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<DATE>2014-01-27</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<HEAD><HI>Of the fyr&s;t Tragicall</HI> Acte or per&s;ecution after the <HI>birth of Chri&s;t, in which Herod</HI> &s;urnamed the great, &s;lew the young and innocent Children. <HI>Chapter. i.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>_AFter the per&s;ecutio~s of the</HI> faithfull in the auncient ho|ly Church, hereafter I will declare the per&s;ecutions of the chri&s;tian Church, which began im|mediatly after the byrth of Chri&s;te, in the reigne of <HI>Augu&s;tus</HI> the Emperour.</P>
<P>When Chri&s;te in great pouertie was borne in a certen &s;table, ther came wi&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Herode</HI> the great fir&s;te per&s;ecuted our &s;auiour</NOTE> men from the Ea&s;t vnto <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> de|claring the birth of the late borne king. With this tidings <HI>Herod</HI> (whom they call the greate, and <HI>A&s;calonite</HI>) beinge merueilous affraied, for he doubted le&s;t the new borne king &s;houlde driue him out of the kingdome of <HI>Iudea,</HI> whiche then he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed at plea&s;ure &amp; good will of the <HI>Romanes:</HI> he determined to &s;lay this newe and latelye borne Kinge
<PB REF="4"> whil&s;t as yet h&eacute;e lay in his &s;wath clothes. And beinge ignorant wl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> was the lately borne kinge, yet ki<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">+<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">inge that h&eacute;e was borne at <HI>Bethe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> beecau&s;e h&eacute;e would bee &s;ure not to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> him: cau&s;ed all the infantes of <HI>Be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">+lem</HI> and the places n&eacute;ere about, &s;ut<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> were two monethes ould or young b&eacute;e &s;layne by his officers, and &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">+ours. Among&s;t which his officers &s;ouldiours, this mo&s;te cruell T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> fownd &s;ome, that were not a frai<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> commit this &s;traunge tragedie, an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ell murther. For the murderers, vngodly rakehelles, the &s;eruantes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> butcherly kinge, departinge vnto <NOTE PLACE="marg">A cruell &s;laughter.</NOTE> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">thelem,</HI> fulfilled his commaundm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> killinge all the younge children o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">thelem</HI> and the borders about, w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> doubtle&s;&s;e the numbre was not &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> For, which is horrible to heare, an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">trarie to the nature of mankinde, &s;pared not &s;omuch as the tendre in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> in their cloutes, but haled them their mothers bre&s;tes: wherby aro&s;e a great and mi&s;erable cla<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;chritches and outcries of them, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">
<PB N="2" REF="4"> mo&s;t deare pledges and children were pluckt away by mo&s;t vniu&s;te Tyranie and &s;o cruelly and vnkindly murthered. Mathew the <HI>Euangeli&s;t</HI> maketh menci|on of this &s;orow and heuines, by whom <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 2.</NOTE> this &s;torie is diligently writen, and for the better &s;ettinge foorth to the eie the greatnes of this mi&s;erie and calamitie, the woordes of <HI>Ieremie</HI> are by him alea|ged who writeth thus: <HI>A voice was heard in Rhama, lamentation, weep|inge, and mutch mourninge, Rachell weepinge for her children, and would receaue no comfort becau&s;e they were not.</HI> In which woordes this is al&s;o to be noted, how per&s;ecution doth not only touch and appertayne vnto tho&s;e that are tormented or &s;layne, but vnto tho&s;e al&s;o, who, although they &s;uffre not the &s;ame thinges: yet do they loue them, and are ioyned vnto them that &s;uffer, &s;o that by the paines and &s;uffryng of their frendes they &s;u&s;tayne great gr&eacute;efe of mynde, and thereby them&s;elues do &s;uf|fer, and are partakers of per&s;ecution.</P>
<P><HI>Herod</HI> mooued this per&s;ecution not &s;o mutch for the infantes to &s;laye them,
<PB REF="5"> but for our Lorde Je&s;us Chri&s;te to &s;&eacute;eke him, finde him, and kill him.</P>
<P>Wherefore the&s;e innocent Infantes were &s;layne for Chri&s;tes &s;ake, and they who&s;e Children they were &s;u&s;tayned this great &s;orrowe and heauene&s;&s;e for Chri&s;ts &s;ake, although at that time they vnder&s;toode not the mi&s;teries of God.</P>
<P>And therefore verie well the&s;e glytle&s;&s;e children, with their parentes are num|bred among them whiche haue &s;uffered per&s;ecution for Chri&s;tes &s;ake. Neither is it to b&eacute;e doubted, but the&s;e children by the force and efficacye of the fr&eacute;e grace and promi&s;e of God, were in the league and therfore had receyued Cyrcumcy|&s;ion, the &s;igne and token of the league, and were the &s;unnes of God, and then al&s;o were endued with the crowne of martyrdome for Chri&s;tes cau&s;e. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Curious que&s;tions touching the&s;e Chil|dren.</NOTE></P>
<P>Since therefore God of his mercye, and goodne&s;&s;e hath &s;o gloryou&s;lye delte with the&s;e Children, let the&s;e curious que&s;tioners cea&s;e here to inquire, what God did meane, &amp; why he &s;uffred the&s;e &s;&eacute;elly and giltle&s;&s;e babes to be &s;layne for Chri&s;tes &s;ake? Why he deliuered not
<PB N="3" REF="5"> them al&s;o as he dyd Chri&s;te, whome he conuaied by flight into <HI>Aegipt?</HI> why he &s;uffred the cruell Tyrant to commit &s;o foule a murther? doth anie &s;utch vnac|cu&s;tomed crueltie &amp; &s;auagenes delight God? Likely enough it is, that at that time when the&s;e thinges were doone, trouble&s;ome and carnall men vttered foorth mutch &s;utch like talke. But the Godly, and men of &s;ownde iudgement, do quite reiect &s;utch thoughtes and que|&s;tions, nether do they &s;peake again&s;t the gouerment of God why h&eacute;e premitteth this or that, but with all their hart they &s;ay with Dauid: <HI>The Lorde is iu&s;t in all his wayes, and holly in all his wor|kes.</HI> Although the innocent children were depriued of this pre&s;ent life, yet were they rewarded with euerla&s;tinge lyfe, and endued with vn&s;peakeable glorie and honour. As for the mour|ninge and &s;orowe of the parentes, God could requite that, &s;undrie waies.</P>
<P>And God, likewi&s;e, who is di&s;plea&s;ed with crueltie, who al&s;o doth no euell, nether &s;uffreth it to b&eacute;e doone vnpuni|&s;hed, v&s;eth euell d&eacute;edes, wrath, and
<PB REF="6"> &s;auage crueltie of his enemies vnto the co~modity of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> faithful, their deedes ther|while being naught, and nothyng ther|by the better. Poi&s;on is euil by his own nature, but by y^e &s;kil of the Phi&s;itions y^e which is naught by nature is applied in medecines vnto y^e commoditie of men. So &s;aid <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> to his brethren that thei imagined mi&s;chief again&s;t him, whe~ thei &s;old him into <HI>Egipt,</HI> howbeit god turnd it to good, &s;o likewi&s;e doth God in per&s;e|cutions. For in this fir&s;t per&s;ecution, w&eacute;e b&eacute;eholde euidently, as it were in a gla&s;&s;e, what is the &s;ub&s;tance &amp; &s;tate of al other per&s;ecutions. For although this per&s;ecution were very cruel &amp; vnkind: notwith&s;tanding it tended vnto the &s;al|uation &amp; glory of all tho&s;e whom it tou|ched. And likewi&s;e al other per&s;ecutions of the faithful, although they be &s;harp &amp; cruell, yet are they profitable &amp; honora|ble vnto tho&s;e that &s;uffer them. And like as the wi&s;e wil not much di&s;pute in this place, why god &s;uffred tho&s;e children to be &s;laine: &s;o are y^e faithful of a moderate and quiet mind in per&s;ecutions, nether do they accu&s;e god demaunding why he doth this or y^e for wicked men, &s;uffring
<PB N="4" REF="6"> the godly &amp; innoce~t to be oppre&s;&s;ed. For they know, &amp; beleue, y^e gods gouerment is in al things good &amp; iu&s;t, &amp; without all reprehention. And like as y^e giltle&s;&s;e in|noce~ts were killed for chri&s;tes &s;ake and among&s;t them Chri&s;t was &s;ought to be &s;layne: &s;o in al per&s;ecutions y^e faithful a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> murdered for Chri&s;ts &s;ake, &amp; Chri&s;t is he whom y^e per&s;ecutours &s;&eacute;ek and &s;tudy to make away. And like as chri&s;te then was nether found, nor &s;lain, but e&s;caped &s;o al per&s;ecutions may &s;lay y^e godly, but they are neuer able to extingui&s;h chri&s;t. But as <HI>Herod,</HI> contrary to his hope &amp; ex+pectation, notwith&s;ta~ding this murther could not be careles nor quiet in mind: &s;o likewi&s;e, al per&s;ecutors, although thei kil neuer &s;o many yet ar thei not at re&s;t but alwaies remaining in feare, &amp; care|fulnes. Ambition and de&s;ire to rule only enforced <HI>Herod</HI> to co~mit the&s;e horrible &s;laughters: al other per&s;ecutio~s likwi&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">The cau&s;e of this per|&s;ecution.</NOTE> haue &s;prong foorth from y^e like di&s;ea&s;e &amp; euill affection. For in times pa&s;t what &s;tirs ambitio~, &amp; de&s;ire to rule, haue mo|ued in y^e kigdoms of <HI>Iuda</HI> &amp; <HI>I&s;rael</HI> it mai be known by y^e tyrannical d&eacute;eds of <HI>Saul Abner, Iereboam, Athalia,</HI> &amp; &s;uch lyke.
<PB REF="7"> And in our age manie of the clergie, and eccle&s;ia&s;ticall ordre, hauinge obtai|ned great honours: do feare lea&s;t their glory, pompe, ritches, plea&s;ures, prefer|mentes and honours &s;hould decay, if the Go&s;pell were fr&eacute;ely preached. Sutche therfore for their kingdome, and plea&s;u|res: with <HI>Herod,</HI> oppo&s;e them&s;elues a|gain&s;t Chri&s;te and his woord, and are not &s;troken with horrour in eggynge foorth vnto, or executinge a cruell d&eacute;ede, &s;o that them&s;elues may lurke &s;afe and quiet in their nea&s;tes. To conclude, like as this gr&eacute;euous and cruell per&s;ecution of Chri&s;te, b&eacute;egan immediatly after his incar|nation by &s;laughter of the innocent babes: &s;o is there nothing that the churche of Chri&s;te mu&s;t looke for vntill the la&s;t iudgment, but per&s;ecu|tions.</P>
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<HEAD><HI>Of the &s;econd Tragical</HI> Acte or per&s;ecution, wherein <HI>Iohn the Bapti&s;t was beheaded,</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t the Sunne of God crucified, and his Di&s;ciples di&s;per&s;ed. <HI>Chapter. ii.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>_THe &s;econd per&s;ecution began</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> fir&s;te prea|cher of the Go&s;pell.</NOTE> at one time, with the preaching of the Go&s;pell, &amp; <HI>Iohn</HI> the <HI>Bap|ti&s;te</HI> fir&s;te preached the Go&s;pell, as S. <HI>Marke</HI> witne&s;&s;eth writting: how that the Go&s;pell of Je&s;us Chri&s;te the Sun of God, began &s;o as it was foretold by y^e prophets, namely by the forerunner of of Chri&s;t, who prepared his waies, and made the mindes of men apt and ready to receaue Chri&s;te. Whiche <HI>Iohn</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t,</HI> pointed vnto Chri&s;t, as it were <NOTE PLACE="marg">What <HI>Iohn</HI> preached.</NOTE> with his finger, te&s;tefinge that he was the Lambe of God, that &s;houlde take a|way the &s;innes of the world. The &s;ame exhorted men to bel&eacute;eue in Chri&s;te, and &s;ent his di&s;ciples from him to Chri&s;te, as vnto him in whome dwelled al ful|ne&s;&s;e,
<PB REF="8"> and through whom only the way was open vnto euerla&s;tinge life: affir|minge that h&eacute;e was the verie Sunne of God, into who&s;e hande the father committed all thinges, and who&s;oeuer b&eacute;el&eacute;eued in him &s;hould haue euerla&s;t|inge life, and who&s;o b&eacute;eleeued not, vp|pon him remained the wrath of God. Therewith al&s;o he &s;harply rebuked the vices of men, exhortinge all to repen|tance, pronouncinge vnto the impeni|tent and vnb&eacute;el&eacute;euinge, the wrath of God and de&s;tructio~ to hang ouer them. The&s;e are me~tioned by y^e <HI>Euangeli&s;tes Mathew. 3. chap. Iohn. 1.</HI> and. <HI>3. chap.</HI> and <HI>Luke. 3. chapter.</HI></P>
<P>For this doctrines &s;ake, when as manie hated John and his di&s;ciples, and &s;pecially the high by&s;hoppes and prie|&s;tes, who by me&s;&s;engers &s;ent vnto him required an accoumpt of his doctrine, endeuoringe to &s;toppe, and hindre him from that function. Afterwarde, when he had rebuked <HI>Herode</HI> called <HI>Antipas</HI> of ince&s;t, which was &s;un to <HI>Herod</HI> &s;ur|named the great, that &s;lew the children (for the &s;ame <HI>Antipas</HI> had taken away <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 1.</NOTE>
<PB N="6" REF="8"> his owne brother <HI>Philippes</HI> wife and his daughter, and kept her openly for his owne wife) when, as I &s;ay, h&eacute;e had preached again&s;t that wicked d&eacute;ede mutch blaminge the filthines of the fact was by the &s;ayd <HI>Herode</HI> apprehended, and ca&s;t into pri&s;on. Then on a time, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iohn</HI> taken.</NOTE> when <HI>Herod</HI> had made a &s;olemne fea&s;t for his nobles and courtiars: amonge his greate and manie cuppes beinge o|uer&s;&eacute;ene and merie with wine, promi|&s;ed large rewardes vnto <HI>Herodiadas</HI> the daughter, a &s;trumpet, b&eacute;ecau&s;e &s;h&eacute;e had daunced in his pre&s;ence, where &s;h&eacute;e beinge in&s;tructed by the ould harlot her mother, required the head of John the Bapti&s;t. <HI>Herod</HI> although h&eacute;e knew<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> John to b&eacute;e a godly and holy man, yet &s;ending the executioner: commaunded the innocent man without iudgment, his cau&s;e beinge vnhearde, &s;hamefully, and through tyranicall lu&s;t to b&eacute;e &s;layn in the pri&s;on. The daughter pre&s;ented the Head of John to the ince&s;tuous har|lot <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iohn</HI> behea|ded.</NOTE> her mother, in the fea&s;t, and euen as &s;h&eacute;e was &s;itting at the table. Which cruell d&eacute;ede, what greife and &s;orow it
<PB REF="9"> brought to Johns di&s;ciples, and al other godly men: euerie faithfull man maye ea&s;ely repute with him&s;elf. Wherfore this per&s;ecution by <HI>Herode</HI> committed, not only touched <HI>Iohn:</HI> but was gree|nous al&s;o to the re&s;t of the faithful.</P>
<P>Doublte&s;&s;e &s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ch carnall rea&s;ons as the&s;e are, perplexed the mindes of ma|nie <NOTE PLACE="marg">Sundry<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e opinions of this dede.</NOTE> that time, why God &s;uffred that man to be afflicted that was &s;o dear vn|to the Lorde, and greater then whome there was none borne of a woman? Why permitted h&eacute;e him by ince&s;tuous per&s;ons &s;o mi&s;erablye to b&eacute;e &s;layne in pri&s;on, and they the meane time drow|ned in riotinge, drounkennes, and dauncinge? why h&eacute;e &s;uffred that holye head, di&s;dainfully to be touched and a|bu&s;ed by the handes of a filthie harlot? The&s;e thinges are &s;traunge in the &s;ight of men, and the fact it &s;elf is horrible, yet no wy&s;e man ought to accu&s;e God in permittinge the &s;ame, which doth all thinge in iudgment, and iu&s;tice yea, if h&eacute;e chaunce at the&s;e dayes to &s;&eacute;e ver|teous and godly men, mi&s;erably &s;layne by the vngodly and wicked, and re|reprochefully
<PB N="7" REF="9"> v&s;ed, thus h&eacute;e rea&s;oneth with him&s;elf: if God could beehold it, that &s;o holy a man, Gods freende, the fir&s;t mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell, &s;hould &s;o di&s;pightfully b&eacute;e murthered in pri&s;on, and his head al&s;o reprochfully handled: w&eacute;e ought le&s;&s;e to merueyle if now like wi&s;e h&eacute;e &s;uffre the like to b&eacute;efall to his fr&eacute;ences, who are not yet in &s;o great e&s;timation, and dignitie as John was.</P>
<P>But like as Johns cau&s;e was not therfore vniu&s;te, and <HI>Herodes</HI> iu&s;te, in that hee preuailed, and oppre&s;&s;ed, and &s;lew John: in our age likewi&s;e their doctrine and faith which abide per&s;ecu|tion, and are wofully &s;layn for Chri&s;t and his woordes &s;ake, is not therfore the woor&s;e, nether the faith of the per|&s;ecucions and murthers for that cau&s;e the better.</P>
<P>Semblably, as there was none other <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cau&s;es of <HI>Herods</HI> par|&s;ecution.</NOTE> cau&s;e that mooued <HI>Herod</HI> to this per&s;e|cution and greeuous &s;laughter, then that h&eacute;e would not b&eacute;e rebuked in his wickednes, neither offend his bou&s;inge mates and ince&s;tuous harlot: &s;o, manie per&s;ecutions are rai&s;ed by tho&s;e that
<PB REF="10"> will not b&eacute;e reproued for Idolatrie for their &s;ins and wickedne&s;&s;e, per&s;ecuting the innocent, that they may plea&s;e wic|ked men, which prouoke them vnto it.</P>
<P>In the &s;ame age, after John the bap|ti&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;tes doctrine.</NOTE> vnder <HI>Tyberius</HI> the Emperour, our lorde Je&s;us Chri&s;t b&eacute;egan to prea|che the go&s;pel, and to pronounce remi&s;|&s;ion of &s;innes, and life euerla&s;tynge through faith in him, and al&s;o b&eacute;egan &s;harply to with&s;tande, and &s;peake a+gain&s;t the fal&s;e doctrin of the Teachers namely of the Phari&s;es, Scribes, and prei&s;tes &s;euerely accu&s;inge their hypo|cri&s;ie, couetou&s;nes, and other crimes, warnings them al&s;o of the wrath of God which hunge ouer them, and ex|hortinge moreouer all men to repen|tance. H&eacute;e declared this doctrine, and deuine power, by &s;undrie wounders and miracles, wherby it is &s;et clere, and vndoubted, and as a man &s;hould &s;ay &s;hewed with handes, that h&eacute;e was the &s;unne of the liuinge God, the lorde that had power ouer &s;atan, &s;inne, death and hell.</P>
<P>But the high bi&s;hops tho&s;e Teachers
<PB N="8" REF="10"> or religious men as they call them, which alonely ruled the ro&s;te, and were of greate&s;t auctoritie in the coun&s;ell of the Jewes, the prie&s;tes likewi&s;e, and Leuits, acknowledged not Je&s;us, as in|d&eacute;ede he was, to be the true Me&s;&s;ias: but they maliced him, and laid waite to take away his life. And at &s;omtimes they called him Samaritane, &s;omtime they &s;aid h&eacute;e was po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a diuell railinge, and reprochinge his doctrine, which they could in no wi&s;e abide, b&eacute;e|cau&s;e it was quighte contrarie vnto theirs.</P>
<P>For they &s;pake litle or nothinge of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phari&s;ai|cal doctrine.</NOTE> faith, but of woorkes only, how w&eacute;e were iu&s;tified by the lawe or ob&s;eruing the law, but &s;pecially by &s;acrifice: like|wi&s;e they taught litle of Charitie, but applied all to their auarice makinge of the lordes hou&s;e a verie &s;hoppe of Mer|chandize. For in the temple were &s;h&eacute;ep and Dxen, and doues to b&eacute;e &s;old, for &s;utch as offred &s;acrifice, and for their farther gaine they had &s;et vp tables for v&s;erie, and exchange. But Chri&s;te ma|king a &s;courge of &s;mall cordes: draue
<PB REF="11"> them all out of the temple, as well the &s;h&eacute;epe oxen, and doues as tho&s;e that &s;old them, as al&s;o the bankers, and ex|changers, and all that &s;old religion for monie.</P>
<P>Wherfore, for this cau&s;e only they <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;tes per&s;ecution.</NOTE> dayly per&s;ecuted Chri&s;te, goinge about to &s;tone him or kill him, and h&eacute;e often|times conuaid him&s;elf away, flying out of <HI>Iudea</HI> in to <HI>Galile,</HI> and &s;u&s;tained pa|ciently &s;undrie afflictions, reproches, and traueyles. And la&s;t of all, h&eacute;e was b&eacute;etraid, and &s;old by one of his owne di&s;ciples, apprehended, and brought in|to the eccle&s;ia&s;ticall iudgment of the prie|&s;tes, and by <HI>Pontius Pilate,</HI> the <HI>Ro|mane</HI> Lieutenant, condemned to the death of y^e cro&s;&s;e, for no other cau&s;e, but for that, as ind&eacute;ede he was, h&eacute;e affir|med him&s;elfe to b&eacute;e the verie &s;unne of the liuinge God, the trew Me&s;&s;ias or Chri&s;te, the only, and eternall &s;auiour of al the world. But before that he was brought vnto the Lieutenant: y^e &s;erua~ts and mini&s;ters of the prie&s;ts &s;hamefully mocked, &amp; mi&s;u&s;ed him in y^e high bi&s;hops hal: they blindfolded him, &amp; &s;pet in his
<PB N="9" REF="11"> face, buffeted him, reprochfully and di&s;|dainfully intreating his diuine wi&s;dom <NOTE PLACE="marg">Accu&s;ation agin&s;t chri&s;t</NOTE> and maie&s;tie. In the morning, when they brought him before the lieutenant they fal&s;ly accu&s;ed him to bee a &s;eductor of the people, a &s;editious fellow, &amp; well worthye to be hanged on the Cro&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>But <HI>Pilate,</HI> when he had diligently ex|amined all the matter, vnder&s;tanding the cau&s;e: &s;undrye times pronounced that hee was not guiltie, and that hee could not condemne him by lawe, and notwith&s;tanding that hee was inno|cent, yet was he handled di&s;pightfullye. For he was led vnto <HI>Herod,</HI> &amp; by him contemptuou&s;ly abu&s;ed, flouted of his courtiars and galantes, with all &s;corn|full demeanure. He was compared vn|to <HI>Barrabas,</HI> the mo&s;t notorious th&eacute;efe, <NOTE PLACE="marg">His pa&s;&s;ion</NOTE> and murtherer of that age, whom the Jewes preferred before Chri&s;t, &s;uppo|&s;inge that h&eacute;e was woor&s;e then that wicked villayn, whome all the worlde hated. H&eacute;e was &s;curged al&s;o, and crow|ned with a crowne of wreathed thorns, and being in this &s;orte mi&s;erably hand|led and tormented: was brought foorth
<PB REF="12"> into the &s;ight of the vnthankfull people. But for al this, there was no grace nor pardon to b&eacute;e found, &s;pecially amonge y^e prei&s;tes, egginge the Lieutenant to co~|demne the innocent, and y^e h&eacute;e &s;houlde permit them to leade him to execution, &amp; to crucifie him b&eacute;etwen two th&eacute;eues. And when h&eacute;e was in mo&s;te gr&eacute;euous paines, and the very panges of death: he was mo&s;te outragiou&s;ly intreated with bla&s;phemous frumps, &s;cornes, and re|procheful v&s;ages. For the pr&eacute;e&s;tes with many other mo walking before y^e cro&s;&s;e vttred foorth &s;undrie horrible and gr&eacute;e|uous woords again&s;t him, which are by <HI>S. Mathe</HI> diligently &s;et downe in wri+tinge. Among&s;t which mo&s;t gr&eacute;euous temptations and iniuries, in the mid&s;t of the&s;e &s;orowes, Chri&s;te y&eacute;elded vp the gho&s;t vpon the cro&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t Chri&s;te &s;uffred the&s;e thinges his di&s;ciples were mi&s;erably di&s;per&s;ed, and all the faythfull conceaued woun|derfull and incredible &s;orowe for the pa&s;&s;ion, and death of Chri&s;te. Manie fearfully doubted, lea&s;t at that time the doctrine of the Go&s;pell were wholy ex|tingui&s;hed.
