the Arians sent to fil his place Valens was filled with wrath against the Fathers conucened in the councel of Lampsacum this is a towne neere vnto the straite forth of Hellespontus because they adhered fast vnto the Nicene faith In Constantinople he not only banished the Homousians but also the Novatians their B. Agelius because they would not consent with the Arrian in the matter of faith In Edessa a towne of Mesopotamia the Emperour gaue commandement to slay the Homousians who were assembled together in the church but the seruent zeale of one woman that ran in hast through the rankes of souldiers drawing with her her yong and tender child together with her couragious answere to the Captaine staied the rage of the Emp. wonderfully for she counted it a sweet fellowship that she and her babe should be found amongst the number of these who were counted worthy to suffer death for the name of Christ. Neuertheles the Emp. banished of men who dwelt in Edessa especially of such as were in spiritual offices to the number of fourscore whom he commanded by two two to be dispersed through Thracia Arabia and Thebaida The inuincible courage of Basilius Bishop of Caesarea in Capadocia the peaceable death of Athanasius which hapned in the verie time of Persecution of this Arrian Emperour Valens together with the furie and madnesse of the Arrian Bishop Lucius intruded in Alexandria All these things God willing shall bee touched in their owne places Amongst al the facts of vnspeakeable cruelty committed by Valens one fact ouerwent all the rest While the Emp. was at Nicomedia fourescore Ambassadours were directed vnto him amongst whom Menedemus Vrbanus Theodorus were the chiefe These complained to the Emperour of the manifold injuries done to the Homousians The Emperour gaue commandement to Modestus the Gouernour of his armie to embarke them into a ship as if they were to be banished vnto some remote and far distant place but secret direction was giuen vnto the ship-men to set the ship on fire and to retire themselues into a boat So it came to passe that these fourscore Martyrs circumvented by the craft of Valens glorified the Name of Christ by patient suffering of many deaths at one time both tormented by fire and drowned in water Terentius and Traianus two worthy Captaines vsed some liberty in admonishing the Emperour to abstaine from persecuting of innocent people because his fighting against God procured good successe to the Barbarians but the Lord was minded to destroy him therefore he could receiue no wholesome admonition for a number of the Nation of the Gothes whom he entertained as souldiers meete to defend his Dominions against the invasion of forrainers and strangers they began to waste the Countrey of Thracia and they fought against the Emperour Valens and preuailed against him so that he fled and was overtaken in a certaine Village which the Gothes set on fire So this Emperour died miserably burnt with fire by his enemies without succession and left his name in curse and execration to all ages after he had raigned 15. or 16. yeeres as Sozomenus reckoneth Now to returne to the Emperour Valentinian Hee was a defender of the true Faith and was so highly offended against his brother Valens that hee would make him no support against the invasion of the Gothes for hee sayd it was an impious thing to strengthen the hand of a man who had spent his dayes in warfare against God and his Church In his dayes the Samaritans invaded the bounds of the Romane Dominions Valentinian prepared a mighty army to fight against them but they sent vnto him Ambassadours to entreate for peace When the Emperour saw that they were but a naughty people hee was moved with excessiue anger whereby he procured the rupture of some arters or veines wherevpon followed great effusion of blood And so he himselfe died leauing behinde him two sonnes Gratianus whose mother was Severa and Valentinian the second whose mother was Iustin Gratianus Valentianus the second and Theodosius GRatianus the sonne of Valentinian after the death of Valens his fathers brother had the government both of West and East His brother Valentinian the second was his associate in the government of the West But when he perceived that the waighty affaires of the Kingdome required the fellowship of a man who was ripe in yeeres hee chose Theodosius a man of Noble parentage in Spaine to whom hee committed the government of the East contenting himselfe and his brother Valentinian with the government of the West Gratianus in the beginning of his raigne reduced from banishment those Bishops whom the Arrian Persecuter Valens had banished Hee was slaine by Andragathius Captaine of the army of Maximus who vsurped the Empire of the West This Andragathius not by valour and might but by circumvention fallhod and treason overthrew the good Emperour Gratian for hee made a report to passe in Lions where the Emperour Gratian had his remayning that his wife was comming to him and hee in simplicitie went forth to meete his wife beyond the riuer Rhonne but Andragathius who was couertly lurking in a chariot stepped out and slew Gratianus after he had raigned with his father with his brother and with Theodosius fifteene yeares His brother Valentinian young in yeeres was seduced by the intising speeches of his mother Iustina after the death of her husband in whose dayes shee durst not presume to avow the Arrian Heresie yet after his death shee entised the flexible minde of her sonne to persecute Ambrose Bishop of Millaine because hee would not consent to the Arrian doctrine The zeale of the people affectioned to their faithfull Pastor hindered the cruell purposes of Iustina Likewise the miracles wrought at the sepulchres of Protasius and Gervasius opened the mouthes of the people to glorifie God and to magnifie that Faith which Protasius and Gervasius had sealed vp with their blood these holy men of God were martyred in the second great Persecution mooved by the Emperour Domitian The dolorous tithings of the death of Gratianus and the neere approaching of the Tyrant Maximus to Italy compelled Iustina to leaue the persecuting of Ambrose and to flie to Illericum for safety of her owne life and her sonnes life Theodosius being mindefull of the kindenesse of Gratianus towards him led an army against the Tyrant Maximus The Captaines of Maximus army terrified with the rumour of the might of Theodosius army delivered him bound into the hands of Theodosius and hee was iustly punished vnto the death Andragatius who slew the Emperour Gratian as is sayd seeing no way to escape threw himselfe head-long into a river and so ended his wretched life About the same time Iustina the mother of Valentinian the second shee died her sonne was peaceably possessed in his Kingdome and Theodosius returned to the East againe But within few
mindes as evidently appeared so soone as the King of Navarre and Prince of Condie came to Orleance and had saluted the King the Captaine of the Kings guard layd hands on the Prince of Condie and the King was informed that the Prince of Condie had conspired against his honour and life Thus by the craft and deceitfull practises of the Guisians was the Prince of Condie brought into great danger and hazard of his life and had assuredly died if the mercy of God had not provided timely reliefe But the Lord pitying the estate of his owne poore Church in France shortned the life of Francis the second who dyed of a putrefaction of his eares And thus was the second high attempt of the Guisians against the Gospell marvailously disappoynted by the sudden and vnexpected death of Francis the second After whose death the innocency of the Prince of Condie was declared by a decree of the Parliament at Paris and the government of the young King Charles the ninth was devolued in the hands of the Queen mother and the King of Navarre Those Gouernours with advice of the States of the Realme thought meet that a free disputation should be appointed at Poyssie a towne in France neere to Saint Germane wherein the controversies of religion should bee freely reasoned in presence of the young King the Queene mother the King of Navarre and other Princes of the royall blood This disputation began the ninth of September anno 1561. For the Protestants part were appointed Theodorus Beza Minister at Geneva Peter Martyr professor of Divinity in Zuricke Nicholas Gelasius Augustinus Marloratus Iohannes Merlinus Franciscus Morellus Iohannes Malo and Espineus a man of great learning who had lately forsaken the Romane Church and embraced the true reformed religion On the other part the Cardinall of Loraine with many other Cardinalls Archbishops and Bishops to the number of fifty Prelates besides many other Divines and Doctors were ready to pleade the cause of the Romish Church In this disputation after that Theodorus Beza had at length declared the summe of the Protestants faith and the Cardinall of Loraine had answered In the end the Romane Prelats devised a pretty shift to cut off all further reasoning for the Cardinall of Loraine produced the opinion of the Germans about the matter of the Sacrament extracted out of the cōfession of Ausbrugh Jemanded of the Protestants whether they would subscribe to it or no to the end that if they consented to subscribe they might seem to haue convicted themselues of errour in the matter of the Sacrament and if they refused to subscribe then it might bee knowne to the Princes that were present that the Protestants agreed not amongst themselues To this it was answered by Theodorus Beza in the next meeting that if the confession of Ausbrough should be subscribed then it was good reason to require a subscription of the whole confession and not of one line thereof onely also if they vrged the Protestants to subscribe that confession of Ausbrough then let themselues first begin to subscribe the same and when they haue yeelded to the whole confession of Ausbrugh it will be more easie to finde out any way of agreement in matters of religion After this the forme of disputation was changed and a few in number to wit fiue onely on either side were chosen to conferre in quiet and peaceable manner who beginning at the matter of the Sacrament seemed all to agree in this forme that Iesus Christ by the operation of the holy Spirit offereth and exhibiteth vnto vs the very substance of his body blood and wee doe receiue and eate spiritually and by faith that same body which dyed for vs to the end we may be flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones and that we may be quickned by him and receiue all things that are needfull to our salvation And because faith leaning to the word of God maketh those things that are received to be present by this faith indeed we receiue truely and effectually the very naturall body and blood of Iesus Christ through the power of the holy Spirit In this respect wee acknowledge the presence of the body and blood in the Supper The article of the Sacrament being conceiued in this forme was presented to both the parties and many of the Romane Prelates condiscended to the article aboue specified but when they had conferred with the Doctors of Sorbon they all with one consent refused the same and finding that the communers that were chosen for their part did persevere in their opinion they cryed out against them and would giue no further power to them to reason in that cause Thus the disputation of Poyssie broke vp the 25. of November without any agreement of the controversies in religion but rather leaving in the harts of men a seed of greater contention and cruell wars which afterward ensued But before we speak of the warres in France for religion somewhat is to bee spoken of the cruell persecution that the faithfull suffered in Piemont in which countrey certaine townes had received the Gospell and abolished the masse namely the townes of Angrona Lucerne Perose Tallaret with divers others in the convalles of Piemont all which townes are subiect to the dominion of the Duke of Savoy who hearing of the reformation that was made in the foresayd bounds of his dominion sent out his Captaine Triniteus with an army of 500. men against them to sack and vtterly destroy them except they would receiue the masse againe and put away from them their ministers The towne of Angrona was first assaulted and the people fled to the mountaines but being strictly pursued they turned themselues and with slings stones defended their liues and put their enemies to the worse in so much that Triniteus the Dukes Captaine was to deale with them by subtilty and craft rather then by open force and therefore promised vnto the Convallenses that if they layd downe their armour and sent messengers to the Duke to cuane his pardon and would pay to him the summe of sixteene thousand crownes then vpon those conditions they should haue peace The poore people glad to accept conditions of peace performed all that was required but no peace could be obtained of the Duke except they would put away their Ministers and receiue the masse againe Therefore being spoiled both of money and armour by the craft of their enemies and a new army also sent against them they were compelled in time of winter to flie with their wiues and children to the mountaines all over-layd and covered with snow and from thence to behold the pitifull spectacles of the burning of their houses and spoyling of their goods But necessity compelling them to make some shift for their liues they tooke the strict passage of the mountains and resisted their enemies committing the successe to God who so prospered this poore vnarmed people that in few
In the beginning of March the Duke de Maine with all his forces passed over the bridge of Maule which is about eight miles from Dreux whereof the King being advertised provided for his affaires and the twelfth of the same moneth set himselfe on the way to goe against his enemies On the thirtith day the King after hee had ordered his army made an earnest prayer to God and looked for battell but there were nothing but skirmishes wherein the Leaguers had the worst The next day the battels ioyned neere to the towne of Dreux wherein the King obtained a great victory and overthrew all the footmen of the Leaguers which were counted to the number of twelue thousand men Onely the Switzers who cast downe their weapons and yeelded to the King together with the Frenchmen who were mingled amongst them had their liues spared also fifteene hundred horsemen of the Leaguers were slaine and drowned and foure hundred taken prisoners The Duke de Maine fled towards Dreux and when he was entred the towne broke vp the bridge before his owne people were all come which was the cause of the death of a great number of his army especially of the Rutters of whom a great sort were drowned In this battell the army had their ioy mixed with sorrow at the first for they saw not the King returne but within a while after they espyed him comming all stained with the blood of his enemies not having shed one droppe of his owne whom they discryed onely by the great plume of white fethers which hee had in his creast and that which his palfrey had on his head all the army gaue hearty thankes to God for his safetie crying with one voyce God saue the King The Duke de Maine and other Captaines of the league being frustrate of their hope and seeing their army thus spoyled betooke themselues to their ordinarie shifts which was to feed the Parisians with fable and lyes publishing that in the battell they had almost eqâ—all losse and that the King if hee was not already dead hee was neare vnto it But the people being every day more and more ascertained of the truth began to grudge and to be desirous of peace so that the Duke of Maine tooke his iourney towards the Duke of Parma to obtaine support from him The King drew nigh to Paris and shut vp the passages of the river of Seane being master of Mance and Poyssie on the one side and Corbell Melum and Monterean on the other side of Paris so that neither from aboue nor from below could any provision bee carryed to Paris by the river of Seane likewise by taking of Lagnay and the fort of Gonrey hee stopped the passage of the river of Merue and by taking Compienge Creil and Beaumont hee stopped the passage of the river of Oisso or Ayne In that populous towne the famine was soone felt and within the space of three moneths moe then an hundred thousand dyed in the towne yet the most part of them stirred vp by the seditious Preachers were content rather to endure an hundred deathes then to acknowledge their owne soveraigne King whom they called an Heretique and a favourer of them The Duke de Maine having obtained promise of support from the Duke of Parma returned from Beuxellis whom the King pursued from Laon to Meux where hee inclosed himselfe betweene two rivers waiting for the comming of the Duke of Parma The King hoped for battell so soone as the Duke of Parma was ioyned with the Duke de Maine but the Duke of Parma got vp to an hill to view his enemies army and after hee had throughly noted it hee tooke resolution not to fight but to fortifie and entrench his army within a great marrash and so by meanes of his intrenchments hee eschewed the hazard of battell and came to Paris and named himselfe the deliverer of it But after he had stayed a while in Paris the principall Captaines of the league began to giue the Duke of Parma thankes for his good will and entreated him to goe with his people to Breuxelis againe This request or secret command fell out very well for the Duke For on the one part his army was seene by all men dayly to waste and himselfe did plainely behold that hee stood in the midst of an inconstant multitude Therefore hee dressed himselfe homeward with all possible speed and the king pursued him to the very frontiers of Artoys The Duke of Parmaes comming serued to none other purpose but to fill their purses with the gold of Peru and to entangle and bring their affaires vnto a remedilesse end for in the beginning of the yeere 1591. the King continued his siege and the Parisians were fallen into their wonted distresses as before But we leaue for a while and marke the estate of the rest of the countrey In the countrey of Dauphein Francis de Bonne Lord of Diguireres chased the Leaguers out of that part and became master of Grenoble In Normandy the Duke of Montpensier wonne Honfleur and forced the Leaguers to forsake field In Poictou the Vicount dela Guerche commanding over certaine regiments of footmen and horsemen and finding about a thousand of naturall borne Spaniards newly come from Brittaine to doe some great exployt they were all charged by the Baron de la Rotche Pose and others of the Kings chiefe servitors In this conflict la Guerche was compelled to see 300. Gentlemen of his most assured favourers slaine and lying on the ground at the which sight hee was so abashed that hee fled to the next river where finding the boat and thinking to goe over easily the throng was so great that the boate and all the passengers sunke to the bottome La Guerche was there drowned with a great number of others There perished in the water and in the fight moe then seven hundred Spainards some supposed this losse of the Leaguers to be little lesse then that of Coutras by reason of the great number of the Nobility that dyed therein Likewise the Lord Digners overthrew in the plaine of Portcharre the Duke Savoyes army commanded by Amedio the Dukes bastard sonne and Don Pleneres a Spanish Captaine and the Marquis of Treuic and others There were slaine vpon that plaine 2000. and 500. of the Dukes army and a great number were taken prisoners being for the most part Gentlemen of command The booty which was gotten amounted to the summe of two hundred thousand crownes The next day two thousand Romanes and souldiers of Millaine who with their Commander the Earle of Galcot of Belioyense were saved within the Castle of d' Analon at length yeelded themselues to the Kings mercy but the fury of the souldiers could not bee quenched till they had slaine sixe or seven hundred of them The rest having white roddes in their hands given them in stead of pasports were sent home to Italy In the meane time the King handled his affaires so
