saith the Lord vnto you be not affraid nor faint hearted by reason of this great multitude for the battel is not yours but Gods to morow go ye'downe against them behold they come vp by the clift of Ziz and ye shall finde them at the end of the brooke before the wildernes of Ieruel ye shal not neede to fight in this battel but step forth stande and behold the helpe of the Lord which is with you feare not nor let your hearts faile you O ye of Iuda and of Ierusalem to morow go out against them for the Lorde will be with you when they came to the enemies they found them all dead karkasses Eliezer ELiezer prophecied vnder Iosaphat