<PB N="10" REF="12"> So that this per&s;ecution which was again&s;t chri&s;te: both touched and troubled the whole Church, and all the faithfull. And although the enemies of Chri&s;t hoped that they had gotten the conque&s;t, and de&s;troyd the doctrine of the Go&s;pell: notwith&s;tandynge, their victorie made not the phari&s;aicall doc|trine one iote the better, nor y^e doctrine of the Go&s;pell: the woor&s;er. For it is no good con&s;equent: the Phari&s;es put Chri&s;te to death, wherefore, their doc|trine is true, and Chri&s;tes fal&s;e.</P>
<P>The cau&s;e which moued the Phari&s;es, and al other enemies of Chri&s;t to per&s;e|cute him: &s;urely was none other, then y^e they were de&s;ierous to retaine their owne erronious doctrine, &amp; oppre&s;&s;e the go&s;pell w^e the followers therof, wherby they might with &s;ecuritie enioye their raigne, lu&s;tes, and plea&s;ures. And like|wi&s;e in our age, many of y^e Papi&s;ts do per&s;ecute y^e faithful for none other cau&s;e</P>
<P>This is a comfort vnto vs, that in &s;o great afliction, when the di&s;ciples were &s;cattered, &amp; Chri&s;t of all men for&s;aken: yet only <HI>Iohn</HI> amo~g&s;t al y^e other di&s;cipls
<PB REF="13"> dur&s;t boldlye approche to the cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;te, and ioyne him&s;elf vnto Mary the vndefiled and perpetuall virgin the mother of our Lord, and <HI>Mary Magde|len Cleophas,</HI> with other moe. Heere, by their infirmitie the power of God is declared. Likewi&s;e <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> and <HI>Nico|demus</HI> valiently b&eacute;ehaued them&s;elues. Like as at this day al&s;o it falleth out, for wher as the trueth is taught to b&eacute;e &s;o greuou&s;ly pre&s;&s;ed with per&s;ecution, that there &s;&eacute;emeth to be no man that taketh regard or care therof: then mo&s;t times by the meane&s;t &s;ort, and not &s;el|dome by noble and great per&s;onages, there b&eacute;e newe and fortunate fownda|tions laid, wherby the trueth is won|derfully increa&s;ed. Wherfore w&eacute;e mu&s;t not in the greate&s;t per&s;ecutions, ca&s;t of our hope and comfort.</P>
<P>Here, b&eacute;efore althinges, this is to b&eacute;e ob&s;erued, that w&eacute;e iudge far other|wi&s;e of Chri&s;tes death and pa&s;&s;ion, then of the death and affliction of Iohn and other &s;ainctes, who haue &s;uffred per&s;e|cution for God and the truethes &s;ake, and with their bloude borne recorde
<PB N="11" REF="13"> to the heauenly trueth: but w&eacute;e ought far more excellently to accompt of the blood and death of Chri&s;te. For as h&eacute;e is the euerla&s;tinge &s;unne of God, and life vnto all tho&s;e that b&eacute;eleue in him: &s;o his blood, death, and pa&s;&s;ion are a clen|&s;inge &s;acrifice, and a propitiation for the &s;innes of the whole worlde. For by his death w&eacute;e obtayne life, and by his blood|&s;hed w&eacute;e get remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes. And vnto this opinion all the doctrine of the Prophetes, and Apo&s;tles bear witnes, &s;pecially the epi&s;tle of Saint <HI>Paule</HI> to the <HI>Hebrues.</HI> Wherfore our life and forgiuenes of &s;inns, is repo&s;ed in y^e deth and pa&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;te only, and not in the martyrdom, or pa&s;&s;ion of any &s;ainct.</P>
<P>Since therfore, Chri&s;te is the head of his Church, and h&eacute;e &s;uffred &s;o manye thinges: by his example the church al&s;o learneth that it mu&s;t &s;uf|fer many things, as it is a|bundantlye &s;hewen in the writings of the Euangeli&s;ts and Apo&s;tles.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB REF="14">
<HEAD><HI>Of the thirde Tragical</HI> Acte or per&s;ecutio~, wherin the <HI>Apo&s;tles were taken and &s;curged</HI> Steeuen was &s;toned, the Church and congregation of <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> bani&s;hed, &amp; di&s;per&s;ed. <HI>Chapter.</HI> iii.</HEAD>
<P>THe third per&s;ecution of y^e church, be|gan alitle after y^e A&s;cencion of chri&s;t into heauen which is y^e fea&s;t of <HI>Pente|co&s;t</HI> or <HI>Wit&s;ontyde,</HI> when the Apo&s;tles earne&s;tly preached the Go&s;pel, and had gathered together great and worthye Congregations vnto Chri&s;te.</P>
<P>The &s;ame is verye dillygentlye and copiou&s;ly de&s;cribed in the <HI>Actes</HI> of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apo&s;tles Sermons.</NOTE> the Apo&s;tles. The Apo&s;tles preached then openlye the Go&s;pell of Chri&s;te in Ieru&s;alem, only in the name of our Lorde Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, which was cruci|fied and rai&s;ed from the dead, in whom if they b&eacute;el&eacute;eued, was remi&s;&s;ion of &s;in|nes, &amp; life euerla&s;ting, that al men ther|fore ought to b&eacute;el&eacute;eue in him, b&eacute;e bapti|zed and ioyne in fellow&s;hip of y^e church repent and liue a godly lyfe, &amp; looke for &s;aluation in none other thinge, for that
<PB N="12" REF="14"> there is none other name vnder heuen giuen to men wherein they may be &s;a|ued: but the name of Ie&s;us Chri&s;te. The&s;e Sermons, the Scribes and Se|niours at <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> coulde not abyde, wherfore thei laide hand vpon the Apo|&s;tles, and &s;hut them vp in Pri&s;on, and brought them before the coun&s;el, where quarreyling and chidinge with them: they forbid them to preach this Go&s;pell of Ie&s;us chri&s;t. But the Apo&s;tles frank|ly profe&s;&s;ing that in this behalfe by no meanes they might obey them, but that God mu&s;t rather be obeyed then men: were neuertheles much, and gr&eacute;euou&s;|ly thretned by the Magi&s;trats &amp; elders.</P>
<P>Vpon occa&s;ion hereof, the Church be|ing<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sorrowe, and praiers of y^e church.</NOTE> &s;trock with great heauines: prayed hartely vnto God for co~tinuance in the Go&s;pell. And when as the Apo&s;tles went forward con&s;tantly in teachyng, and Chri&s;te effectually woorkinge in them confirmed the trueth of their doc|trine with great miracles, that a great numbre of men followed them, &s;o y^t the Churche was daily increa&s;ed by thou|&s;andes: then the magi&s;trates &amp; officers
<PB REF="15"> &s;etting vppon them a fre&s;he, ca&s;t the A|po&s;tles againe into pri&s;on, intending to put them to death. But by the interce&s;&s;i|on and meanes of <HI>Gamaliel</HI> the lawyer that was <HI>Pauls</HI> ma&s;ter: they were de|lyuered, but notwith&s;tanding whipped, and &s;harply forbidden, that they &s;hould not preach the Go&s;pel of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Who departing out of the coun&s;ell and Court: pray&s;ed God that they were founde worthy to &s;uffer reproch for his name.</P>
<P>Shortly after, ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Steeuen</HI> burning<NOTE PLACE="marg">Steuen &s;toned.</NOTE> in the &s;pirite of Chri&s;te, and with great zeale di&s;puting in the &s;ynagogs again&s;t the &s;kilfull in the lawe, and &s;toutly de|fendyng the doctrine of Chri&s;te: was ca&s;t into pri&s;on and brought to araine|ment, and fal&s;ly accu&s;ed. Who although he clered hym&s;elfe with &s;ufficient, wi&s;e, and graue reply: yet it nothyng avayled him, for hee was condemned to die, and &s;toned to death.</P>
<P>There followed not long after a very<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 8.</NOTE> vehement and &s;harp per&s;ecution of the chri&s;tian Church, de&s;cribed by <HI>Luke</HI> in the Acts of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Apo&s;tles, by the&s;e words:
<PB N="13" REF="15"> <HI>There <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ro&s;e about that time, a greate per&s;ecution again&s;t the Church which was at Ieru&s;alem, and they were al di&s;|pear&s;ed through the Regions of <HI>Iudeae</HI> and Samaria, &s;auinge the Apo&s;tles. For Saul wa&s;ted the Churche, entring into euery mans hou&s;e, &amp; haling forth Men and women, deliuered them to pri&s;on.</HI> Yea, <HI>Paul</HI> him&s;elfe concerning this his per&s;ecution again&s;t the church, &s;pake thus in pre&s;ence of King <HI>Agrip|pa:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 76.</NOTE> <HI>truli I was determined with my &s;elf to do many things again&s;t the name of Ie&s;us of Nazareth.</HI></P>
<P><HI>VVherof partly I dyd &s;omwhat at Ie|ru&s;alem, and many of the Saints I com|mitted too Pri&s;on, hauing receaued auctoritie of the cheef pri&s;ts, on whom al&s;o I gaue iudgment when they were executed. I punished the~ al&s;o in the Si|nagogs, compelling them to bla&s;phem (that is to denye the Chri&s;tian faith, whiche is a great bla&s;phemie) and ra|ging again&s;t them aboue al mea&s;ure, I per&s;ecuted them vnto &s;trange Cities.</HI></P>
<P>Now, as touching the cau&s;e that moo|ued <HI>Paule,</HI> the Prei&s;tes, and people of
<PB REF="16"> the <HI>Iewes</HI> to per&s;ecute the Church: was almo&s;t none other, but a &s;ini&s;ter &amp; vn|&s;ea&s;onable zeale &amp; affection which they bare for the lawe of <HI>Moy&s;es,</HI> and y^e ce|remonies, which being lead w^t errour: they ment to retaine and pre&s;erue, and could not therfore bel&eacute;eue in chri&s;t, nor his Go&s;pel. For thei &s;uppo&s;ed that thei &s;hould be iu&s;tified &amp; &s;aued by righteou&s;|nes of y^e law. Contrariwi&s;e, the go&s;pel teacheth vs y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> wee &s;hal not be &s;aued by works of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> law, but by faith in Chri&s;t. At this &s;tone y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Iewes</HI> haue &s;tumbled, &amp; fallen, &amp; peri&s;hed, as <HI>S. Paul</HI> witne&s;&s;eth in the&s;e words: <HI>I prote&s;t for them that</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10.</NOTE> <HI>they haue the zeale of god, but not ac|cording to knowledge. For, beyng ig|norant of the righteou&s;nes before god and &s;tudeinge to e&s;tabli&s;h their owne righteou&s;nes: they were not &s;ubiect vn+to the righteou&s;nes which is allowed of god. For Chri&s;te is th' end of the law vnto the iu&s;tification of al that beleue.</HI> Likewi&s;e in another place: <HI>I&s;raell whiche</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9.</NOTE> <HI>en&s;ued the Lawe of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e attayned not to the lawe of righteou&s;nes, (that is to &s;ay was not iu&s;tified) becau&s;e they &s;ought it no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> by faith, but by workes of the lawe. For they
<PB N="14" REF="16"> haue &s;tumbled at the &s;tumbling &s;tone, as it is written: Beholde: I lay a &s;tumblyng&s;tone, and a rock to hurt and make men fall and who &s;o beleueth in him &s;hal not be ashamed.</HI></P>
<P>In this our age likewi&s;e, and for the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cau&s;e of per&s;ecutyon at this time</NOTE> &s;ame very cau&s;e, they aboue all other, haue mo&s;t veheme~tly, and &s;harply per|&s;ecuted the chri&s;tian church, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> haue bin better men then the re&s;idew, and le&s;&s;e giuen to carnal affection. Thei hate the Go&s;pell, and per&s;ecute the profe&s;&s;ours therof, bicau&s;e they confe&s;&s;e &amp; erne&s;tly defende, that w&eacute;e be iu&s;tified, and &s;aued by faith only in Chri&s;t, and not by any woorkes. Suppo&s;ing y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> by this doctrine good woorkes are taken away, and no|thing regarded, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> men are made care|le&s;&s;e, and &s;tirred vp vnto wickedne&s;&s;e, which is not to b&eacute;e &s;uffred in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> churche. But there is a far other vnder&s;tanding in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> que&s;tion of good woorkes, then thei either thinke or vtter, nether are they co~temned, and naught &s;et by, although y^e glory of Iu&s;tification which appertey|neth vnto Chri&s;te only, b&eacute;e not a&s;cribed vnto the~. For vnto faith is iu&s;tification a&s;cribed, bicau&s;e the &s;ame dependeth on Chri&s;t only, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chri&s;te only may haue al y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> glory, &amp; he alonly be our &s;aluation
<PB REF="17"> and righteou&s;nes, as w&eacute;e haue in ano|ther place declared more at large.</P>
<P>But beefore wee proceede anie far|ther: let euerie man, I b&eacute;e&s;eche y&eacute;e, weigh with him&s;elf, how great and gr&eacute;euous this per&s;ecution was again&s;t the fir&s;te Church of Chri&s;te, and how that they which were not &s;layn, not+with&s;tandinge receaued great &s;orowe, through the death, puni&s;hment, and torments of their brethren, that which Luke al&s;o hath not pa&s;&s;ed ouer with &s;ilence, wrytinge after this maner: <HI>The holly men caried foorth Steuen, and made great &s;orrowe ouer him.</HI> What, and how great &s;orowe, greife,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 8.</NOTE> and mi&s;erie did they f&eacute;ele, who although they were not &s;layne: yet were they &s;poyled of all their gooddes, driuen into bani&s;hment, and brought to extreame pouertie and beggerie?</P>
<P>Heerewithall al&s;o, let euerie man con&s;ider, what Church it was that &s;uf|fred &s;o gr&eacute;euous per&s;ecution, for&s;ooth euen the mo&s;t holly and mo&s;te perfecte Church of al. For of this Church <HI>Luke</HI> witne&s;&s;eth, writinge: <HI>They were all
<PB N="15" REF="17"> filled with the holly gho&s;te. And of al</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 4.</NOTE> <HI>the multitude y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> beleued ther was one hart and one &s;oule, and no man called anie thinge that hee had, his owne: but all thinges were common amonge</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 2.</NOTE> <HI>them nether was there amonge them enie that lacked. Likewi&s;e: They continued euerie day with one accord in the temple, prai&s;inge God and gi|uinge thankes beefore all the people.</HI> In this Church, Congregation, and fellow&s;hip, were the Apo&s;tels of our Lorde, and his thre&s;core and ten di&s;ci|ples, <HI>Io&s;eph of Arimathie, Bar&s;abas</HI> or <HI>Barnabas, Nicodemus,</HI> with other woorthie men moe, but cheifly the holy and vndefiled virgin Marie, mother of the Lorde Ie&s;us Chri&s;te, with di|uer&s;e other vertuous and deuout we|men, who&s;e vertue and renoume is di&s;ciphered in the Euangelicall hi&s;tory. In this Church there were no diui&s;i|ons, no &s;chi&s;mes, and the numbre of them that b&eacute;el&eacute;eued was aboue fiue thou&s;ande. To conclude, there was no Church in the Earth more excellent, holy, perfect, or more acceptable to God.</P>
<PB REF="18">
<P>Howbeit, god which &s;uffred his owne<NOTE PLACE="marg">Wee mu&s;te not a&s;k why God &s;uffer|eth his chu|rche to bee per&s;ecuted.</NOTE> &s;un to b&eacute;e crucified, &s;uffred al&s;o this holy Church to fall into &s;utch afflictions, and &s;o general a per&s;ecution, as we haue de|clared b&eacute;efore. And who is now &s;o wic|ked and curious, y^e in re&s;pect of this per|&s;ecution, dare &s;tep foorth and di&s;pute a|gain&s;t God, and que&s;tion w^t him: wher|fore he &s;uffred his dearly beloued frends to b&eacute;e &s;o gr&eacute;euou&s;ly afflicted whiche had de&s;erued much better, and &s;o many good &amp; godly per&s;ons amonge whom chri&s;tes mother was one, who&s;e mo&s;t pure hart the &s;harp &s;word of &s;orow and heauines had perced through? why likewi&s;e god gaue vnto y^e faithle&s;&s;e Iewes &amp; hipocri|tes, &s;o great power ouer godly, and iu&s;t men? why raught he not his helpynge hand to his Church, to help it, cau&s;ing y^e neither <HI>Steeuen</HI> &s;hould b&eacute;e &s;toned, nei|ther the Church beinge &s;poyled of their goods be made poore, or bani&s;hed, nether they which liued in &s;utch concorde togi|ther, with great &s;orow, &s;o mi&s;erably b&eacute;e plucked a &s;undre, and &s;catred abroad? It plea&s;ed God it &s;hould be &s;o, who is y^e e|ternal wi&s;dom, &amp; doth no vniu&s;t thing.
<PB N="16" REF="18"> And that which plea&s;ed God: plea&s;ed al|&s;o the holly Church, which nether mur|moured, neither di&s;puted agayn&s;te the lord, but receaued per&s;ecution willing|ly, and by the grace of God endured it paciently, knowyng and bel&eacute;euing, that God, who was omnipotent and merci|full, would &s;o moderate the per&s;ecution that it &s;hould tende to the commoditie of the Church, as it al&s;o came to pas. In the &s;ame minde it b&eacute;ehoueth all the faythfull to b&eacute;e in all maner per&s;ecuti|ons, and patiently to &s;ubmit them&s;el|ues to the plea&s;ure of God.</P>
<P>Mutchle&s;&s;e h&eacute;erby may the rea&s;oning of &s;omme men take place, who gather out of per&s;ecutions, that if the doctrine were true, and faith right: God would ayde them, and not deliuer the~ ouer in|to their power, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> are altogether out of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> way concernyng doctrine and b&eacute;el&eacute;efe. For in the per&s;ecution of the primitiue church, the&s;e men, as apperteinyng to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> body: had the victorie, who&s;e faith was fal&s;e, and they y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> were &s;oundly per&s;ua|ded &s;uffred per&s;ecution, were driuen a|way, &amp; &s;lain, which &s;laughter &amp; calamity
<PB REF="19"> notwith&s;ta~ding, dyd nothing in damage the true faith. And in our age al&s;o the ca&s;e &s;tandeth none otherwi&s;e, neyther for the per&s;ecutions which the Churche induereth, the faith and doctryne therof is le&s;&s;e to be regarded, or wor&s;e therfore to be iudged. The true faith and doc|trine, d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">pend vpon no victory, but onely vpon God, and his worde.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>Of the fourth Tragical</HI> Acte or per&s;ecution, in which <HI>Saincte Iames the Apo&s;tle was</HI> &s;layne, and <HI>Peter</HI> ca&s;t in|to Pri&s;on. <HI>Chapter.</HI> iiii.</HEAD>
<P>ABout the yeare of Chri&s;te. 45. <HI>He|rode</HI> &s;urnamed <HI>Agrippa,</HI> &s;unne to <HI>Herode</HI> the great, &amp; brother to <HI>Antipas</HI> moued y^e fourth per&s;ecution again&s;t the<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iames</HI> Apo|&s;tle &s;layne.</NOTE> Churche, wherof <HI>Luke</HI> &s;peaketh in the <HI>Actes</HI> the. 12. Chapter. There he de|clareth how <HI>Herod</HI> had decr&eacute;ed to mo|le&s;t certen of the Churche, &amp; that he had alredy &s;laine with the &s;word <HI>Iames</HI> the
<PB N="17" REF="19"> brother of Iohn the Euangeli&s;t, (who al&s;o was one of the three whome the lord v&s;ed mo&s;t familiatly, and to whom hee opened his &s;ecretes) and not content with this cruell d&eacute;ed, proc&eacute;eded farther, and call <HI>Peter</HI> into pri&s;on to the intent to put him al&s;o to death.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e the&s;e twaine were the cheefe&s;t amonge the Apo&s;tles: the whole Church was &s;trooken in great &s;orowe and heauines for this per&s;ecuti|on, and &s;pecially <HI>Iohn,</HI> who was mutch greeued for his brothers death. The Church feared al&s;o, lea&s;t they &s;hould lea&s;e their faithfull pa&s;tor <HI>Peter,</HI> as they had doone <HI>Iames,</HI> wherfore <HI>Luke</HI> writeth, that dayly they powred foorth prayers vnto God for <HI>Peter,</HI> which prayers were not without effect. For the Angell of the lorde came into the pri&s;on to <HI>Peter,</HI> and deliuered him out of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ouldiours hold, lo&s;ed his theines &amp; bandes, opened the iron gate, and &s;et him at libertie in the open &s;treete, from whence by^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> and by hee departed out of Ieru&s;alem.</P>
<P>This great affliction the Church in|dured
<PB REF="20"> pacientlye, neither murmured a|gain&s;t Chri&s;t, expo&s;tulatyng with hym why he gaue vnto <HI>Herod</HI> that wicked verlet, &s;utch power again&s;t his dearly-beloued ones? why he &s;uffred his whole Church, and &s;pecially <HI>Iohn</HI> his be&s;t be|loued of all the Di&s;ciples, to be touched with &s;uch heauene&s;&s;e? why he deliuered not <HI>Iames,</HI> as he dyd <HI>Peter?</HI> they knew that God dyd nothing ra&s;hly nor with|out cau&s;e, but euery thi~g wel &amp; rightly. Wherfore, the faithfull in per&s;ecutions mu&s;t likewi&s;e be &s;emblably per&s;uaded. For if euer men had nede to make their complaynt to God: then had they n&eacute;ede, neuerthele&s;&s;e there were heard no com|playnts, no murmurings, but earne&s;te and humble praiers. Wherfore in ad|uer&s;itie, let the faithful flie vnto God in praier, requiring his grace y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> h&eacute;e would gouerne al thing to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> glory of his name and vnto our &s;aluation, and what&s;oeuer he doth that w&eacute;e &s;ubmit our &s;elues wil|lingly to his holy will and plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Moreouer, no man in the Primitiue Church called the doctrine of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Apo&s;tles into que&s;tion, becau&s;e <HI>Iames</HI> was &s;laine
<PB N="18" REF="20"> with the &s;word, and <HI>Peter</HI> ca&s;t into pri|&s;on. For none of them &s;aid thus: if the apo&s;tles doctrine were true &amp; iu&s;t: God would not haue &s;uffered them to haue bin oppre&s;&s;ed of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> kings, which erred in the faith, leadyng al&s;o a filthy, and wic|ked lyfe. Therefore at this day lyke|wi&s;e, the doctrine of the Go&s;pell is not to be doubted of, for that the teachers and followers therof, are by the Lorde delyuered ouer into the enemies hands of the Go&s;pell, and mi&s;erably and cruel|ly by them intreated: for the truth not|with&s;tandyng is euerla&s;ting &amp; inuinci|ble. <HI>Paul</HI> in the &s;ame cau&s;e writeth, that he was afflicted for y^e go&s;pel euen vnto hands, but y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> word of god was not bou~d.</P>
<P>The cau&s;e that &s;tirred <HI>Herod</HI> to per|&s;ecute y^e church, was his owne peruer&s;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 2.</NOTE> minde, which lothed chri&s;t, &amp; his word. Moreouer, the <HI>Iewes</HI> gr&eacute;edely thir&s;ted the Apo&s;tles bloud, wherfore <HI>Herod</HI> to currie fauour with them: &s;hed y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> bloud of the Apo&s;tles. This <HI>Luke</HI> witne&s;&s;eth in the&s;e words: <HI>And when he &s;aw this</HI> (namely when he had &s;lain <HI>Iames</HI> with y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;woord) <HI>to be acceptable to the Iewes hee proceeded al&s;o to apprehende
<PB REF="21"> Peter, meaning after Ea&s;ter to bringe him forth to the people.</HI> Like as in our age, many princes do per&s;ecute the faithfull for none other cau&s;e, but that with their cruel butcherous Tragedies they might gratefie tho&s;e Fathers of <HI>Rome</HI> and their adherentes, who al&s;o vn&s;atiably do thir&s;t all their blood which cleaue only to Chri&s;te and his Go&s;pell, and &s;et nought by, &amp; abhor their &s;uper|&s;tition, and Idolatrye.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="5" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>Of the. 5. tragical acte</HI> or per&s;ecution, wherein Paule <HI>and the Chri&s;tian Church &s;ufferd</HI> many thinges, and the Apo&s;tles ended their liues full of afflictions, by &s;headyng their bloud. <HI>Chapter.</HI> v.</HEAD>
<P>_THe fifte per&s;ecution again&s;te <HI>Paule</HI> y^t Apo&s;tle continued ma|ny yeres, y^e Church al&s;o which bel&eacute;eued the Go&s;pel partly for <HI>Paule</HI> w^t whom they &s;uffered, and partly for the
<PB N="19" REF="21"> Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t abode &s;undry troubles and afflictions, &amp; by that meanes was partaker of this per&s;ecution.</P>
<P>For when <HI>Paule</HI> had begun to preach<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 9. 2. Cor. 12.</NOTE> the Go&s;pel at <HI>Dama&s;cus,</HI> about the yere after Chri&s;te. xxxiii. and iourneynge through <HI>Arabya</HI> was retourned to <HI>Da|ma&s;cus,</HI> and there di&s;puted earne&s;tly a|gain&s;t the <HI>Iewes: Aretas</HI> the King lay|yng watche at the Cittie gates, &s;ought hym to kyll hym, when the faithfull not beyng able otherwi&s;e to &s;aue hym, let downe <HI>Paule</HI> by a Rope through the wall in a ba&s;ket, and &s;o with great care and dillygence they kept him aliue.</P>
<P>At <HI>Antioch</HI> al&s;o in <HI>Pi&s;idia, Paule</HI> ga|thered<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 13.</NOTE> together a great congregatio~ vn|to Chri&s;t of <HI>Gentiles</HI> and <HI>Iewes,</HI> but the <HI>Iewes</HI> which would not imbrace Chri&s;t &s;tirryng vp a per&s;ecucion again&s;t <HI>Paule</HI> and <HI>Barnabas,</HI> draue them out of that Citie, and Region.</P>
<P>In <HI>Iconium</HI> al&s;o, the <HI>Iewes</HI> agayne<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 14.</NOTE> mo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ued a tumult again&s;t <HI>Paul,</HI> wherhe with his companion <HI>Barnabas</HI> were in forced to prouide for the~&s;elues by flight. Al&s;o in <HI>Li&s;tra</HI> the &s;ame <HI>Iewes</HI> brought
<PB REF="22"> <HI>Paul</HI> &s;o far into hatred, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> being &s;toned &amp; drawn forth of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> towne as dead: yet chri&s;t rai&s;ed him again to do him &s;eruice At <HI>Phillippos</HI> in <HI>Macedonia Paul</HI> and his fellow <HI>Silas,</HI> were taken, &s;courged with rods, and ca&s;t into a very &s;traight pri&s;on, out of whiche notwith&s;tanding Chri&s;t deliuered him, that he might yet preach the Go&s;pell, to moe nations.</P>
<P>Moreouer at <HI>The&s;&s;alonica</HI> there was<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 17.</NOTE> agreeuous per&s;ecution moued again&s;te <HI>Paul,</HI> wher he was con&s;trained through helpe of the faithfull, to e&s;cape away by night. The lyke he &s;uffred at <HI>Berroea.</HI> At <HI>Athens,</HI> the Philo&s;ophers and wy&s;e men of this world, reprochfully termed him a trifler, rayled at hym, and moc|ked<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 18.</NOTE> hym, as the like was done to the lord him&s;elf. Likewi&s;e in the famous citie of Gr&eacute;ece called Corinthe, h&eacute;e was apprended and brought to the lieutena~|tes &s;eate of iudgment and &s;harply accu|&s;ed, but then al&s;o the Lorde deliuered him out of the power of his enemies.</P>
<P>But what gr&eacute;euous thinges <HI>Paule</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. 19. 1. <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.</NOTE> &s;uffred in <HI>A&s;ia</HI> at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> are by him|&s;elfe recited in the&s;e wordes: <HI>I woulde not haue you ignoraunt, brethern, of
<PB N="20" REF="22"> the trouble and affliction which hap|ned vnto vs in A&s;ia, how we were won|derfully greued aboue our power, that we were in di&s;paire euen of lyfe. But we receiued a decree within our &s;elues touchyng death, that wee &s;houlde not tru&s;t in our &s;elues, but in God whiche rai&s;eth the dead.</HI> In <HI>Luke</HI> al&s;o in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Act.</HI> of the Apo&s;tles there is &s;et forth a nota|ble de&s;cription of the tumult which was at <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI> Vpon occa&s;ion of which tu|mult there the faithfull remayned in great &s;orow, heauines, and daunger, al|&s;o by rea&s;on of the continuall waite lay|yng and per&s;ecutions, wherwith the vn+faithfull both <HI>Iewes</HI> and <HI>Gentiles</HI> per&s;e|cuted them. After &s;o many daungers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Actes. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"></NOTE> afflictions, and mo&s;t greuous traueles, when <HI>Paule</HI> was arriued at <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> bringing w^t him a great, and ritch trea|&s;ure, whiche he had gathered as a dona|tiue for y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> pouerty of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> citie, and relm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">: there againe y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Iewes</HI> rai&s;ed a mo&s;t wo|full &s;editio~, &amp; apprehending <HI>Paul</HI> &s;cour|ged him biterly wher he had bin vtterli de&s;troyd, vnles the Tribune co~ming in al &s;p&eacute;ede w^t his &s;ouldiers had taken him out of their handes.