of excommunication giuen out against Peter king of Arragon for invading the kingdome of Sicilie After him followed Nicolaus the fourth and ruled foure yeeres one month after whom the Chaire of Rome was vacant for the space of two yeeres and three months because of the intestine discord of the Cardinals who could not condiscend among themselues who should be chosen to succeede In the end Caelestinus the fift is chosen and ruled one yeere and fiue months hee was an Heremit had liued such a solitarie life that he was altogether vnmeet for gouernment in great and weightie affaires Neuerthelesse he was a notable Hypocrite and pretended a reformation of the abuses of the court of Rome and namely in this that the Cardinalls Bishops should ride not vpon horses mules with Pompous traines but vpō Asses following the example of Christ who did ride to Ierusalem vpon one of them But the Cardinals were so farre from yeelding to this ordinance howbeit the Pope in his owne person gaue them example so to doe that they counted him an old doting foole and finding him to be a verie simple man so abused his simplicitie that they caused him voluntarily resigne and giue ouer his office For Caietanus a certaine Cardinall digged a hole thorow the Popes chamber and sounded in a voyce admonishing him to resigne his office to another who was more fit to gouerne then hee was which the Pope supposing to be an Angelicall voyce an heauenly admonition willingly resigned his office desiring the Cardinals to choose another man more fit for the Popedome then himselfe was who choosed thereafter this same Cardinall Caietanus and named him Bonifacius 8. who ruled 8. yeeres 9. months 17. daies Besides the subtile policie wherby he attained the Popedome he ioyned Barbarous crueltie for his predecessor Caelestinus hauing dimitted his Popedome he returned againe to the wildernesse to liue a solitarie life as before But Bonifacius brought him by force backe from the wildernesse emprisoned him where he died for heart-griefe This Pope renewed the old factiōs of the Gibelines Guelses hated the Gibelines to the death in so farre that he deposed the Cardinals that were found to be of the families of the Gibelines and disposed their dignities rents castles and heritages to others and proceeded in hatred and crueltie against them that he could abide no man that was of the stocke of the Gibelines Insomuch that Porthecus Archbishop of Geneua comming vnto him falling downe at his feete Die cinerum hee would not lay the Ashes vpon his head nor say to him Memento homo quod cinis es in cinerem reuerteris as the custome was but hee threw the ashes in his eyes and said Memento homo quod Gibellinus es cum Gibellinis in cinerem redigeris that is remember O man that thou art one of the Gibelines and with them thou shalt be turned to ashes He instituted the first Iubily that was kept at Rome promising a full remission of all their sins to so many as would take paines to visit the Apostolike Sea In solemnising whereof the first day he shewed himselfe to the people in his Pontificall garments with S. Peters keies caried about him but the second hee shewed himselfe vnto them in royall apparell with a naked sword carried before him and an Harold proclaiming Ecce potestas vtrinsque gladij that is beholde the power of both the swords to wit both ciuil and spiritual claiming to himself a soueraigne authoritie in al things both ciuil ecclesiasticall He excommuincated Philip king of France and his posteritie to the fourth generation because he made an ordinance that no mony nor revennue should bee caried out of his countrie to Rome But Philip assembled a Councel at Paris and appealed from the Bishop of Rome to the first generall Councell to be holden And sent William Nogaretius steward of his house together with Scarra Columnensis one of the noble men of Rome whom the Pope persecuted because he was a Gibeline These two I say he sent to Rome to publish his appellation against the Pope but they had another purpose in hand as the euent declared For Scarra disguised himselfe entered in Italy with a seruants habite and secretlie gathered a number of his friends Gibelines and set vpon the Pope by night as hee was lying at Anagnia the towne of his natiuity Nogaretius also cōcurred with 200. horsmen who brake in vpon him by night and spoiled al his rich treasures and put himselfe vpon a wanton Colt with his face towards the taile and made him a ridiculous spectacle to all the people Soone after he went to Rome and died for displeasure that he had loosed his riches and sustained so great shame This is he of whom it was truly said that he entered in as a Foxe liued as a Lyon and died as a Dogge Patriarchs of Constantinople AFter Georgius Xiphilinus succeeded Ioannes Cametarus after him Thomas Maurocenus who being made Patriarch tooke his iourney to Rome receiued confirmatiō of the Roman B. Innocentius 3. He was also present at the coūcel of Lateran holden at Rome in the yeere of our Lord 1215. Next to him succeeded Pantoleo Iustinianus after him Germanus and Arsenius to whose tutorie the Emp. Theodorus cōmitted his yong sonne Ioannes but Michael Paleologus being chosen Emp. plucked out the eyes of the yong Emp. for the which he was excōmunicated by Arsenius Paleologus on the other part gathered a Councel of Bishops against him accused him for suffering of Azetines the Sultan to be present at the holy seruice for conferring with him in the temple In this councell Arsenius was deposed because he appeared not to answere to the foresaid accusation immediatly after was bāished by the Emp. Nicephorus placed in his roome After whom succeeded Germanus and after him Iosephus to whom the Emperour confessed his sinnes of periurie and crueltie in plucking out the eyes of Ioannes the son of Theodorus Lascaris and receiued absolution from him But when he perceiued how the Emperour was purposed to make an agreement with the Bishop of Rome hee would not consent thereto but voluntarily dimitted his office and entered into a monasterie where hee ended his life After him followed Becus whom the Emp. traueled to perswade to giue his consent to the foresaid agreement with the B. of Rome but all in vaine for which cause the Emp. imprisoned him there giuing him many books to reade confirming the opinions of the Latine church which made Becus change his opinion and both by word and writ defend the doctrine of the Latin church To whom succeded Hugolinus Of other Doctors IN this age many were found who taking example of Petrus Lombardus invented subtile and intricat disputations questionin̄g reasoning and calling all things in doubt after the maner of the Academik Philosophers insomuch that there
of the Gospel An assemblie of the Helvetians at Lucerna contrary to that of Zurike A disputation at Baden The causes of Zuinglius absence The conclusion of the disputation A disputation ordained to be holden at Berne Conclusions maintained by the Ministers of Berne The conclusions aforesaid allowed Ferdinand and fiue Pages of the Helvetians enter league against the Bernates The fiue Pages and the Bernates being twise ready to ioyne battell are paâ—ted and the third time the Bernates vanquished Zuinglius killed The occasion of the alteration of religion in England about Henry the eights marriage of his brother Arthurs wife Hatred betwixt the Pope and King Henry the 8. Warres betwixt Ferdinand and the Protestant Princes Agreement made betwixt them A Councell held at Ratisbone about the ending of controversies The conclusion of the Councell Warres betwixt Henry Prince of Brunswick the Duke of Saxonie in name of all the Protestants wherein Henries dominions were subdued A peace concluded betwixt the Emperour and the King of France wherein was determined that both should ioyne against the Protestants The crueltie of Minerius The miserable death of Minerius The Emperour vseth policie to subdue the Protestants The Emperour Proclaimeth the D. of Saxonie Lantgraue outlawes The causes alleadged The Protestants answere vnto the proscription The Bohemians and Maurice invade and subdue thâ— D. of Saxons lands Maurice excuseth by Proclamation what he had done The Duke of Saxonie recouereth what he had lost The Emperour discomfiteth the D. of Saxonie taketh him prisoner and giueth all his his lands to Maurice The Lantgraue detained prisoner by the Emperour A convention at Ausbrough The booke called Interim vrged by the Emperour The foresaid booke hated of all men both Pope Papists and Protestants The Masse forbidden in England Boner and Gardiner depriued of their Bishoprickes Warre betwixt the towne of Magdeburg and Maurice Duke of Spaine Their agreement War betwixt Maurice Duke of Saxonie and the Emperour The conditions of Maurice his agreement with the Emperour Warre betwixt D. Maurice the Marquis of Brandenburg wherein the Marquis was overcome The death of D. Maurice Strange sights seene in Germany Popery embraced in England by means of Q. Mary The Court of Parliament confesse their error in forsaking it and are absolued Q. Maries cruelty against Protestants A bad reward A reference to the Booke of Martyrs Solyman conquereth Belgrade and the Isle of Rhods killeth Lewis K of Hungary and Paulus B. of Collen besiegeth Vienna is repelled Charles restoreth the K. of Tunis to his kingdome Solyman taketh Buda in Hungarie Charles entreth into a religious house and dieth The Bohemians obtaine of Ferdinand the vse of the Sacrament in both kinds Persecution of the Protestants in France The death of Henry the 2. K. of France Francis the 2. having maried the Q of Scots seeketh to reduce the Scottish Nobility to the popish religion but his army was vanquished A Councell kept at Orleance The Prince of Condie taken by the Kings guard is in danger The death of Francis A disputation at Poyssie The Papists policy to cut off further reasoning The Duke of Savoy warreth against the Protestants within his dominions Triniteus by policy spoileth those of Angrona both their money and armour God prospereth the successe of the Protestants The death of Truchetus Peace concluded with the Convallenses The edict of Ianuarie in behalfe of the Protestants The King of Navarre turneth Papist The Duke of Guise killeth 1500 people at a Sermon The Duke of Guise taketh the King and the Queene mother prisoners for whose deliuerie the Protestants binde themselues together The first ciuill warre The Prince of Condie chosen Generall for the Protestants Many townes taken and fortified by the Protestants whereof Burges Roane were recouered by the Papists The death of the Prince of Navarre The death of Augustinus Marlorart Note The battell of Dreux wherein the Prince of Condie was taken by the Papists and the Constable by the Protestants The Duke of Guise his death A new edict in behalfe of the Protestants The end of the first ciuill warre Troubles in the low countries about Religion Duke de Albaes crueltie against the professours of the Gospell The Prince of Orange warreth against the Spaniards The Cardinal of Loraine taketh counsell how to suppresse the Gospell A league made betwixt the Kings of France and Spaine for the rooting out of the Protestants The second ciuill warre in France The Parisians ouercome by the Prince of Condie The Protestants besiege Chartresse The Prince of Condies armie dismissed the townes by him subdued deliuered into the enemies hand through the policie of the Queene mother Euery where crueltie vsed against the Protestants Simile The Prince of Condie the Admirall flie towards Rotchell Note The third ciuill warre in France for Religion Note Note The Papists receiue support from Germanie The Battell of Blansack The death of the Prince of Condie The King of Navarre and young Prince of Condie governe the armie of the Protestants The Duke of Bipont commeth from Germanie to support the Protestants taketh the towne of La charitie and within two dayes dieth having appointed Velrad Count of Manfelt to be Generall in his roome Poictiers besieged The admirall raiseth his siege from Poictiers The battell of Moncontuire wherein the Protestants were discomfited S. Ian Dangely besieged and taken The death of Martiques governour of Britanie an enemie to the Protestants and a blasphemer of the name of God By a new edict of pacification the third ciuill warre endeth The King marrieth The King offereth his sister in marriage to the King of Navarre that thereby he might insnareâ— the Protestants The Queene of Navarre being empoysoned dieth The King of Navarre married to the Kings sister The Admirall shot in the arme The Admirall attended vpon by the Kings Guard The Massacre of Paris the 24. of August Anno 1572. The Admirall killed The Duke of Guise encourageth the companie to murther the Protestants The companies which attended the king of Navarre and Prince of Condie slaine The king vâ—geth the Prince of Condie and king of Nauarre to be come Papists Their resolute Answere Note Count Mongomrie and diuers others escape In this Massacre were killed 30000 persons in France By the example of Rozarius the King of Navarre and Prince of Condie fell away for a time The repentance of Rozarius The Papists defend their crueltie by lies Note The fourth ciuill warre in Fraunce for religion Rotchell besieged God miraculouslie prouideth for the poore during the siege of Rotchell Conditions of peace offered to the towne of Rotchell The towne of Sansarre besieged and some conditions of peace being granted at last surrendered An assemblie of the Protestants at Miliald The conditions which they required of the king Count Mongomrie besieged in Donfront taken sent to Paris Duke Aniow chosen king of Poland depareth thither The Queene mother imprisoneth diuers of thâ— nobilitie who were discontent
of the Iewes but the honourable name of a King he received from Augustus Caesar this was ratified for his further assurance by the Senate of Rome for which cause Herod to testifie his thankefull minde towards Antonius builded a Castle in Ierusalem very neere to the Temple called Arx Antonia And to the honour of Augustus he builded Caesarea Palestinae sometime called the tower of Straton Now a forreiner and stranger of his fathers side an Idumean of his mothers side an Arabian and an aliant both from the stock of David and also from the Common-wealth of Israell was raigning in Iudea and the Sceper was sliding from Iuda now I say was it time that Shiloch should come according to Iacobs prophecie to whom the people should be gathered Now was it time that the promised Mâ—ssias should come sit in the Throne of his father David and of his Kingdome there should be none end And indeed how can the Kingdome of Christ haue an end who acquireth a new title and right of gouernment by death which is the last period of other Kings governments and in death they leaue a vacant roome to a successour but Christ Iesus by dying and rising againe hath a right to rule both over dead and quicke Yea in the very death it selfe hee was practising his kingly office in most effectuall manner and and trampling Satan vnder feet and vndoing the power of death In Augustus time also Ioseph was admonished in a dreame to take the babe and his mother and to flee into Egypt Sozomen not content with the certainty of Scripture addeth a particular nomination of the towne Hermopolis in Thebaida whereinto Christ soiourned vntill the death of Herod the great This hee had by the vncertainty of tradition The miracle of the huge and high tree Prestis that bowed the toppe lowly to the ground and worshipped her Maker Christ and afterward had a medicinable vertue in fruit leafe and barke to cure diseases rather derogareth credit to that Egyptian tradition then assureth vs of the verity of that report Herod before his departure from this life had put to death three of his sonnes Aristobulus Alexander and Antipater and by testamentall legacy had divided his dominions amongst his remanent sonnes Archelaus Herod Antipas and Philip which testament being ratified by Augustus Iudea Samaria and Idumea were alloted to Archelaus the Tetrarchie of Galilee to Antipas and Iturea and Trachonitis to Philip. Ioseph being returned from Egypt when he heard that Archelaus did reigne in Iudea in stead of his father Herod feared to dwell in Iudea but beeing warned of God in a dreame went to the parts of Galilee and dwelt in a Citty called Nazaret All this was done in the dayes of Augustus After hee had reigned 56. yeares or as Iosephus writeth 57. yeares viz. with Antonius 14. yeares and after hee overcame Antonius and Cleôpatra Queene of Egypt in sea-warfare over against Epirus hee had the Imperiall soveraignty himselfe alone all his dayes and died in the 77. yeare of his age Tiberius AFter Augustus raigned Tiberius Nero 22. yeares seven moneths seuen dayes The Romane Deputies that were sent to Iudea in the time of his raigne were Valerius Gratus Pontius Pilat and Vitellius Valerius Gratus for loue of gaine remooued the Priests of the Iewes from their offices at his owne pleasure Ananus Ismael Eleazarus Simon the sonne of Camithus all these were denuded of their priestly dignity when as two of them viz. Eleazarus and Simon had continued scarce one yeare in office In end Iosâ—phus Caiphas is advanced to the Priesthood This is the cause wherefore the Evangelist Iohn calleth Caiphas the high Priest of that same yeare Matters of religion were now come to an horrible abuse and were not ordered according to Gods holy ordinance but according to the appetite of the Roman Deput ies After Gratus Pontius Pilate was sent to be Deputy in Iudea a man vigilant and actiue in all civill affaires as the blood of the Galileans mixed with their sacrifices clearely proueth but in the cause of Christ remisse negligent and slacke After the issue of ten yeares Vitellius is appointed Deputie in Iudea and Pontius Pilate addresseth toward Rome By gratifying of the Iewes of a matter of small importance he obtained great fauour The priestly garments were wont to bee kept in the Castle called Antonia but Vitellius gaue commandement to the Captaine of the Castle to let the high Priest haue the vse of them when hee pleased and to chuse what place he liked best for the custodie of the priestly garments Hee disauthorized Caiphas following as appeareth the example of Valerius Gratus and gaue his office to Ionathan the sonne of Ananus sometime high Priest In the 15. yeare of the raigne of Tiberius Christ our Lord and Saviour was baptized by Iohn in Iordan was led to the wildernesse fasted forty dayes was tempted of the divell and began to preach In the 18. yeare of Tiberius the Lord was crucified and offered a sacrifice for our sinnes which hath a perpetuall vertue to saue such as beleeue Hee arose againe the third day from death The high Priests and Rulers of the people gaue money to the souldiers to obscure the glory of his resurrection yet it was sufficiently knowne not onely to Christs Disciples by his frequent apparitions to them but also to Pontius Pilate the Romane Deputy himselfe who had given out a sentence of death against Christ. Pilate by letters signified to Tiberius the miracles of Christ his resurrection and that hee was supposed of many to be God But the Senate of Rome refused to acknowledge the divinity of Christ because hee was worshipped as God before his Godhead was approved by the Senate of Rome The words of the Apostle Paul had performance in the Romane Senate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they became vaine in their imaginations and their foolish heart was full of darknes when they professed themselues to be wise they became fooles The very smoke that riseth from the furnace seemeth to be somewhat at the first but when it mounteth vp into the aire the higher it ascendeth the more it scatereth and the sudden dispartion of it declareth it is but a vaine thing Such was the wisedome of the Romane Senate when they mounted vp so high as to iudge of diuine things farre surpassing the reach of the naturall vnderstanding of man they prooued starke fooles and people destitute of true vnderstanding and Pilate himselfe ouerladen with many heauy calamities in the dayes of Caius put hands into himselfe and so ended his wretched life Euseb. lib. 2. cap. 7. Caius Caligula CAius Caligula successour to Tiberius raigned three years and nine months Hee was a proud Tyrant enemy to all righteousnesse the very childe of the diuell I insist only vpon Church matters Hee was an hatefull enemy to the Iewes dwelling at Ierusalem and at Alexandria For
one and the selfe-same cause were they both despised and hated of Caius because they would not giue vnto him diuine honors by building Temples and Altars and offering sacrifice to new Iupiter Caius and swearing by his name First concerning Ierusalem hee had sent Petronius to be Deputy in Iudea with commandement to dedicate the Temple of Ierusalem to Iupiter Caius and to set vp his image in the Temple The Iewes were more willing to die then to see the Temple of their God polluted Petronius advertised the Emperour of the grievance of the Iewes but before his letters came into the hands of Caius somewhat interveened that both disappointed the purpose of Caius and also incensed his heart with fury and rage against his Deputy Petrâ—nius At what time Herod Agrippa was at Rome whom afterward the Angell of God smote at Caesarea so that hee was consumed with wormes hee was exceedingly beloved of Caius because in the dayes of Tiberius hee had beene cast in prison and bound with bands for the loue hee carryed to Caius in so farre that Caius invited Agrippa vpon a certaine time to a banquet and bade him aske what hee pleased and it should be granted Agrippaes petition was this that Caius would suffer the Nation of the Iewes to liue according to their owne lavve Caius was moued somewhat with this vnexpected petition yet partly for his excessiue loue toward Agrippa also left hee should seeme to them which fate at table to be a promise-breaker the petition is granted But the venome of his indignation against the Iewes hee poured out against Petronius because that by lingring in executing his commandement occasion was offered to Agrippa to present this foresayd petition The letter of Caius sent to his Deputy was cruell and bloody the like whereof was seldom heard because hee fulfilled not the Emperours desire he is commanded to giue out sentence of death against his owne life and to be both iudge and burrio to himselfe Such mercy was in this new Iupiter Caius Before I write any thing of his cruelty against the Iewes that dwelt in Alexandria it is a meet place to admonish the Reader of the hypocrisie and counterfait holinesse of Herod Agrippa who seemed both in the dayes of Caius and also in the dayes of the Emperour Claudius to bee a patterne of godlinesse preferring at the banquet of Caius the liberty of the people of God and the inviolable observation of the Law of God to all the riches that the liberality of an affectioned Emperour could be able to afford In Claudius dayes hee sayled from Italy to Iudea hee acknowledged God to be the author of his deliverance from prison and bands and offered a chaine of gold to bee hung vp in the Temple of Ierusalem in testimony that hee receiued that benefit with a thankfull mind out of the Lords hands In outward things hee was a builder of the wals of Ierusalem vntill the emulous envie of Marsus or envious emulation the hinderer of all good workes compelled him to desist and to leaue the worke imperfited For all this outward shew of holinesse the lessons of Caius whom he loued beyond all things never left him till his last breath Caius desired to be counted a god so did Agrippa in Caesarea delight when his Oration was called the voyce of God and not of man Caius persecuted the Iewes without a cause so did Herod Agrippa the Christians Caius the higher hee advanced himselfe the greater was his fall the like also happened to Agrippa So pernitious a thing is vngodly company burning their associats with their fire or else blacking them with their smoke and hurtfull every manner of way In the towne of Alexandria the Grecians contended against the Iewes both parties sent Ambassadors to Rome the Grecians sent Appion the Iewes sent Philo a very prudent and learned man Appion with flattering words insinuated himself in the fauour of the Emperor Caius accused the Iewes that they neither builded temples nor offered sacrifice to the honor of Caius as the Grecians did Philo was ready to answer but Caius ruled with affection rather then with reason caused Philo to be thrust out of his palace and would not hearken vnto him In these two mirrors we may see the cruell disposition of this Emperor whose dependers were persecuters of Christians like as he himself was a persecuter of the Iewes If any good turne fell into his hand it was rather by accident then of purpose to glorifie God or to punish sin he banished Herod Antipas who beheaded Iohn the Baptist his wife Herodias that incestuous harlot who ended their liues in penury and misery in Lyons of France But all this was done for the fauor of Agrippa but not for detestation of murther incest In end Caius was slaine by his owne servants Chereas Lupus whom the Emperour Claudius afterward punished vnto death This new Iupiter I count him to haue been in worse case then old Iupiter the son of Saturne albeit both of them died yet the one after his death was counted a god but the other after his death was counted a diuell Claudius CLaudius raigned thirteene yeares eight months Hee ratified the gift of the kingdome of Iudea bestowed by his predecessor Caius vpon Herod Agrippa and added thereto all the dominions of Herod Antipas whom Caius had banished This Herod Agrippa when hee returned from Italy to Iudea builded the walles of Ierusalem sparing for no cost so high and strong that if the worke had not been hindered by the procurement of Marsus Governour of Syria he had made them impregnable Hee was not so carefull to build the walles of the spirituall Ierusalem for hee beheaded the holy Apostle S. Iames the brother of Iohn and did cast Peter into prison whom the Lord miraculously deliuered This Herod and the Iewes made hauocke of the glory of God and blood of his Saints For he gratified them by shedding the blood of the Apostles of Christ and againe they gratified him by giuing him the glorie that appertained to God alone For which cause he was stricken by the Angel of God consumed with wormes In this Emperour Claudius dayes the famine foretolde by the Prophet Agabus afflicted the world One of the causes of this plague doubtlesse was the manifold abuses of the creatures of God in the middes of the aboundance of bread the contempt of the poore which faultes were so vniuersally ouerspread in the world that some of the Emperours themselues were not free of the foule spot of intemperancie as the scoffing speeches of the people did witnesse in stead of Claudius Tiberius Nero calling the Emperour Caldius Biberius Mero This is referred to the successour of Augustus In the yeere of our Lord 48. and in the sixt yeere of the reigne of Claudius as Chytraeus reckoneth was gathered that famous Councill of Ierusalem described
to bee inhabitants of it and was called by the Emperours name AElia Thus we see that the Iewes who would not receiue Christ who came in his Fathers name yet they received another who came in his owne name and like vnto babes who are easily deceived with trifles they were bewitched with the splendor of a glorious name for Barcochebas signifieth the sonne of a starre and hee said to the Iewes that hee was sent as a light from heaven to succour their distressed estate but hee might haue beene called more iustly Barchosba the sonne of a lie Here I giue warning againe that we take heed to our selues left wee bee circumvented with the deceitfull snares of the diuell for it is an easie thing to fall but a difficult thing to rise againe The Christians who lived in the dayes of Adrian were glad to bee refreshed with the crums of outward comfort which are denyed to no accused person in the whole world viz. that Christians shall not be condemned to death for the importunate clamours and cryes of a raging people accusing them except it be prooved that they haue transgressed the Law and haue committed some fact worthy of death Reade the Epistle of Adrian written to Minutius Fundanus Deputy in Asia The good intention of Adrian in building a Church for the honour of Christ voyd of Images because such was the custome of Christians was hindered by some of his familiar friends who sayd that if hee so did all men would forsake the temples of the gods of the Gentiles and become Christians In this point good Reader marke what Church is like vnto the ancient Primitiue and Apostolike Church whether the Church decked with Images or the Church voyd of Images Antoninus Pius TO Adrian succeeded Antoninus Pius his adopted son and raigned 23. yeares Hee was so carefull to preserue the liues of his Subjects that hee counted it greater honour to saue the life of one Subiect then to destroy the liues of a thousand enemies In this Emperours time Iustinus Martyr wrote notable bookes of Apologie for the Christians which were presented and read in the Senate of Rome and mollified the Emperours minde toward Christians as clearely appeareth by his edict proclaimed at Ephesus in time of most solemne conventions of all Asia Antoninus Philosophus and L. Verus AFter Antoninus Pius succeeded his sonne in law Antoninus Philosophus otherwise called Marcus Aurelius with his brother L. Aurelius Verus This is the first time wherein the Romane Empire was governed by two Augusties Albeit Titus had associated his brother Domitian to be a fellow labourer with him in the worke of government yet was not Domitian counted or called Augustus vntill the death of his brother Titus But now at one and the selfe same time two Emperours do raigne Antoninus Philosophus raigned nineteene yeares Lucius Verus his brother nine yeares And so after the death of Verus the whole gouernment returned to Antoninus Philosophus onely Hee was called a Philosopher not onely in regard of his knowledge but also in respect of the practise of Philosophie He was neither greatly pust vp by prosperity nor cast downe by aduersity yet he was a cruell persecuter of innocent Christians Now is the fuell added to the furnace the fourth time and the flame is great and the arme of wicked men who hated the name of Christians is strengthened by the Emperours commandement The trumpets of the Monarches of the world found the alarme against him who made them Kings rulers on the earth The poore innocent lambs of the sheepfold of Christ appointed for the shambles strengthened their hearts in God and in the power of his might chose rather to suffer adversity with their brethren then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season they were content to be racked and would not be delivered that they might bee partakers of a better resurrection whose bodies torne with stripes vntill their very inward bowels were patent to the outward sight witnessed the vnrent firmenesse and stability of their faith They were so supported with the power of that grace that commeth from aboue that they were not terrified with the multiplied numbers of cruell torments newly devised for dashing that invincible courage of faith which was seene in Christians Yea further then this When the persecuting enemies were compelled to change the high tuned accent of their menacing speeches and to craue but a little conformitie to the Emperours desire in swearing by his fortune the holy men of God would not once seeme to fall away from their profession by answering with timerous and doubtfull words but glorified God with a cleare and constant confession of their Christian faith Polycarpus Bishop of Smyrna and Iustinus Martyr a man of singular erudition were both martyred in the fervent heat of this persecution But aboue all other places the consuming flame of the furnace brast out most vehemently in France that happy Nation wherein both of old and late time so many were found worthy to giue their blood for the name of Christ. Vetius Epagathus Maturus Prothenus Attalus Sanctus and Photinus Bishoppe of Lyons all suffered for the testimony of Christ in France And Blandina a worthy woman suffered many torments and renewed her spirituall courage by continuall iteration of these words Christiana sum that is I am a Christian. In like manner Christians were persecuted with the slanderous speeches of Pagans obiecting vnto them the banquets of Thyestes and the chambering of Oedipus that is the eating of mens flesh and incestuous coppulations But men who are giuen to the momentaneall delights of sin are not willing to die because that by death they are separated from all bodily pleasures The Christians by patient and willing suffering of death for Christs sake clearely witnessed vnto the world that they were not addicted to the deceitfull pleasures of sinne Neverthelesse these slanderous speeches were credited by the pagans and tooke such deepe roote in their hearts that those who seemed before to be more meek and moderate then others now they became full of madnesse and rage against Christians and that which was foretolde by our master Christ it was fulfilled at this time to wit The time shall come that whosoever killeth you shall thinke hee doth God good service The huge number of Martyrs that were slaine in the fury of this persecution are both accurratly and at great length set downe by that worthy instrument of Gods glory who lately wrote the Booke of Martyrs I onely point out shortly the estate of the Church at this time In this Emperours time good men were not wanting who admonished him to appease his wrath against Christians such as Claudius Apolinaris Bishop of Hierapolis and Melito Bishop of Sardis But nothing could asswage his cruell heart vntill hee was cast into the furnace of grievous troubles himselfe for his army that fought against the Germanes and Samaritanes fell
thirteene yeares Hee delighted to haue about him wife and learned Counsellers such as Fabius Sabinus Domitius Vlpianus c. This renowned Lawyer Vlpianus was not a friend to Christians but by collecting together a number of lawes made against Christians in times past hee animated the hearts of Iudges against them And this is a piece of the rebuke of Christ that Christians haue borne continually to be hated of the wise men of the world Hereof it came to passe that in this Emperours time albeit hee was not so bloody as many others had beene before him and therefore his Empire was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is vnbloody yet not a few suffered martyrdom even in the daies of Alexander such as Agapetus a young man of fifteene yeares old at Praeneste a towne of Italie hee was assayed with many torments and finally with the sword he was beheaded The Iudge who gaue out sentence of death against him fell out of his iudiciall seat and suddenly dyed The martyrdome of Cecilia if by her trauells Valerian her espoused husband and Tiburtius his brother and 400. moe had beene converted to Christ and secretly baptized by Vrbanus Bishop of Rome immediatly before her death I marvell that no mention should bee made by Eusebius of such a rare and miraculous worke Senators and noble men at Rome such as Pammachius Simplicius and Quiritius with their wiues and children died for the faith of Christ with many others The favour that this Emperour shewed to Christians against whom the very stubbering cookes did contend challenging vnto themselues the right of a place wherein Christians were accustomed to conveene for exercise of divine seruice this favour I say seemeth to haue proceeded from the councell of Mammea his Christian mother rather then from the counsell of Vlpianus that renowned lawyer an hatefull aduersarie to Christians But Mammea his mother hearing the report of the learning of Origen sent for him and by him was instructed in the groundes of Christian faith The learned doctour who wrote the booke of the martyrs very judiciously obserueth the iniquitie of this time whereinto no Christian Churches were erected when as yet notwithstanding of the fauour of the Emperour at some times no publicke house could quietly be obtained for the Christians so that by reason hereof may appeare the decretall epistle of Pope Hyginus concerning the dedication of Churches is forged and fained because the raigne of Alexander is a long time posterior to the dayes of Hyginus who liued vnder the raigne of Antoninus Pius and in the raigne of A lexander as yet there was great difficultie to obteine a place whereinto Christians might assemble together The just deserued punishment of Turinus whom the Emperour caused to bee fastened to a stake in the open market place and thereto be killed with smoke the Herald standing by and crying to the people Smoke he sold and with smoke hee is punished This punishment I say declareth that this Emperour counted flatterers worthy of great punishment Alexander and his mother Mammea were both slaine by his owne souldiers Maximinus AFter Alexander Seuerus Maximinus was Emperour and raigned 3. yeeres A man of base parentage of an huge stature promoted to honours by Alexander who nourished a serpent in his owne bosome as the prouerbe speaketh when he aduanced Maximinus an ingrate foster to great dignities and honours For by his meanes the armie killed Alexander and his mother Mammea and saluted him and his sonne Emperours without aduise of the Romane Senate a man hated of all good men beloued of euill men more grieuous to the citizens of Rome then to their enemies who for hatred of the house of Alexander as Eusebius recordeth raised vp the sixt persecution against Christians specially against the teachers and leaders of the Church thinking the sooner to vanquish the rest if the Captaines and guiders of them were made out of the way Origen at this time wrote a booke de martyrie and dedicated it to Ambrosius and Protectetus pastors of the Church of Caesarca because these two vnder this persecution had susteined great afflictions and constantly perseuered in the true faith No persecution was more violent no persecution endured shorter time In no persecution are the names of suffering martyrs so obscured and couered with silence possibly because the booke of Origen de martyrio through injurie of time is not to be found therefore some learned men doe referre the martyrdome of such as we haue spoken of in the dayes of Alexander to this time or to the persecution of Decius I will not dispute of such doubtsome things Three other things that are more necessarie to the edification of the Church I will touch First the malice of the deuill who hateth the welfare of the sheepfold of Christ and laboureth either to spoyle it of true Pastors or to send in among them poore sheepe hyrelings and men not regarding the wellfare of the flock but their own gaine or else if they haue true Pastors to mooue the flocke to be disobedient to faithfull and vigilant Pastors The stocke that can eschew all these three snares of the deuill and all these three wofull calamities so oft seasing vpon the poore sheepefolde they are in good estate Reade Chrysostome writing vpon the 13. chap. Heb. ver 17. Another thing is worthie to be marked that in three great persecutions in the fift sixt and seuenth Origen a man more renowmed in his life time then after his death God vouchsafed vpon him two great honours but not the third whereof he was most of all desirous He encouraged his father Leonides and his disciples Plutarchus two Sâ—reni Heron and Heraclides patiently to suffer martyrdome in the dayes of Seuerus Next hee wrote a booke de martyrio in the daies of Maximinus the sixt persecuter whereby doubtlesse many were incouraged patiently to suffer euill for Christs sake What remaineth now but the third and principall honour of martyrdome it selfe wherevnto he had a bent desire in the dayes of Decius the 7. persecuter but then he fainted as shall be declared hereafter God willing When we call to minde this weakenes of Origen let all the cogitations of our heartes stoope and thinke that we are not meete for great things but if the Lord call vs to suffer great things for his Names sake the Lord perfite his strength in our infirmitie and weakenesse Thirdly let vs marke the great difference that is betweene the volume of the booke of holy canonicke and sacred Scripture and all other bookes whatsoeuer In Scripture the ouerpassing of matters of great importance and moment is not for ignorance misknowledge or doubting of those things that are ouerslidden but for mysterie and representation of things more necessarie to be knowne as namely when Moses a most accurat writer of the life death and genealogies of holy Patriarches ouerpasseth the description of the genealogie
Maximian retained to themselues These two Augusties raigned 20. yeeres Constantius Chlorus Caesar continued fifteene Galerius Caesar 21. yeeres Dioclesian and Maximianus Herculeus abstained from persecuting of Christians vntill the nineteene yeere of their raigne Before I touch the History of the tenth persecution three things are to be premitted First that after the persecution of Valerian the eight Persecuter the Church enioyed great peace which albeit it was like to bee cut off by the altered minde of Aurelian yet the wise dispensation of the wisdome of God provided that all his cruell enterprises were disappointed The righteous Lord cutted the cords of the wicked Secondly Christians were in great favour and credit with Emperours and to them was committed the gouernment of Provinces and Nations as cleerly appeared in the preferment of Dorotheus and Gorgonius Thirdly they had libertie to build Oratories and Temples large and ample in every Citie All this came to passe in the forty yeeres peace that intervened betweene the raigne of Valerian and the nineteenth yeere of the raigne of Dioclesian Yet the Church of Christ in this short time began to be festred with the corrupt manners of carnall and fleshly people so that contentions abounded but charity waxed cold in the Church of God What wonder was it then that the Lord permitted this tenth and most horrible persecution of Dioclesian to stirre and to waken drowsie Christians who were beginning to be fashioned according to the likenesse of the world In the nineteenth yeere of his Imperiall authority and in the moneth of March this horrible persecution began to arise Dioclesian in the East and Maximianus in the West bending all their forces to roote out the profession of Christians out of the world Dioclesian was pufft vp in pride for his manifold victories and triumphes and would bee counted a God and adorned his shooes with gold and precious stones and commanded the people to kisse his feete This Persecution continued ten yeeres even vntill the seventh yeere of the raigne of Constantine the great So that whatsoever cruelty was practised by Maximinianus Maximinus Maxentius and Licinius all goeth vnder the name of Dioclesian the author of this tenth persecution Cruell edicts and proclamations were set forth in the beginning of this persecution cōmanding to overthrow cast to the ground the Temples of Christians to burne the bookes of holy Scripture to displace all such as were magistrates and were in office and to cast Christian Bishops into prison and to compell them with sundry kinds of punishments to offer vnto Idols Also common people who would not renounce the profession of Christianity to be spoyled of their liberty These edicts were hastily put in execution Many Christians were scourged racked and cruciated with intolerable torments Some were violently drawne to impure sacrifice and as though they had sacrificed when indeede they did not were let goe some were downe vpon the ground and drawne by the legges a great space and the people was made to beleeue that they had sacrificed some stoutly withstood them and denyed with a lowd voyce that they had not bin or ever would be partakers of Idolatry Notwithstanding of the weake sort many for feare and infirmity gaue over even at the first assault When the foresaid edicts were proclaimed both the Emperours happened to be in the towne of Nicomedia notwithstanding a certaine Christian being a noble man borne whose name was Iohn ranne and tooke downe the proclamation and openly tare and rent it peeces For which fact he was put to a most bitter death which hee patiently endured vntill his last gaspe The generall Captaine of the army of Dioclesian gaue choyce to the souldiers whether they would obey the Emperours commandement in offering sacrifices and keeps still their offices or else lay away their armour and be depriued of their offices but the Christian souldiers were not onely content to lay away their armour bu also to offer themselues vnto the death rather then to obey such vnlawfull commandements In Nicomedia the Emperour refraind not from the slaughter and death of the children of Emperours neither yet from the slaughter of the chiefest princes of his court such as Peter whose body being beaten with whips and torne that a man might see the bare bones and after they had mingled vineger and salt they powred it vpon the most tender partes of his body and lastly rosted him at a soft fire as a man would rost flesh to eare and so this victorious martyr ended his life Dorotheus and Gorgonius being in great authoritie and office vnder the Emperour after diuerse torments were strangled with an halter The torments that Peter suffered encouraged them to giue a worthy confession that they were of that same faith and religion that Peter was of This persecution raged most vehemently in Nicomedia where the Emperours palace through some occasion being set on fire the Christians were blamed as authors of that fact Therefore so many as could be found out were burned with fire or drowned in water or beheaded with the sword amongst whom was Anthimus Bishop of Antiochia who was beheaded The bodies of the sonnes of Emperours that were buried they digged out of their graues and sent them in boates to bee buried in the bottome of the sea lest Christians should haue worshipped them as gods if their sepulchres had beene knowne such opinion they had of Christians The number of twentie thousand burned in one temple of Nicomedia by Maximinus smelleth of the libertie that Nicephorus taketh in adding many things to the veritie of the historie The martyrdome of Serena the Emperour Dioclesians wife is rejected by learned men as a fable albeit recorded by Hermannus Gigas The number of Christians cast into prison and appointed for death was so great that scarcely a voide place could be found in a prison to thrust in a murtherer or an opener of graues such heapes of Christians were inclosed in darke prisons The martyrs of Palestina of Tyrus in Phenicia of Tarsus of Antiochia of Alexandria of Miletina in Armenia and of Pontus Cappadocia and Arabia they could not easily bee numbred In Thebaida horrible and vnnaturall crueltie was vsed against christian women whom they hanged vpon gibbets with their heades down-ward toward the ground and fastened one of their legges onely to the gibbet the other being free thus their naked bodies hanging vpon trees in maner aforesaid presenced to the beholders a spectacle of most vile and horrible inhumanitie In like maner the branches of trees were artificially bowed downe to the earth and the feete and legges of Christians tied to them so that by their hastie returning againe vnto their naturall places the bodies of Christians were rent in pieces This was not a crueltie finished in a short space of time but of long continuance some dayes 20. some dayes 60. and at sometimes an hundred were with sundrie kindes of torments