<PB REF="23"> This beinge doone: h&eacute;e was by the tri|bune brought into the Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 23.</NOTE> court, where h&eacute;e was al&s;o &s;courged, and vnworthely intreated. Afterward, bi|cau&s;e of the great trea&s;on of the Jewes being guarded with a &s;ufficient power of hor&s;emen, and footemen h&eacute;e was &s;ent from Jeru&s;alem to <HI>Cae&s;area,</HI> vnto <HI>Foelix</HI> the lieutenaunt, Beefore whom when he came: the cheif of the <HI>Iewes</HI> accu&s;ed him, layinge manie thinges to his charge, wherin al though h&eacute;e could not bee fownd giltie: notwith&s;tanding h&eacute;e was committed to indurance, wher h&eacute;e remayned the &s;pace of two whole yeeres. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 25.</NOTE></P>
<P>Moreouer, he was euelly delt with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 2 7.</NOTE> all by <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> al&s;o the new lieutenaunt who &s;ucceeded <HI>Foelix,</HI> &amp; after ward with other pri&s;oners deliuered ouer vnto the Centurians and &s;ouldiours, imbarked, and with a longe and daungerous iour|ney brought to <HI>Rome.</HI></P>
<P>But <HI>Nero</HI> then reigninge at <HI>Rome</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 28.</NOTE> h&eacute;e remayned agayne pri&s;oner there two yeres. Some are of opinion that at this time he was &s;laine with the &s;word
<PB N="21" REF="23"> by <HI>Nero,</HI> others thinke that h&eacute;e was ac|quited in iudgement by <HI>Nero:</HI> as h&eacute;e him&s;elf witne&s;&s;eth in the ij. to Timoth. the .iiii. chapter, and b&eacute;einge &s;o &s;et at li|bertie, that h&eacute;e departed directly intoo <HI>Spaine,</HI> as b&eacute;efore h&eacute;e had declared in the Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Romanes,</HI> that h&eacute;e was de&s;ierous to take in hand that iour+ney. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15.</NOTE> And traueylinge through <HI>Spaine,</HI> and <HI>France,</HI> they &s;ay how h&eacute;e came the &s;econde time to <HI>Rome,</HI> in the later ye|res of the reigne of <HI>Nero,</HI> and there was &s;layn with the &s;worde at <HI>Neroes</HI> commaundement. But this w&eacute;e leaue as vncertain: howbeit this is euident, wherin all doo agr&eacute;e, that the mo&s;t holly Apo&s;tle Paule was putte to death at <HI>Rome,</HI> vnder <HI>Nero.</HI></P>
<P>The traueiles, afflictions, and &s;un|drie calamities whiche for none offence <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Paules</HI> afflic+cions.</NOTE> h&eacute;e &s;u&s;tayned, but for Chri&s;t his woord, and the Churche, the Apo&s;tle him&s;elfe imputynge them to his enemies, and fal&s;e Apo&s;tles: reciteth in a br&eacute;eif cata|logue in the&s;e woordes: <HI>Are they the mini&s;ters of Chri&s;te? I &s;peake like a foole, I am more, in labours more abu~|dant,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 11.</NOTE>
<PB REF="24"> <HI>in woundes &s;urpa&s;&s;ynge them, in pri&s;on more commonly, in death</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 25.</NOTE> <HI>often. Of the Iewes I receaued fiue times fourtie &s;tripes &s;auynge-one, I was thri&s;e &s;courged with roddes, and once &s;toned, thri&s;e I &s;uffred &s;hipwrak night and day haue I beene on the deepe &s;ea. In iourneinge often, in da|unger of waters, in daunger of theues, indaunger of mine owne countriemen in daunger of the heathen, in daunger in the Citie, in daunger in the wilder|nes, in daunger in the &s;ea, in daunger amonge fal&s;e brethren. In weerines and traueyle, in watchinge often, in hunger and thir&s;t, in fa&s;tinge often, in colde and nakednes. Bee&s;ide tho&s;e thinges which happen outwardly vn|to mee, for the heape of them dayly ri&s;eth again&s;t mee, which is to &s;ay, the care for all Churches of Chri&s;te.</HI></P>
<P>Now therfore, by &s;o many afflictions which <HI>Paule</HI> &s;u&s;tained, and by the vic|tory &amp; good &s;ucce&s;&s;e of his enemies, can it be gathered that <HI>Paules</HI> doctrine was erronious, or el&s;e God would haue de|fended him, nether haue &s;uffred him to
<PB N="22" REF="24"> haue bin ouer whelmed w^t &s;o many ca|lamities, and reproches? Shal w&eacute;e ther fore; di&s;pute again&s;t god, whi he &s;uffreth wicked me~ &s;omutch to preuaile again&s;t the faithful, and his holy mini&s;ters? or why he permitteth the &s;acred Churche of Chri&s;te to &s;uffre &s;o mutch in it &s;elfe, and in the faythful pa&s;tor therof <HI>Paule?</HI> The godly men &s;uffred all the&s;e things patiently and ouercame them, and con|tinued alwaies con&s;tant vnder y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> cro&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The cau&s;e why the Iewes were ene|mies to <HI>Paul,</HI> &amp; to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> church: &s;urely was none other then y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, wherwith being be|fore mooued, they per&s;ecuted Chri&s;t, &amp; y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> apo&s;tles, as we haue declared before.</P>
<P>Moreouer, hy&s;tories beare recorde, that the twelue Apo&s;tles in all their life <NOTE PLACE="marg">Al the apo|&s;tles after afflictions were put to death.</NOTE> time, and durynge the tearme of their admini&s;tration in the go&s;pel: &s;u&s;tayned gr&eacute;euous afflictions, and were all of them for Chri&s;te and his woords &s;ake, per&s;ecuted, and put to death.</P>
<P>Although all writers doo not agr&eacute;e of their kinds of death, yet they al co~&s;tan|ly affirme, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> thei were mi&s;erably &s;lain. <HI>Peter</HI> and his brother <HI>Andrew,</HI> were
<PB REF="25"> both crucified. <HI>Iames</HI> the elder, as w&eacute;e haue &s;hewen before, was b&eacute;eheaded by <NOTE PLACE="marg">Peter and Andrevv.</NOTE> <HI>Herod</HI> &s;urnamed <HI>Agrippa.</HI> Who&s;e brother Iohn the Euangeli&s;t the b&eacute;elo|ued <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iames</HI> the el|der.</NOTE> di&s;ciple of Chri&s;t, only of them al is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn Euan.</NOTE> reported to haue died a naturall death. Notwith&s;tandyng h&eacute;e was apprehen|ded and brought bounde out of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> to <HI>Rome,</HI> and conuented b&eacute;efore <HI>Domitia~</HI> th'emperour, and there, as <HI>Tertullian</HI> writeth, plunged ouer head and eares in hot boylinge oyle. But after that, the lorde graciou&s;ly prouiding for him, this cruell d&eacute;ede nothing indamaged his life: h&eacute;e was bani&s;hed into y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> I&s;le <HI>Pathmos. Phillip</HI> was nayled to a cro&s;&s;e, &amp; there hangynge: was &s;toned to death. <HI>Bar|thelmew,</HI> thei &s;ay, was by his enemies <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phillippe.</NOTE> mo&s;t horribly flayne, and afterward b&eacute;eheaded. Other&s;ome &s;ay h&eacute;e was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Bartelmew.</NOTE> burnt. The enemies of Chri&s;te, thru&s;t Thomas through with a &s;worde, and &s;o, as it is reported, they dealt with <HI>Ma|thew.</HI> Iames the younger, the pa&s;tor &amp; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Thomas.</NOTE> doctor of the church of Ieru&s;alem, was throwne downe headlonge from an <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mathew. Iames the le&s;&s;e.</NOTE> high place, and afterwarde &s;layne
<PB N="23" REF="25"> beinge buffeted with &s;tones vntill h&eacute;e died. Likewi&s;e both Apo&s;tles, <HI>Simon</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Simon, and Iude.</NOTE> and <HI>Iudas Thaddaeus</HI> ended their li|ues, beinge by the heathen &s;lain in a certen temple of Idols. Some al&s;o &s;ay that <HI>Mathias</HI> was crucified, others &s;ay <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mathias.</NOTE> h&eacute;e was &s;toned, and b&eacute;eheaded. Al the&s;e bare witnes of Chri&s;te, not with their mouth and doctrine only, but with ther blood al&s;o, and for the trueth of the go&s;|pell which they preached, were conten|ted to die with wel willing, and mo&s;te valient courage.</P>
<P>Now, for as mutch as all the Apo|&s;tles were &s;layn by the enimies of God <NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> who obtayned the &s;ouerainitye ouer them as apperteyninge to the bodye: &s;hall w&eacute;e therfore &s;ay that &s;uper&s;titions of Gods enemies were right, and the Apo&s;tles religion and doctrine fal&s;e and erroneous? who &s;hall accu&s;e God, by|cau&s;e h&eacute;e deliuered not his &s;eruantes from a reprochfull death but that h&eacute;e gaue to the wor&s;t men in the whole worlde, &s;utch power agayn&s;t his holly Apo&s;tles? Who although they were mini&s;ters of the trueth, and innocent
<PB REF="26"> men: yet were they put to death for the greate&s;t enemies of God, as malifac|tours and wicked per&s;ons, for &s;utche were they accu&s;ed to b&eacute;e: and therefore, at this our age, in the lyke cau&s;e, wee mu&s;t iudge &s;o of their bel&eacute;efe &amp; doctrine, who ar &s;hamefully executed for chri&s;ts &s;ake, as ind&eacute;ede the trueth &s;tandeth in the &s;ight of Chri&s;te.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="6" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>&para; <HI>Of the. 6. Tragicall</HI> Acte or per&s;ecutio~, which was <HI>vnder Nero, and of the &s;euenth</HI> which was vnder <HI>Domitian,</HI> and of the eight vnder <HI>Vlpius Traian,</HI> Emperours. <HI>Chapter VI.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>PAulus Oro&s;ius</HI> an olde hi&s;torician, who liued in the time of <HI>Au&s;tine,</HI> and wrote vnto hym &s;euene bookes of Storyes, beginneth the recitall of the per&s;ecutyon of the Chri&s;tian Churche, from the per&s;ecution whiche <HI>Nero</HI> had moued, which h&eacute;e accounteth the fir&s;t who&s;e order the later Hi&s;toricians al&s;o
<PB N="24" REF="26"> in&s;ued. And we lykewi&s;e, in de&s;cribing the Tragedies &amp; per&s;ecutions commit|ted again&s;t the Church: wyll follow the &s;ame order, as con&s;equently they follow one another. But &s;ince it is manife&s;t, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the fiue aboue recited per&s;ecutio~s, were before the&s;e, as the &s;criptures do &s;hew, that which <HI>Oro&s;ius</HI> maketh the fir&s;te, we make the &s;ixt: although the matter be of no great importa~ce in this re&s;pect.</P>
<P><HI>Oro&s;ius</HI> writeth, that <HI>Nero</HI> fir&s;te (that is to &s;ay among the <HI>Roman</HI> Em|perours) <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Nero</HI> per&s;e|cuteth the Chri&s;tians</NOTE> gaue forth commaundement, that at <HI>Rome,</HI> and in al other prouinces belonging to the Roman Empire, the Chri&s;tians &s;houlde bee mole&s;ted, and &s;layne. And y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> this was his determina|tion to roote oute the Chri&s;tian faith &amp; all Chri&s;tians where&s;oeuer they were.</P>
<P>The cau&s;es that moued <HI>Nero</HI> to per|&s;ecute y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chri&s;tians are not &s;o dilygent|lye &s;et downe by chri&s;tian hi&s;toricians, as they are by prophane writers, <HI>Sue|tonius Tranquillus</HI> in the lyfe of <HI>Nero</HI> and <HI>Cornelius Tacitus</HI> in the. 15. booke of the lyues of the Emperours. <HI>Nero</HI> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> emperour was y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;inke of al bea&s;tly &s;in|fulne&s;&s;e,
<PB REF="27"> fulne&s;&s;e, chiefly of lechery, and vn&s;peak|able ince&s;t, defilyng him&s;elfe again&s;t al cour&s;e of nature, &s;o y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> in all Hi&s;tories of you &s;hal not finde his match. This hor|rible wickedne&s;&s;e he openly committed at <HI>Rome</HI> without al &s;hame, in &s;ight of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Senate,</HI> and people. But there was no man that dur&s;te &s;peake again&s;t hym, mutch le&s;&s;e to reproue him, or a&s;&s;ay to puni&s;h hym, but euery man winked at hym, the mo&s;t filthy bea&s;t in the meane time doyng what he li&s;t.</P>
<P>Wherfore, God being offended with the citie of <HI>Rome:</HI> puni&s;hed it with fire, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rome</HI> puni|&s;hed with fire as So|dome was.</NOTE> as he did <HI>Sodome &amp; Gomorrha</HI> euen by <HI>Nero</HI> him&s;elf, when as for his <HI>Sodomi|tical</HI> bea&s;tline&s;&s;e, h&eacute;e de&s;erued to be bur|ned him&s;elf. And &s;&eacute;eing <HI>Rome</HI> winked at his naughtine&s;&s;e, and did not y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> which it ought to haue done: the horryble <HI>So|domite Nero,</HI> cau&s;ed the citie to be &s;et on fire. For being certen places in the cittie wherewith <HI>Nero</HI> mi&s;lyked, and the &s;treates and pa&s;&s;adges there verye narrow: he cau&s;ed the hou&s;es to be &s;ette on fire, that after they were brent, they might be builded againe more faire, and
<PB N="25" REF="27"> &s;umptious. He him&s;elfe beheld the fire out of <HI>Mecoenas</HI> tower, &s;aying: that he much de&s;ired to &s;e the burning of <HI>Troy</HI> which he beheld now &s;om what re&s;em|bled by that burning of the citie, &s;inging therwhiles the de&s;truction of <HI>Troy,</HI> and delighting him&s;elfe with beholdyng the great fire. <HI>Suetonius</HI> reporteth, that from that time that <HI>Rome</HI> was fir&s;te built, it neuer &s;u&s;tayned &s;o much hurte by fire: for it continued alwayes burn|ning the &s;pace of &s;ix dayes and &s;o manye nights. The &s;ame is al&s;o diligentlye de|&s;cribed by <HI>Tacitus.</HI></P>
<P>But when the fire through the wrath of God had brent farther then <HI>Nero</HI> had <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Nero</HI> impu|teth the fire to Chri&s;ti|ans.</NOTE> thought it &s;houlde, and indamaged the Citie with an vnrepayrable lo&s;&s;e and hinderaunce, the citizens which had &s;u&s;|tained &s;o great harme, were very much moued, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ffended. Wherefore the Emperour <HI>Nero,</HI> to the intent that hee might put ouer from him&s;elf the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> of the d&eacute;ede, rai&s;ed a rumour among the commons, that this whole mi&s;cheif was long of the Chri&s;tians, that they were aduer&s;aries to the Gods and Religon
<PB REF="28"> of the <HI>Romans,</HI> and wicked burners of cities and townes, who al&s;o in that &s;ort had defaced the citie. And that this re|port might &s;&eacute;eme to carie &s;ome trueth and auctoritie: h&eacute;e ca&s;t manie Chri&s;ti|ans into pri&s;on, and examined them by tortures and tormentes, that they &s;hould confe&s;&s;e how the citie was &s;et on fire by them. And in dede there were &s;ome fownd, who not beinge able to a|bide tormentes, but rather wi&s;&s;hing to die: fal&s;ly accu&s;ed them&s;elues &amp; other Chri&s;tians, confe&s;&s;inge that they had &s;et the citie on fire.</P>
<P>Wherfore immediatly, there was a proclamation publi&s;hed by the empe|rour again&s;t chri&s;tia~s, in which it was commaunded, that in <HI>Rome</HI> and al pro|uinces thei &s;hould be rooted out, as ene|mies to the gods and religion of the <HI>Ro+manes,</HI> and men practi&s;ed in burning &amp; &s;etting on fire. And this was the begin|ning of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> per&s;ecution, and blouddy tra|gedie. For &s;ome in reproche, and for a mockyng &s;tocke, were &s;owed into the &s;kinnes of wild bea&s;ts, as <HI>Tacitus</HI> wri|teth &amp; ca&s;t vnto dogs to be torne. Other were brent, &s;ome <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">ed and crucified,
<PB N="26" REF="28"> and &s;o de&s;troyed with &s;undrie and mo&s;t cruel puni&s;hments, in&s;o mutch that (as <HI>Tacitus</HI> writeth) the common people of <HI>Rome</HI> were mooued w^t greate pitie to|wards them. But with <HI>Nero</HI> ther was no mercy, no end of torments. In this per&s;ecution were &s;layne, as hi&s;toricians do te&s;tifie, and we al&s;o haue declared be|fore: the Apo&s;tles <HI>Peter &amp; Paul.</HI> There be al&s;o numbred by Chroniclers many notable and godly men, whiche in this per&s;ecution &s;uffred gr&eacute;euous affliction, reproches, &amp; puni&s;hment of bitter death not at <HI>Rome</HI> only, but here &amp; there in o|ther prouinces of the <HI>Romane</HI> empire.</P>
<P>Since therfore, this per&s;ecution was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Wee mu&s;t not di&s;pute with God.</NOTE> fir&s;t moued by <HI>Nero</HI> for a filthy &amp; hor|rible cau&s;e, who &s;hall accu&s;e God for graunting &s;uch power to a wicked, and <HI>Sodomiticall</HI> per&s;on, again&s;t &s;o many thou&s;ands of holy and innoce~t men, yea freinds of God? or why hee &s;uffred the chri&s;tians to be brent for hou&s;e burners and did not rather hale foorth <HI>Nero</HI> the true hou&s;e burner and bea&s;tly <HI>Sodomit</HI> ca&s;tinge him into the thicke&s;t of the people to bee torne in peces? when therfore, in our age, the lyke do happen:
<PB REF="29"> let all men humbly &s;ubmit them&s;elues to the power of God and his mightye hande, beare their cro&s;&s;e with pacience which the Lord layeth vpon them, giue laud and prai&s;e vnto God, and con&s;tant|lye cleaue to his holy worde, whiche at <HI>Neroes</HI> time was al&s;o true and iu&s;t, al|though it was behouefull that the faith|full &s;hould &s;uffer afflictions, and <HI>Nero</HI> ouercome them, and haue power ouer them, with his prophane, and &s;uper&s;ti|tious Relygion.</P>
<P>After this, about the yere of our Lord 97. with intollerable and diuelli&s;h pride <NOTE PLACE="marg">Diuely&s;he pride.</NOTE> <HI>Domitian</HI> the Emperour &s;et foorth him &s;elf, &s;unne to <HI>Ve&s;pa&s;ian,</HI> brother to <HI>Ti|tus,</HI> by whom the Citie of <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> was de&s;troyd, the <HI>Iewes</HI> vanqui&s;hed in battle, and opre&s;&s;ed. The &s;ame was not a&s;hamed to boa&s;t him&s;elfe to be God &amp; Lord, and would &s;o be called and wor|&s;hipped of al me~, and y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> which no Empe|rour <NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> required before him, he comman|ded y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> they &s;hould ki&s;&s;e his f&eacute;ete, wherin no Emperour followinge hym dyd the lyke, except <HI>Dioclecian</HI> onely, a cruell Tyrant, and a murtherer of holy men.</P>
<PB N="27" REF="29">
<P>This <HI>Dominitia</HI> &s;et a broch the .vii. per&s;ecutions again&s;t Chri&s;tians, in the which many holy men were driuen in|to bani&s;hment, many flayne or &s;poyled of their goods, and troubled mo&s;t bitter|lye. <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iohn</HI> the Euangeli&s;t</NOTE> Among&s;t whom <HI>Iohn</HI> the Apo&s;tle and Euangeli&s;t was brought pri&s;oner from <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> to <HI>Rome</HI> vnto the Em|perour, and there tormented. <HI>Flauia</HI> al|&s;o, and <HI>Domicilla</HI> of greate&s;t nobilitie in the citie, with diuers other mo, were by <HI>Domitian</HI> &s;ent into bani&s;hment. But Iohn afterward returned vnto <HI>E|phe&s;us,</HI> and there died in the yere of our Lorde. 102. after the pa&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;te, 68. and the third y&eacute;ere of the reygne of <HI>Traiane</HI> the Emperour.</P>
<P>After this, about the y&eacute;ere of our lord. 110. <HI>Vlpius Traiane,</HI> a mightie and vic|torious Emperour, was the cau&s;e and authour of the eight per&s;ecution again&s;t the Chri&s;tians, in <HI>Rome,</HI> and in other places vnder the Romaine Empire. Whiche thynge cheifly prouoked him, and other Emperours that came after him to per&s;ecute the Chri&s;tians, bicau&s;e they thought good that there &s;hould bee
<PB REF="30"> no Schi&s;me &s;uffred in the empire, &s;pe|cially in religion, but that there &s;hould b&eacute;e one only religion receaued, whiche their forefathers had ob&s;erued b&eacute;efore time. Now that di&s;agr&eacute;ement in reli|gion nouri&s;heth co~tentions and hatred a thing not to b&eacute;e &s;uffred in any empire Moreouer, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> they feared gr&eacute;euous cala|mities, and puni&s;hments, if their gods were not woor&s;hipped after their accu|&s;tomed maner, and therfore the Chri|&s;tians, bicau&s;e they hated their temples aulters, &s;acrifices, images, and holly|dayes, blamyng and di&s;daynynge the religion of the <HI>Romanes:</HI> were in no wi&s;e to be &s;uffred. Wherfore, if any ca|lamities &s;hould chaunce to ri&s;e in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Ro|mane <NOTE PLACE="marg">Read <HI>Cyp.</HI> again&s;t <HI>De|metri.</HI></NOTE> empire, as are troubles, dearth of corne, famine, warre, &s;editions, pe&s;ti|lence, di&s;ea&s;es, with other di&s;commodi|ties: by and by y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Romans burthened the Chri&s;tians with y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> cau&s;e of all the&s;e anoyances, for contemnyng their gods and religion, and doyng contrarie vnto the &s;ame. That they woor&s;hipped one God, acknowledgyng Chri&s;t alone the &s;unne of God to b&eacute;e the only &s;auiour,
<PB N="28" REF="30"> openly pronouncyng, that the Romane religion was fal&s;e and of the diuel, that their faith in Chri&s;te was true &amp; right, nether that God ought to b&eacute;e wor&s;hip|ped with images and temples, &s;acrifi|ces and hollydayes, but in &s;pirite and trueth, accordyng to his woorde.</P>
<P>As for the Romans, and other nati|ons abroad in the worlde, they were al|together addicted to &s;uper&s;titions, vali|ently &s;headyng their blood, lee&s;ing their goods, and liues, in defence of their reli|gion, exhortyng other firmely to retain y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ame. For they boa&s;ted how they re|ceaued y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> religion of their elders, which were no fooles but excellent wi&s;emen: Moreouer that there were many lear|ned men in their collegies of prie&s;ts, &amp; that their bel&eacute;ef was confirmed w^t ma|nie notable wounders and miracles, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> whil&s;t they ob&s;erued that religion they obtayned &s;undry great victories, and y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> whole empire of al the worlde, attribu|tyng al their good &s;ucce&s;&s;e and &s;alftie, to their religion, which had remained ma+nie thou&s;and y&eacute;eres, not b&eacute;eyng &s;o new and but thyrtie y&eacute;eres ould as was