seditious Monkes On the other part a great number of Syria Caua came to support the troubled estate of Flauianus For these things as if he had beene a contentious man he was banished and Senerus a notable Eutychian heretique was placed in his roome this is he of whom I haue mentioned diuers times that Alamundarus prince of Saraceus deluded his messengers and sent them backe ashamed and confounded The next attempt was against Helias Bishop of Ierusalem against whom this quarrell was forged that hee would not subscribe the Synodicke letter of Seuerus and damne the councel of Chalcedon and by the Emperours commandement Olympius the captaine came to Ierusalem expelled Helias and placed Iohn a familiar friend of Seuerus in his roome This Iohn by the perswasion of Sabas a Monke of Palestina forsooke the fellowship of Seuerus and was cast into prison by Anastatius the Emperours captaine but when he was brought foorth out of prison againe he disappointed the expectation of Anastatius the captaine for he openly auouched the foure generall councels and anathematifed the followers of Arrius Macedonius Nestorius and Eutyches In doing whereof he was mightily assisted both by the people and the Monks so that Anastatius the Emperours captaine fearing popular commotion fled and returned againe to the Emperour but Seuerus Bishop of Antiochia moued with wrath against the Monks of Syria set vpon them and slew 300. of them and gaue their carcases to the foules of the heauen and the beastes of the earth such mercie was and is to bee found in headstrong heretiques In all this desolation the courage of Cosmas Bishop of Epiphania and Severianus bishop of Arethusa is to be admired who wrote a booke conteining a sentence of deposition of Severus Bishop of Antiochia which booke Aurelianus a deacon of Epiphania clad in a womans apparrell deliuered vnto him in Antiochia and afterward conueyed himselfe away secretly The Emperour was highly offended against Cosmas and Severianus and he wrote to Asiaticus gouernour of Phoenicia that hee should eiect them out of their places but when answere was returned to the Emperour that it could not be done without blood the Emperour left off further pursuing of them Many counted Anastatius a peaceable Emperour because he would haue setled controuersies in the Church as eiuil controversies at sometimes are settled namely by a law of oblivion but there is no capitulation betwixt darknesse and light but darknesse must yeeld vnto the light of God In Africke moe then 900. were crowned with martyrdome vnder the raigne of Anastatius as Magd history recordeth out of the first booke of Regino de Anastatio Platina writeth that he was slaine with thunder Iustinus the elder AFter Anastatius succeeded Iustinus a godly Emperour and governed nine yeeres and three dayes Hee restored the Bshops whom Anastatius had banished Hee banished also Arrian Bishops who were found within his Dominions Severus Bishop of Antiochia a vile Eutychian Heretique and a bloody Foxe hee displaced and caused him to be punished by cutting out of his tongue as some affirme Theodoricus King of the Gothes obtaining domion in Italy persecuted true Christians with great hostility and sent Ambassadors to the Emperour Iustinus to restore the Arrian Bishops whom hee had banished else he would pursue the Bishops who were in Italy with all kinde of rigour And because the Ambassadors returned not backe againe with such expedition as he expected hee put hand to worke and slew two noble Senators Symmachus and Boetius Likewise when the Ambassadors were returned hee cast in prison Iohannes Tuscus Bishoppe of Rome and his companions whom hee had before imployed to goe on message to the Emperour Iustinus The Bishop of Rome died in prison for lacke of sustentation but the Lord suffered not this barbarous cruelty of Theodoricus to be long vnpunished for the Lord strake him with madnesse of minde so when he was sitting at table and the head of a great fish was set before him hee imagined it was the head of Symmachus whom he had slaine and was so stupified with feare that anon after hee died In the dayes of this Emperour Iustinus was a terrible earthquake the like whereof hath not beene heard at any time before wherewith the towne of Antiochia was shaken and vtterly ruined With the earthquake fire was mixed consuming and resolving into ashes the remnant of the towne which the earthquake had not cast down In this calamity Euphrasius Bishop of Antiochia perished The good Emperour mourned for the desolation of Antiochia and put on sackcloth on his body and was in great heavinesse whereof it is supposed that hee contracted that disease whereof hee dyed When he found his disease daily encreasing he made choyce of Iustinian his sisters sonne to be his colleague who governed foure moneths in equall authority with his vncle and then Iustinus ended his course Iustinianus A After the death of Iustinus Iustinianus his sisters sonne governed 38. yeares Hee would suffer no faith to be openly professed except the faith allowed in the foure generall Councells Notwithstanding the Empresse Theodora his wife was a favourer of Eutyches heresie This Emperour was bent to recover all that was lost by his predecessors in Asia Africke and Europe and hee had good successe through the vertue and valour of his Captaines especially Belisarius and Narses Belisarius first fought against the Persians who had overcome not onely Mesopotamia but also many parts of Syria Antrochena and Cava Hee overcame them in battell and compelled them to goe back beyond Euphrates Next he was employed to fight against the Vandales in Africke who possessed great bounds of the Romane dominions ever since the dayes of Gensericus King of the Vandales And it is to be marked that the time was now come wherein the Lord wil declare that the blood of his Saints is precious in his eyes For since the dayes of Dioclesian that bloody persecuting Emperour no race of people persecuted Gods Saints with so barbarous cruelty as the Vandales did for zeale they had to the Arrian heresie wherewith they were infected After Gensericus Hunericus and Amalaricus and Trasimundus who closed the doores of the Temples of Christians and banished their Bishoppes to Sardinia Childericus would haue shewed some favour to Christians and reduced their Bishoppes from banishment for this cause the Vandales did slay him and gaue his kingdome to Gillimer Now the Lord remembred the grones of his owne prisoners and would not suffer the rod of the wicked perpetually to lie vpon the lot of the righteous Belisarius fought against the Vandales prosperously recovered Carthage and all the boūds pertaining to the Roman Empire possessed by the Vandales Also he tooke Gillimer their King and carried him captiue to Constantinople It is worthy of remembrance that Iustinian would not receiue into his treasure the vessels of gold which the Emperour Titus when hee burnt the Temple of Ierusalem
Christians to the making whereof concurred Sergius a Nestorian heretik and Iohn of Antiochia an Arrian heretike and some Iewes Mahomet also ordained that all people whom the Saracenes could conquer should be compelled by fire and sword and al kind of violence to receiue the doctrine contained in these bookes Heraclius perceiuing the sudden great increase of the doÌ„inion of the Saracens gathered a great army fought against them but he was ouer-come in battell and lost 150. thousand men of his army And when he renewed his forces againe to fight against the Saracens he found that 52. thousand men of his army died in one night suddenly as those did who were slaine by the Angell of God in the army of Senacherib Heraclius was so discouraged with the calamitie of his armie that he contracted sicknesse and died Constantinus and Heracleonas AEter the death of Heraclius raigned his son Constantine 4 moneths was made out of the way by poyson giuen vnto him by Martina his fathers second wife to the end that Heracleonas her son might raigne But God suffered not this wickednes to be vnpunished For Martina and Heracleonas were taken by the Senators of Constantinople her tongue was cut out and his nose cut off least either her flattering speeches or his beauty and comelines should haue moued the people to compassion and they were both banished About this time the Saracenes had taken Caesarea in Palestina after they had besieged it seuen yeeres and they slew in it seuen thousand Christians Constans AFter the banishment of Martina and Heracleonas her sonne raigned Constans the sonne of Constantine 27. yeeres in religion he followed the footsteps of Heraclius and was infected with the heresie of the Monothelites and persecuted Martinus 1. Bishop of Rome because he had gathered a Synode in Rome and damned the heresie of the Monothelites whom also he caused to be brought in bands to Constantinople cut out his tongue and cut off his right hand and banished him to Chersonesus in Pontus where hee ended his life Hee fought also against the Saracenes in sea-warre-fare and was ouer-come by them like as interpreters of dreames had fore-tolde him for he dreamed that hee was dwelling in Thessalonica and the interpreters said it portended no good but that others should ouer-come him as if the world Thessalonica did import 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is render victory to another Constans was slaine by one of his owne seruants as hee was washing himselfe in the bathe-houses of Saracuse Constantinus Pogonatus COnstans being slaine in Sicile the army in those parts appointed Mezentius a man of incomparable beautie to bee Emperour but Constantinus the eldest sonne of Constans sayled to Sicile with a great nauie slew Mezentius and the murtherers of his father and recouered his fathers dominion to himselfe Hee was called Pogonatus because his face was not bare and voide of haire when he returned from Sicile as it was when hee sailed thither from Byzans but his face was rough and couered with haire Hee had 2. brethren whom the people reuerâ—nced with equall honour as they did him therefore hee disfigured their faces by cutting off their noses and reigned himselfe alone 17. yeeres In religion hee was not like vnto his predecessors who had beene fauourers of heretiques but he assembled a generall Councell at Constantinople vulgarly called the sixt Oecumenick Councell wherein the heresie of the Monothelites was vtterly damned as in his owne place shall be declared God willing Likewise the estate of the Emperour was more peaceable than it had beene in time of his predecessors for the Saracens were compelled to seeke conditions of peace from him and to offer yeerely paiment of 3000. pound weight of gold vnto him with other tributes of horse seruants and prisoners Iustinianus the second Leontius and Absimarus AFter the death of Constantine raigned his son Iustinian the second sixteene yeeres to wit ten yeeres before his banishment and sixe yeeres after his banishment His gouernement was cruell and bloodâ—e by perswasion of Stephanus and Theodorus whose counsell hee followed euen till the purpose of exirpation of all the Citizens of Constantinople But Leontius a man of noble birth pitying the Citie tooke Iustinian the Emperour cut off his nose and banished him to Chersonesus Ponti where he remained in great miserie ten yeeres Stephanus and Theodorus his bad counsellors receaued a condigne punishment for they were burnt quicke in the bellie of an hot brasen bull After this banishment of Iustinian the second Leontius raigned three yeeres The flexible mindes of vnconstant people and souldiers choosed Absimarus to be their Emperour who dealt with Leontius as hee had dealt with Iustinian and cut off his nose and thrust him into a Monasterie where hee remained seuen yeeres to wit all the time of Absimarus gouernement In the ende Iustinian after ten yeeres banishment recouered his Emperiall dignitie againe by the helpe of Terbelliâ— Prince of Bulgaria Hee caused Leontius and Absimarus to be brought vnto him whom he trampled vnder his feete after commanded that they should be beheaded The crueltie that he vsed against the Citizens of Constantinople and against the inhabitaâ—â—â— of Chersonesus Ponti is almost vnspeakeable He was hated of all men Philippicus conspired against him and he was slaine by one named Elias his seruant CENTVRIE VIII Philippicus AFter Iustinian the second was slaine Philippicus raigned two yeeres and nine moneths Great dissention fell out betwixt the Emperour Philippicus and Constantine Bishop of Rome for razing as appeareth the pictures of Fathers who were present at the sixt Generall Councell which being pictured in the Temple of Sopia were abolished by the commandement of Philippicus Constantine Bishop of Rome declared the Emperour an heretique and commanded that his name should be razed out of charters This was the first great direct and violent opposition that the Bishops of Rome attempted against noble Emperours Philippicus was taken and his eyes were put out by Anastasius otherwise called Artemius his Secretarie who raigned in his stead Artemius ARtemius otherwise called Anastasius raigned one yeere and three monethes hee deposed Iohn Patriarch of Constantinople who kept not the true faith and placed Germanus in his steade Hee was taken by Theodosius and sent prisoner to Nice and from thence to Thessalonica where he was compelled to renounce his Emperiall dignitie and to be clothed with the habite of a Monke Theodosius THeodosius raigned scarce one yeere and when he heard that Leo Isaurus gouernour in the East parts was saluted Emperour by the armie he willingly gaue ouer his Emperiall dignitie and liued a priuate and peaceable man Leo Isaurus LEo Isaurus raigned twentie foure yeeres great commotions were in his time both in Church and policie In Church-affaires he was an hater of Images and burnt Images made of wood other images hee melted misfashioned against whom Gregorius the second pust vp with antichristian pride opposed himselfe
of the West Now Irene was deposed and banished by Nicephorus who raigned eight yeeres after her banishment CENTVRIE IX Carolus Magnus IN the yeere of our Lord 801. Charles the Great King of France was declared Emperour by Leo the third Bishop of Rome and hee raigned sixteene yeeres in his Imperiall dignity for hee continued King of France forty and six yeeres The Empire of the West had beene cut off since the dayes of Augustulus the sonne of Orestes whom Odoacer King of Rugiheruli c. had compelled to denude himselfe of the Imperiall dignity Now after the issue of 300. yeeres and after the Hunnes the Gothes the Lombards and other Nations had obtained dominion in the West all abstaining notwithstanding of their prevailing power from the name dignity and stile of Emperours Now at length I say Charles the Great is anoynted and crowned Emperor by Leo the third in the towne of Rome And this was the beginning of that evill custome which after followed to wit That Emperours should receiue their coronation from the Bishops of Rome At this time the Empire of the East was in the hands of the Empresse Irene and in the hands of the Emperour Nicephorus who had banished Irene and raigned in her stead The Empire of the East was also weake at this time as appeareth by a covenant of peace which they concluded with Charles Emperour of the West in the which no mention is made of Exarchatus Ravennae to be rendred againe vnto them onely that the Isle of Sicile and the townes and lands which lie from Naples Eastward on the right hand and from Manfredonia sometimes called Syponto on the left hand compassed about with the Seas called Superum Inferum these should remaine in the possession of the Emperours of Constantinople ' Charles a prudent and godly Emperour more sound and vpright in sundry heads of Christian doctrine then many others for hee detested the worshipping of Images as vile Idolatry as appeareth by his bookes written against the second Councell of Nice Charles was very friendly to Christians and defended them against the violence and tyranny of their persecuting enemies namely against Godfridus King of Denmarke a fierce adversary against the Christians who dwelt in Saxony Likewise hee subdued the Slavonians and Bohemians enemies to Christian Religion and was iustly called Magnus for his great exploits and valiant acts which God prospered in his hand Pipinus the sonne of the Emperour Charles was declared King of Italy who died before his father and after his death hee appointed Bernard his nephew to raigne in Italy with expresse commandement That hee should bee obedient to his sonne Ludovicke whome hee ordained to be successour to himselfe in the Imperiall office So the Emperor Charles full of dayes died in the 71. yeere of his age and was buried in Aken Ludovicus Pius AFter Charles succeeded his sonne Ludovicus Pius and raigned 26. yeeres For his gentle and meeke behaviour he was called Pius He received the Imperiall Diadem from Stephanus the fourth at Aken Bernard his brothers sonne forgetfull of the mandate of Charles the Great rebelled against Ludovicus Pius and was beheaded at Aken Likewise his owne sonnes assisted with Hugobortus Bishop of Lions and Bernhardus Bishop of Vienne and other Bishops who did excommunicate the Emperour for adherence to Iudith his wife behaued themselues very vndutifully towards their father Neverthelesse he freely pardoned his sonnes and accepted them againe into favour Also Fredericke Bishop of Vtrecht threatned to excommunicate the Emperour if hee did noâ— forsake the company of Iudith his welbeloved wife and daughter to the Duke of Bavaria because shee was his neere kinswoman to wit in degrees of consanguinity for bidden in the Popish lawe The Empresse willing to bee revenged of the Bishop shee hired two Gentlemen who set vpon him after Church service and slew him in his Priestly garments In his time also the Saracens in huge numbers like vnto Locusts swarmed out of Egypt and Africke and invaded the Isle of Sicile By cutting downe all fruitfull trees burning Townes Temples and Monasteries and by killing Bishops Priests and Monkes they brought the I le to an vtter desolation Gregory the fourth at that time was Pope and hee exhorted the Emperour and his sonne Lotharius to support the distressed estate of the Isle of Sicile They answered That albeit that matter duly belonged to Michael Emperour of Constantinople yet neverthelesse they refused not to vndertake the worke vpon the common charges of the Countrey Now whilest these things were in reasoning Bonifacius Count of Corsica and his brother Bertarius with support of the people of Hetruria arrived with a Navie at Africke and betwixt Vtica and Carthage encountred with the Saracens foure times and slew of them so great a number that they were compelled to recall their forces backe againe from Sicile like as of old the Carthaginians vexed by Scipio recalled Hanniball for the safety of his owne country So Bonifacius returned back againe with an army victorious and richly lodened with the spoyle of his enemies Nothing was more vnprovidently done by the good Emperour Lodovicus Pius then the giving ouer of that right voluntarily conferred to Charles his father by Adrian the first and Leo the third to wit That no man should be elected Pope without the consent and allowance of the Emperour This foresaid right Ludovicus gaue over to the Clergie and people of Rome onely the Romanes for keeping of friendshippe should send an Ambassadour to the King of France declaring whom they had elected to bee Pope Hereby a patent doore was opened to all mischiefe which after followed and to that horrible contention betwixt Emperours and Popes concerning investment of Bishops In his time three Emperours raigned in the East at Constantinople to wit Leo Armenius Michael Balbus and Theophilus Leo Armemenius raigned seven yeeres Hee banished Nicephorus Patriarch of Constantinople for defending adoration of Images Michael Balbus slew Leo his predecessor whilst he was praising God in the Church and raigned in his stead nine yeeres In his time the Saracens mightily prevailed a number of them issued out of Spaine and tooke the Isle of Candie Another company comming from Africke wasted the Isle of Sicile Theophilus raigned ten yeeres and fought against the Saracens who did oppresse the countrey of Asia but he had no good successe Lotharius LOtharius the sonne of Ludovicus Pius was declared King of Italy and Augustus before his fathers death He was anoynted by Pope Paschalis in the Church of Saint Peter and he raigned 15. yeeres Great hostility and bloody warres fell out amongst the children of Ludovicus Pius to wit Lotharius Lewis Charles and Pipinus fordividing of their fathers Lands In this civill dissention the Nobility of France was so miserably weakened that the Normans and Danes tooke boldnesse to invade the countrey of France which they vexed for the space of twenty yeeres In the East after Theophilus had concluded
corrections This booke also was impugned both by Protestants and Papists Of the Protestants Caspar Aquila a preacher in Turingia impugned it as a booke replenished with false doctrine and on the other side Robertus Abrincensis Episcopus impugned it for giuing libertie to Priests to marrie and permitting the people to haue the Sacrament vnder both formes While this great stirre and trouble was in Germanie in England by the authoritie of a Parliament the vse of the Masse was altogether forbidden and a booke made of an vniforme order of common prayers and administration of the Sacraments in the English tongue Edmond Boner Bishop of London and Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester for obstinate defending of the Roman doctrine were depriued of their Bishoprickes and cast in prison where they continued all the time of king Edwards raigne But to returne againe to the troubles of Germanie of all the Cities of the Protestants there was none that more constantly beared out the Emperours indignation as the Citie of Magdeburg For neither would they acknowledge the councell of Trident neither yet the Emperours booke of Interim but fortified their towne against Maurice Duke of Saxonie whom the Emperour made Captaine in that warre vntill at last an agreement was made vpon easie conditions When Maurice with his garrison entered into their Citie hee grieuously blamed their Preachers that both in their bookes and pictures they had done much to his reproach but yet he exhorted them to pray for the good successe of the Emperour and the generall councell of Trident. To whom they answered that they could not pray any otherwise for that Councell that was assembled to oppresse the truth but that God would soone disturbe it and breake it vp The end of the warre against the Citie of Magdeburg was the beginning of great warre and dangerous trouble against the Emperour For Maurice Duke of Saxonie perceiuing the Emp. would not stand to his promise consulteth with forraine Princes how hee might by force deliuer his wifes father the Lantgraue and when hee found that all things were in readinesse hee begun to muster his souldiers shortly after set forth a Proclamation to the states of the Empire in the which first hee lamenteth the discord of Religion secondly he rehearseth grieuouslie the imprisonment of the Lantgraue his wifes father signifying that hee was so kept against all truth and honour to the report of all Germanie Lastly he bewaileth the pittifull estate of all Germanie and oppression of their libertie protesting that the cause of this warre was to restore the old dignitie and freedome Albert Marques of Brandenburge maketh also his Proclamation and after a long rehearsall of the miseries of Germanie referreth the cause of all to the Churchmen and therefore signifieth this warre to bee chiefely against them William the Lantgraues sonne ioyned his power with Duke Maurice at Shuinforde The king of Fraunce also ioyned in this warre and led an armie vnto Germanie As they went forward they caused the Cities to submit themselues commaunded them to pay great summes of money and displaced such as the Emperour had set in authoritie and restored their old Senatours willing them to vse their priuiledges and liberties that the Emperour before had forbidden The report of this warre and the good successe of Maurice namely after the citie of Ausbrough was by him taken made the councell of Trident to breake vp and dissolue The Emperour on the other part set at libertie Fredericke the olde Duke of Saxonie as it were to signifie to Maurice that hee should claime againe the Dukedome of Saxonie and Electorship that he enioyed and thereby to put him in more feare Albert Marques of Brandenburge in this warre shewed great extremitie to diuers cities and noble personages against the mind of Maurice and the other confederates The King of Fraunce led forward his armie to Strawsburge and hearing that communication of peace was betwixt Maurice and the Emperour and that they were in good hope to haue their Princes deliuered hee to gratifie them was content to returne to Fraunce but was much displeased that Duke Maurice would enter in communication of peace without his knowledge In the end agreement passed betweene the Emperour and Duke Maurice vpon these conditions That the Lantgraue should be set at libertie That their Religion should be quiet vntill a certaine order were taken for the same in the next assemblie of of the Empire That Maurice and the Princes confederats should suffer their souldiers to serue king Ferdinand in Hungarie That the Protestants should bee admitted Iudges in the Chamber-court with diuerse such other like conditions The end of this warre was also the beginning of another cruell warre betwixt Duke Maurice and the Marquis of Brandenburg which fell out vpon this occasion The Marquis being reconciled to the Emperour and in great favour with him did many iniuries in Germany not onely to the Bishops whom hee ever deadly hated but also to diverse Princes and Cities yea and that vnder the name of religion Duke Maurice with certaine other went against him and met at the river of Visurg where Albert was overcome But Duke Maurice was so stricken with a gun that hee died within two dayes after Before this in Germanie were seene drops of blood vpon the trees and certaine other strange sights In England about this time fell out a great alteration in religion through the death of King Edward of whom the world was not worthy Lady Mary his sister succeeding to the kingdome Shee ioyned her selfe in mariage with Philip sonne to Charles the Emperour and restored not onely the Popes supremacie dissallowed by her father King Henrie the eight but also the masse and all superstitions of the Romane Church abrogated in the dayes of King Edward her brother Also shee caused the Realme of England in the high Court of Parliament to confesse their defection from the Catholike Church and to craue absolution having there in readinesse Cardinall Poole the Popes Ambassadour to absolue them What excessiue cruelty was vsed in her time no tongue can expresse The very name of Dioclâ—sian begunne to bee lesse abhorred when the name of Queene Mary came forth Her cruelty beginning at Iohn Hooper Bishop of Glocester Iohn Bradford Laurence Saunders Rowland Taylor Iohn Rogers Preachers proceeded shortly after to Ferrar Bishop of Saint Davids whose constant death amazed the people and confirmed their mindes in the true doctrine that they had learned of him This persecution raged in all parts of the Land but specially in Kent Essex and Norhfolke Some of those parts were chiefe maintainers of her authoritie and against the mind of the Nobilitie and Councell set forward her right to the Kingdome but this reward they receiued in the end at her hands The cruell martyrdome of Cranmer Bishop of Canterbury Ridley Bishop of London Latymer Bishop of Worcester Doctor Philpot and many others with the
raising vp of the bones of the men of God Bucer and Fagius out of their graues and the cruelty intended against her owne sister Lady Elizabeth all these things being so well and amply discoursed in the Booke of Martyrs the godly Reader is to be remitted to the reading of the sayd booke Now to conclude this Historie of Charles something is to be noted of his warres with the Turkes In his time Solyman the great Turke conquered the citie of Belgrade the most sure and strong garrison of the Christians and vexed the countrey of Hungarie He besieged the Isle of Rhodes and tooke it to the great shame and rebuke of Christian men who provided not support for the Rhodians that resisted the common enemy so long and so couragiously After this Solyman slew Lewis King of Hungarie and Paulus Bishop of Collen who more rashly then wisely with a small power of foure and twenty thousand men encountered the great Turke leading an army of 200000. souldiers Also hee besieged Vienna but was mightily resisted and repulsed with losse of a great number of his army all this was done before the Emperour Charles began to stirre himselfe against the Turke but when the matters of religion in Germanie were put to some point in the Councell of Ratisbon the Emperour raised an army of eighty thousand footmen and thirty thousand horsemen and compelled the Turke to raise his siege from the towne of Gunza and with speed to retyre backe to Constantinople After this Charles sayled with an army vnto Africa and restored the King of Tunis to his kingdome againe whom Barbarossa Admirall of the Turkes Navie in Africke had dispossessed and deprived of his kingdome In this same voyage he delivered 20000. captiues out of servitude Notwithstanding Solyman with vnsatiable ambition pnft vp to conquer all Europe was ever subduing townes and Isles as Corcyra Zacynthus Cythara Naxus with diverse others also the towne of Newcastle in Dalmatia and Buda in Hungarie which hee obtained by meanes of Frier Cogdridge Tutor to Stephen sonne to Iohn Vaivod of Transilvania and meanes of the relict widow of the sayd Vaivod These two sent for aide to the Turke against Ferdinand and the Turke not neglecting so good an occasion came to Hungarie discharged the Hoast of Ferdinand that was besieging Buda and got the citie into his owne hands Which done hee prevailed mightily in Hungarie and tooke the towne called Quinque ecclesiae and Strigonium Alba regalis and Vizigradum and it was an easie matter for him to haue conquered all Hungarie in respect the Emperour Charles was so busie in warres with the King of France that the common enemy of all Christian people had leave to rage at his owne pleasure and had it not beene the gracious providence of God pitying the misery of Christian people who stirred vp the Persian Sophie against Solyman and droue him backe out of Europe for a time and likewise the murther of his owne sonne Mustapha which stirred vp a peece of a Tragedie in his owne house the Christian people had no doubt beene brought to greater extremities in Solymans dayes The vnprosperous voyage of the Emperour to Argier I passe by and many conventions of Estates in Germanie kept for quieting of religion and preparation for warre against the Turkes In the end the Emperour finding himselfe troubled with sicknesse resigned the gouernment of the Low Countries into the hands of King Philip his sonne and surrendred the Imperiall crowne vnto the Electors of Germany sayled vnto Spaine where hee entered into an house of religion and gaue himselfe to meditation and prayer and there concluded his life Ferdinandus AFter that Charles the fift had surrendered the Imperiall crowne into the hands of the Electors of Germany they assembled at Frankford and there elected Ferdinand King of Bohemia and brother to the forenamed Charles the fift to bee Emperour who raigned seven yeeres The ancient manner was that he should be crowned in the forenoone at masse but because diverse of the Electors would not in any wise come to masse the coronation was solemnized in the afternoone and the masse with other like ceremonies omitted To this King before hee was elected Emperour his Nobles in the countrey of Bohemia made earnest supplication that they might bee permitted to vse the Sacrament in both kindes according to Christs institution but he strictly commanded them they attempted no alteration in religion Neverthelesse the Nobility continuing constant in the purpose of their mindes at last after many earnest suits obtained their desire In France about this time the persecution of the Protestants waxed hot and King Henry the second was sore grieved that the Parliament of Paris it selfe could not be kept free of this new doctrine as hee called it Wherefore hee caused Annas Burgeus an honourable and wise Counsellor to be taken to whom hee spoke in great wrath that hee would stand by and see his body burnt for that new religion which hee favoured But hee was wonderfully cut off before hee could get his heart satisfied with that pitifull spectacle of the burning of a noble Counsellor For God so disposed the matter that the King cloathed all in armour put a speare in one of his subiects hands and compelled him against his will to runne at him at which time the said speare broke and a small splinter of it entring at the Kings eye pierced into his braine whereby hee died Yet by his death was not the foresaid persecution relented but rather vehemently augmented for Francis the second succeeding to his father Henry in the the kingdome married Mary Queene of Scots who was descended of the linage and stocke of the house of Guise By this meanes the Guisians were in great credit and authority with the King and presumed to high things not onely to suppresse the Gospell vtterly in France but also in Scotland For at this time a great part of the Nobility and people of Scotland had shaken off the yoke of the Romane Bishop they had throwne downe Altars and Images and had forsaken all the superstitious ceremonies of the Romane Church The Guisians purposing to supresse the Scotish Nobility sent out of France into Scotland an army of 4000 men vnder the conduct of Monsieur La Broch This army assisted the Queene regent to reduce backe againe the kingdome of Scotland to the Romish religion But the Scottish Nobility obtayned helpe of the Queene of England and brought the Frenchmen to such extremity that they were compelled to accept conditions of peace and to retyre backe againe to France So this first high attempt of the Guisians against the reformed religion in Scotland was by the providence of God disappointed In France the King with advice of the Guisians had appointed a nationall Councell to bee kept in Orleance for the quieting the tumults which were like to ensue for religion in France but all was done in hypocrisie and with deceitfull
pursued so strictly that before they had marched backe halfe a myle from Blansack they were compelled to turne and fight In this battell the Prince of Condie was taken and slaine and two hundred of the Protestants more and fortie taken prisoners The rest of the armie the Admirall led backe to Saint Iande-angeli Soone after this Andelot dyed at Sainetes to the great griefe of all the armie his body being opened was found to be poysoned The Queene of Navarre comforted the armie of the Protestants and the King of Navarre her sonne with the Prince of Condies sonne tooke vpon them the government of the armie and sent Count Mongomrie to support the Towne of Angolesme which was then besieged by the Dukes Forces by whose comming the towne was so refreshed and encouraged that the Duke was compelled to raise his Siege and depart from the Towne About this time the Duke of Bipont with his Germane Forces were entred into France to support the Princes of the reformed Religion and tooke the Towne of La charitie in Burgundie a Towne of no small importance for the passage of the river of Loyre The Princes of the Protestants marched forward to meete the Duke of Bipont and by the way killed two hundred Hagbushers who were appointed by the Duke of Andion to stoppe the passage of the river Vienna in the river of Limosin and so the passage being opened they came the day after to the Campe of the Germanes and receiued them with great gladnesse but through the sudden death of the Duke of Bipont who died two dayes after their meeting their gladnesse was mixed with great heauinesse Notwithstanding the Duke before his death exhorted all his Captaines valiantly to debate that cause of Religion For the which they were entered into France and placed in his roome Wolrad Count of Manfelt to be generall Commander of the Germane armie In which were reckoned to be seauen thousand and fiue hundred horsemen and sixe thousand footemen besides two thousand French horsemen who came in their companie and ten Ensignes of footemen The Prince of Orange with his brother Lodowick and Henry were also in this armie In the Countrey of Poictou the Princes had taken many Townes and the most part of the Countrey was alreadie subiect vnto them And it was thought meete to besiege the Towne of Poictiers it selfe and the Towne was willing to render to the Princes vpon reasonable conditions if the Duke of Guise had not come to support the Towne But the comming of the Duke altered their mind and the Towne was strongly fortified and valiantly indured a strict Siege The Admirall although he had lost two thousand men at this Siege and great sicknesse and penurie of victuals was felt in the armie yet was he very vnwilling to raise the Siege till at length the Duke of Andum strictly besieged Monsieur Loe in Castelleralt whom the Admirall willing to relieue left the siege of Poictiers Soone after this the armie of the two Princes being at Moncontuire in the Country of Poictou was purposed to march toward Niort and the armie of the Duke in like manner was purposed thither Through this occasion the two armies ioyned in battell a little space from Moncontuire and the Duke of Andium had the Victorie The footemen of the Germanes were cruelly slaine in this Battell without all commiseration some greater fauour was showne to the French Souldiers The Admirall foreseeing as appeareth the euent of this battell had caused the two Princes of Navarre and Condie to be conveyed out of the Hoast The number of those that were slaine at this battell are supposed by some to haue beene sixe or seauen thousand men by others twise as many The report of this losse so discouraged the Protestants that all the Townes which they had conquered in Poictou were incontinent recouered by the adversaries and S. Ian Dangely after it was besieged two moneths was surrendered to the adversarie vpon certaine conditions At the siege of this Towne Martiques Governour of Britanie a great enemie to those of the Religion was slaine wherein is to be noted the iust iudgement of God punishing the pride of those that blaspheme his blessed name This Martiques perswaded La Matpinolis to yeeld the Towne to the King and desired the towne to remember the battell of Moncontur e wherein their strong God had forsaken them and said it was time for them to sing Helpe vs now O God for it is time Not long after this proud man felt that the strong God was liuing able to helpe the weake and to confound the proud The Princes with the Admirall consulted in what part of the Realme it were meetest to sustaine the hazzard of the Warrefare and it was thought meetest in Languedok because the Towne of Nimes was lately surprised by the Protestants and many townes in that Countrie fauoured their Religion While new preparations are made by the Princes to sustaine the Warre behold a new edict of pacification is for forth granting libertie of Religion to the Protestants againe and granting to them for their further securitie the keeping of foure Townes during the space of two yeares to wit Rotchell Cognack Montallan and Caritea This edict being proclaimed in both thâ— Campes the people were in great ioy being wearied with long and perillouâ— Warres and being desirous to visite their owne houses and families Thus was an end put to the third ciuill warre in France After this pacification the King married Elizabeth daughter to Maximilian the Emperour and the rumour went thorow the Countrey that the King was inclined to peace Likewise the apparent hatred betwixt the King and the Duke of Aniou his brother confirmed this rumour for it seemed to the people that the King was offended because the Prelates of France depended more vpon his brother then vpon himselfe and paied to him yeerely 200000 Frankes to be a patron and defender of their cause Wherefore it seemed to many that the King would incline his affection toward the Protestants to abandon the power of his brother But all this was deceitfull treacherie to colour the intended malice of his heart Also the edict of pacification was better kept then it had beene at any other time before except in a few places And when the Queene of Navarre sent messengers to the King to complaine of the violation of the edict in the Townes of Roane and Aurenge the King returned backe againe to her a very pleasant answere that he would not onely punish most seuerely the transgressours of the edict but also for a further confirmation of a stedfast bond of Peace with the Protestants he would bestow Margaret his sister in marriage to the King of Navarre her sonne The King himselfe passed to Bloyes and sent for the Queene of Navarre whom hee receiued so courteously and conferred with so louingly that the Queene was fully perswaded that this marriage would
be a sure pledge and bond of constant peace The Admirall also was sent for and met the King at Bloyes whom the King seemed to reuerence and honour out of measure in so much that the Admiralls heart was betwitched with the Kings faire speeches supposing that he meant vprightly to bind vp indeed a bond of constant Peace with the Protestants Specially for this that the King seemed to prepare an armie for support of the Prince of Orange and the Admirall was appointed to be generall Commander of the armie The time of the celebration of the marriage drawing neere which was appointed to be solemnized in Paris by the Cardinall of Burbone the Queene of Navarre addressed her selfe toward Paris to make preparation for the marriage and the Admirall with many earnest requests of the King was sollicited to bee present at the marriage As also all the principall Noble-men of the Protestants The forerunners of the lamentable Tragedie that after followed began soone to appeare if the hearts of men had not beene setled in a deepe securitie For the Queene of Navarre as she was busied in making preparation for the marriage died hastily being cut off by empoysoned Gloues which shee receiued from an Italian the Kings Vnguentarie But the King seemed to be in such heauinesse for her death and the matter was so finely conveyed that all suspition was incontinently quenched and buried and the marriage was celebrated the eight-teenth day of August Anno 1572. Soone after to wit the twentie two day of August appeared a cleere presage of the future Tragedie for the Admirall as he went from the Loover to his house was shot with two or three Bullets in the arme This was taken in very euill part by the King of Navarre and Prince of Condie who desired libertie to depart from Paris wherein they saw so euident danger to themselues and their friends But the King with so many attestations protested the miscontentment of his owne minde in that matter and that he would diligently search and seuerely punish the authors of that deed that in some part he quieted the hearts of the complainers Likewise the King himselfe came to visit the Admirall with pittifull words lamenting the chance that was fallen out and affirming the dishonour to be done to him although the Admirall had receiued the hurt Also he desired that the Admirall would be content to be transported to the Loouer of Paris for his better securitie in case any popular commotion should fall out vntill he should be trying and punishing the authors of that fact And when the King perceiued that the Admirall made excuse of his infirmitie that he could not suffer to be transported the King appointed some of his owne Guard to attend vpon the Admiralâ— house and the Protestants were commanded to prepare their lodgings neere to the Admirals house to be a guard vnto him in case any commotion should happen in the Towne All this was done vnder deepe dissimulation to put the Protestants in securitie that they should not once imagine of the Tragedie that was to come And the Admirall sent his Letters to all parts of the Countrey where the Protestants were that they should make no stirre for that which was done vnto him for the wound was not deadly and God and the King would see the authors thereof punished The night after was the appointed time for the horrible Massacre of the Protestants that were in Paris The Duke of Aniou and the Duke of Guise having their souldiers ready armed in the streets were waiting for the signe that was to be giuen to beginne their bloudie Enterprise which being once giuen out of the Church of S. Germane the Duke of Guise set first vpon the Admirals house Those of the Kings guard of whom we spoke before that were appointed for defending of the Admirall now euidently declared the true cause wherefore they were placed in that roome for they rushed in violently and killed the Admirall and threw him downe out of a window into the close where the Duke of Guise was awaiting for that spectacle and for ioy would scarcely beleeue that it was he vntill he had wiped the blood from his face Then he encouraged all his companie and sayd This is a good beginning goe to goe to it is the kings will it is the kings commaundement What bloodie crueltie followed without all commiseration slaying men women and children no tongue is able to expresse the sounding of bells the shouting of the pursuers and the pitifull cries of the slaine all concurring together made the spectacle of that day to be verie terrible Also the Duke of Guise with Mompensier and many others passed thorow the streets encouraging the people and augmenting their furie and madnesse saving that the wicked seede of the Protestants should be vtterlie rooted out The like outragious crueltie was also practised in the Lower where the king was For the whole companie that were attending vpon the king of Navarre and Prince of Condie were commaunded to lay downe their armour and goe without the Palace where they were most cruellie slaine by armed Souldiers attending on their out-comming The king of Navarre and Prince of Condie themselues were brought before the king and threatned that except they would renounce that religion which they professed they should surely die The king of Navarre humbly requested the king to regard that new bond of friendship that was bound vp betweene them and for his religion not to vrge him so strictlie incontinent to forsake that religion wherevnto hee had beene trained vp from his very youthward The Prince of Condie added moreouer that his life was in the kings hands to dispose of it as it pleased him but as for his Religion hee had receiued the knowledge of it from God to whom also hee behoued to render account of the same and hee would not renounce it for any feare or danger of this present life Some of the Protestants then lodged in the Fobers of S. Germane as Count Mongomrie diuers others for intercepting of whom the king had giuen commandement to the Dean of Gild of Paris to haue in readinesse 1000. armed souldiers but through the prouidence of God those souldiers were not in readinesse and that by the ouersight of an inferiour captain to whom the Dean of Gild had giuen charge to execute the kings Commaundement This matter being signified to the Duke of Guise hee tooke with him a Companie of armed men to intercept in time Mongomrie and his complices But when hee came to the Port deuiding the towne from the Fobers hee was compelled to stay a while because in hast the wrong Keies had beene brought out in stead of the right keies of the Port. In this meane time Count Mongomrie Carautensis and others that were in the Fobers had beene aduertised of the cruell Massacre that was in the towne and scarcely would credit that the King