<PB REF="31"> the chri&s;tian religion. That their Gods were friendly and liberall vnto them: helpyng them in &s;utche &s;orte, that they wanted nothynge, on the other&s;ide the chri&s;tians were poore and vnfortunate: wherfore they &s;hould doo ami&s;&s;e if they erred the breadth of one heare, or &s;pa|red the &s;acrilegious enemies of their ancient and victorious religion. Wher|fore, the&s;e cau&s;es which wee haue now recited, prouoked the <HI>Romane</HI> Empe|rours to per&s;ecute the Chri&s;tians. The cau&s;es of the per&s;ecutions likewi&s;e in our age are not mutche vnlyke who&s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Traians</HI> per|&s;ecution.</NOTE> weyeth them both vprightly.</P>
<P>Wherefore, in this per&s;ecution mo|ued by <HI>Traiane</HI> there was an vn&s;peak|able deale of Chri&s;tian bloud &s;hed&punc; At <HI>Ieru&s;alem Simeon</HI> By&s;hop of the citie, beinge an hundred and twenty yeares ould, was crucified. <HI>S. Ignatius</HI> al&s;o the &s;eruant of Chri&s;te, and Di&s;ciple of the Apo&s;tles, was brought from <HI>Antioche</HI> where he was Bi&s;hop vnto <HI>Rome,</HI> ca&s;t vnto wilde bea&s;tes, and by them torne in p&eacute;eces. Their Tragedies were &s;o cruel, their &s;laughters &s;o great, the &s;hea|dinge
<PB N="29" REF="31"> of Chri&s;tian blood &s;o horrible: that <HI>Plinie</HI> the &s;econde, a wi&s;e gentleman, and lieutenant to the emperour, wrate vnto the emperour, giuinge vnto the Chri&s;tians, a &s;ingulare te&s;timonie of their innocencie. This epi&s;tle is to b&eacute;e &s;&eacute;ene in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> booke of <HI>Plinies</HI> epi&s;tles. By which meanes the &s;tate of Chri&s;ti|ans was &s;ome deale the more at quiet.</P>
<P>Yet in re&s;pecte of this per&s;ecution which was great, and la&s;ted longe time <NOTE PLACE="marg">God is iu&s;t and the faith true.</NOTE> wherin were de&s;troied many thou&s;and Chri&s;tians, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chri&s;tian religion ought not b&eacute;e iudged fal&s;e or wor&s;e to b&eacute;e e&s;|t&eacute;emed of, or that the gentile and pro|fane religion of the <HI>Romanes</HI> is righte|ous and &s;ownd. For throughout the whole world, and in all ages the Chri&s;|tian religion is only true, righteous, and con&s;tant: nether hath God doone ami&s;&s;e, in giuinge the <HI>Ethnickes</HI> &s;o great power again&s;t the faithfull. For by meanes therof, the Chri&s;tian faith is nothinge dimini&s;hed, nether by pu|ni&s;hment, nether by &s;headinge of blood: but it is rather increa&s;ed in all partes of the worlde, wherfore it is not with|out
<PB REF="32"> cau&s;e amonge our forefathers gro|wen into a prouerbe: the field of Chri&s;t is dungged and made frutefull with Chri&s;tians innocent bloud. Wherfore let vs al likewi&s;e now be of good hope in mid&s;te of per&s;ecutions, and &s;headinge of mi&s;erable, innocent, Chri&s;tian blood.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="7" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>Of the. 9. Tragical acte</HI> or per&s;ecution, which was <HI>vnder Antoninus Verus, with</HI> his brother <HI>Lucius,</HI> and what worthy men exhibited Apo|logies of the chri&s;tian faith vnto the Emperours. <HI>Chapter, vii.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe yere of Chri&s;t, 170. and. 178. the Roman Emperours, <HI>Marcus An|toninus Verus,</HI> and his brother <HI>Lucius</HI> for none other cau&s;es then we haue a|boue recited: &s;harply per&s;ecuted al chri&s;|tians, that generallye were vnder the <HI>Romane</HI> Empire. This per&s;ecution Hi&s;toricians call the fourth, but I terme it the ninth. The exacte de&s;crip|tion
<PB N="30" REF="32"> and at large therof, who&s;o de&s;ireth to beehold: let him reade the fourth, and fift bookes of <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> eccle&s;ia&s;ticall hi|&s;torie. In this per&s;ecution were &s;layn, not only many of the Chri&s;tian Church but al&s;o the mo&s;te famous and renow|med doctoure of that age, who in tea|ching and writing, &s;et frooth the chri&s;ti|an relygion, enlarged it, and defended it commendinge their doctryn with their mo&s;t holly life, and bearinge wytnes therto with theyr owne blood. Among whom was <HI>Polycarpus,</HI> Di&s;cyple to the apo&s;tles, an extreme ould father, and mini&s;ter of the congregatyon at <HI>Smyrna,</HI> whom they call the doctor of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Polycarp.</NOTE> <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and father of the Chri&s;tians: al&s;o the holye and paynfull Mini&s;ter of chri&s;t, <HI>Pionius:</HI> both the&s;e w^t many mo+notable chri&s;tians, were burnt Lyke|wy&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pionius.</NOTE> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> mo&s;t lerned and faythfull my|ny&s;ters of Chri&s;t: <HI>Iu&s;tinius</HI> a philo&s;o|pher, and <HI>Iraeneus</HI> By&s;hop of <HI>Lions</HI> in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iu&s;tinus. Iraeneus.</NOTE> <HI>France,</HI> who&s;e bookes in defence of the chri&s;tyan fayth, agayn&s;te all kyndes of errours and here&s;ies: are yet extant: were &s;layne wyth the &s;word.</P>
<PB REF="33">
<P>But chifly at <HI>Lions</HI> and <HI>Vienna</HI> in <HI>France</HI> nigh the riuer <HI>Rhodanus:</HI> was very mutch cruelty and extremitie &s;he|wen. This per&s;ecution is de&s;cribed by the mini&s;ters of Chri&s;te dwellynge at <HI>Vienna</HI> and <HI>Lions,</HI> in an epi&s;tle vnto y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> brethren of the congregations of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Phrygia,</HI> let him read that li&s;t her|of, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phoianus</NOTE> the foure fir&s;t chapters of the fir&s;te booke of <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> eccle&s;ia&s;tical hi&s;torie: there among other thyngs, they declare how <HI>Photinus</HI> bi&s;hop of Lyons, a wor|thie man, learned, and holly, and aboue foure &s;core and ten y&eacute;eres old, and ther|fore f&eacute;eble of body, but valiant of minde and without all feare, was brought to the place of iudgement: of whom when there was required an accoumpt of his fayth, with a wounderfull courage h&eacute;e profe&s;&s;ed Chri&s;te and the Chri&s;tian faith: wherfore h&eacute;e was by the ra&s;he &amp; furious people &s;troken, buffeted, &s;pur|ned, &amp; without al regarde of age or cal|lyng, reprochefully abu&s;ed, &s;o y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> he was drawen backe agayne to the pri&s;on for dead, where not longe after h&eacute;e y&eacute;elded vp the gho&s;t.</P>
<PB N="31" REF="33">
<P>In the &s;ame place, are &s;ingularly de|&s;cribed y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> cruel torments, wherwith the holy men were long time torme~ted, as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Maturus. Sanctus. Blandina.</NOTE> <HI>Maturus, Sanctus,</HI> and <HI>Blandina,</HI> a wo|man of &s;ingular courage &amp; con&s;tancy in the true faith, w^t <HI>Attalus</HI> borne of a no|ble race, in faith more noble. All the&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Atalus</NOTE> were &s;layne with mo&s;t cruell and con|tinuall tormentes, bicau&s;e they would not y&eacute;eld one iote from the trueth.</P>
<P>They write moreouer, how that the common ra&s;kall multitude in this per|&s;ecution was &s;o &s;auedge, cruelly pric|ked foorth with anger and rage: y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> they left nothyng vndone that appertayned to the mo&s;t cruell and ignominious v|&s;edge of them. For they would not per|mit the bodies of &s;utch as were &s;layne in pri&s;on, to b&eacute;e hone&s;tly buried, but ca&s;t them to dogges, who if they left any thyng, that they burned and threwe the a&s;&s;hes into <HI>Rhodanus:</HI> the&s;e turmen|tours in the meane time criyng alowd, as it is reported, behold, the Gods haue reuenged them&s;elues on the enemies of the Ethnicke religion, where is now their god? what maner of faith and reli|gion
<PB REF="34"> is this, that &s;poyleth them thus of their liues? Thus thei reioiced, &amp; trium+phed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Triumph|yng of the people.</NOTE> like conquerours y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> had defended and confirmed their owne religion: and on th'other part, the Chri&s;tians remai|ned in great &s;orow, heauines, and daun+ger. Who&s;o de&s;iereth to vnder&s;tande more of this matter, let him read it in <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> in the epi&s;tle aboue recited.</P>
<P>Moreouer, there is &s;et downe by <HI>Her|mannus Contractus,</HI> in his chronicles, an whole catalogue of principall ble&s;&s;ed martirs y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;uffred in this per&s;ecution. Wherfore, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> which I haue often &s;ayd, I &s;ay againe: is there any ma~ &s;o &s;imple and deuoyd of iudgment y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> dareth to &s;ay that the doctrine and religion of the holy Martyrs and witne&s;&s;es of Chri&s;te was fal&s;e, bicau&s;e God deliuered them ouer into y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> handes of their enimies, gentils, and vnfaithful? ether y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> their doctrine &amp; religion was tru and righteous, bicau&s;e as apperteyninge to the body they van|qui&s;hed, &s;lewe, and oppre&s;&s;ed the faith|full? And who is &s;o pre&s;umptious that he will di&s;pute with God, why h&eacute;e &s;uf|freth his dearly beloued Church to b&eacute;e ca&s;t down, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">roden vnder foote, with
<PB N="32" REF="34"> &s;o many afflictions, and calamities?</P>
<P>But in this age, &amp; the next following God through his grace, rai&s;ed euen a|mong y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> gentiles, worthie &amp; renowmed men, learned, holy, &amp; wel di&s;po&s;ed, who offred vnto y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Roman emperours, to the Senate, &amp; lieutenants: bookes written w^t diuine in&s;tinct, per&s;picuous, and wi&s;e wherin they declared the innocencie of Chri&s;tians, confe&s;&s;ing the faith of chri&s;t prai&s;ing, &amp; defendyng it, &s;hewinge al&s;o, how fal&s;ly y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> chri&s;tians were charged w^t notorious crimes y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> were layde again&s;t the~. This kinde of writyng they terme Apologies. In which apologies, thei vt|tred &s;uch con&s;tancie, and valientne&s;&s;e of minde: y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> thei dur&s;t al&s;o to di&s;cipher, and di&s;proue, the errour &amp; vanitie of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Eth|nick religion. I minde to &s;et downe in this place, a catalogue and reher&s;al of al &s;utch as wrote Apologies, &amp; I wil note al&s;o the time of doyng of al tho&s;e things out of <HI>Eu&s;ebius,</HI> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> al men may perceaue how couragiou&s;ly the Chri&s;tian reli|gion &s;et foorth her&s;elf openly, and with|out all feare, in mid&s;t of per&s;ecutions, gli&s;teryng therin as it were the &s;unne, howb&eacute;eit there whiles the vnfaythfull
<PB REF="35"> per&s;ecuted the &s;ame as here&s;y &amp; deceite, and wa&s;hing the Chri&s;tians in their owne blood.</P>
<P>In the yere of Chri&s;t 119. <HI>Quadratus</HI> a graue and holy man, preferred an A|pologye <NOTE PLACE="marg">Quadratus</NOTE> or defence of the Chri&s;tians vnto the Emperour <HI>Adrian.</HI> After <NOTE PLACE="marg">sereous Gra|nius.</NOTE> whom, the yere of our Lord. 122. <HI>Sere|mus Granius,</HI> one of the nobillytie of <HI>Rome,</HI> wrote al&s;o and Apologie to the &s;ame Emperour. Likewi&s;e <HI>Ari&s;tides</HI> a famous man, made meanes vnto <HI>Ad|rian</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ari&s;tides.</NOTE> in the &s;ame maner. Al who&s;e writ|tings preuailed &s;o much with the Em|perour: that he directed his letters vnto <HI>Minutius Fundanus</HI> lieuetenant of <HI>A|&s;ia,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">In the ec|cle&s;. Hi&s;t. boke. 4. cha. 9.</NOTE> commaundynge hym, that thence forward h&eacute;e &s;hould receiue no accu&s;ati|ons again&s;t Chri&s;tians for their relygi|on, vnle&s;&s;e they were accu&s;ed of other crimes, and offences.</P>
<P>Afterward, in the yere of our Lord 141. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iu&s;tinus.</NOTE> <HI>Iu&s;tinus</HI> a Philo&s;opher, a man not only mo&s;t renowmed at <HI>Rome,</HI> but al&s;o in other places: preferred an Apollogy for the chri&s;tians, vnto <HI>Antoninus Pius</HI> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Emperour. Which &s;elfe &s;ame reque&s;t
<PB N="33" REF="35"> almo&s;t, <HI>A&s;ianus Appolinaris,</HI> by&s;hop of <NOTE PLACE="marg">A&s;ianus. Appolinaris.</NOTE> <HI>Hierapolis,</HI> and <HI>Milciades</HI> who al&s;o ex|hibited their owne Apologies vnto <HI>An|toninus.</HI> But the Emperour <HI>Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius,</HI> in his letters &s;ent to the Lieutenantes of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> com|maunded them that they &s;houlde in no|wi&s;e mole&s;t the Chri&s;tians. The copie of this Epi&s;tle is to be found in the. 4. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Milciades.</NOTE> booke, and. 13. Chapter of the eccle&s;ia&s;ti|call Hi&s;tory. Be&s;ides all this, <HI>Athena|goras</HI> a Philo&s;opher of <HI>Athens,</HI> wrote <NOTE PLACE="marg">Athenago|rar.</NOTE> an Apology and defence of the Chri&s;ti|ans, vnto <HI>Marcus Aurelius Antonin&abus;,</HI> and vnto <HI>Lucius Aurclus Commodus,</HI> whiche defence is yet extant, both in Gr&eacute;eke and Latine.</P>
<P>At <HI>Rome</HI> al&s;o <HI>Appollonius</HI> a Sena|tour, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Apollonius.</NOTE> a noble gentilman and wi&s;e, being accu&s;ed of the Chri&s;tian religion: wrote a worthy booke of our Religion, and of the innocency of the Chri&s;tians, and reade it in <HI>Rome</HI> in the Senate. Not|with&s;tandyng hee was condemned to dye, the yere of our Lord. 188.</P>
<P>La&s;t of all <HI>Tertulian,</HI> about the yer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Tertulian.</NOTE> of our Lord. 209. wrote a &s;ingular boke
<PB REF="36"> in behalf of the Chri&s;tians, wherin h&eacute;e declareth their innocencie, and the folly of the Ethnick religion, and contrari|wi&s;e the trueth and excellencie, of the Chri&s;tian faith. This booke is yet re|maininge in our daies.</P>
<P>By the&s;e and like rea&s;ons it appea|reth, that our true, auntient, &amp; vndoub|ted Chri&s;tian faith, although y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> worlde contemne it, raile at it, and per&s;ecute it: neuerthele&s;&s;e is the only true, and autenticke faith.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="8" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>Of the. 10. Tragicall</HI> Acte or per&s;ecution, vnder <HI>Seuerus, and of the. 11. vnder Iulius Maximinus,</HI> of the. 12. vnder <HI>Traiane Decius,</HI> of the 13. vnder <HI>Valeri|anus,</HI> and of the 14. vnder <HI>Aurelianus</HI> the Emp. <HI>Chapter. viii.</HI></HEAD>
<P>ABout the yere of our Lorde Ie&s;us Chri&s;te. 204. <HI>Septimius Seuerus</HI> the Emperour, a prince of a firce di&s;po|&s;ition, began &s;harpely to per&s;ecute the Chri&s;tian church. And in &s;undry places in all prouinces of the <HI>Romane</HI> empire
<PB N="34" REF="36"> many woorthie men of the faithfull, were tormented and &s;layn, amonge all whom, as cheif, is numbred <HI>Leonidas,</HI> father of the mo&s;t renowmed doctour <HI>Origen.</HI> Who&s;e goodes after his death were all confi&s;cate, his wife and childre~ amonge whom was <HI>Origen,</HI> brought to extreme beggerie. At <HI>Carthage, Perpetua,</HI> and <HI>Faelicitas</HI> were ca&s;t vn|to wilde bea&s;tes and by them torne in p&eacute;eces. And manie &s;utch like accidentes chaunced in other places.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Iulius Maximinus</HI> per|&s;ecuted y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Church of Chri&s;t. The &s;ame commaunded y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;pecially the doctours and bi&s;&s;hoppes of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chri&s;tians &s;hould <NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> b&eacute;e &s;ought out, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> tho&s;e w^t their &s;ermo~s and preachings &s;educed the &s;imple peo|ple, and mooued tumults in the empire: and therefore y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> they ought to be put to death y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> peace and quie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nes might be re+&s;tored in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> empire, &amp; y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ubiects quight di&s;charged from y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> trouble&s;om doctrine. There were &s;laine in this per&s;ecution very many mini&s;ters of the congrega|tions, among who~, as cheif ar numbred mo&s;t worthy me~ <HI>Pa~philus &amp; Maximus
<PB REF="37"> Origen</HI> al&s;o at the &s;ame time to the far|ther comfort of the Church, wroate a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Origen,</NOTE> booke of martirdome, where h&eacute;e &s;he|weth that true Chri&s;tians ought open|ly to profe&s;&s;e with their mouth, and ex|pre&s;&s;e in their d&eacute;edes, the faith which they haue receaued, and if occa&s;ion al&s;o &s;hal &s;erue: to bear witne&s;&s;e therof with their owne blood. At the &s;ame time &s;prange vp the froward here&s;ie of the <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Helche&s;aites</HI> here&s;ie.</NOTE> <HI>Helche&s;aites,</HI> who taught that it was &s;ufficient to retaine the true faith in a mans hart and that it &s;killed not if a man were in enie daunger, to denay the &s;ame with his mouth: Although this doctrine doth openly repugne a|gain&s;t the doctrine of the Go&s;pell and Apo&s;tles, as is to b&eacute;e &s;&eacute;ene the .x. of <HI>Ma|thew,</HI> and .x. to the <HI>Rom.</HI> This per&s;e|cution conteinued thr&eacute;e&punc; whole y&eacute;ere, duringe which time there was mutch precious, and innocent blood &s;hedde.</P>
<P>Afterwarde, the yere of Chri&s;te 252. or accordinge to the &s;upputation of o|ther 254. <HI>Traianus Decius</HI> the empe|rour per&s;ecuted the Church yet farre more cruelly, &s;ending a broade through
<PB N="35" REF="37"> out all the empire mo&s;t vehement, and bloodie edictes. And this is the twelueth per&s;ecution of the Chri&s;tian Church, which di&s;troyed manie excellent and worthie men. For there were <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">layn in this per&s;ecution <HI>Sixtus</HI> by&s;&s;hop of the Congregation at <HI>Rome,</HI> who was be|headed, &amp; <HI>Laurence</HI> his deacon broyled vpon a gridiron as <HI>Prude~tious</HI> writeth by whom al&s;o is de&s;cribed y^e martirdom of ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Hyppolitus,</HI> who was torne in &s;under by wylde hor&s;es. <HI>Babilas</HI> al|&s;o by&s;&s;hop of Antioche was then &s;layn, a very famous man, and a noble mini|&s;ter of Chri&s;te. This <HI>Babilas,</HI> de&s;iered <NOTE PLACE="marg">Babilas</NOTE> that the chaine wherwith he was lead vnto execution, might b&eacute;e buried with him for an ornament, and delight vnto him <HI>Serapion</HI> beinge fir&s;t hacked with <NOTE PLACE="marg">seradion.</NOTE> manie woundes and &s;tabbed through, at the la&s;t was ca&s;t downe headlonge from the top of his owne hou&s;e. <HI>Ma|charius, Alexander &amp; Epimachus:</HI> were burnt. Manie virgins mo&s;t &s;ingularly with vertues adorned were mo&s;t mi|&s;erably tormented and at length cruely &s;layn, as <HI>Appollonia, Eugenia, Vic|toria,
<PB REF="38"> Theodora, Anatholia, Ruffina</HI> and manie moe. There is extant in <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> in the &s;ixte boke of his eccle&s;i|a&s;ticall hi&s;tory, the 13. chapter, the Epi&s;|tle of <HI>Dioni&s;ius</HI> Bi&s;&s;hop of <HI>Alexandria</HI> writen vnto <HI>Fabianus</HI> of <HI>Antioche,</HI> wherein he reciteth the ble&s;&s;ed Martirs which &s;uffred martirdome in <HI>Alexan|dria</HI> vnder <HI>Decius.</HI> Likewi&s;e in <HI>Her|mannus Contractus</HI> in his cronicles, is to be found a longe Catalogue of Mar|tirs that in diuers places of the Roman Empire, &s;uffred vnder <HI>Decius.</HI> In fine in this twelfe per&s;ecution vnder <HI>De|cius,</HI> it is not able welnigh to be recited what plenty of precious and holy bloud of innocent Chri&s;tians was &s;hed, and many notable men be&s;ids made away.</P>
<P>This cruell per&s;ecution was &s;carce fully fini&s;hed: whe~ immediatly y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 13. be|gan about y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> yere of Chri&s;t. 260. at com|maundement of the Emperour <HI>Va|lerianus.</HI> In whiche per&s;ecution were beheaded two of the chief doctours of the Chri&s;tian church, in <HI>Italye, Cornelius</HI> bi&s;hop of <HI>Rome,</HI> &amp; in <HI>Affrica, Cyprian</HI> by&s;hop of <HI>Carthage.</HI> There be al&s;o ma|nye
<PB N="36" REF="38"> moe numbred in the cronicles, that at the &s;ame time receaued the crown of martirdom. At whiche time, the mo&s;te cruel puni&s;hment of flawing was com|monly v&s;ed again&s;t chri&s;tians, to proue if by that meanes they would b&eacute;e redu|ced from the chri&s;tian to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Ethnick be|l&eacute;efe: but it was in vaine.</P>
<P>I cannot in this place pa&s;&s;e ouer, but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Martirs prouoked with plea|&s;ure to re|uolt.</NOTE> I mu&s;t make &s;ome br&eacute;ef reher&s;al of &s;uch thinges as are written of the&s;e per&s;ecu|tions vnder <HI>Detius,</HI> and <HI>Valerius,</HI> by Sainct <HI>Ierome</HI> in the lyfe of <HI>Paule</HI> the fir&s;te Eremite, who reporteth that the per&s;ecutors &s;tudied not onely to defile the innocencie of the chri&s;tians through dread, &amp; practice of &s;uch puni&s;hme~ts and torturs as y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> lyke had not bin heard be|fore: but al&s;o by prouocation of lu&s;t and ple&s;ure. For when they could not ouer|throw them w^t torments, they tempted them w^t plea&s;ures, to cau&s;e them to fall, offring vnto them bewtifull wemen y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;hould allure them to lechery: In which place he &s;heweth of a certen martir that bit of his toung betwene his teth, &amp; &s;pet it in his fine miks face, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> he might be &s;o
<PB REF="39"> deliuered from her. At the &s;ame time Paule the Eremit fled into the wilder|ne&s;&s;e and liued a &s;olitary life in a certen den, vnto whom beefore h&eacute;e died came Saynct Antonie. And the&s;e twayne were the fir&s;t beeginners of Eremites life, that is to &s;ay, of tho&s;e that lead ther liues in wilde and de&s;ert places, as though it were out of the worlde, a life full of hardnes and &s;hapnes, laboringe with their handes, and v&s;inge great ab|&s;tinencie. <HI>Saint Ierome</HI> writeth that <HI>Antony</HI> died the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 661. and in the .xv. yeere of his owne age. And out of this fountaine in proce&s;&s;e of time, &s;prange <HI>Monkerie,</HI> which the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Origin all of Monkes Friers, and heremites.</NOTE> holy Church of Chri&s;te knew not at all when it was mo&s;t excellent, and pure. B&eacute;e&s;ides that this life hath no warrant nor commaundement from the woorde of God, and is nothinge el&s;e but an in|uention and deui&s;e of men that were a fraide.</P>
<P>And like as in tho&s;e former per&s;e|cutio~s, they indeuored to pluck the chri|&s;tians from the trueth, through alure|mentes of plea&s;ure: &s;o likewi&s;e in our
<PB N="37" REF="39"> age many are carried awaye from the true faith and confe&s;&s;ion thereof, and af|ter knowledge of the trueth they are wrapped in errours through plea&s;ures honours, glory, ritches, prefermentes, gret offices, fat benefices as they terme them, or great reuenewes of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> church.</P>
<P>The yeare of our Lorde Chri&s;t. 273. <HI>Valerius Aurelianus</HI> obtayned the Empire, whom Hi&s;toricians make the Aucthour of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. ix. per&s;ecution, which ac|cording vnto our accoumpt is the. 14. This <HI>Aurelianus</HI> at fir&s;t beginnyng of his raigne, was gentle and friendly to|wards Chri&s;tia~s, but towards th'ende he changed his conditions: and through per&s;wa&s;ion of naughty per&s;ons, &s;uffred him&s;elf to be abu&s;ed, fully determinyng with him &s;elfe to per&s;ecute the Church of Chri&s;t. <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> te&s;tifieth in the 7. boke, and. 26. Chapter, of his eccle&s;ia&s;ti|call hi&s;tory, vnto whom al&s;o <HI>Oro&s;ius</HI> a|gr&eacute;eeth, that he rather intended to exe|cute this per&s;ecution, then fully accom|pli&s;hed the &s;ame. Howbeit the Church at that time was in great peril &amp; heaue|ne&s;&s;e, but when contrary vnto expecta|tion
<PB REF="40"> the Emperour was taken away: the per&s;ecution cea&s;ed, and became no|thinge.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="9" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>Of the greeuous woful</HI> and long tragicall Acte or <HI>per|&s;ecution, being in number the.</HI> 15. vnder the Emperours <HI>Dioclecian</HI> and <HI>Maximian,</HI> wherein innume|rable Chri&s;tians were mar|tired and &s;layne. <HI>Chapter. ix.</HI></HEAD>
<P>NOne hath written more dillygent|lye <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> bi&s;+&s;hop of <HI>Cae|&s;area.</HI></NOTE> of the per&s;ecution of the Em|perours <HI>Iouius Dioclecian,</HI> and <HI>Hercu|lius Maximian</HI> then <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> in the la&s;te booke of his eccle&s;ia&s;ticall hi&s;torye. For he lyued at that time, &amp; behelde the doyng of many things whereof he wri|teth. Wherefore the full and true di&s;|cour&s;e of the&s;e matters mu&s;te be bor|rowed of him, which although it be ter|rible: yet is it there withall plea&s;ant, &amp; profitable to be read. As for me I mean but breifly to touch y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> chiefe&s;t poyntes.</P>
<P>The Chri&s;tian Churche enioyed
<PB N="38" REF="40"> peace and tranquillitye a fewe y&eacute;eres, from the raigne of <HI>Aurelian,</HI> vnto the xix. y&eacute;ere of the raigne of <HI>Dioclecian</HI> and <HI>Maximian,</HI> about the &s;pace of. 28. y&eacute;eres. For the Chri&s;tians had com|monly their Churches, and godly con|gregations and m&eacute;etinges together, profe&s;&s;ing and exerci&s;ing their relygion openly without any feare: wherein al|&s;o they had the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of lieutenants of prouinces euery where, vnto whom the Chri&s;tian Relygion was knowne, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd many of great power in the Em|perours Court, as namely <HI>Dortheus</HI> and <HI>Gorgonius,</HI> who being Chri&s;tians: aided and defended them of their owne religion. The Chri&s;tians al&s;o in the be|gining of this peace and quietnes agre|ed very well together, were feruent in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> wor&s;hipping of God, and of holy con|uer&s;ation, and therefore the number of the faithful increaced very much, &s;o that it was n&eacute;edefull to enlarge their Chur|ches, and places of common prayer.</P>
<P>But in proce&s;&s;e of time, that feruent <NOTE PLACE="marg">Abu&s;e of peace.</NOTE> loue of Relygion began to waxe colde, and ther aro&s;e di&s;&s;entions &amp; contentions,
<PB REF="41"> cheifly amonge bi&s;&s;hops and doctours, who beinge addicted to &s;trife &amp; vnquiet|ne&s;&s;e: fell &s;ore at debate amonge them|&s;elues, handlynge their controuer&s;ies, whereby the people were nothing ede|fied: wherfore, the Lorde taking away his hand from his people: &s;uffred y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> faith le&s;&s;e Gentiles to lay their handes vpon his Churche, to &s;coure away the ru&s;te which daily increa&s;ed more and more. And this is the .xv. per&s;ecution of the Church which <HI>Oro&s;ius</HI> calleth y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> tenth.</P>
<P>At the b&eacute;eginning of this per&s;ecution the Lord dealt verie gently, not giuyng the reigne and bridle immediatly to the per&s;ecution, and &s;uffringe the Churches to be de&s;troyd: but the on&s;et of the per|&s;ecution was b&eacute;egun by the &s;ouldiours. And doubtles vnto this purpo&s;e apper|teineth that which is written by <HI>Otho Fri&s;ingen&s;is</HI> in the. 3. book and. 45. chap|ter, &s;peakinge of blea&s;&s;ed <HI>Mauritius.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mauritius.</NOTE> Who marchyng forward into <HI>Germa|nie,</HI> vnder <HI>Maximian</HI> with his legion of men which were all Chri&s;tians, go|inge again&s;t the <HI>Bacharides,</HI> whome <HI>Eutropius</HI> termeth <HI>Bongarides,</HI> a trou|ble&s;ome
<PB N="39" REF="41"> and &s;editious kinde of people, to bring them to dutie and quietne&s;&s;e: &amp; when the armie had pa&s;&s;ed the <HI>Alpes,</HI> and was arriued into the country of the <HI>Veragri,</HI> whiche at this day they cal the lower, <HI>Valle&s;ia:</HI> there <HI>Maximian</HI> com|maunded his &s;ouldiours to &s;acrifice to the Gods, that they might obtaine good fortune, and victorie again&s;t their enemies. Then <HI>Mauritius</HI> an&s;wered, that h&eacute;e would not &s;o doe, nor the re&s;i|dew of Chri&s;tians that were vnder him, franckly profe&s;&s;inge him&s;elf &amp; his company to be Chri&s;tians, for whom it was not lawful to do &s;acrifice to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> gods. Wherefore, they were fir&s;t craftely de|uided, and &s;ome &s;ent to <HI>Solodoru~, Bon|na, Colen, Santum,</HI> and abroad vnto other places for defence &s;ake di&s;per&s;ed. La&s;t of all, the greater part of the legi|on whiche remayned with <HI>Mauritius</HI> neare vnto <HI>Octodorum,</HI> whiche is at this day called <HI>Martenacum,</HI> and <HI>A|gaunum,</HI> whiche is nowe called by the name of <HI>S. Maurice:</HI> which was &s;lain by y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> heathen &s;ouldiours. <HI>S. Ierome</HI> repor|teth, that the expedition again&s;t the <HI>Ba|gaudae,</HI>
<PB REF="42"> was in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te, 290.</P>
<P>I cannot, nor I ought not in this place <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Foelix</HI> and <HI>Regula.</HI></NOTE> let pa&s;&s;e to make mencion of <HI>Foelix</HI> and <HI>Regula</HI> being <HI>Germans,</HI> who were al|&s;o of <HI>Mauricius</HI> companie: both the&s;e &amp; diuers other moe, who&s;e &s;eruice it plea|&s;ed God that he woulde v&s;e to preache Chri&s;t to the Gentiles: by flight e&s;ca|ped from the &s;laughter at <HI>Octodorum,</HI> and fir&s;t they came to <HI>Glarona,</HI> and &s;o along the Lake were brought vnto the mo&s;t auncient citie of <HI>Zuirick,</HI> in which at y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> time y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Ethnick</HI> idolatry flori&s;hed, wher they preached &s;imply the Chri&s;|tian relygion, and as w&eacute;e haue &s;hewed in the beginning of this booke, purely &amp; faithfully without any aditions of man. The &s;ame they approued valientlye, and at length confirmed w^t their bloud. For after manie, and diuer&s;e torments they were &s;layn with the &s;worde by <HI>Decius</HI> the <HI>Romane</HI> lieutenant that dwelte in the ca&s;tle of <HI>zuirick.</HI> And the&s;e mo&s;t holly <HI>Germans,</HI> haue left vnto vs the mo&s;t holly and precious trea&s;ure of the Go&s;pell, and Chri&s;tian
<PB N="40" REF="42"> fayth. The&s;e our Apo&s;tles, or rather teachers, &s;ent vnto vs from heauen, are farre more auncient then y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> coun&s;ailes. The&s;e liued and taught, and are ble&s;|ledly departed this life, b&eacute;efore the Pa|pi&s;ticall Churche was e&s;tably&s;hed in forme and manner as it is: for at theyr time there was not that Papacie which afterwarde en&s;ued: there were then no Images in Churches, there was no &s;acryfice of Mas, no inuocatio~ of &s;aints, no Munks, no in&s;titutio~s or fou~dations of Abbeies, for they lyued in tho&s;e yeres after Chri&s;te whiche w&eacute;e haue before noted, &s;o that the Chri&s;tyan fayth hath contynued among&s;t vs, and al&s;o the auntient Congregation of <HI>Zuirick</HI> aboue. 1270. yeares, whiche I praye God alwayes with his grace to pre|&s;erue.</P>
<P>But when this lo&s;&s;e whiche the Churche had &s;u&s;tayned, and this token of the wrath of God again&s;t his people had mooued but fewe in the Churche to repentaunce, the more parte remay|nynge carele&s;&s;e and impenitent, and al|wayes proc&eacute;edynge farther in theyr
<PB REF="43"> vnthankefulne&s;&s;e: God al&s;o increa&s;ed the correction, &s;uffryng the Churche to b&eacute;e oppre&s;&s;ed with a mo&s;te &s;harpe per|&s;ecution. For in the .xix. y&eacute;ere of <HI>Dio|clecian,</HI> which was the. 306. after the birth of Chri&s;te, in the month of March &amp; euen on Ea&s;ter day, were publi&s;hed euery where edictes from y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> emperours <NOTE PLACE="marg">Edictes a|gain&s;t chri|&s;tians.</NOTE> again&s;te the Chri&s;tians, wherin was charge giuen, that Churches and O|ratories of the Chri&s;tians &s;houlde b&eacute;e plucked downe to the grownd, the Bi|bles and all bookes of holly &s;cripture burned, and who&s;oeuer of the Chri&s;ti|ans h&eacute;e were that were in any honour office, and dignite &s;hould b&eacute;e di&s;graded and made imfamous, with many other commaundmentes of that &s;orte.</P>
<P>Shortly after, it was commaunded by another edict from the emperours, that in euery place the by&s;&s;hops and mini&s;ters of the Church, &s;hould b&eacute;e ap|prehended and con&s;trained to do &s;acri|fice to the Gods, &amp; if anie &s;pake again&s;t it: they &s;hould be enforced therto, or &s;laine. H&eacute;erevpon en&s;ued a mi&s;erable and cruell &s;laughter. For the chri&s;tian
<PB N="41" REF="43"> by&s;hops, doctours, and mini&s;ters of the Churches, were thicke and thr&eacute;efolde led and drawn to the temples of Idols to do &s;acrifice: and manie times tho&s;e that lead them mooued with certein compa&s;&s;ion: exhorted them whom they lead, to holde their peace, and if they woulde but di&s;&s;emble as though they dyd &s;acrifice: they woulde then lette them departe. But they declared with a loude voyce, that they neither had Sacrificed, neither woulde Sacrifice, but that they were the &s;eruantes and mini&s;ters of Chri&s;te, wherfore vnac|cu&s;tomed and new tormentes, and di|uer&s;e tortures and puni&s;hments were laid vpon the Chri&s;tians, in execution wherof: the tormenters and officers were more wery in appliyng, then the Chri&s;tians in &s;uffringe them. For they through th&eacute;e goodnes of God, con|tinnued con&s;tant in the Chri&s;tian faith vnto death: notwith&s;tandinge certen, through feare and greatnes of paine and torment: renounced their faith, to the wounderfull &s;orowe and greif all the godlie.</P>
<PB REF="44">
<P>At <HI>Nicomedia</HI> in <HI>Bythynia,</HI> when <NOTE PLACE="marg">Done at <HI>Nicodemus.</HI></NOTE> the emperours commaundement and proclamation was openly &s;et abroade and both emperours at that pre&s;ent &s;oiurned at <HI>Nicomedia,</HI> a certen noble citizen and of great dignitie in that city rent downe the emperours edict and tore it all to p&eacute;eces, wherfore with out delaye h&eacute;e was brought vnto the empe|rours. Who after that h&eacute;e had confe&s;|&s;ed that h&eacute;e was a Chri&s;tian, and that whiche h&eacute;e had doone h&eacute;e did it on a fer|uent zeale: h&eacute;e was deliuered vnto the hangemen and Iurmagantes, who tormented him with &s;undrie torments vntill h&eacute;e died. But amonge the out|ragious tormentes wherewith they martyred him, there neuer app&eacute;ered any one &s;ygne of &s;orrowe in his coun|tenaunce.</P>
<P>At the &s;ame tyme were tormented and &s;layne the ch&eacute;eife Prynces and no|bles of the Emperours hou&s;eholde, a|monge whom <HI>Peter</HI> after &s;undrie vex|ations and tortures, was layde vpon a Gridyron, and roa&s;ted, with this mo&s;te cruell kynde of deathe, endynge
<PB N="42" REF="44"> his lyfe. Lykewy&s;e <HI>Dorotheus,</HI> and <HI>Gorgonius,</HI> Gentilmen of the Empe|rours Chamber, after the bitter ta&s;te of &s;undrie tormentes: were la&s;te of all hanged.</P>
<P><HI>Anthimus</HI> al&s;o by&s;&s;hop of <HI>Nicomedia</HI> was at that time &s;layne with the &s;word and with him a great numbre of city|zens, as &s;h&eacute;epe followynge their &s;heap|heard through tormentes and death, with a mo&s;t con&s;tant faith.</P>
<P>In <HI>Nicomedia</HI> at that time, there a|ro&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Nicomedia</HI> the Empe|rours Pal|lace burned.</NOTE> a great fire &s;uddeinly within the kinges palace, as who &s;hould &s;ay that God ment to puni&s;he the extreame crueltie of the emperours and the hea|then people which had burned, and broi|led &s;o manie innocent, and godlie men. But the &s;ame chaunced which befell at <HI>Rome</HI> in the time of <HI>Nero,</HI> for like as h&eacute;e imputed the cau&s;e of burninge the citie vnto the giltle&s;&s;e Chri&s;tians, bee|inge cau&s;e therof him&s;elfe: &s;o the&s;e em|perours publi&s;hed new commaunde|mentes, wherby they &s;trayghtly char|ged, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Chri&s;tians &s;hould b&eacute;e extin|gui&s;hed w^t fier, &amp; &s;word in euery place.</P>
<PB REF="45">
<P>In <HI>Syria</HI> likewi&s;e, the faithfull Doc|tours, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Per&s;ecuci|on in <HI>siria.</HI></NOTE> noble and vnnoble, men and wo|men, younge and ould, were drawen by heapes into pri&s;on, in &s;o mutch that the pri&s;ons and common places of the citie were full of pri&s;oners, and but few men there were that walked abroade, the place re&s;emblyng the &s;hew of a for|lorne wilderne&s;&s;e. Wherof when the Emperours were aduerti&s;ed: they willed that &s;utche as would do &s;acrifice to the gods &s;hould b&eacute;e relea&s;ed, the re&s;i|dew that continued in the chri&s;tian b&eacute;e|l&eacute;efe, &s;hould b&eacute;e put to death with mo&s;te cruell kindes of tormentes.</P>
<P>The people of <HI>Tyrus</HI> al&s;o, in the land <NOTE PLACE="marg">In <HI>Tyrus.</HI></NOTE> of <HI>Pale&s;tine,</HI> whole flockes as it were of men and women, in places of com|mon re&s;orte for &s;hewes, were thrown vnto wylde bea&s;tes, and when the wild bea&s;tes were more gentyl towards the Chri&s;tians then the men, neither forced vpon them to teare them, yea, rather teare their k&eacute;epers and mai&s;ters that egged them to others: notwith&s;tanding the&s;e faithle&s;&s;e tyrants crueller then all bea&s;tes, ranne vpon the mi&s;erable chri&s;|tians,
<PB N="43" REF="45"> woundyng them, &s;tabbyng them and cruelly without all pittie murther|yng them.</P>
<P>A &s;trainge kynde of crueltye al&s;o the vngodly in <HI>Egipt,</HI> and <HI>Thebais,</HI> practi|zed again&s;t the faithfull, wherwith they <NOTE PLACE="marg">In <HI>Egipe.</HI></NOTE> &s;lew infinite numbers of them. They v&s;ed in certayne places to bend downe two Tr&eacute;es, and to bynde the faithfull vnto eche tr&eacute;e by the legge, then to let them ri&s;e agayne, and &s;o tearyng the men in p&eacute;eces. And <HI>V&s;purgen&s;is</HI> re|porteth, how at the &s;ame time, in one monethes &s;pace were &s;euent&eacute;ene thou|&s;and men martyred, and &s;layne.</P>
<P><HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> in the. 9. and. 10. Chapters of the, 8. booke, de&s;cribeth the &s;trange tor|ments and puni&s;hments of many chri|&s;tians which he him&s;elfe dyd beholde a|monge whom he mentioneth one <HI>Phi|leas</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phileas.</NOTE> a worthy man, who was a Martir him&s;elfe, and had wroten of Martirs.</P>
<P>There was al&s;o in <HI>Phrigia</HI> a certen famous Citie, wherein all the people, <NOTE PLACE="marg">A wofull deede.</NOTE> highe&s;t and lowe&s;t, young and old, pro|fe&s;&s;ed the Chri&s;tian faith. The &s;ame Citie the Emperours army be&s;eidged
<PB REF="46"> round about, and &s;et it on fire, burninge therin all that euer was, as well men as goodes, that there was not one that e&s;caped Be&s;ides there are many other cruell tortures, and puni&s;hmentes reci|ted in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ame boke of <HI>Eu&s;ebius,</HI> wherby infinit multitudes of chri&s;tians wer ex|ecuted to death, &amp; made away in <HI>Arabia Cappadocia, Me&s;opotamia, Alexa~dria Antioche,</HI> and lykewi&s;e in <HI>Pontus.</HI></P>
<P>But after that the&s;e bloudthir&s;tie dogges, <HI>Dioclecianus,</HI> and <HI>Maximian&abus;</HI> departed from the empire, there &s;ucc&eacute;e|ded in their place other tyrantes, <HI>max|entius</HI> &s;unne to <HI>Maximian, &amp; Galerius Maximinus</HI> who per&s;ecuted the church nole&s;&s;e cruelly then theyr predice&s;&s;ours did, neither made they any ende, or mo|deration, or mea&s;ure of puni&s;hing, &s;ta|ynge <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dorothea,</NOTE> or &s;headinge of blood. <HI>At Alexan|dria,</HI> a noble &amp; hone&s;t virgin. <HI>Dorothe,</HI> was by <HI>Maximinus</HI> &s;poyled of all her goods &amp; with other virgines al&s;o whiche would not con&s;ent to his filthie lu&s;t: tor|mented, and &s;layne. At <HI>Rome, Sophro|nia</HI> wife to the gouerner of the cittie cho&s;e rather to die with her owne hand <NOTE PLACE="marg">Sophronia.</NOTE>
<PB N="44" REF="46"> then to b&eacute;e defiled by a bea&s;tly tirant.</P>
<P>By this Tyrant very many chri&s;ti|ans were driuen into exyle, puni&s;hed, and &s;layne as <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> copiou&s;ly decla|reth in then&eacute;einth and la&s;t booke of his &s;torie. Howbeeit the mo&s;te famous a|mong&s;t them all are thr&eacute;e mini&s;ters of Chri&s;te, and his Churche: <HI>Syluanus</HI> of <HI>Tyre, Peter</HI> of <HI>Alexandria,</HI> and <HI>Lucia~</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">siluanus. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">etrus. Lucianus.</NOTE> of <HI>Antioche,</HI> who had traueiled very mutch in the &s;criptures, as <HI>S. Ierom</HI> re|porteth. The&s;e woorthie men, not only by their teachinge and writinge: but al&s;o by their bloud and death haue borne te&s;timony to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> chri&s;tian faith, and haue cleaued vnto chri&s;t con&s;tantly to death.</P>
<P>This cruell and rare kinde of per&s;e|cution, continued from the yeere of Chri&s;te. 306 vnto the yere. 320. that is to &s;ay about .xv. y&eacute;ere in the whole. For in the yeere of Chri&s;te. 321. <HI>Con|&s;tantinus</HI> the emperour in the .x. y&eacute;ere of his reigne, gaue peace and re&s;t to the mi&s;erable, torne, and almo&s;t oppre&s;&s;ed Church: &amp; ind&eacute;ede, from the time that Chri&s;te &s;uffred his pa&s;&s;ion vnto that pre&s;ent: there was no per&s;ecution more
<PB REF="47"> cruell, or that continued longer then this, wherin notwith&s;tandinge the Church through faith preueiled, ouer|threw, and ca&s;te downe al fal&s;e religion and Idolatrie.</P>
<P>But that I may returne vnto the accu&s;tomed talke whiche I haue v&s;ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;tian Relygion.</NOTE> before this, in the di&s;cour&s;e of mo&s;t per&s;ecutions, is there anie man I b&eacute;e|&s;&eacute;ech you, which dareth avoutch that the Ethnick religion of the <HI>Romanes,</HI> was therefore iu&s;t and true, bycau&s;e the <HI>Ro|mane</HI> emperours defended and enlar|ged the &s;ame, ca&s;tinge downe, and de|filinge the faith of the Chri&s;tians with their owne blood mo&s;t cruelly, &amp; bicau&s;e the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> obtained pro&s;perus &s;ucce&s;&s;e again&s;t the Chri&s;tians, the Chri&s;tia~s the mean &s;ea&s;on ta&s;tinge none other but the cro&s;&s;e afflictions, mi&s;eries, and mo&s;t cruell death? And who is h&eacute;e now, that will di&s;pute with God, why h&eacute;e &s;uffred &s;utch naughtie knaues, and wicked varlets with &s;o many and diuer&s;e kyndes of ca|lamities, mole&s;t and trouble &s;utch men as were dearely beloued vnto him? Who will de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">aunde whether h&eacute;e did
<PB N="45" REF="47"> well or ill, &s;ince God doth no vniu&s;te thing? But h&eacute;e proueth his &s;eruantes with the cro&s;&s;e and afflictions, like as Gold and Siluer are by woorkmen tri|ed in the fier. This the faithfull know very well, and therfore if our wretched and impatient flea&s;h do mooue any con|trary thoughtes (as it often chanceth:) immediatly they &s;uppre&s;&s;e them. And <HI>Saint Peter</HI> &s;aith: <HI>humble your &s;elues</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 4.</NOTE> <HI>vnto the mightie hand of god, and hee will exalt you when hee &s;eeth his time and ca&s;t all your cares vpon him for it is hee that is carefull for you.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="10" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>&para; <HI>Of the. 16. Tragicall</HI> Acte or per&s;ecution, vnder <HI>Iulian the Emperour, &amp; of the</HI> 17. vnder the Emperour <HI>Valens,</HI> al&s;o of the. 18. vnder <HI>Gen&s;erick</HI> and <HI>Hunerick,</HI> Kinges of the <HI>Vandales. Chapter. X.</HI></HEAD>