could be partakers of so foule a treacherie But when they saw the Heluetian souldiers making hast by boates and shippes to crosse the water and to come ouer to the Fobers of S. Germane to cut them off they made hast and fled The Duke of Guise with Duke De Aumald and the Count of Angolesme pursued them to Montfort which is eight leagues distant from Paris but could not ouertake them and so returned backe againe to Paris In this Massacre were slaine many noble men such as the Admirall Telignius Rupefocald Renelius and many learned men amongst whom were Petrus Ramus and Lambinus and of others moe than 10000. persons whose bodyes were layed on heapes vpon cartes and cast into the riuer of Seane which was coulered red with the blood of the slaine The like crueltie was practised in Lions and the bodyes of the slaine were cast into the riuer of Rhene and the heapes of the slaine were carried downe to the sight of those of Delphin Provance and Languedok that dwelt nigh vnto the riuer whose harts were compelled to detest the spectacle of so Barbarous crueltie the like wherof was scarcely to be found amongst the Turkes and Infidels Likewise in many other townes the rage of the like crueltie was felt so that within the space of a moneth moe then 30000. persons were reckoned to be slaine To all this Tragedie was added the defection of Rozarius a Preacher at Orleance who by his vilde Apostasie so brangled the King of Navarre and Prince of Condie that they were induced by his example and perswasions to fall away from their religion for a time yet afterward this same Rozarius being grauely admonished of the vildnesse of his Apostasie departed out of France to Germanie and writ letters to the Prince of Condie wherein hee acknowledged his errour and begged mercie of God for that he had beene a snare and stumbling blocke to him The report of the Massacre was so detestable in the eares of all men that heard it that they were forced to beare out that matter with forged lies which they had begun with crueltie to the end this Massacre should be the lesse odious in the eares of strangers they alleadged that the Admirall his complices were purposed to cut off the king all the blood royal yea and the king of Navarre himselfe although he was of the same religion to set vp the Prince of Condie in the throne of the kingdome to the end the Admiral might haue the gouernment administration of al himself And for this cause they tortured two noble men of the Protestants whom they had takeÌ„ to wit Canagnius Briquemald to drawe out of them by torturing a coÌ„fession of the fore alledged coÌ„spiracie But the noblemen died constant in the true faith w ithout confession of any such treason as was alleadged NotwithstaÌ„ding they were not ashamed after their death to publish in their names a coÌ„fession of horrible treason which they neuer confessed while they were aliue After this pitifull disaster it seemed that the religion in France was vtterlie quenched for the noble men were slaine some had made defection and others for feare had left the land Only a few towns were in the Protestants hands such as Rochell Montalban Nines Sauserr and some others of small account Yet the Lord so wrought by those small beginnings that the force of the aduersaries was more wonderfullie resisted by this small handfull then it was by forces of so many noble men with concurrance of strangers in the former warre The towne of Rotchell was the towne of greatest importance of all the rest and the king thought meete to besiege it both by sea and land with a mightie armie which siege began in the moneth of December Anno 1573. and indured vntill the moneth of Iune next following The maruelous prouidence of God was felt in this siege for God sent a number of fishes called Surdonnes to the support of the poore during the time of the siege and when the siege was loosed the fishes departed away and were found no more in that coast In the moneth of Iune the Ambassadour of Poland came vnto the Kings Campe to the Duke of Aniou the Kings brother whom the Polonians had chosen to be their king and immediately after conditions of peace were offered to the towne libertie to exercise their religion within their own bounds and in this peace were contained their associats of Montalban and Nimes The Rotchellanes had required that those of Sanfarre and all others of their Religion should bee comprehended in this bond of pacification but no speciall mention was made of the towne of Sansarre onely a generall clause of their associats was cast in The towne of Sansarre likewise was besieged but it was so strongly fortified and the Protestants within the towne so couragiouslie repulsed the enemies that they were compelled to retire backe from battring of the walles and to beset them round about on all quarters that they might by long famine compell them to render whom they could not ouercome otherwise This siege indured from the moneth of Ianuary vntill the moneth of August so that the famine within the towne was so great that the famine of Samaria and Saguntum seemeth not to haue bin greater In the end conditions of peace were granted and the towne was rendered to Castrius the kings Lieutenant in those parts The townes of Montalban and Nimes was not besieged as yet to whom and to all the rest of the Protestants dwelling in Lauguedok Delphine Provance was offered those same conditions which the Rotchellanes had embraced But they craued of the king his brother liberty first to assemble theÌ„selues together before they should giue their answere which being granted the assemblie conveened at Miliald it was thought meete with common consent to craue more ample coÌ„ditions liberties then were contained in the peace of the Rotchellans namely that in euery Province of Fraunce two townes might be granted to the Protestants for their further securitie those townes to be kept by the guardes of their own souldiers to haue their pay out of the kings treasury and that libertie should be granted to al that were of their religion to exercise the same freelie without any exception of places Also that all those that should be found guiltie of the horrible murther coÌ„mitted at Paris the 24. of August might be seuerely punished Many other conditions were required very amply freely Order was taken in like manner in this assemblie how the warre might be maintained in case those conditions of peace were not granted The Queene mother when shee had read the conditions that were required said with great indignation that if the Prince of Condie had beene in the midst of Fraunce with 20000. horsemen and 50000 â—footmen yet would hee not haue required the halfe of those conditions This great boldnesse of
the Protestants in crauing so great liberties put the enemies in suspicion and feare that the Nobles of Fraunce had secretlie banded themselues with the Protestants About the same time Count Mongomry had returned out of England had taken some townes in Normandy but soone after he was besieged in Donfront a town of Normandy by Matigonus the kings Lieutenant in those parts to whō he yeelded himself vpon certain conditions which were not kept vnto him but he was sent immediatly to Paris to the king The Duke of Aniow had departed from France to the kingdome of Polonia the king of France was fallen sicke also many noble men in the land were highlie offended at the ambition pride and crueltie of the Queene mother who had not onely cut off the noble men of the Protestants but also intended the like crueltie against many other noblemen in Fraunce whose names were insert in the bloody roll of the Massacre albeit they professed the Roman religiō The Queene mother knowing that she was vehementlie hated in the land and fearing left this matter should tend to her vtter disgrace and abandoning of all her authoritie thought meete to prevent all the deuices of the nobilitie of France against her and begun to lay hands on those of the Nobilitie whom she most suspected and cast them in prison such as D. Alauscone her owne son whom she knew to be discontent with her forme of gouernment and the king of Navarre also Monmerance and Cassens Marescallis The Prince of Condie also was to be taken but he conveyed himselfe away secretly vnto Germanie In the meane time the king died in the moneth of May Anno. 1574. with greateffusion of blood from many parts of his body And the Queene mother had all the gouernment in her owne hand vntill the returning of her son out of Polonia whom shee aduertised of the death of his Brother Charles and desired him without all delay to returne againe to Fraunce In the meane time the cruell heart of the Queene mother thirsting for blood procured that Count Mongomrie should be condemned to death This is that noble man who had slaine king Henry the father of Charles with a speare whom king Henry would not suffer to be harmed for that cause it being done in game and against Mongomries heart Neuerthelesse when he came in the hands of this mercilesse woman he must die Before king Henry returned out of Poland vnto France the Prince of Condie had sent from Germanie to France Messengers to declare to the Protestants the great care of his minde to advance the Religion and to procure the peace and libertie of his countrie who also was chosen to be generall commaunder of all the Protestants Many Catholikes were associate with him who being of a contrarie religion notwithstanding tooke armes with the Prince of Condie to restore the countrie to the owne libertie In the moneth of December Anno 1574. the king came to Lyons where the Queene mother accōpanied with Alauscon her son and the king of Navarre and Duke of Guise were awaiting for his cōming In this towne they aduised what was most expedient to be done whether they should prosecute the war or they should quiet the countrie with new edicts of pacification The Queene mothers aduise was that the king should assault the townes of Languedok Delphine that were kept by the Protestants because the presence and terrour of the king would so astonish the peoples hearts that incontinent they would yeeld and giue ouer the townes into the kings hands This aduise was followed and the king besieged the towne of Pusinum in Viuaret tooke it also the towne of Libero in Delphin was strōgly besieged but the king was cōpelled to leaue his siege to depart from the towne which according as the name of it foretokened remained free and vnconquered by the aduersaries during the time of this siege the Cardinal of Loraine died vpon this occasion The king being in Avinion some Paenitentiaries fortuned to scourge themselues in a cold winter season the Cardinall would ioyne himselfe to their fellowship and walked barefooted in the companie of those Paenitentiaries wherby he contracted a deadlie disease and soone repented this repētance The king himselfe was content to afflict his body after the same forme which was expoūded by many to be an euil presage that he should not conquer that little towne of Libero but should be scourged from the towne leaue the siege of it with shame which truly came to passe From thence the king went to Paris to his Coronation where many Ambassadours came to the king not only from the Prince of Condie who as yet remained in Basile but also from the D. of Sauoy and the Cantons of the Switzers and from the Queene of Englād to treat for peace but al their trauels were ineffectuall for the conditions of the peace could not be agreed vpon so the war continued waxed hote In Languedoke Anvillius although he was of the Romane religion yet had ioyned himselfe to the Protestants and tooke Agnes Mortes a towne of great importance in those parts with many other townes In Delphin Mombruniris was chiefe commaunder and had so good sucesse in all his attempts that he was a great terrour to the aduersaries In the end he was sore wounded and taken beside Dia a towne in Delphine and by the commaundement of the king and Queene mother was carried to Grenoble and there was executed in the sight of the people This war was much different from the former warres wherein those that were of one religion were also on one side but now the Catholikes were mingled with the Protestāts which thing albeit it seemed for a time to augment their number yet in the end it turned to euill as shall be declared hereafter God willing The Prince of Condie had required helpe of Cassimire the sonne of Count Palatine who also had condiscended to support the distressed Church of Fraunce and very strict obligations of mutual duties were passed between them as these namely that they should not dissolue their armes vntill that libertie were obtained to the Protestants fullie to enioy their owne Religion And likewise that Cassimire should haue the townes of Metis Tullion and Verdum in his hands besides other townes in all the Provinces of France which the Protestants were to require for there further assurance and as pledges of the Kings fidelitie faithfulnesse towards them While this armie of Cassimire was marching forward towards Loraine Alauscon the kings brother departed from Court and many of the nobilitie of France resorted to him all pretending that they could not suffer the countrie to be exhausted with ciuill warres and the people to be vexed with exorbitant and vnnecessarie taxations All those tumults were found in the end to be the subtile policies of the Q. mother by the meanes of Alauscon her son to
dissolue the army of Cassimire Notwithstanding the army of the Germanes and French-men entered into France vnder the conduct of the Prince of Condie and Cassimire and came forward to Charossium a towne in Borbon not farre from Molins where Alauscon the Kings brother ioyned with them and the whole army being mustered was found to bee of horsemen and footmen thirtie thousand The King of Navarre about the same time departed from Court and returned to his owne countrey whereby the feare of the King and Queene mother was greatly encreased In conclusion the army approached dayly neerer and neerer to Paris yet no battell was fought because the Queene mother listened more to the instructions shee had given to Alauscon her sonne then to the doubtfull successe of battell and force of armed men and indeed a more sure way to obtaine their purpose For messengers being sent to the King to treate for peace the Queene mother perceived that all other conditions how ample soever they had beene might bee easily eluded and broken but if the townes of Metis Tullion and Verdum were in the hands of a potent stranger it would be a great abandoning of the Kings power in all time to come Therefore the matter was so brought about that Cassimire was content to receiue from the King a great summe of money in stead of those townes which should haue beene put in his hands and libertie was granted to the Protestants to exercise their owne religion openly and freely without exception of places the Court and the towne of Paris with a few leagues about onely excepted Also they were declared to bee capable of places in Parliament and places of Iustice Courts all iudgements which were made against them for any enterprise whatsoever was declared voyd The cruell day of Sant Bartholomew disavowed and for better assurance and performance of the conditions they had eight townes delivered vnto them with the conditions of their governments Aques Mortes Bencaire Perigneux Le mas de verdun Nâ—ons yissure La grand tour Thus was the edict of pacification proclaimed through the countrey in the moneth of May 1576. and an end was put to the fift civill war in France for religion In this Emperours time Solyman being now stricken in age came notwithstanding into Hungarie againe with a great army and besiedged Zigeth In the meane time of the siege Solyman dyed but his death was so secretly concealed that the siege continued after his death and the towne was taken by force Likewise Selim the sonne of Solyman was in haste sent for to come from Constantinople to Hungarie all this was done before the death of Solyman was knowne either to his owne army or to the Emperour Maximilian This new Emperour of the Turkes Selim tooke Famagusta in the Isle of Cyprus which belonged to the Venetians and did fight a cruell battell by Sea against the Christians in the gulph of Lepanto of olde called Sinus Corinthiacus in the which the Turkes Navie was overcome and Haly Bassa the chiefe Governour of the Turkes was slaine and his head was set vp vpon the top mast of his owne shippe to the great terrour and astonishment of the Turkes This battell was fought the seventh day of October Anno 1571. Don Iohn de Austria was Generall commander of the Navie of the Christians the number of the Turkes that were slaine is supposed to haue beene fifteene thousand men and thirteene thousand Christians were delivered from the captiuity of the Turks Onuphrius writeth that an hundred and seventeene shippes were taken with thirteene gallies and thirty two thousand Turkes were slaine in this battell Rodulphus AFter the death of Maximilian Rodulphus his sonne was made Emperour In his time the warres in France which seemed to be well quieted by the last edict of pacification began to kindle vp againe with greater flame For the adversaries of religion besought the Kings Maiestie to restraine the pernitious liberty of the edict of peace but perceiving him not to bee sufficiently moved to breake the peace and to take knife in hand they began to assemble at Perone Anno 1576. and to binde vp a league amongst themselues for the extirpation of the Protestants and for the revocation of the edict of peace wherein they swore obedience and service to the Generall thaâ—â—hould bee appointed over this fellowship ingaging their liues and honours never to seperate themselues for any commandement pretence excuse or occasion whatsoever There were two things that greatly animated the Leaguers to proceed in their association to wit First that the Protestants yeelded not vp the townes which they had gotten for their assurance for the space of sixe yeeres The sixe yeeres being ended they complained to the King that conditions were not kept vnto them and that for the abolishing of warres and setling of peace in France it was needfull that they should haue those townes a longer time in their maintenance whereto the King condiscended This grieved the Leaguers but another thing grieved them more that Alauscon the Kings brother for griefe of the hard successe of his affaires in the Low Countries died at Chasteau Thierry And the King himselfe having no children the feare that they conceived of the King of Navarres succession to the Kingdome caused the Leaguers rage While the flame issued out of this furnace the King of France easily perceived that the drift of all the Leaguers enterprises was against his life and crowne and to set vp another whom it pleased them in his place For the Leaguers pretended warre against the Hugonots and yet they seazed vpon the best townes of the Catholikes in all the Realme The religion was preached in Guyen and they went to driue it out of Picardie The Hugonotes were in Rochell and the Leaguers army marched straight to Paris They are at Montpelliere and the league set vpon Marseille Likewise the pasquells and libells without names dayly throwne downe in the towne of Paris and the disdainfull speeches dayly vttered of the King speaking of him as a Sardanapalus and a Prince drowned in his pleasures and delights and for his third crowne which hee looked for in heaven promising him one made with a rasour in a Cloyster all these things presented to the Kings minde a sufficient vnderstanding of the resolution and purpose of the Leaguers Notwithstanding feare so possessed his minde that in stead of couragious resisting of the Leaguers in due time hee made himselfe a slaue to their appetites The army of the Duke of Guise who was made Generall of the fellowship of the league at the first rising exceeded not the number of a thousand horsemen and foure thousand footmen which company might easily haue beene dispersed if the valorous courage of the King had not beene vtterly abashed who in stead of commanding with authority desired the Queene mother to procure that the Duke of Guise might leaue off armes and to assure him of his favour