<P>FRom the tenth y&eacute;ere of the reigne of <HI>Con&s;tantinus Magnus,</HI> the church of Chri&s;te enioyed peace and tranquillity, when as within xxi. y&eacute;eres (for &s;o many
<PB REF="48"> y&eacute;eres are accoumpted from the tenth y&eacute;ere of <HI>Con&s;tantine</HI> vnto the. 31. which was the la&s;t yere of his reigne) it encrea+&s;ed more then at any other time &s;ince the natiuitie of Chri&s;te.</P>
<P>But not longe after the death of <HI>Con|&s;tantine,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Abu&s;e of peace.</NOTE> the learned teachers, and mi|ni&s;ters of the Churches, vnthankfully abu&s;ed their peace, minglynge many contentions, and cauilles with y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;imple doctrine of their religion, and mutch di&s;|agr&eacute;einge, and contendinge amonge them&s;elues: they drew the &s;imple peo|ple from the vnitie of the Church into &s;undry &s;ectes, and pluckyng them from the purene&s;&s;e and plaine&s;&s;e of the true faith, with their doubtfull doctrine: they filled their heades with &s;undrie alterca|tio~s. At which time &s;prange vp the bla&s;|phemous <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Arrius</HI> here|&s;ye.</NOTE> doctrine of <HI>Arrius,</HI> who affir|med that our Lorde Ie&s;us Chri&s;te the &s;unne of God was not of one e&s;&s;ency or b&eacute;einge with the father, nether very, and eternall God. With this poy&s;on at that time, <HI>Con&s;tantius</HI> one of <HI>Con&s;tantinus</HI> &s;unnes, was infected, for <HI>Cou&s;tantinus</HI> left b&eacute;ehind him thr&eacute;e &s;unnes, b&eacute;etw&eacute;en whom he deuided the empire: <HI>Con&s;tan|tinus</HI>
<PB N="46" REF="48"> the &s;econd: <HI>Con&s;tantius,</HI> &amp; <HI>Con&s;ta~s</HI> This <HI>Con&s;tantius</HI> was offended w^t the true &amp; faithfull mini&s;ters of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Churches which with&s;tood the doctrine of <HI>Arrius,</HI> and &s;ent them into exile. But he per&s;ecu+ted mo&s;t veheme~tly Ble&s;ied <HI>Athana&s;ius</HI> and with him many m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, wherof &s;ome he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Athana&s;ius.</NOTE> threw into mo&s;t &s;trait pri&s;ons, greuou&s;|ly afflicting the faithful, as is declared at large in the eccle&s;ia&s;ticall hi&s;tory. This per&s;ecution b&eacute;egan aboute the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;t: 343. but bicau&s;e <HI>valens</HI> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> empe|rour, who was al&s;o difiled w^t the her&eacute;&s;ie of <HI>Arrius</HI> renued this per&s;ecution: w&eacute;e will atribute them both to the <HI>Arrians</HI> comprehendinge them vnder the name of <HI>Valens</HI> per&s;ecution.</P>
<P>God cha&s;ti&s;ed his Church for conten|tions, falling out, di&s;agr&eacute;ements, &amp; &s;ci&s;|mes, not only in this Arrian per&s;ecuti|on, but al&s;o in an Ethnick the like wher+of it &s;uffred many before the reigne of <HI>Con&s;tantinus,</HI> as w&eacute;e haue hether to de|clared. For the emperour <HI>Iulian</HI> oppo|&s;ed him&s;elf &s;harply again&s;t the Church of Chri&s;te, laboring to bring it back vn|to the aun<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ient &s;uper&s;titions of the gen|tiles, about the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;t 366.</P>
<PB REF="49">
<P>This <HI>Iulian</HI> was at the fir&s;t a Chri&s;|tian, and a reader in the holy Catholick <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iulians</HI> re|uoltyng.</NOTE> Church, but when he had falne into ac|quaintance and frind&s;hip with certayne Philo&s;ophers, and chiefly with <HI>Liba|nius</HI> the Sophi&s;t: he began by litle and litle to fall from the Chri&s;tian faith, and at la&s;t receiued the relygion of the <HI>Gen|tiles</HI> againe, wherin he became &s;o blind and hard harted: that he wa&s;hed awaye the Bapti&s;me of Chri&s;t: yea he was &s;o farre po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by the Diuell, that he v|&s;ed very much Magicall arts, applying his whole &s;tudye vnto &s;utch thinges as were ple&s;ant, &amp; exceptable to the diuell.</P>
<P>But after that he came to the empire, hauing obtained a great victorie again&s;t the <HI>Almaynes</HI> nigh to the citie <HI>Strau&s;|brough</HI> of whom he &s;lew. xxx. M: with all his power h&eacute;e bent him &s;elfe again&s;t the chri&s;tian religion. The temples of Idoles which <HI>Con&s;tantinus</HI> had &s;hutte vp, and in which vpon paine of death he co~manded that none &s;hould do &s;acrifice: <HI>Iulian</HI> &s;et them open agayne, and &s;acri|ficed in them vnto Idols, and gaue all men leaue to &s;acrifice. So y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Gen|tile
<PB N="47" REF="49"> religion and Idolatrie verie mutch increa&s;ed vnder him: and &s;utch <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gentili&s;me encrea&s;ed.</NOTE> as in the time of <HI>Con&s;tantinus</HI> had hid them&s;elues, hopyng that &s;hortly there would come &s;oome change: brake then abroade into light, and violently a&s;&s;aul|ted the Chri&s;tians. The emperour him &s;elfe, &s;poyled the Churches, and the mi|ni&s;ters of the Churches, of all their priuiledges, immunities, liberties, and dignities, which <HI>Con&s;tantinus</HI> had gi|uen them. H&eacute;e forbid al&s;o the Chri&s;tia~s all &s;chooles, that they &s;hould not learne poetrie, oratorie, nor philo&s;ophie: mea|ninge therby to make them vnlearned, that they &s;hould not b&eacute;e able to confute the Ethnick relygion, out of the booke of Ethnick writers. Him&s;elf al&s;o wroat certen bookes again&s;t the Chri&s;tian re|ligion, wherto verie well an&s;wered. <HI>S. Syrillus,</HI> by&s;hop of <HI>Alexandria.</HI></P>
<P>Moreouer, he termed Chri&s;tians di&s;|daynfully <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;tians termed Ga|lileans.</NOTE> <HI>Galileans,</HI> and Chri&s;t him&s;elf the <HI>Galilean.</HI> He dyd not only confi&s;cate the goods of the Church: but al&s;o layde great tributes, and exactions vpon the chri&s;tians: there withall al&s;o mockyng,
<PB REF="50"> and floutyng them &s;aying, that theyr God, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> is to &s;ay our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t forbid them to heape vp trea&s;ure, com|maundyng them that who&s;o tooke from them their coate: they &s;hould giue hym their cloak al&s;o. So y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> he both &s;poyled, &amp; flouted the Chri&s;tians, and what&s;oeuer trouble or reproche h&eacute;e put them vnto he &s;ayd how they ought to beare it wyl|lyngly and patiently, for &s;o their Chri&s;t taught them to doe.</P>
<P>And lyke as <HI>Con&s;tantinus</HI> the great, tooke away the Images of the Gentile <NOTE PLACE="marg">The Ro|mane En|&s;igne chan|ged.</NOTE> Gods out of the Romane en&s;igne or &s;tandard, placynge in the &s;tead of them a white cro&s;&s;e: &s;o contrarywi&s;e <HI>Iulianus</HI> re&s;tored the Images of <HI>Iupiter, Mercu|rie,</HI> and <HI>Mars,</HI> that the Chri&s;tians wor|&s;hipping th'en&s;igne, and bowing them &s;elues before it, &s;houlde &s;&eacute;eme to wor|&s;hip the Gods. Likewi&s;e all that were appoyncted to warfarre, and receiued their natiue or rewarde, mu&s;t ca&s;te a grayne of frankincen&s;e into the fire vp|pon the Aulter, and &s;o wor&s;hippe the Gods.</P>
<P>This thing troubled hym very much <NOTE PLACE="marg">A francke confe&s;&s;ion.</NOTE>
<PB N="48" REF="50"> For when certen Chri&s;tian &s;ouldiours had vnadui&s;edly done the &s;ame, &amp; way|yng the matter more dyllygently, per|ceued what they had done: of their owne motion they came vnto the Emperour, and ca&s;ting away their donatiue in his pre&s;ence, cryed aloude &s;aying that they were Chri&s;tians, and woulde continew in the Chri&s;tian fayth, that whiche they had done they dyd it vnadui&s;edlye, wherein they had gr&eacute;euou&s;lye offended, wherefore they pre&s;ented there theyr bodies vnto hym that they might &s;uf|fer for that, wherein their handes had offended. Then the Emperour com|maunded that they &s;houlde all b&eacute;e lead away to execution, &amp; b&eacute;e beheaded. But when they were gone out of his pre|&s;ence: he chaunged his minde, &amp; pardo|ned their liues: notwith&s;ta~ding he made a law, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> thencefoorth no chri&s;tian &s;hould b&eacute;e admitted to warfare, or into y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Em|perours court, or vnto any be~ch of iudg|ment, or any other kind of preferment.</P>
<P>In euery place al&s;o of the Roman em|pire, Chri&s;tians were reprochefullye dealte withall, pitifullye tormented
<PB REF="51"> and &s;laine, among&s;t whom is reme~bred an antient man, and a notable mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t, <HI>Marcus</HI> by&s;&s;hop of <HI>Artehu&s;a.</HI> The &s;ame in former, and more happie times, had de&s;troied y^e temple of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> gods at <HI>Arethu&s;a,</HI> by rea&s;on whereof <HI>Iulian</HI> hated him, per&s;uading w^t the citizens y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> they &s;hould con&s;train him to build vp the temple againe, which b&eacute;eing impo&s;&s;i|ble for him to do: they required that at the lea&s;t wi&s;e he would contribute &s;um|what to the charges. But when he had an&s;wered that h&eacute;e would not giue them the valew of one farthinge: h&eacute;e was by them mo&s;t mi&s;erably, and cruelly, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Although he were ve|ry ritche.</NOTE> to their great &s;hame tormented, and put to death.</P>
<P>Likewi&s;e renownied men, and wor|thie mini&s;ters of Chri&s;te were marty|red, as <HI>Gregorie</HI> of <HI>Alexandria, Eu&s;e|bius, Nectarius, Zenon, Ba&s;ilius Ancy|ranus,</HI> and <HI>Cyrillus</HI> Deacon of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> church of Ieru&s;alem. At <HI>Heliopolis</HI> manie vertuous virgins were brought naked into the Theater, and afterwarde their bellies cut vp and &s;tuffed full of oates and barly, and ca&s;t to &s;wine to b&eacute;e torne.</P>
<PB N="49" REF="51">
<P>In <HI>Meroe</HI> a citie of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> thr&eacute;e hone&s;t citizens, <HI>Macedonius, Theodu|lus, &amp; Tacianus,</HI> when as the day before, the cheif officer of the citie had &s;et open a temple of Idols, whiche had vntyll that time bin &s;hutte vp, to th'eintent there &s;hould now be &s;acrifice done in it, in the night entring into it they plucked down the Idoles, and brake them. But when this iudge and chief officer <HI>Amatius</HI> be|gan to haue tormented &s;undry Chri&s;ti|ans whereby h&eacute;e might come to know|ledge who had broken the Idols: the&s;e thr&eacute;e comming vnto the iudge, de&s;ired him not to torment any man for brea|kyng the Idols, for they were the doers of it. Wherefore they were taken and ro&s;ted a great while, &amp; at length burnt. In the &s;ame per&s;ecution <HI>Artemius</HI> lieu|tenant of egipt, bicau&s;e he co~&s;tantly pro+fe&s;&s;ed y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> faith of Chri&s;t: was &s;poyled of al his goods, &amp; in the end lo&s;t his head: y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> like wherof many good, and hone&s;t men &s;uffred. who&s;o de&s;ireth a more large de|&s;cription of the&s;e things: let him read y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> 6. booke of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Tripartite hi&s;tory, al&s;o the hi&s;tories of <HI>Ruffi. Theodo.</HI> and <HI>Sozo.</HI>
<PB REF="52"> Moreouer, <HI>Iulianus</HI> to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> inte~t he might <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iulian</HI> &s;en|deth the <HI>Iewes</HI> build the Temple at <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI></NOTE> mole&s;t the Chri&s;tans, whom h&eacute;e could not compell to the Gentiles religion: he gaue licence to the mi&s;erable Iewes, to returne to Ieru&s;alem, there to a&s;&s;emble them&s;elues togither and to build a tem|ple, and to frequent their &s;acrifice, pro|mi&s;inge vnto them his a&s;i&s;tance for the better accompli&s;hinge the &s;ame. But after that a great multitude of them was gathered togither out of al nations and had prepared &s;tuf for their pre&s;ent bu&s;ines, erected &s;caffoldes to woork vpo~ and partly had digged their foundations and partly layd them, being bu&s;ie about their buildinge: b&eacute;eholde, a great earth|quake &s;hooke the foundations, and ca&s;t them downe: there flamed al&s;o an hor|rible fier out of the verie foundations, and a &s;trange and terrible tempe&s;t ouer threwe the &s;caffoldes, &s;hakinge downe what euer they had builded, and &s;lew a great multitude of the Iewes. There was al&s;o a terrible boule of fier tu~bling there about all the day longe, whiche hindred and indamaged them verye mutch: and wheras b&eacute;efore the Iewes,
<PB N="50" REF="52"> and Gentiles triumphed, in&s;ulted ouer, and threatned the Chri&s;tians, <HI>Cyrillus</HI> bi&s;hop of Ieru&s;alem, w^t great grauity &amp; con&s;tancie forewarned them out of <HI>Da|niell</HI> the prophet and the Go&s;pell, that it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 9. Mat. 24. Luk. 21.</NOTE> was not po&s;&s;ible y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> they &s;hould &s;acrifice h&eacute;ere, or el&s;e build vp y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Iewi&s;h temple. So y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> they, which before this di&s;per&s;ion or &s;cattryng, had in deri&s;ion y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> mini&s;ter of chri&s;te: after &s;o great miracles of god were altogether quailed &amp; di&s;couraged.</P>
<P>But after y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Iulian</HI> was &s;layn in battel agayn&s;t the <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> which was in the y&eacute;ere of chri&s;t. 367. there was quietnes agayne re&s;tored to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chri&s;tians, which notwith&s;ta~ding co~tinued not long. For <HI>Valens,</HI> w^t his brother <HI>Valentinian,</HI> ob+taining th'empire: was &s;educed by the <HI>Arrians:</HI> &amp; although his brother <HI>Vale~ti|nian</HI> were &s;ound in the Chri&s;tian faith, yet h&eacute;e neuerthele&s;&s;e about the y&eacute;ere of thri&s;te. 371 began to per&s;ecute the godly chri&s;tians, intending to bring them to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Arrian</HI> here&s;y. But y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> church con&s;tantly with&s;toode him, wherfore the faithfull and Catholicke bi&s;hops, were by him &s;ent into bani&s;hment, and many of the~ tormented and finally &s;layne.</P>
<PB REF="53">
<P>Since therfore at that time, there reig|ned &s;uch tirranny in euery place, and y^e mini&s;ters of the churches &amp; other faith|full men, were nowher in &s;alftye, but were commonly reprochefully intreted &s;poyled, plucked out of their hou&s;es and &s;tayne: at length the Church decr&eacute;ed to &s;end &s;ome notable emba&s;&s;edge vnto the Emperour, complaynyng of their iniu|ries, and requiryng his maie&s;ties cle|mency, helpe, and protection. To which purpo&s;e were &s;ent. 80. of the chiefe&s;t, y^e their countinaunce, and credit might be the greater. Who when they were com to <HI>Nicomedia</HI> to the Emperour, &amp; had exhibited their &s;upplication: the Empe|rour was greuou&s;ly mooued again&s;t the~ yet di&s;&s;emblyng his anger, charged pri|uely <HI>Mode&s;tus</HI> one of his &s;eruants that he &s;hould de&s;troy al tho&s;e by&s;hops. But becau&s;e h&eacute;e doubted, le&s;t if they &s;houlde be openly executed, the people might chance to rai&s;e a tumult: they were all imbarked in a Ship, as yf they &s;houlde be &s;ent into bani&s;hment. And when the Ship was come into the mide&s;t of the d&eacute;epe &s;ea: the mariners &s;etting it on fler
<PB N="51" REF="53"> the~&s;elues e&s;caped away in boates thus in one Ship were. 80. holy &s;eruants of<NOTE PLACE="marg">80 Legats mi&s;erably brent.</NOTE> God con&s;umed with fire. Which mo&s;t cruell tragedie and impious fact, &s;troak the Church of God into mo&s;t greuous, &s;orowe and heauine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>But who &s;o is delighted to vnder&s;tand the mo&s;t firce Barbarou&s;nes, and mo&s;t outragious tragedies, &amp; heinous mur|thers, which haue bin co~mitted again&s;t the holy faithfull of Chri&s;t: let him read the. 7, booke of the Tripartite hi&s;torye, and the fourth of <HI>Socrates,</HI> and <HI>Theo|doretus,</HI> where the&s;e thinges are &s;et|foorth at large. I omitte in this place to &s;et out the per&s;ecution of <HI>Athanaricus</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Athanaricus</HI> King of the <HI>Gothes.</HI></NOTE> King of the <HI>Gothes,</HI> whome others call <HI>Athalaricus.</HI> H&eacute;e per&s;ecuted the Chri&s;tians about the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te, 373. whereof &s;ome he flewe, &s;ome h&eacute;e bani&s;hed. But becau&s;e &s;ome reporte, that they whiche &s;uffred the&s;e thinges were <HI>Arrians:</HI> therefore I thought it not conuenient to recken this among the per&s;ecutions of the holye Catholick Churche.</P>
<P>Howbeit after that the <HI>Vandales</HI> had
<PB REF="54"> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed <HI>Affrica</HI> driuyng the Romans thence, about the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;t. 443. being then peace throughout all the em|pyre: <HI>Gen&s;erick</HI> King of <HI>Vandales</HI> and Lord of <HI>Affrica,</HI> being infected with the<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen&s;erick</HI> King of the <HI>vandals.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Arrian</HI> here&s;ie, as were <HI>Con&s;tantinus,</HI> and <HI>Valens</HI> the Emperours, intended to enforce the chri&s;tians to the <HI>Arrian</HI> he|re&s;ie, whervpon there began a bloudy, and butcherly &s;laughter. For he &s;hut vp the Churches of the faithful, and &s;poiled the Mini&s;ters, whereof many h&eacute;e killed with hunger, and to be &s;hort: he left no|thing vndone what&s;oeuer before him <HI>Dioclecian,</HI> and <HI>Maximian</HI> the mo&s;t cruell tyrants, had practized again&s;t y^e faithfull. Whom notwith&s;tanding h&eacute;e could not enforce to reuoult, for all their mo&s;t greuous, and cruell puni&s;hments.</P>
<P>After <HI>Gen&s;erick,</HI> there &s;ucc&eacute;eded him both in his kingdome and tyrrannie, his &s;unne <HI>Honorius,</HI> in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te, 476. who per&s;ecuted al&s;o the Chri&s;tians mo&s;t cruelly for the profe&s;|&s;ion of the trew faith. The whole &s;torie of this per&s;ecution is de&s;cribed by <HI>Vic|tor</HI> by&s;&s;hop of <HI>vtica,</HI> which liued in tho&s;e
<PB N="52" REF="54"> bloody times. After <HI>Honoricus,</HI> there &s;ucccded in the kingdome <HI>Gundamun|dus,</HI> in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te, 484. who likewi&s;e as his predice&s;&s;ours did: per&s;e|cuted the Chri&s;tians. The like after|ward<NOTE PLACE="marg">To whome <HI>Fulgentius wroat.</HI></NOTE> al&s;o did <HI>Tra&s;imundus</HI> the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 503. by whom were at one time. 220. by&s;&s;hoppes bani&s;hed into <HI>Sardinia:</HI> but <HI>Hildericus</HI> &s;unne to <HI>Tra|&s;imundus,</HI> recallinge them home again out of exile, re&s;tored them to their chur|ches in the yeere of Chri&s;te. 523. This <HI>Hildericus</HI> was a good prince, &amp; &s;ound in the Chri&s;tian religion, but in y^e y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 530. he was by <HI>Gilimer</HI> take~ by a trayn and ca&s;t into pri&s;on, and re|prochefully v&s;ed. Howbeit <HI>Gilimer</HI> en|ioyed the crowne not longe, but was by <HI>Belli&s;arius</HI> (as <HI>Procopius</HI> reporteth) a|bout the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 535. van|qui&s;hed and &s;tain, with whom the king|dome of <HI>Vandales</HI> al&s;o toke his ende. This per&s;ecution vnder the <HI>Vandales</HI> continued in <HI>Affrica</HI> about fouer&s;core y&eacute;eres.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="11" TYPE="chapter">
<PB REF="55">
<HEAD><HI>Of the 19. Tragical acte</HI> or per&s;ecution which was the <HI>longe&s;t, and mo&s;t greeuous of all</HI> o|ther vnder <HI>Machomet,</HI> which the <HI>Sarra|cens</HI> and <HI>Turkes</HI> haue mantayned a|gayn&s;t the Churche of Chri&s;te. <HI>Chapter. xi.</HI></HEAD>
<P>BY meanes of the&s;e per&s;ecutions, which w&eacute;e haue heatherto declared which are to b&eacute;e accoumpted as certen Cha&s;ti&s;ement, and corrections of God, few in the Church were brought to a|ny repentance or amendment, but ma|ny became rather the wor&s;e: for &s;undry here&s;ies and &s;chi&s;mes, as namely of the <HI>Macedonians, Ne&s;torians, Pelagians</HI> with diuer&s;e other aro&s;e, increa&s;inge more and more, the recitall whereof were now to tedious: by occa&s;ion wher+of gr&eacute;euous contentions, troubles, and di&s;agr&eacute;ement fell out not only among&s;t the learned: but al&s;o among&s;t the com|mon people and the vnlearned &s;ort, gi|uinge occa&s;ion of great and outra|gious diui&s;ions in religion ouer all the
<PB N="33" REF="55"> Ea&s;t. B&eacute;e&s;ides, in the we&s;t the by&s;&s;hop of <HI>Rome</HI> wickedly aduaunced him&s;elf and his Church aboue al Churches and mini&s;ters of Churches throughout all Chri&s;tianitie, and that expre&s;ly again&s;t the holy doctrine of the Go&s;pell, and the writinges of <HI>Gregory</HI> the pope. Wher|fore while matters continued in this &s;tate, God &s;uffred his Churche to bee touched with mo&s;t &s;harpe troubles, and oppre&s;&s;ed with greeuous per&s;ecuti|ons.</P>
<P>For in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 613. was<NOTE PLACE="marg">The begin|ning of the fal&s;e pro|phet <HI>Macho|met.</HI></NOTE> fir&s;t knowne, and b&eacute;ecame famous in <HI>Arabia</HI> the wicked hypocrite, and mo&s;t craftie verlet <HI>Machomet,</HI> whom &s;ome terme <HI>Muhammat:</HI> the &s;ame from his youth vpward was a merchant, but af|terward h&eacute;e boa&s;ted that he was a pro|phet &s;ent from God. There had ioyned them&s;elues vnto him certen wicked and &s;tubberne Iewes, and al&s;o one <HI>Sergius</HI> a munke, an apo&s;tata and an heretick: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i who&s;e aduice and ayd, he deui&s;ed a new lawe, which h&eacute;e called <HI>Alcoranus,</HI> for<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Alcoran</HI> what it &s;ig|nifieth.</NOTE> this woord <HI>Alcoran</HI> &s;ignifieth a mingle|mangle of lawes. In whiche hee erred
<PB REF="56"> directly from the &s;criptures of both te&s;|tamentes, wherin are &s;et downe the true lawes pre&s;cribed by God, b&eacute;e&s;ide whom w&eacute;e haue no n&eacute;ede of anye other booke of lawes: howbeit <HI>Machomet</HI> hath &s;et foorth a new and peculiar lawe to his <HI>Sarracens, Turkes,</HI> and all that &s;hall hereafter b&eacute;el&eacute;eue in him, which law of his, is in very d&eacute;ede a mi&s;erable feined deui&s;e, impure, fal&s;e, and full of filthy fables, that it was great meruell how wi&s;e men could giue credite to &s;uch ab&s;urde, and doubtfull trifles. Howbeit therin appeareth the dreadfull wrath of God again&s;t al &s;uch as ar not contented w^t the doctrine of Chri&s;t, &amp; the holy &s;crip|tures: for it followeth de&s;eruedly, that al y^e are not contented w^e the truth to be|l&eacute;eue<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 9. 2. The&s;. 21.</NOTE> it, afterward they giue credit vnto lies, &amp; ar &s;hamefully deceued, &amp; &s;educed.</P>
<P>In this his law, <HI>Machomet</HI> the diuel|li&s;h and fal&s;e prophet, hath in&s;tituted,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The whole &s;umme of the turki&s;he religion. God.</NOTE> and diui&s;ed a new religion, altogither repugnant to the faith of Chri&s;t. He ac|knowledgeth y^e ther is one God maker of heauen and earth whom onlie we mu&s;t adore and call vpon, and that w&eacute;e mu&s;t not wor&s;hip or honour any other
<PB N="34" REF="56"> Gods, Idols, or Images, whiche the <HI>Sarracens</HI> and <HI>Turkes</HI> doo hate exc&eacute;e|dingly. But h&eacute;e doth not acknowledge according to the effect of the holly &s;crip|tures, the diffrence of the per&s;ons in one and indiui&s;ible &s;ub&s;tance of Godhoode, the Father, the Sunne and the Hollye gho&s;t, but h&eacute;e impugneth, and raileth at<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;te.</NOTE> the ble&s;&s;ed Trinitie. Likewi&s;e, h&eacute;e con|fe&s;&s;eth that Chri&s;t was a great prophet borne of the holy and vndefiled virgin, who was taken al&s;o vp into heauen, but as for that poynct which is peculiar to the true and liuelye faith: hee doth not confe&s;&s;e that Ie&s;us Chri&s;te is the euer|la&s;tinge &s;unne of God, very God and man, the only mediatour of God and men who being crucified &amp; &s;layne for our &s;ake, aro&s;e again from y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> dead, &amp; &s;it|teth on y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> right hand of god, being of one power w^e the father in heauen. The&s;e things he bla&s;phemeth and impugneth deneing y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> chri&s;t was crucified where|fore he teacheth al&s;o erroniou&s;ly touch|ing remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, which onli we ob|taine by faith in chri&s;t which was cruci|fied,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes.</NOTE> ye he is altogether ignora~t of faith &amp;
<PB REF="57"> iu&s;tification by faith in Chri&s;t, deui&s;ing<NOTE PLACE="marg">Faith and iu&s;tification</NOTE> &s;undrie woor&s;hippinges and meanes to attayne &s;aluation, namely by fa&s;tinge praying, giuinge of almes, &s;u&s;taininge many &amp; great labours, &s;uffring mutch trouble, valientlye fightinge for the <HI>Machometan</HI> religion, and dyinge in batteill. H&eacute;e is al&s;o of opinion that a man may fulfill the law, and demerite &s;aluation by his owne woorkes: h&eacute;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">Workes.</NOTE> hath his Moonkes &amp; Prie&s;tes, in who&s;e merites h&eacute;e repo&s;eth the hope of his &s;al|uation. H&eacute;e confe&s;&s;eth the re&s;urrec|tion<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eternall lyfe.</NOTE> of the bodie, but h&eacute;e &s;peaketh alto|gether carnally and impurely of felici|tie, as though in Paradi&s;e w&eacute;e &s;houlde enioye bodely plea&s;ures, meat, drincke, beutie of the body, as if it were in the ble&s;&s;ed Ilands called <HI>Beatorum in&s;ulae,</HI> or el&s;e in a certein <HI>Vtopia.</HI></P>
<P>H&eacute;e de&s;pi&s;eth the Euangelicall and a|po&s;tolicall<NOTE PLACE="marg">Congrega|tions, rites, and Sacra|mentes.</NOTE> doctrine, as h&eacute;e doth al&s;o our holly a&s;&s;embles and congregations, co~|maundynge all that b&eacute;el&eacute;eue in him to bee circumci&s;ed after the Iewi&s;h ma|ner, nothyng regarding our Bapti&s;me: h&eacute;e raueth and rayleth at the &s;acrament
<PB N="75" REF="57"> of the body and bloud of Chri&s;t, and al y^e fourme and ordre of the Lordes &s;upper which was in&s;tituted and appointed by Chri&s;te: h&eacute;e contemneth all chri&s;tian v|&s;edges, and hath in&s;tituted peculiar con|gregations, temples, rightes, and cere|monies: h&eacute;e commandeth the &s;ixt day of the w&eacute;eke, which we cal Friday, to b&eacute;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">Holydayes.</NOTE> kept holiday: he apointed fa&s;ting daies &amp; purging with water: h&eacute;e commaunded them to pray fiue times in a day: he for|bid<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prayers</NOTE> to pray vnto &s;aincts &amp; creatures, but vnto God only, which is trueth in d&eacute;ed: but h&eacute;e teacheth to pray vnto others be|&s;ide Chri&s;te. Sutch praiers are not ac|ceptable vnto God, bicau&s;e they are not made through Chri&s;te, through whom w&eacute;e pray vnto God our father in hea|uen,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Iohn. 2.</NOTE> wherat h&eacute;e mocketh. But S. Iohn &s;aith: <HI>Who &s;o hath not the Sun, hath</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matrymo|ny, and de|uorcement.</NOTE> <HI>not the Father:</HI> H&eacute;e altogether propha|neth holly matrimonie: for vnto men h&eacute;e giueth licence to marie as many wi|ues as they li&s;te, and that which is iniu|rious and di&s;hone&s;t, to for&s;ake them w^t|out cau&s;e at their plea&s;ure, and di&s;cretio~. H&eacute;e forbiddeth them after the Iewi&s;h
<PB REF="58"> maner to eate &s;wynes flea&s;h, h&eacute;e debar|reth them al&s;o from wine, howbeit the ritcher &s;ort haue deui&s;ed certen co&s;tlye kinds of drinks, wherby they beco~e no|le&s;&s;e drunk then w^t wine. And this is y^e doctrine of y^e diuell, wherof <HI>Paul</HI> intrea|teth in the fir&s;t of <HI>Timothy,</HI> the. 4. chap|ter. And what&s;oeuer I haue &s;ayd of the <HI>Machometan</HI> faith: the &s;ame ar al to be vnder&s;tood of the Turki&s;he religion or &s;uper&s;ticion, which at this day is v&s;uall among the <HI>Turkes.</HI> And as for the&s;e thinges, I haue reported them verye br&eacute;eflye, that tho&s;e that knowe not the Turki&s;h religion: may haue a brief ex|tract, not of the whole relygion: but of the chiefe&s;t poynts, and opinions therof.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The wrath of God.</NOTE> Now through indifferent view of the&s;e things which we haue recited: who doth not vnder&s;tande that through the mo&s;te gr&eacute;euous yet mo&s;t iu&s;te wrath of God, the world is by him mo&s;t &s;harply puni|&s;hed, &s;ince y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> he hath &s;uffred &s;o ab&s;urde, filthy, &amp; wicked relygion to take place? and here withall, let vs al&s;o beholde and weigh, what a cruell and continuall per|&s;ecution which indureth al&s;o to this day,
<PB N="76" REF="58"> this impiou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc; and <HI>Machometan</HI> faith hath rai&s;ed again&s;te the holly Church of Chri&s;te, and the true faith.</P>
<P><HI>Machomet</HI> that fal&s;e prophet and<NOTE PLACE="marg">What the <HI>Sarracens</HI> were.</NOTE> murdrous &s;eductour of the worlde, had per&s;uaded his <HI>Sarracens,</HI> that they are the true children &amp; heiers of <HI>sarra</HI> wife to <HI>Abraham,</HI> and that in re&s;pect therof: b&eacute;elonged vnto them all the promi&s;es made vnto <HI>Abraham,</HI> namely that his &s;&eacute;ede &s;hould rule all the world, and ther|fore h&eacute;e exhorted the <HI>Sarracens</HI> that ta|kyng weapon in hand, they &s;hould valy|ently a&s;&s;ay to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e al the kingdoms of the world as their owne inheritaunce.</P>
<P>The <HI>Sarracens</HI> were a barbarus and rough people of <HI>Arabia,</HI> whiche before that time were called <HI>Agareni,</HI> the &s;ame receauinge &s;tipende of the Romanes, fought vnder them in the warre again&s;t the <HI>Per&s;ians.</HI> But when h&eacute;e which bare the name of generall, &amp; had the charge of the army in geuing them their pay, had reprochefully called them dogs, &s;aying: who &s;hal giue mony enough to this co~pa|ny of dogs: thei reuoulted fro~ y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Roma~s, and beinge per&s;waded by <HI>Homer</HI> their
<PB REF="59"> cheifteine: they cho&s;e <HI>Machomet</HI> to be<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Machomet</HI> is made King.</NOTE> their prince, &s;peciallye &s;ince he had per|&s;waded them that they &s;houlde not b&eacute;e called <HI>Agareni</HI> of <HI>Agar</HI> the handmaide, but rather <HI>Sarraceni</HI> of <HI>Sarra</HI> the lawful wyfe, by rea&s;on whereof, as it is &s;ayde, they were the Lordes, and heirs of all kingdomes. The&s;e things were done in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 623. But this &s;editious, murderous, and wicked vil|laine <HI>Machomet,</HI> &s;o &s;oone as h&eacute;e had ob|tayned the Empire: began to enlarge and &s;et foorth his abhominable religion with the &s;word, and to enforce men to receaue it, per&s;ecutyng al&s;o and oppr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;|&s;ing the true Chri&s;tian faith. And for the better ratefiyng hereof, h&eacute;e continu|ed in this trauaile the &s;pace of. 9. y&eacute;eres vnto the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde. 632. Vn|to al that would follow his relygion he promi&s;ed felycitie, glory, Empire, vic|tori, ritches, and after this life the plea|&s;ure of Paradice. And by this menes he gat vnto him great multitudes of men, &s;pecially when at the beginning things pro&s;pered &s;o wel with him, for why, the common people followeth good fortune
<PB N="77" REF="59"> victory, and ritche&s;&s;e: hatinge as mutch the cro&s;&s;e, and per&s;ecutions. H&eacute;e willed them moreouer to per&s;ecute all &s;utch as &s;pake agayn&s;t, and reprehended the <HI>Alcoran.</HI> Wherfore many reuoulted from the Chri&s;tian faith, and all vertu|ous and true Chri&s;tians were oppre&s;|&s;ed with gr&eacute;euous per&s;ecutions: &amp; this was y^e begi~ning of the <HI>Sarracens</HI> king|dome. After the death of <HI>Machomet,</HI> the <HI>Sarracens</HI> called their chief princes <HI>Amiras,</HI> which as &s;ome &s;aye, &s;ignifieth as mutch as the name of Emperour. Who&s;e names, and mo&s;t famous con|que&s;tes, are de&s;cribed in hi&s;tories vnto the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te, 870. They made many great warres: and fought &s;undry battailes, and obtayned conque&s;tes a|gain&s;t y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Emperours of <HI>Con&s;ta~tinople</HI> and other kinges and princes. They &s;ubdued <HI>Per&s;ia, Babilon, Syria,</HI> the citie of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and gat &s;undry great vic|toryes in <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Affrica,</HI> in whiche places they terme their Princes <HI>Soul|dans,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">souldanes.</NOTE> or <HI>Sultans,</HI> and <HI>Caliphas,</HI> that is to &s;aye chiefe Princes, and Capitaines in battaile. The <HI>Sarracens</HI> haue made
<PB REF="60"> irruptions into <HI>Italy, Spaine,</HI> &amp; <HI>France,</HI> &s;poiling all y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> euer they could, wa&s;ting, burning, &amp; bearing away innumerable &s;poiles. But how mi&s;erably y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Church of chri&s;t was torne in p&eacute;eces, how much chri&s;tian blood &s;hed in &s;o many prouin|ces duringe the &s;pace of &s;o many y&eacute;eres it is impo&s;&s;ible to &s;et foorth in woordes. For at length y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Sarracens</HI> were driuen out of <HI>Spayne</HI> by <HI>Ferdinande</HI> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> great, the yere of Chri&s;t 1487 &amp; out of <HI>Affrica</HI> they were expul&s;ed the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te 1517. but the Turkes &s;ucc&eacute;eded in their place, for <HI>Selimus</HI> emperour of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> turks &s;lew, and draue y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Sara.</HI> out of <HI>Affri.</HI></P>
<P>Hervnto al&s;o apperteineth that mi&s;e|rable<NOTE PLACE="marg">The holye warre.</NOTE> &s;laughter, wherin there was an vn&s;peakable d&eacute;ele of blood &s;heden, which is commonly called the Holly warre, wherin the Chri&s;tians went about to recouer Ieru&s;alem, and the holly &s;epul|cher of the Lorde, out of the <HI>Sarracens</HI> and <HI>Machometans</HI> handes, whereby they brought none other thinge to pas but b&eacute;einge not able to obtaine the &s;e|pulcher: they ha&s;tned the~&s;elues to their owne graues and de&s;tructio~, &amp; through
<PB N="78" REF="60"> their vnfortunate warre, brought the mi&s;erable Chri&s;tians of the Ea&s;t into hatred, great daunger, and per&s;ecution, &s;o y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> welnigh, they lo&s;t all y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> was remai|ninge. But to the intent that this great gr&eacute;euous, longe, and cruell per&s;ecution which the <HI>Sarracens</HI> haue exerci&s;ed a|gain&s;t the Chri&s;tians, may b&eacute;e the bet|ter knowen: I mean to declare y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> whole di&s;cour&s;e of the warre.</P>
<P>In the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te, 1. 84. there<NOTE PLACE="marg">The origi|nall of the <HI>Sarracens</HI> warre.</NOTE> came out of the Ea&s;t, a certen Anchor, whom hi&s;toriographers do call <HI>Peter</HI> y^e Heremite. The &s;ame filled the eares of princes and men of all other &s;ortes, de|claring vnto them the mi&s;erable &s;tate of the Chri&s;tians in the Ea&s;t, whom y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Machometan Sarracens</HI> oppre&s;&s;ed w^t wofull tyranie, and verie mutch mole&s;|ted: wherfore that it was right n&eacute;edfull for the Chri&s;tians in the we&s;t, to haue &s;ome care ouer them, and gatheringe an armie both to ouercome the <HI>Sarracens,</HI> and relea&s;e the Chri&s;tians. Shortly af|ter <HI>vrban</HI> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ii. being Pope, and &s;chollar to <HI>Gregory</HI> the &s;euenth called togither a coun&s;el at <HI>Claromo~t</HI> in France wherin
<PB REF="61"> it was decr&eacute;ed, that the chri&s;tians with<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Claromont.</HI> coun&s;ell.</NOTE> all their power &s;hould make warre vp|pon the <HI>Sarracens,</HI> take <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and the holy Sepulcher, and &s;o delyuer the Chri&s;tians from their tyrrannye. This coun&s;ell was pernicyous and hurtfull to the Chri&s;tian commonwealth, and had the very &s;ame end with the coun&s;el which is de&s;cribed in the fir&s;te booke of Kinges, the la&s;t Chapter. For al things were vnfortunate, and the Chri&s;tians were not only not relea&s;ed from the ti|rannie: but mo&s;t part of them &s;layne, &amp; afterward oppre&s;&s;ed, and afflicted more gr&eacute;euou&s;ly then before. And albeit ma|ny holy and good men, vpon a vertuous zeale y&eacute;elded them&s;elues and con&s;ented to the warre: yet lacked it the founda|tion of Gods worde, whiche &s;houlde haue commaunded them to take <HI>Ieru|&s;alem</HI> and the holy Sepulcher from the <HI>Sarracens,</HI> and to take in hande &s;o great and dangerous a warre. For although they atchiued &s;undri noble aduentures, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed manye places: yet was there no con&s;tant Fortune as to holde that which they had take~, or to e&s;tabli&s;h
<PB N="79" REF="61"> peace for the oppre&s;&s;ed chri&s;tians. The by&s;hops al&s;o in their coun&s;ells touching this warre gaue but euell coun&s;ell vn|to Princes, and many other godly chri&s;|tians, as they haue done al&s;o in manye other matters. Other deceits and trou|bles which wer annexed hereto, for bre|uytie &s;ake I omit at this pre&s;ent. The <HI>Claromont</HI> coun&s;ell was holden the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;t. 1095.</P>
<P>After the <HI>Claromont</HI> coun&s;el immedi|atly<NOTE PLACE="marg">The. 1. ex|pedition.</NOTE> began <HI>Peter</HI> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> heremits war, who ledyng foorth w^t hym certen thou&s;andes which voluntarely offred them&s;elues in this expedition: marched through <HI>Hu~gary</HI> into <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> but atchiued ther no noble exploit worthy of memorye. And this was the fir&s;t vnluckie iourney.</P>
<P>Shortly after two ra&s;he and trouble|&s;ome<NOTE PLACE="marg">The. 2. ex|pedition.</NOTE> prie&s;tes, whom Hi&s;toricians call <HI>Volcomar,</HI> and <HI>Godde&s;char,</HI> hauynge gathered an vnfit multitude of the com|mon people: began the &s;econd expeditio~ into <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> But when they were come into <HI>Hungarie</HI> &s;poylyng althynge, reb|yng, and v&s;ing them&s;elues di&s;ordinatly, &s;o y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the <HI>Hungaria~s</HI> iudged them wor&s;e
<PB REF="62"> then they vnbel&eacute;euyng <HI>Sarracens,</HI> they gathered an army, and &s;lew tho&s;e lewde<NOTE PLACE="marg">The 3. ex|pedition.</NOTE> pilfring varlets.</P>
<P>In the yere of Chri&s;t. 1096. <HI>Godfree</HI> and <HI>Baldwine</HI> of the famile of <HI>Bullein,</HI> Dukes of <HI>Lorraine</HI> tooke in hande the. 3. expeditio~ into <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> The&s;e gathering an army of a hundred thou&s;ande hor&s;emen, &amp; three hundred thou&s;and footemen: tooke many cities of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and Ieru&s;alem al&s;o. <HI>Vr&s;purgenfies</HI> reporteth, that ther was &s;o much blood &s;hed there, that in the very temple the bloude was aboue the hooues of the Hor&s;es. The y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;t. 1119.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ieru&s;alem taken</NOTE> the citie of Ieru&s;alem was taken by the Chri&s;tians, and made head of the newe kingdome of Chri&s;tians in the Ea&s;te, wherof duke <HI>Godfree</HI> was created king. The &s;ame reigned one y&eacute;ere, after who~ &s;ucc&eacute;eded &s;eauen Kinges in order, which reigned in all about one hundred y&eacute;ere &amp; in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1189. all things were lo&s;t agayne which they had taken.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The. 4. expedition.</NOTE></P>
<P>After that tidings were come out of y^e Ea&s;t, how Ieru&s;alem was taken, and a new kingdome e&s;tabli&s;hed many were pricked forward to take their iourneie
<PB N="80" REF="62"> thyther hoping for ritches, &amp; kingdomes. Wherfore in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1101. <HI>William</HI> duke of <HI>Poicters,</HI> w^t. 100000. men tooke in hand y^e holy warfare. And this was. y^e 4. expedition, which was not al&s;o very pro&s;perous, for there returned home again not many mo then a M. me~. Although Ieru&s;ale~ was thus taken by y^e chri&s;tians: notwith&s;tanding y^e <HI>Sarracens</HI> cea&s;ed not from war: but vrged them &s;o &s;harply y^e they wer enforced to &s;u foraid, whe~ as <HI>S. Bernhard</HI> abbot of <HI>Clarauallis</HI> ioyned him&s;elf in this vnlucky war, and taking diuers iournies in hand exhorted<NOTE PLACE="marg">The. 5. expedition.</NOTE> y^e chri&s;tian princes to take this war vp|on them, and at length brought to pas y^e <HI>Conrade</HI> the 3. being emperour, <HI>Ludo|uick</HI> kinge of France. <HI>Friderick</HI> duke of <HI>Sueuia, VVelphus</HI> duke of <HI>Bauaria</HI> with many other princes moe, with great power b&eacute;egan this expedition: but the&s;e al&s;o profited nothinge, for their ar|mie dyinge in &s;undrie places in forrein countreys, the princes &s;car&s;ly returned in &s;afety. This great expedition was made in the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde. 1147.</P>
<P>Afterward Ieru&s;ale~ was taken, as we
<PB REF="63"> haue &s;aid b&eacute;efore, by a very great power of <HI>Sarracens,</HI> with an vn&s;peakable lo&s;&s;e and &s;pillyng of Chri&s;tian bloud. Which heauie tidinges b&eacute;einge arriued in the we&s;t: forthwith there b&eacute;etooke them vnto armour, <HI>Friderick Barbaro&s;&s;a</HI> the emperour, <HI>Philippe</HI> kinge of <HI>France, Rychard</HI> kinge of England, and with them many princes moe. The&s;e tooke in hand the. 6. expedition into the ea&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The. 6. ex|pedition.</NOTE> the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1189. With an exc&eacute;edinge great power, who notwith|&s;tandinge brought nothing to pa&s;&s;e but this only, that the noble prince <HI>Friderik</HI> the emperour fell into a riuer and was drowned, the armie for the mo&s;t part died with &s;icknes, the re&s;idew whereof the numbre was not great, returned home mi&s;erably.</P>
<P>After this ther apoynted again a new<NOTE PLACE="marg">The. 7. ex|pedition.</NOTE> and which was the. 7. expedition, two mo&s;t pui&s;aunt princes, the kinges of <HI>Fraunce,</HI> and England, in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1191. and came into <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> wher l&eacute;e&s;inge a great multitude of men: they were con&s;trayned to leaue Ieru&s;alem to the <HI>Sarracens.</HI></P>
<PB N="81" REF="63">
<P>In the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1198. <HI>Henrie</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The 8. ex|pedition.</NOTE> &s;unne to <HI>Friderick Barbarossa,</HI> b&eacute;egan the viii. expedition into <HI>Syria:</HI> but at the fir&s;t receauinge a foile: h&eacute;e returned a|gaine without doinge any thinge.</P>