contended mightily euen as Lactantius of olde contended against the Pagans impugning the errour more mightily than solidly confirming the truth It is supposed that he ministred 13. yeeres vnder the Emperour Mauritius To whom succeeded Cyriacus Patriarchs of Alexandria AFter Iohn called Tabennesiota succeeded another Iohn who kept the true faith was banished by Anastatius because he would not damme the Councell of Chalcedone To Iohn succeeded Theodosius an obstinate defender of the errour of Eutiches He was familiarly acquainted with Seuerus of Antiochia and Anthimus of Constantinople whereby the misery of these dayes may be easily esâ—ied wherein three notable heretiques gouerned principall Townes such as Constantinople Alexandria and Antiochia He was so obstinate in his errour that he was rather content to be banished vnder the raigne of Iustinian than to renounce his errour After him succeeded Zoilus and after him Apollinarius who was present at the fift generall Councell To whom succeeded Eulogius and after him Petrus who ministred vnder the raigne of Mauritius Patriarches of Antiochia AFter Palladius succeeded Flavianus who suffered great troubles for the true faith namely by the cruell persecution of the Emperour Anastatius and the calumnies of Xenaeas B. of Hierapolis a stranger indeed from the couenant of God as his name importeth for he blamed Flavianus most vniustly of the heresie of Nestorius but when Flavianus both by word writing had cleared himselfe of that calumnie the malice of Xenaeas ceased not for he brought with him to Antiochia a great number of Monkes to compell Flavianus to abiure the Councell of Chalcedon The towne supported their Bishop against a raskall number of seditious and hereticall Monkes Notwithstanding the Emperour Anastatius infected with the heresie of Eutyches counted Flavianus who was most vniustly persecuted to be the author of this tumult and banished him and placed Severus in his roome The Emperour Iustinus the elder displaced Severus and punished him and appointed Paulus to be Bishop of Antiochia To Paulus succeeded Euphraesius who died in that fearefull calamitie of the Towne of Antiochia when it was shaken and ouerthrowne with earthquake as Evagrius witnesseth Euphraimius was a ciuill gouernour in the East parts who pittied the decayed estate of the towne of Antiochia and furnished all necessarie things for the repairing of the towne of Antiochia for which cause the people were so affectioned to him that they would haue him to be their Bishop So Euphraimius becomes Bishop of Antiochia or Theopolis for at this time it had both these names Evagrius writeth that he vndertooke the charge of the Apostolicke chaire in which words it is manifest that not onely the chaire of Rome but also the chaire of Antiochia was called the Apostolicke chaire The towne of Antiochia at this time was taken by Cosroes King of Persia set on fire and many of the people were cruelly slaine Euphraimius their Bishop at this time left the towne a perilous example except the people had beene in safetie and he onely persecuted yet he left behinde him so much as might redeeme all the Church goods After Euphraimius followed Domnius And after him Anastatius He ministred vnder the Emperour Iustinian at what time the Emperour fell into the errour of them who saide that our Lord Iesus in his very conception adioyned vnto his diuine nature an immortall body which was subiect to no humane infirmities Anastatius opposed himselfe to the Emperours opinion and the Bishops followed Anastatius and not the Emperour for this cause Iustinian was purposed to haue banished him but he escaped this trouble by the Emperours death Neuerthelesse he was banished by Iustinus the younger for some alledged cause of dilapidation of Church goods and Gregorius was placed in his roome Gregorius ministred in Antiochia 23. yeeres vnder Iustinius 2. Tiberius and Mauritius he was in great account with Mauritius to whom he foretolde that he would be promoted to the Imperiall dignitie And Mauritius imployed him in great and waghtie businesse such as in pacifying the tumult of his armie which made insurrection against Germanus their captaine Also he sent him Ambassadour to Cosroes King of Persia who was astonied at the grace that was in his speeches Notwithstanding he was accused by Asterius a Deputy of the East of the filthie sinne of incest but he cleared his owne innocencie so euidently that his accuser was with ignâ—minie scourged and banished He died of the gowtes infirmitie and after his death Anastatius whom Iustinus banished for dilapidation of Church-goods being yet aliue was restored to his owne place againe To whom succeeded Euphemius Patriarches of Ierusalem AFter Martyrius succeeded Helias a feruent defender of the true faith Neither would he condescend to the banishment of Euphemius Bishop of Constantinople nor to the admission of Seuerus to be Bishop of Antiochia therefore the Emperour Anastatius banished him To him succeeded Iohn of whose politicke dealing in circumueening Anastatius the Emperours captaine I haue sufficiently declared in the preceding history To Iohn succeeded Peter and after him Macarius and after Macarius Eustochius who impugned the Bookes of Origen and draue out of his bounds the Monks of Nova Laura defenders of the opinions of Origen Theodorus Ascidas B. of Caesarea in Cappadocia tooke this in an euill part The Emperour Iustinian caused a generall Councell to be gathered at Constantinople wherein not onely the bookes of Origen were damned but also Theodorus himselfe the defender of them This displeased the Emperour Iustinian because he loued Theodorus dearely therefore he procured that Eustochius B. of Ierusalem should be remooued and Macarius restored againe After whom succeeded Iohannes Neamus and Isicius In this Centurie whereas I pretermit the names of other Pastors and Doctors in the Church I haue done it vpon this consideration I find in this Centurie that by the irruption of barbarous people such as the Gothes Vandales Hunnes Auares Schythians Lombards youth was hindred from studies many memorable bookes were burnt ancient Languages were vtterly spoyled learning was greatly diminished flattery of preuailing powers increased ambition in the West heresie in the East turned the estate of the Church vpside-downe so that scarcely could men of good gifts and keeping integritie of faith be furnished vnto the principall Apostolicke chaires Now after a manner the sunne is going downe the shadowes waxe great the darkenesse approacheth the Antichrist is at the doore worthy to be welcommed with darkenesse and decay of knowledge What shall I now write of other Pastors and Doctors shall I follow the foolish conceits of Historio graphers in whose opinion the gift of miracles increased when the gift of knowledge decayed but the contrary is knowne by Scripture that the holy Apostles whom Christ indued with extraordinary gifts of working miraculous workes he indued them also with extraordinary gifts of knowledge but the writers of
protection of his sonne Fredericke the second But Innocentius followed the footesteps of Iudas but not of Saint Peter made Otto Duke of Saxon Emperour in preiudice of Fredericke who was committed to his protection But thorow the prouidence of God the spirit of dissention fell betweene the Emperour Otto and the Pope so that hee was excommunicated by the Pope and the Empire was giuen to Fredericke Also hee gathered a generall Councel at Rome called Lateranense whereof hereafter After him succeeded Honorius 3. and ruled ten yeeres 7. months 13. daies he excommunicated the good Emperour Fredericke 2. and in this age it is to be noted that almost no Pope can be found who set not out his thunderbolts of cursings against kings and Emperours Next to him succeeded Gregorius the ninth and ruled one yeere three months he caused the booke of the Popes decretalls to be compiled and had cruell warres against the Emperour Fredericke whom hee excomunicated diuers times as hath at length beene declared in the life of Fredericke Caelestinus 4. followed after him who liued not in the Popedome aboue the space of 18. dayes To him succeeded Innocentius 4. and ruled 11. yeeres 12. months 12. dayes he helde a Councell at Lyons wherein he excommunicated the Emperour Fredericke of new againe and deposed him from his Emperiall dignitie and gaue the same to William Count of Holland Hee died miserably for hee invaded the kingdome of Sicilie with an armie hoping to bring it vnder his subiection after the death of Fredericke but was disapointed and repulsed by Manfred king of Sicilie And as hee was in Naples a voyce was heard in the Popes Court saying Surge miser ad iudicium that is rise O wretched person and appeare to iudgement and the day following he was found lying dead in his bed To him succeeded Alexander the fourth who did fight against Manfred king of Sicilie vnprosperously but being ouercome in battell hee had refuge to his old armour of cursing and excommunicated Manfred He damned the Booke of William de Sancto amore which hee writ against the order of begging Friers and died in the seuenth yeere of his Popedome After him followed Vrbanus the fourth and ruled three yeeres and one month Hee stirred vp Charles Duke of Angeow against Manfred and gaue vnto him the kingdome of Sicilie and Calabria with the Dukedome of Apulia to be holden of the Pope as superior for yeerely paiment of a certaine duety to the Church of Rome which was the occasion of great troubles which after followed To him succeeded Clemens 4. and ruled 3. yeeres 9. months 21. daies He finished the worke which Vrbanus begun for hee gaue to Charles Count of Angeow not onely the Dukedome of Sicilie but also the stile of the kingdome of Ierusalem prouiding alwayes hee should pay yeerely in few-farme to the church of Rome fortie thousand crownes This Charles by instigation of the Roman Bishop first slew Manfred king of Sicilie and afterward slew Conradinus sonne to Conrad who came to Italie to possesse the kingdomes duely appertaining to him So was the kingdome of Sicilie taken from the posteritie of Fredericke and put in the hands of Frenchmen After him Gregorius the tenth ruled foure yeeres two months ten dayes He held a generall councell at Lyons whereat Michael Palcologus Emperour of Constantinople was present as will be hereafter delared God willing He made peace beweene the Venetians and the Genuans who not onely at home but also in Asia had bloodie warres one against another to the great encouragment of the Infidels Also hee interdyted the Florentines from all holy seruice because they eiected the Gibelius out of their towne whom the Pope being in France had receiued in favour and brought backe from banishment Hee was so highly displeased with them that passing by the towne of Florence vpon a time being required of his fatherly clemencie to lose them from the foresaid interditment hee vtterly refused to doe it Next after him Innocentius the fift died after hee had ruled sixe months ad two daies After him Hadrianus the fift died hauing ruled fortie dayes Ioannes 22. who succeeded to Adrian died after he had ruled 8. months Hee was smothered by the sudden fall of a chamber newly built in the place of Viturbium for his solace and pleasure and this iudgement fell vpon him immediatlie after he had foolishly promised to himselfe long life and said to his friends that he knew by the position of the starres that he would liue a long time in this world After him followed Nicolaus the third and ruled three yeeres three months fifteene daies He was a mortall enemie to Charles king of Sicilie whom his predecessours Vrbanus and Clemens advanced He tooke from him the lieutenanrie of Hetruria the dignitie of a Roman Senator Likewise hee stirred vp Peter King of Arragon to claime the kingdome of Sicilie as iustly pertaining to him by right of Constantia his wife Daughter to Manfred king of Sicilie And finally by his craft and wickednesse the countries of Flaminea and Bononia with the exarcht of Rauenna which had remained a long time vnder the Emperours iurisdiction were brought vnder the dominion of the Pope of Rome In Religion he was verie superstitious and caused cases of siluer to be made wherein he put the skulls of Peter Paul Next vnto him followed Martinus the fourth and ruled foure yeeres and one month Hee receiued Charles king of Sicilie in fauour and restored vnto him the dignitie of a Roman Senator which Nicolas his predecessour had taken from him and was so contrarious in all his doings to Nicolaus that whereas Nicolaus stirred vp Peter king of Arragon to claime the kingdome of Sicilie as belonging to him by right Martinus by the contrarie excōmunicated the king of Arragon as a spoiler of the Church-goods because hee invaded the kingdome of Sicilie Notwithstanding in this Popes time the Frenchmen who were in Sicilie being hated of the people were pitifullie destroied For they had agreed among themselues that vpon a certaine day at euening time when a signe was giuen by ringing of a bell that they should cut off in one houre all the French blood that was found in Sicilie which thing also they performed with such crueltie that they ript vp their owne countrie-women that were with child by the Frenchmen to the end there should no remnant of French blood remaine among them and from this excessiue crueltie the Prouerb yet remaineth Vesperae Siculae This Pope also tooke the Concubine of his Predessour Nicolaus and caused to abolish all the pictures of Vrses and Beares that were found in his palace fearing left his harlot by a deepe imagination and impression of these Pictures should bring forth children rough like Beares as shee had done before Honorius 4. followed and ruled 2. yeeres one month he ratified the sentence
was no head of doctrine howbeit plaine in it selfe which they did not obscure and darken with the mist of vaine Philosophie curious disputation And that which was more lamentable the pure foundations of the word of God were vtterlie forsaken Theologues began to reuerence Aristotle his writings as if hee had bin a Prophet of God the Apostle of Iesus Christ. Yea things coÌ„tained in the holy scripture were counted vulgar common base of little importance but they who were deeply learned in Aristotles Philosophie and in the volumes of the ancient doctors were counted excellent teachers Angelicall and Geraphicall Doctors Then were set out prolixe commentaries vpon the master of SenteÌ„ces by Albertus Aquinae Alexander and Scotus and all the schooles were filled with contentious disputations This Albertus was a Dominik frier who for his great learning was called Magnus was made B. of Ratisbon by Pope Alexander 4. but he being wearied with the painefull trauels of that calling returned home again to Colen to speÌ„d his time more quietly in reading and writing of bookes Where hee writ those commentaries vpon the Master of Sentences vpon Aristotle with many other volumes Also hee defended his owne order of friers against Guil. de S. Amore who impugned the same as shal be hereafter declared God willing before he died he pointed out a place for his owne burial and dailie visited it Et vigâ—lias pro se ac si vita sâ—nctus esset legit Thomas de Aquino otherwaies called Angelicus Doctor was disciple to Albertus Magnus and profited in Theologie and Philosophie beyond others while he was yong at the schoole he was quiet stil more inclined to heare al men then to speake was called by his condisciples Bos that is a kow because hee was so silent Neuerthelesse afterward by his penne this kow lowed louder then all his coÌ„disciples filled al nations with the sound of his Doctrine He was of the order of the Dominike or preaching Friers defended his order against William de S. Amore as Albertus his Master had done before He died in the way as he was iourneying to the couÌ„cel at Lyons was canonised by Pope Ioannes 22. and was supposed to haue wrought miracles after his death because this age was full of lying miracles Alexander Neckam was learned in Philosophie Poetrie Oratrie and Theologie obtained a glorious name to be called Ingenij MiraculuÌ„ hee was made Abbot of Excester in England vpon whose Sepulchre when hee died were written these Barbarous verses Eclipsin patitur sapientia Sol sepelitur Cui si par vnus minus esset flebile funus Vir bene discretus in omni more facetus Dictus erat Nequam vitam duxit tamen aequam Ioannes Duns otherwise called Scotus Subtilis was a man borne in Dunce a towne of Scotland who departed from his natiue countrie and ioyned himselfe to the companie of the gray friers in Oxford from thence he passed to Paris from thence to Colen where hee died being yet yong in yeeres Hee was called Subtilis from the subtilitie of his wit In his commentaries vpon the Master of Sentences hee entreateth largely of the head of the Sacrament of the supper where it may be seene that hee would neuer haue condiscended to the opinion of Transubstantiation if hee had not beene induced thereto by the authoritie of the church of Rome Likewise in this age liued Alexander de Ales an English man brought vp in Paris and expert in Philosophie Theologie who amplified the doctrine of Petrus Lombardus with many subtile arguments and was called Doctor irrefragabilis In the end hee tooke vpon him the habit and order of the Graye Friers vpon this Occasion Hee had vowed that hee should doe all things which he was required to do in the name of the blessed Virgin if so be they were possible to be done and vpon a time hee forgathered with a begging Frier seeking almes who besought him for the Loue of our Lady to ioyne himselfe to their order because they had no Master to gouerne and rule them Thus Alexander de Ales without delay tooke vpon him the habit of a graye frier and became their doctour He died at Paris and was buried in one of the Abbacees of the graye friers Now in this time of most palpable darkenesse the Lord lacked not witnesses of his truth but stirred vp many who damned the grosse ignorance and superstition of those times Of this number was Arnoldus de Nova Villa a Spainard a man famously learned and a great writer whom the Pope with his Clergie condemned among Heretikes for holding writing against the corrupt errours of the Popish Church His teaching was that Sathan had seduced all the world from the truth of Christ Iesus First That the faith which then Christian men were commonly taught was such a faith as the Deuils had Secondly That Christian people were led by the Pope to hell Thirdly That all Cloysters are voyde of Charitie and that they doe all falsifie the doctrine of Christ. Fourthly That the Diuines doe euill in mixing Philosophie with Diuinitie Fiftly That the Masses are not to be celebrated and that they ought not to sacrifice for the dead Certaine other opinions there be which the slaunderous sects of Monkes and Friers doe attribute to him as is their custome rather of envious taking then of any iust cause giuen In this number also was the worthy and valiant Champion of Christ and aduersary of Antichrist Guilielmus de S. Amore a Master of Paris and a chiefe ruler then of that Vniuersitie He in his time had no small adoe writing against the Friers and their Hypocrisie but especiallie against the begging Friers both condemning their whole Order and also accusing them as those that did disturbe and trouble all the churches of Christ by their preaching in churches against the will of the Ordinarie Pastors by their hearing of confessions and executing the charge of ordinarie preachings in their churches All the testimonies of Scripture that make against the Antichrist hee applied them against the Clergie of Prelats and the Popes spirituallie The same Guilelmus is thought to be the author of the booke which is attributed to the schoole of Paris and intituled De Periculis ecclesiae where hee prooueth by 39. arguments that Friers be false Prophets Moreouer he doth wel expound this saying of Christ. If thou wilt be perfect goe and sell all that thou hast and come follow mee declaring there pouertie to be inioyned vs of Christ non actualem sed habitualem not in such sort as standeth in outward action when no neede requireth but in inward affection of heart when neede requireth as though the meaning and precept of our Lord were not that wee should cast away actuallie all that wee haue but that when the confession of the name of Christ and his glorie shall so require
Now are yee cleane through the word that I haue spoken vnto you The heresie of Sabellius began to shew it selfe vnto the world about the yeere of our Lord 257. vnder the raigne of Gallus It was set forth by Nortus in Ptolemaida afterward by Hermogenes and Prazeas and last it was propagated by Sabellius the disciple of Noetus Alwaies the heresie rather taketh the name from the disciple then from the master They confessed that there was but one God onely but they denyed that there were three distinct persons in this one Godhead viz. the Father Sonne and holy Ghost By this their opinion they confounded the two Greeke words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if there were no difference betwene them No man dare presume to say that in God there are three distinct substances therefore Sabellius and his adherents sayd that there were not three distinct substances or persons in the Godhead but the three names of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost were given to one person only but pointed not out distinction of persons or substances in the Godhead By this opinion they were compelled to grant that it was the Father who cloathed himselfe with our nature and dyed for our sinnes and they were called Patrispassâ—ani because their opinion imported that the Father suffered In the raigne of Gallienus and about the yeere of our Lord 264. a certaine Bishop in Egypt called Nepos began to affirme that at the later day the godly should rise before the wicked and should liue with Christ heere in the earth a thousand yeeres in abundance of all kinde of delicate earthly pleasures The ground of this errour was the misvnderstanding of the words of the Revelation of Iohn chap. 20. vers 5.6 In refuting of this heresie Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria bestowed his travels with good successe for hee disputed against Coracion a man professing this errour in Arsenoitis a place of Egypt whom hee refuted in presence of many brethren who were auditors of that disputation for the space of three dayes from morning till evening So that in the end Coracion yeelded and promised that hee should not maintaine any such opinion in time to come About that same time that is in the time of the raigne of Gallienus Claudius and Aurelianus Paulus Samosatenus Bishop of Antiochia a pestilent fellow denyed the divinity of the Sonne of God and affirmed that Christ obtained the name of the Sonne of God through his vertuous behaviour and patient suffering but he was not naturally and truely the Sonne of God begotten of the substance of the Father His life correspondent to his doctrine was wicked and prophane He was so covetous of vaine-glory that he built vnto himselfe in the Church a glorious seat according to the similitude of a princely throne and from this seat hee spake vnto the people whom he was accustomed to reproue with sharpe words if they had not received his words with cheerfull acclamations and shoutings such as were wont to bee vsed in Stage-playes The Psalmes also that were sung in Church to the praise of God hee abrogated and was not ashamed to hire women to sing his owne praises in the Congregation of the Lords people For this his damnable doctrine and lewd life he was most iustly deposed by the Councell convened at Antiochia and excommunicated by all Christian Churches in the whole world and was so detested by all good men that Fâ—rmilius Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia and Dionysius Alexandrinus who for his olde age might not travell and be present at the Councell of Antiochia yet they both damned the Heretique Samosatenus by their letters sent to the Congregation of Antiochia but not to the Bishop thereof because hee was not worthy that any man should salute him either by word or writ Manes a Persian otherwise called Manicheus a man furious and mad answering well vnto his name set forth the venome of his heresie in the time of the raigne of Diclesian a man both in speech and manners rude and barbarous in inclination divelish yet hee durst to call himselfe the holy spirit as Montanus had done before and to represent Christs actions in chusig vnto him twelue disciples whom hee sent forth to propagate his errors into diverse parts of the world His heresie contained a masse or venomous composition of old extinguished errors which hee renued and massed together such as the error of Cerdon and Marcion concerning two beginnings The error of Encratitae in prohibition of meates which God hath appointed for the vse of man with thanksgiving specially flesh and wine Hee vtterly reiected the old Testament as many other Heretiques had done before him Hee ascribed not sinne to the free will of man and his voluntary defection from the estate of his first creation but to necessity because mans bodie was made of the substance of the Prince of darknes This was that heresie wherewith Augustine was infected before his conversion but the Lord who brought forth light out of darknesse and made Paul sometime a Persecuter to be a Preacher of his Gospell and Cyprian a Sorcerer to be a worthy Preacher and Martyr this same gracious Lord I say in the multitude of his vnspeakeable compassions drew Augustine out of this filthy myre of abhominable heresie and made him liste vnto a bright starre sending forth the beames of light to comfort Gods house The opinion of Manes concerning the creation of the world and the creation of man the manifestation of Christ in our nature rather in shew and appearance then in verity and the horrible abhomination of their vile Eucharist no man can be ignorant of these things who hath read but a little of the bookes of Augustine written against the Maniâ—heans In the end like as Manes exceeded all the rest of the Heretiques in madnesse of foolish opinions even so the Lord pointed him out among all the rest to be a spectacle of his wrath and vengeance For the King of Persia hearing of the fame of Manes sent for him to cure his sonne who was deadly diseased but when hee saw that his sonne died in his hands hee cast him into prison and was purposed to put him to death but he escaped out of prison and fled to Mesopotamia Neverthelesse the King of Persia vnderstanding in what place Manes did lurke sent men who pursued him tooke him and excoriated his body and stopped his skin full of chaffe and set it vp before the entry of a certaine Citie of Mesopotamia If any man bee desirous to haue greater knowledge of this remarkeable Heretique both in respect of his life and death hee may reade the fore-mentioned chapter of the Ecclesiasticall history of Socrates and he shall finde that the first man called Manicheus who renued the error of two beginnings was a man of Scythia He had a disciple first called Buddas afterward Terebynthus who dwelt in Babylon This man
with her The death of King Charles Count Mongomrie condemned to death by the Queene The Prince of Condie chosen the Protestants generall The fifth ciuill warre in France for Religion Libero besieged in vaine by king Henry The death of the Cardinall of Lorain procured by himselfe King Henry scourgeth him selfe after the manner of the penitentiaries Many Ambassadors sollicit the king for peace but in vaine Mombruniris taken and executed by the Queene Cassimire the sonne of Count Palatine promiseth to aide the Protestants Alauscon the kings brother ioyneth himselfe with the Protestants By an edict of pacificatioÌ„ the fift civill warre ended Solyman the Turke besiegeth Zigeth Solyman dieth the towne taken Selim sent for proclaimed Emp. Selim taketh Famagusta from the Venetians The battell of Lepanto wherein the Turkes received a great overthrow by the Christians The league of Peron 1576. for the extirpation of the Protestants The causes moving the Leaguers to proceed in their association The drift of the Leaguers enterprise against the K. and crowne The King for lacke of courage maketh himself a slaue to the appetites of he Leaguers An edict against the Protestants The King of Navarre and the Prince of Condie with diverse others oppose themselues to the Leaguers The Pope excoÌ„municateth the King of France The Princeâ— of Germany send Ambassodors to deale for the Protestants helpe The sixt civill war in France for religion An army of Germans enter France in behalfe of the Protestants The battell of Coutras betwixt the Kings army the ProtestaÌ„ts The death of D. de Ioyense A skirmish betwixt the D. of Guise and the Rutters The Rutters retire out of France The Duke of Guise honored by the Pope and extolled by the Preachers of France for his crueltie The assemblie at Nancy of the Leagners against the King The conclusions agreed vpon by the assemble at Nancie The Duke of Guise contrarie to the kingâ— commandement arriueth at Paris and is of the people receiued with ioyfull acclamations The fearefull day of Barricadoes in Paris The king flieth out of Paris An edict published against the Protestants A Parliameâ—â— holden in France The death of the Duke of Guise The Queene mother dieth An assemblie of the Protestants at Rotchell send a request to the states at Bloyes The rebellion of the league against the king Duke De Maine sendeth men to surprise the king but is preuented The leaguers procure a Iacobin Monke to kill the king The death of Henry the third The Iacobin who killed the K. canonized The Cardinall of Burbon proclamed K. by the Leaguers K. Henry the 4. declared K. by K. Henry the 3. opposeth himselfe to the Leaguers The battell of Dreux wherein the Leaguers were discomfited The King besiegeth Paris The Duke of Parma entreth France for the â—eliefe of Paris The Duke of Parma returneth home In all other places of France the Leaguers went to ruine The Duke of Parma entreth France the 2. time in behalfe of the Leaguers but with bad successe The Kings favourites in diverse places prosper against the Leaguers The death of D. Ioyense The defection of the King from religion Peter Burrier stirred vp to slay the King The K. opposeth himself to the Leaguers Diuers towns yeeld themselues to the King Iohn Castill stirred vp by the Leaguers to murther the King is disappointed of his purpose Note The Parliaments decree about the execution of Castill and the Iesuits of Clermonts banishment The preparation of the Spanish nauie Anno 1588. A storme coâ—â—traineth the nauie to put to land The Spaniâ—â— Navie ouerthrowne Apostles Note Ioh. 16. Act. 12. Euseb. lib. 3. cap. 32. Ierom. Cat. sâ—rip eccles Ierom. catâ—l sâ—r p. eccles Evangelists Func chron Ierom. The true successours of the Apostles Act. 20. Nazia in orat in laudem Athanafâ— Linus Euseb. l. 3. c. 2. Chap. 4. ver 3. Ignatius Euseb. lib. 3. cap. 36. Papias Euseb. l. 3. c. 39. Bishops of Rome Note Alexander martyred Euseb. eccles hist. lib 4. c 1. Xistus martyred Euseb. lib. 4. cap. 5. Telesphorusâ— martyr Euseb. l. 4. c. 10 Anicetus a martyr Euseb. l. 4. c. 14 Platira de vita Eleuthâ—â—ij The rasâ—nâ—sse of Victor Euseb. eccl hist. lib. 5. cap. 26. Of other Doctours and Preachers Ierom. Catal. scrip eccles Agrippas Castor Euseb. lib. 4. cap. 7. Hegesippus Euseb. l. 4. c. 11 Melito Euseb. l. 4. c. 13. Hist. Magdeb. Euseb. l. 5. c. 24. Iustinus a martyr The manner of Iustinus his conversion Iustin Dialog cum Trepb Iustin. apol 2. Polycarâ—us martyred Polycaryus his dreame before his apprehension Eusâ—b lâ—b 4. cap. 15. Iâ—eneus Euseb. lib. 5. cap. 5. Iren. lib. 5 con Valenâ— Iren. l. 2. c. 34. Clemens Alexandrinus Bâ—colc chron Euseb. lib. 5. cap. 11. Strom. lib. 2. Hist. Magdeb. Euseb. lib. 5. cap. 12. Euseb. lib. 6. cap. â— Zephyrinus Platin. Euseb. 6.21 Note Mat. 18.16 Canon Apost cap. 74. Callistus Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 21. Note Vrbanus Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 22. Pontianus Platin. Tom. 1. Câ—ncil Anterus Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 29. Fabianus Func Chron. Commentar Platin. de vitis Tom. 1. Concil Note Heb. 13 16. Cornelius A councel at Rome against Novatus Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 43. The martyrdome of Cornelius Platin. de vita Euseb lib. 7. cap 2. Lucius Platin. Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 2. Tom 1. Concâ—l Stephanus Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 5. Platin. in vitâ— Lucij Dan 5. Tom. 1. Concil â— Gratia no. cap. 5. Xistus 2. Euseb lib. â— cap. 27. Note Dionysius Felix 1. Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 32. Platin. Mat. 26.73 Eutychianus â—â—seb lib 7. capâ—2 â—2 caius Euseb lib. 7. cap. 32. Func chron Platin. de vita Func Platin. Deâ—â—ct Caiâ— â—x lib. Pent. Dâ—mâ—â— Note Note Marcellinus Platin. Func Chron. Marcellus Platin. de vitis Eusebius Note Tertullian Ierom. catal scrip eccles Hist. Magd. cent 3. cap. 10. Origen Hist. Magd. cent 3. cap. 10. Note Coment Func in Chron. l. 6. Euseb. l. 6. c. 33. Ierom. catal script Eccles. Euseb. l 6. c. 17. Mat. 19.12 Euseb. l. 6. c. 8. Ierom. catul script eccles coment in Iona. Ierom. ibid. Nazian in laudem Cypriani Ierom. catal script eccles Hist. Madg. cent 3. câ—p 10. Note Aug. de Baptis contra Donat. lib. 5. cap. 17. Narcissus Examples of Gods iustice against false witnesses Euseb. c. 6. l. 9. Dios. Germanion Gordius Alexander Ierom. catal script Eccles. Ierom. ibid. Euseb. l 7. c. 14. Func Chron. Heraclas Dionysius Euseb. l. 6. c. 40. Func chron Asclepiades Euseb. l. 6. c. 1â— Zebenus Babylas Euseb. l. 6. c. 39. Fabius Euseb. l. 6. c. 44. Demetrianus Paulus Samosatenus Domnus Euseb. l. 7. c. 2â— Func Chron. Plat. â— Mâ—litiadâ—â— Euseb. lib. 10. cap. 5. August epist. 68. August epist. 162. 166. August Causâ—laâ—o epist. 86. Silvester Platina de vita Silvest Sâ—crat lib. 1. cap. 6. Theo. lib. 1. cap. 2.3 Euseb de vita Constâ—nt lib. 4. Simile Note Marcus Platin. de vita Mar. Iulius Soâ—om l.
were two Gods the one authour and creator of good things and the other of euill things Alwaies it is certaine that they counted the Clergie of the Romane Church a corrupt rable And for this cause Innocentius the third sent vnto France twelue Abbots of the Christian order with Didatus Bishop of Oxfurd and Dominicus who was afterward the author of a new sect of Dominike Friers All those came to France for cōfutation of Albigenses But when the Pope perceiued that they yeelded not to his foresaid Ambassadours he pursued them with cruel warres and sent out an armie against them vnder the conduct of Leopold Duke of Austria and Simon Count of Montfort who vsed great crueltie against the townes of Bitera Carcassus Vaurus Careum Apistaginum Galliacum Causacum Funum Marcelli Fanim Antonij Modacum and diuers others wherein Albigenses had their residence In the towne called Castra Mineruae an hundreth and twentie were burnt quicke In Paris about the same time 14. Priests were accused as guiltie of this sect and ten of them were burnt with fire one at London At Penuense Agenois Castrum which was long besieged 74. Souldiers were hanged the rest who would not recant their opinions were burnt with fire Yet after this the French armie being troubled with other warres the Albigenses increased of new againe and were supported by Raymond Count of Tulosse and Peter king of Arragon against whom Simon of Montfort leading out his armie slew of their host twentie thousand men In Avinion Lewis the eight for suppressing of their sect dimolished the walls of the towne razed from the groūd 300 houses in Avinion and was minded to haue vsed greater rigour if hee had not bin preuented by death Almaricus a man of Carnotum a towne in France vttered strange opinions cōcerning God whom hee affirmed to be the essence of all creatures the soule of heauen that all creatures should be counerted into the substance of God againe with many other foolish things who was refuted by the Schoole of Paris and after that he had appealed to the B. of Rome was sent backe againe to recant his errour which thing also he did rather with his mouth then with his heart Likewise about Tullouse sprang vp certaine heretikes called Patereni and Gazari from the authors of this sect who affirmed that married men were not in the state of grace could not be saued This opinion was damned in the Councell of Lateran In this age also sprang vp Begardi Beginae and Bizochi who are all reckoned to be of the sect of Fratricelli who imagined that a man might attaine in this world to the estate of such perfection that he might be altogether voide of sin And that he who had attained thereto was neither vnder subiection to ciuill nor spirituall gouernours but was freed from all subiection to mortall men and that they had no neede of prayer and fasting and such other exercises whereby increase of grace is obtained CENTVRIE XIV POpe Iohn the 23. of that name taught that soules so soone as they were dispoyled of the bodie should not see God before the last iudgement Against whom Thomas Wallafe a Iacobin an English-man opposed himselfe but was thrust in prison Afterward Pope Benet who succeeded Pope Iohn made a decretall wherein hee confuted and condemned as hereticall the doctrine which his predecessor Iohn had publiquely preached touching the happy soules and it was determined and declared that the soules which had nothing to purge incontinent as they are departed from the bodie doe see the face of God CENTVRIE XV. THE Councell of Basill confirmed that the Virgin Marie was conceived without originall sinne CENTVRIE XVI WHen the Gospel began to spring vp in Germany thorow the malice of Satan sprang vp also a Sect of pestilent Heretiques called Anabaptists so called by reason they thinke that Infants should not bee baptized vntill they come to perfect age and can giue a confession of their owne faith They maintaine wicked opinions concerning Christ himselfe his Word his Church his Magistrates Concerning Christ that hee tooke not flesh and blood of the Virgin but brought it from heaven concerning the Word that God not onely revealeth his will by the written Word but also by visions and dreames wherevnto the Anabaptists do leane more then to the Word concerning the Church that it is not a true Church wherein there is any spot or wrinckle concerning Magistrates that their office vnder the New Testament is not a calling approved of God Some other wicked opinions they maintaine but these are the chiefe And it was no wonder that men who had layd such grounds of seditious doctrine were also found in their liues to be authors of very seditious commotions and insurrections against Princes Like as Thomas Muntzerus one of the first Fathers of this sect gathered a great number of common people who made insurrection against their superiours and albeit this first attempt of the Anabaptists succeded very vnprosperously for the Princes of Germany overcame in battell those seditious people and tocke Thomas Muntzerus himselfe and beheaded him whose memorie was so perturbed with beastly feare that hee could not recite the beliefe but the Duke of Brunswicke was constrained to recite it before him and hee followed after him for lacke of memorie yet others would not take warning by him to abstaine from the like seditious attempts For in the yeere of our Lord 1533. Iohannes Leidensis a Taylor of Holland came to a towne of Westphalia called Munster and hee had seduced many and increased the number of his faction hee expelled and banished the Citizens of Munster and vsurped to himselfe a kingly authority being assisted with the support of Cniperdolingus a vaine man and a false Prophet who affirmed that it was revealed to him by God that Iohannes Leidensis should haue the dominion of the whole world and that he should raise vp a mightie army and destroy the Princes of the world and should onely spare the simple multitude so many of them as would forsake impiety and imbrace righteousnes Likewise hee affirmed that it was the will of God that Iohannes Leidensis should send throughout the whole world eight and twentie Apostles to exhort the world to repentance and to receiue the doctrine of the Anabaptists which thing Leidensis was willing and readie to performe But the Princes of Germany and the Princes of other Countries tooke those seditious Apostles and gaue vnto them the reward which seditious Preachers iustly deserved so that of all the number of his Apostles onely one who by fleeing conveyed himself away escaped the punishment of Death Thus Iohannes Leidensis was called King of new Ierusalem and tooke vnto himselfe many wiues of whom also hee beheaded one in the open market-place because she had compassion of the poore besieged people of Munster of whom many died through famine For the Bishop
of Munster assisted with the Princes of Germany besieged the town very strictly and in the end prevailed and tooke this new made King Cniperdolingus his false Prophet aliue and adiudged them not onely to be hanged in chaines of iron but before their hanging to haue their flesh seared with hot iron pincers Thus came the authors of this most vnhappy sect vnto a most miserable and shamefull destruction Of this Sect of Anabaptists sprang vp in Holland an impudent fellow David Georgius who affirmed that hee was Christ the Messias and Saviour of the world yet for feare of punishment hee fled out of the Low Countries and came to Basile where he remained vntill the day of his death all which time hee not only obscured his blasphemous errors but also behaved himselfe in outward show so humbly and modestly that hee was in good account and became wealthy also Yet after his death it was knowne that he had seduced many with his blasphemous errours Therefore the Councell of Basile commanded that his body should bee raised out of the graue and burnt with fire in token of their detestation of his abhominable errors About the same time also sprang vp Michael Servetus a Spaniard who renewed the blasphemous doctrine of Arrius affirming that God the Father is onely the true God and that neither the Sonne nor the holy Spirit is eternall God but that the Sonne is a creature and had the beginning of existence when God created the world He was taken in the towne of Geneva cast in prison but he would not be reclaimed from his blasphemous errors Therefore the Councell of the towne thought meet with flames of fire to stoppe the breath of this blasphemous man who durst set his mouth against the heauen to blaspheme the Sonne of God After his death many were found who maintained his errors as namely Valentinus Gentilis Gregorius Blandrata a Physitian in Italy Matheus Gribaldus a Lawyer and Paulus Alciatus with many others Amongst whom Valentinus Gentilis was bold to put in print his blasphemies and he called the summe of faith set forth by Athanasius Symbolum Satanasi calling Athanasius himselfe Satanasius but after hee had blasphemed the Sonne of God a while both by word and writ in the end hee was taken in the towne of Berne where hee suffered the iust deserved punishment of death Many other sprang vp in this age who were teachers of false and hereticall doctrine but because they had few followers so that the errour died with the author thereof wee haue no great need to enroll their names and errors in this booke at large but shortly to poynt them out Gasper Suenkefeldius a man borne in Silesia maintained this errour that the outward ministerie of the Word and Sacraments was not necessarie to eternall life because that by the illumination of Gods holy spirit without the ministerie of the Word men might be saved Andreas Osiander thought that Christ was our Mediatour onely in respect of his divine nature and on the other part Stantcarus refuting Osiander fell into the contrarie extremitie that Christ was Mediatour onely in respect of his humane nature Flaccius Illiricus supposed originall sin was a substance Huberus beleeved that all men were elected vnto eternall life and Franciscus Puccius defended this opinion that all men of whatsoever religion they were should bee saved if they led not a very impious life and evill conversation Finally in this age was cleerly discovered that hee who sate in the chaire of Christ as Christs Vicar was the very Antichrist and they who depend vpon the Pope as generall Bishop of all Christs sheepe were notable Heretiques giving the glorie of Christ to Antichrist denying the sufficiencie of the written Word bowing and kneeling to Images praying to creatures and accounting them mediators of their intercession sacrilegiously imitating the holy Sacrament of the Supper and taking from the people the vse of the Cup offering dayly a new propitiatorie sacrifice for sinne as though Christs sacrifice once offered vp vpon the Altar of the Crosse were imperfect damning marriage in some persons and forbidding meates which God hath allowed to bee eaten with thanksgiving with many other errors which the Lord hath cleerly detected to haue beene a long time by-past in the Romane Church Here endeth the third Booke THE FOVRTH BOOK OF THE HISTORY of the Church containing a short Compend of all the Councels together with their severall Canons since Christs dayes to this present CENTVRIE IV. COuncels may bee divided in Generall Nationall or Provinciall and Particular Councels Generall were called Oecomenicke Councels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the greek language signifieth the world because from all quarters of the world wherein Christ was preached Commissioners were sent to these Councels and they were gathered by the authoritie of the Emperour Nationall or Provinciall Councels were such as were gathered by the authoritie of the Emperor in one Nation with the assistance of other neere approaching Nations for suppressing of heresies deciding of questions pacifying of â—chismes and appointing Canons and Constitutions for decent order to be kept in the Church The third sort of Councels were particular Councâ—ls by Bullenger called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such as the Councels of Gangra Neocaesaria and many others gathered vsually by Patriarchs and Bishops in a corner of a Countrie but for the like causes that nationall Councels were assembled Let no man expect a recitall of particular Councels except at such times as some matter of great moment enforceth me to speake of them ANcyra is a towne of Galatia in this towne were assembled Bishops of diverse Provinces about the yeere of of our Lord 308. as is supposed The principall cause of their meeting was to constitute a forme of Ecclesiasticall discipline according to which they who either willingly or vnwillingly had sacrificed to Idols in time of persecution should bee received into the bosome of the Church againe when they were found penitent There were many rancks of persons who had defiled themselues with Heathenicke Idolatrie such as Libellatici Thurificati Sacrificati and Proditores The Councell of Ancyra took order chiefly with those who were called Thurificati and Sacrificati that is with them who either had cast vp incense vpon idolatrous Altars or else had eaten of meates sacrificed to Idols to whom it was inioyned to testifie their repentance a long time before they were received to the communion of Gods people some one yeere some two yeeres others three or foure yeeres some fiue or six yeeres and aboue according to the heauinesse of their transgression In this Councell it was ordained that Deacons who in time of their ordination did protest that they had not the gift of continency but were disposed to marrie if they married they should remaine in their Ministerie but they who in time of imposition of hands by