<P>After all the&s;e expeditions: Pope <HI>Innocentius</HI> the 3. a craftie &amp; pre&s;ump|tious<NOTE PLACE="marg">The <HI>Late|ran</HI> coun|&s;ell.</NOTE> man, went about afre&s;h to beegin this warre, caulinge at <HI>Rome</HI> a great coun&s;ell, &s;uch as hath not bin &s;&eacute;ene th&eacute;e like, in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;t, 1215. but h&eacute;e died in the mid&s;t of this bu&s;ines, after whom &s;ucc&eacute;eded <HI>Honorius</HI> the 3. who with no le&s;&s;e diligence applied the &s;ame matter, feigninge, like a fal&s;e prophet, that h&eacute;e had &s;eene a vi&s;ion, and that it was &s;aid vnto him by Saint <HI>Peter</HI> that in the time of his reigne: Ieru&s;alem &s;hould b&eacute;e recouered. Wherfore, the ninth expedition was taken in hand to|wardes <HI>Ancon,</HI> whiche once was <HI>Pto|lomais.</HI> Then was taken <HI>Damniata,</HI> yet with more lo&s;&s;e then profit vnto our men, which was taken the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1222. and lo&s;t the next y&eacute;ere fol|lowinge. To be &s;hort, there was almo&s;t nothinge gotten by the warre, for euery
<PB REF="64"> thinge had but litle good &s;ucce&s;&s;e.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The. 10. expedition.</NOTE></P>
<P>In the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1228. <HI>Fride|ricke</HI> the &s;econde Emperour of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> name, a wi&s;e, noble, and victorious prince, vn|dertooke the tenth expedition into <HI>Syria,</HI> where vanqui&s;hynge his enemies: hee tooke certayne principall Citties among which al&s;o h&eacute;e wanne Ieru&s;alem. But<NOTE PLACE="marg">See howe the Pope helpeth the Chri&s;tians.</NOTE> whil&s;t this good prince maketh warre agayn&s;t the Infidels: Pope <HI>Gregorie</HI> the .ix. inuaded <HI>Apulia,</HI> and tooke his na|tiue kyngdome and countrey, and there|fore contrary to his intent and purpo&s;e, h&eacute;e was enforced to take peace with the <HI>Soldane,</HI> and &s;o departe. Which d&eacute;ede of the Pope, <HI>Abbas Vr&s;purgen&s;is,</HI> in his chronicles doth woorthely blame mo&s;te &s;harply.</P>
<P>Afterward, in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;t. 124<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Ludouick</HI> king of Frau~ce, with his bro|thers<NOTE PLACE="marg">The 11. ex|pedition.</NOTE> <HI>Robert</HI> and <HI>Charles,</HI> lead foorth an armie pa&s;&s;ing wel appointed into <HI>Syria:</HI> where h&eacute;e founde no better fortune then others before him had done. For <HI>Robert</HI> was &s;layn, &amp; <HI>Charles</HI> taken by y^e <HI>Soldan</HI> the army di&s;comfited, and the kynge <HI>Lu|douicke</HI> hardly e&s;caped with a few. And
<PB N="82" REF="64"> this was the .xi. vnhappie expedition.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The. 12 expedition.</NOTE></P>
<P>In the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te, 1270. Kynge <HI>Ludouicke</HI> lead foorth an armie againe into <HI>Affrica</HI> again&s;t y^e <HI>Sarracens,</HI> which maketh the xij expedition, but there a &s;ickne&s;&s;e inuadyng the army: the kynge him&s;elf w^t one of his &s;unnes died, for h&eacute;e caried thr&eacute;e foorth with him into battel, &amp; a few of the people returned home &s;alfe.</P>
<P>Although in this warre, which was fir&s;t kindled by <HI>Peter</HI> the Heremite, af|terwarde proclaimed by the <HI>Claromont</HI> coun&s;ell, and &s;ucce&s;&s;iuely mantayned by meanes and prouocation of <HI>Popes,</HI> there was no con&s;tant &s;ucce&s;&s;e, &s;o that it was manife&s;t vnto all men that God would ble&s;&s;e it with no pro&s;perous preueile: and &s;&eacute;einge that Ieru&s;alem was lo&s;t a|gayne, and the &s;tate of Chri&s;tians in the Ea&s;t was b&eacute;ecome mo&s;t mi&s;erable from whom by rea&s;on of the warres, per&s;ecu|tions were not taken away, but rather augmented: notwith&s;tandinge the&s;e vn|fortunate By&s;&s;hoppes, with this vn|&s;peakable effu&s;ion of Chri&s;tian bloode, were not &s;ati&s;fied, neyther coulde b&eacute;e broughte to y&eacute;elde or relent at the&s;e
<PB REF="65"> perpetuall and great di&s;couragementes For <HI>Gregorie</HI> the x. callinge a great coun&s;ell at Lions, in the y&eacute;eare of our<NOTE PLACE="marg">Coun&s;ell at Lyons.</NOTE> lorde. 1272. went about to renewe the warre, but all in vaine, for &s;o mutch as therby manie had &s;u&s;tained &s;utch and &s;o manie mi&s;eries, and calamities both of body, and goodes. And <HI>Matthaeus Pal|merius</HI> in his Cronacles writeth: How that many thou&s;andes of Chri&s;tians be|ing &s;layn in <HI>Syria</HI> by the <HI>Sarracens,</HI> the re&s;idew for feare departed the cuntrey: whiche was doone the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te 1291. about whiche y&eacute;ere <HI>Paulus Aemi|lius,</HI> and the French Chronacles do re|port, that this holy or rather vnhappye warre, was ended, which continued in all. 196. y&eacute;eres, whereof the like is not heard of in any hi&s;tory. And this warre vnto the great damage and oppre&s;&s;ion of the Chri&s;tians, was fir&s;t kindled by <HI>Peter</HI> an vnknowne heremit (of whom<NOTE PLACE="marg">vr&s;purge~&s;is. pag. 240.</NOTE> many boa&s;t verye mutch, others not without cau&s;e haue doubted whether he were a man or any thinge el&s;e I know not what, many haue &s;aid that he was a di&s;&s;emblinge hypocrite) holpen by the
<PB N="83" REF="65"> Coun&s;ell and prelates, and this mutch is &s;ufficent to haue &s;poken of the <HI>Sarra|cen</HI> per&s;ecution, Wherfore let vs now come to the Turki&s;he.</P>
<P>The per&s;ecution of Turkes, where|with<NOTE PLACE="marg">Originall of Turkes.</NOTE> they haue mole&s;ted the Chri&s;tians is in &s;ome re&s;pect ioyned and coupled with the <HI>Sarracen,</HI> makinge it more gr&eacute;euous and cruell: And the Turkes are a people of <HI>Tartaria,</HI> whiche in the yeere of Chri&s;te. 764. brake forth of their owne confines through the gates <HI>Ca&s;piae,</HI> &amp; planted them&s;elues in <HI>A&s;ia</HI> who fir&s;t &s;eruinge vnder the <HI>Sarracens</HI> for wagies: afterward increa&s;inge their power by good &s;ucce&s;&s;e in warres, about the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1051. they created them princes amonge them&s;elues, who perpetually haue afflicted, and per&s;ecu|ted the poore Chri&s;tians, for they al&s;o had then receaued the <HI>Machometan</HI> religion.</P>
<P>It is not to b&eacute;e doubted, but that God hath &s;ent this cruell, and &s;uper&s;titious nation of Turkes for a &s;courge vnto the Chri&s;tians. For like as in the tyme of <HI>Salomon,</HI> when as he fell from the lawe
<PB REF="66"> of God, and &s;uffred his wiues to build temples vnto Idoles: there &s;prange vp and increa&s;ed enemies again&s;t him, and all the kingdome: &s;o likewi&s;e amonge the Chri&s;tians, when Pope <HI>Boniface</HI> the. 8. committed many thinges repug|nant to the Chri&s;tian religion, bringing in the <HI>Iubilee</HI> of the Iewes, which was<NOTE PLACE="marg">The popes <HI>Iubilee.</HI></NOTE> aboli&s;hed by chri&s;t, wherby the redemp|tion through Chri&s;te was no litel d&eacute;ele dimini&s;hed: at the &s;ame time in the y&eacute;ere of our lord, 1300. &s;prang foorth that &s;harp rodde, namely <HI>othomannus</HI> prince of the Turkes, who at the b&eacute;eginninge was but a &s;h&eacute;epheard. From this &s;prange out<NOTE PLACE="marg">Original of <HI>Othoman</HI> the fir&s;te Prince of Turkes.</NOTE> all the princes, and emperours of the <HI>Turkes</HI> which hetherto haue obtayned the empire, per&s;ecuting the Chri&s;tians with vn&s;peakable harmes, wa&s;ting, and de&s;troying what&s;oeuer y^e <HI>Sarracens</HI> had left, and haue e&s;tabli&s;hed &s;utch a king|dome: as hath de&s;ended and enlarged it &s;elf (alas therwhile) with impregnable force again&s;t all power. <HI>Othomannus</HI> hath amplyfied his kingdome large and wyde, wounderfully indamaginge, van|qui&s;hynge, and murtheringe the
<PB N="84" REF="66"> Chri&s;tian Gr&eacute;ekes, which were vnder the empire of <HI>Con&s;tantinople.</HI></P>
<P>After the death of <HI>Othomannus,</HI> there<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Orchannes</HI> the. 2.</NOTE> &s;ucc&eacute;eded him in the <HI>Turkish</HI> Em|pire his &s;unne <HI>Orchannes,</HI> in the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde, 1328. The &s;ame en&s;ued his fathers &s;teppes, gr&eacute;euou&s;ly afflic|tynge the Chri&s;tians, h&eacute;e b&eacute;e&s;iedged the Cittie <HI>Nicea,</HI> whiche when the Em|perour of <HI>Con&s;ta~tinople</HI> would haue de|liuered from &s;iedge: the armie of the Chri&s;tians was mi&s;erably &s;layne, the Cittie y&eacute;elded, and the Chri&s;tians mo&s;t truelly dealt with all.</P>
<P>In the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde, a thou&s;and thr&eacute;e hundred and fiftie, <HI>Amurates</HI> the fir&s;t of that name, thirde prince of the <HI>Turkes,</HI> &s;ucc&eacute;eded his father <HI>Orchannes.</HI> Who &s;endyng an armie ouer the Sea: tooke the cities <HI>Hadrianopolis, Seruia,</HI> and <HI>Bulgaria,</HI> whom when the Chri&s;ti|an<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Amurates</HI> the. 3.</NOTE> princes a&s;&s;aide to driue away, were al&s;o with their armies &s;laine by the <HI>Turkes.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Baiazetus</HI> the fir&s;t, fourth Prince of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Baiazetus. 4.</NOTE> the <HI>Turkes,</HI> b&eacute;egan to reygne in the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde. 1373.
<PB REF="67"> The &s;ame hath vn&s;peakabli in damaged the Chri&s;tians: and among other things he be&s;ieged <HI>Con&s;tantinople</HI> very hardly y^e &s;pace of eight yeres. And when y^e Em|perour of <HI>Con&s;tantinople</HI> had de&s;iered help of other chri&s;tia~s: <HI>Charles</HI> y^e. 6. king of <HI>France, Sigi&s;mund</HI> of <HI>Hungary, Iohn</HI> Duke of <HI>Burgundy, Rupert</HI> Duke of <HI>Bauaria</HI> with other princes, &s;ent him aid gathering an army of. 80000. me~. But all the&s;e vpon <HI>Michaelmas</HI> day were by the Turkes &s;layne at <HI>Nicopolis,</HI> in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;t 1395.</P>
<P><HI>Machomet</HI> the fift prince of Turks,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Machomet. 5.</NOTE> in the y&eacute;eare of our Lorde 1399. came vnto the Empire. He vanqui&s;hed <HI>Sigi&s;|mund</HI> Kyng of <HI>Hungarie</HI> in a battle at <HI>Columbeciu~,</HI> &amp; very mucth indamaged the Chri&s;tians, in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te, 1409.</P>
<P>Afterward in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;t 1416<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amurates. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Amurates</HI> the. 2. was created the &s;ixte Prince of the Turkes. The &s;ame made war with <HI>Laudi&s;laus</HI> king of <HI>Hungarie</HI> and <HI>Polande,</HI> when <HI>Laudi&s;laus</HI> through the help of God vanqui&s;hing <HI>Amurates,</HI> enforced him vnto conditions of peace,
<PB N="85" REF="67"> verye nece&s;&s;arye and profitable for the Chri&s;tians. This peace was confirmed by an oth: at whiche time the &s;tate of Chri&s;tians was in good ca&s;e ouer the Turkes, had not Pope <HI>Eugenius</HI> the 4. vnluckely troubled all. Who &s;ending <HI>Iulianus Cae&s;arinus</HI> in emba&s;iedge into <HI>Hungarie:</HI> per&s;waded <HI>Ladislaus</HI> the King that h&eacute;e was not bound by the othe whiche h&eacute;e made to k&eacute;epe peace with the Turke, for that no man ought to make peace with Infidels or heretickes, and y^e othes and promi&s;es made vnto them are not to be perfourmed. There were al&s;o diuers other which prouoked y^e king <HI>La|di&s;laus</HI> that he &s;houlde v&s;e and employe this happye &s;ucce&s;&s;e whiche God had ge|uen him again&s;t the Turkes, vnto the commodytie of the Chri&s;tian common|wealth, that the Turke was nowe in great feare, and troubled at that pre&s;ent with warre by the <HI>Carmani,</HI> wherefore that it were an ea&s;ie matter to vanqui&s;h him. With the&s;e per&s;wa&s;ions this yong Prince, this vertuous and well mean|nyng King, breakinge the peace, viola|tynge his othe, made warre vppon the
<PB REF="68"> Turkes, and pitched his tentes betwen <HI>Danubius</HI> and <HI>Adrianopolis,</HI> neare to<NOTE PLACE="marg">The re|ward of per+iurie.</NOTE> the Citie <HI>Varna.</HI> Again&s;t whome came foorth <HI>Amurates,</HI> acco~panied with four|&s;core thou&s;ande men, greatly blaming the periurie of the Chri&s;tians, and their breakyng of the peace, where h&eacute;e &s;lewe the young king which had bin deceiued by other, with many moe princes and noble men, and as <HI>Platina</HI> witne&s;&s;eth in the life of <HI>Eugenius</HI> the. 4. in that battle were &s;layne, 3. C. thou&s;and Chri&s;tians. The battle was fought vpon <HI>S. Martins</HI> &eacute;euen in the y&eacute;eare of Chri&s;te. 1444. Who &s;o de&s;ireth to reade a larger de&s;|cription of that wofull calamitie: let him peru&s;e the <HI>Hungarian</HI> hi&s;torie of <HI>Anto|nius Bonfinius,</HI> y^e 6. booke of y^e 3. <HI>Decade.</HI></P>
<P>But <HI>Amurates</HI> not being &s;atisfied w^t this victory: immediatly co~uaighing his army into <HI>Greece,</HI> &s;lew the Emperour of <HI>Con&s;tantinoples</HI> brother with all his power, and wa&s;ted <HI>Pelopone&s;us</HI> with fire and pilledge: and &s;utch Chri&s;tians as were re&s;erued from the &s;laughter: he lead away into mo&s;t mi&s;erable &s;lauery. And this was the great good proui&s;ion
<PB N="86" REF="68"> and commoditie, whiche the coun&s;ell of the bloody and periured Pope <HI>Eugenius</HI> purcha&s;ed to the Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P>After the&s;e calamities and gr&eacute;euous<NOTE PLACE="marg">Machomet the. 7.</NOTE> per&s;ecutions: yet were there greater mi&s;cheiues, which by the iu&s;t iudgment of God oppre&s;&s;ed the Chri&s;tians. For in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1450. <HI>Macho|met</HI> the &s;econde Sunne to <HI>Amurates</HI> was made the &s;eauenth Prince of the Turkes. The &s;ame for the valientne&s;&s;e of his d&eacute;edes was &s;urnamed the great, and called the fir&s;t <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> or Emperour of the Turkes, becau&s;e h&eacute;e tooke awaye valiently by force that Empire whiche<NOTE PLACE="marg">The fir&s;te Emperour of Turkes.</NOTE> from the time of <HI>Con&s;tantinus</HI> y^e great, the &s;pace of. 1121. y&eacute;eres had continued vnder the dominion of y^e Chri&s;tians, and brought it in &s;ubiection vnto y^e Turkes.</P>
<P>For in the y&eacute;ere of our Lord. 1453. he<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Con&s;tantino|ple</HI> taken.</NOTE> be&s;iedged <HI>co&s;ta~tinople</HI> y^e head of y^e em|pire, w^e a great power. And whe~ he had be&s;iedged it y^e &s;pace of 50 continual dais, &amp; a&s;&s;aulted it w^e munition, at le~gth y^e 29 day of May, he increa&s;ed the a&s;&s;ault w^e al his force fro~ y^e morning vntill mo&s;t part of y^e dai were &s;pent, &amp; at y^e length took it.
<PB REF="69"> H&eacute;ere nowe it cannot b&eacute;e recited, with what &s;auadge crueltie, wantone&s;&s;e, pride and di&s;dayne the barbarous Turkes v|&s;ed the mi&s;erable Chri&s;tians without al mercy. <HI>Con&s;tantinus</HI> y^e Emperour who was pre&s;&s;ed and troden to death by the multitude of men, b&eacute;eing &s;ought out and haled from the re&s;idew of the dead carca|&s;es: had his head &s;trocken off, which b&eacute;e|yng &s;et vppon the point of a &s;peare, was carried about in de&s;pight &amp; deri&s;ion of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> chri&s;tia~s. Some report al&s;o y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ther were 40000. Chri&s;tians &s;layne, CLM. carryed away into captiuytie and &s;ould. The exact di&s;cription of this mo&s;t mi&s;e|rable calamiti, and vn&s;peakable per&s;ecu|tion: is to be found in <HI>Nauclerus</HI> hi&s;tori.</P>
<P>Al&s;o <HI>Ioannes Auentinus</HI> a writer of<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Machomets</HI> great victo|ries.</NOTE> hi&s;tories, reporteth that this wicked <HI>Machomet</HI> &s;urnamed the great, be&s;ides the two Empires of <HI>Trapezunce</HI> and <HI>Con&s;tantinople,</HI> tooke away moreouer from the Chri&s;tians. xii. famous King|domes, and 200 famous Cities. Al&s;o in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te 1469. h&eacute;e made an irruption into <HI>Styria,</HI> and b&eacute;e&s;iedged the citie <HI>Graecium:</HI> whereby &s;uch feare in|uaded
<PB N="87" REF="69"> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> chri&s;tians, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> from <HI>Saltzbrough</HI> which &s;ome &s;uppo&s;e of olde to bee called <HI>Iuuania,</HI> vnto <HI>Monachum,</HI> in <HI>Bauaria,</HI> they fled in &s;uch ha&s;t: that they regarded not their Children whiche fell out of the wagons and Chariots by the waye. The &s;ame at that time they called the Turki&s;h flight.</P>
<P>In the y&eacute;ere of our Lord God. 1481<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Baiazet. 2.</HI> &s;e|cond emper+our of Tur+kes.</NOTE> <HI>Baiazetes</HI> was created &s;econde Empe|rour of the Turkes, and the eight prince from <HI>Othoma~nus.</HI> The&s;ame per&s;ecuted al&s;o the chri&s;tians cruelly, and brake in|to <HI>Wallachia,</HI> &amp; <HI>Hungarie,</HI> where n&eacute;ere to the riuer <HI>Morana</HI> vanqui&s;hyng the Chri&s;tians: in reproch and di&s;pight cut of the no&s;es of all the pri&s;oners which he had taken: He made warre al&s;o again&s;t the <HI>Venetians,</HI> &s;endynge foorth again&s;te them <HI>Scender</HI> a <HI>Ba&s;sa</HI> into <HI>Frioll,</HI> who &s;acking and &s;poylyng farre aboute carri|ed away many Chri&s;tians captiue, of whome thr&eacute;e hundred thou&s;ande were mo&s;t pitifully &s;layne at the &s;hoare of the riuer <HI>Tiliauentum.</HI> Many thinges al&s;o moe haue bin commited cruelly again&s;t the Chri&s;tians by this mo&s;t barbarous,
<PB REF="70"> and Turki&s;he Tyraunt <HI>Baiazete.</HI></P>
<P>In the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde. 1512. the. 9<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Selimus. 3.</HI> Emperour.</NOTE> prince of the <HI>Othomanni,</HI> and the third in order of the Turki&s;h emperours <HI>Se|limus,</HI> began to reigne. The &s;ame quite de&s;troid the <HI>Sarracens</HI> &amp; <HI>Mammaluces</HI> co~maundyng that their la&s;t <HI>Sultan To|mombeius</HI> mo&s;t ignominiou&s;ly &s;houlde b&eacute;e hanged, which was done the. 13. day of Aprill, in the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde. 1517. when hee had taken <HI>Alcharyus</HI> or <HI>Memphis</HI> the greate&s;t and mo&s;t famous Citie of <HI>Egipt.</HI> And by this meanes the Turki&s;h Princes obtayned thr&eacute;e exc&eacute;e|dyng great Empires, to wit, of <HI>Trape|zunce, Con&s;tantinople,</HI> and <HI>Egypt:</HI> and &s;o continuallye the Rodde or Sworde which God hath prepared again&s;te the Chri&s;tians is fortified and increa&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>Solimannus</HI> &s;ucc&eacute;eded his Father <HI>Se|limus</HI> in the Empire in the y&eacute;ere of<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Soliman. 4.</HI> Emperour.</NOTE> Chri&s;te. MDXIX. b&eacute;einge the tenth Prince, and fourth Emperour of the Turkes. The &s;ame tooke <HI>Bellogradum</HI> or <HI>Alba Graeca,</HI> a pa&s;&s;ing &s;tronge Citie and the key of all <HI>Hungary,</HI> which was in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. MDXXI.</P>
<PB N="88" REF="70">
<P>After this in the y&eacute;ere of our Lord. 1523 h&eacute;e b&eacute;e&s;iedged the Ile of <HI>Rhodes,</HI> and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rhodes.</NOTE> compelled it to y&eacute;eld. Then afterwarde in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te, 1526&punc; h&eacute;e di&s;com|fited and &s;lew <HI>Ludouick</HI> kinge of <HI>Hun|garie</HI> with all his armie. Againe, in the y&eacute;ere of our lorde. 1529. h&eacute;e brought an army into <HI>Au&s;tria,</HI> &amp; b&eacute;e&s;iedged <HI>vienna</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vienna.</NOTE> the head of the cuntrey, which although h&eacute;e obtayned not yet h&eacute;e woundrou&s;lye indamaged the Region, with fier, &s;poy|linges, murther, and captiuity of many thou&s;and Chri&s;tians, whom h&eacute;e caryed thence. Bee&s;ides this, in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1537. h&eacute;e ouercame the Chri&s;ti|ans againe in <HI>Hungarie,</HI> and did them verie mutch harme. After whiche in the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde. 1541. h&eacute;e tooke<NOTE PLACE="marg">Buda.</NOTE> <HI>Buda</HI> the Metropolitan Cittie of all <HI>Hungarie,</HI> and al&s;o the whole countrey. But bicau&s;e all the&s;e thinges are fre&s;&s;h in the memories of men, whiche were done within fiftie y&eacute;eres, I thought it &s;ufficient only to touch them and re|pete them: For it is not vnknowne what greate harme h&eacute;e did, and what autragies h&eacute;e committed in <HI>Hungarie</HI>
<PB REF="71">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="88" REF="71">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB REF="72" MS="y"> about the time that he dyed, which was in the yeere of oure Lorde M. D. lxvi. when he tooke <HI>Ligethum,</HI> where either hee &s;lew or caried awaye as pri&s;oners<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lige<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> mo&s;t part of the Chri&s;tians, whiche in deede were verie manie.</P>
<P>And now la&s;t of all, what the Chri&s;ti|ans haue to looke for at the handes of <HI>Selimus</HI> the .ii. &s;onne to <HI>Solimannus</HI> the<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>selimus. 5.</HI> Emperour.</NOTE> xi. Prince of the di&s;cent of <HI>Othomannus</HI> and the fift Emperour of the Turkes, who bega to reigne in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> yeere of Chri&s;t M. D. LXVI. the experience it &s;elfe hath taught in the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde, M. D. LXX. in which he tooke the noble Kingdome of <HI>Cypres,</HI> &s;laying manye thou&s;and Chri&s;tians, whom he had tor|mented and then &s;laine: or carying the~ awaye into perpetuall, and mo&s;t cruell &s;eruilitie.</P>
<P>I &s;uppo&s;e that in this place, manie<NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> will marueile at this reher&s;all of y^e <HI>Sar|racenicall,</HI> and <HI>Turkish</HI> per&s;ecutions, which are not of opinio~ them&s;elues that they &s;hould be accompted among per&s;e|cutions: but rather amo~g warres, wher|of the rea&s;on and nature is farre other|wi&s;e
<PB N="90" REF="72" MS="y"> &s;ions are not excu&s;ed that were infected with errours: Semblably in the&s;e <HI>Sar|racenicall</HI> and Turki&s;h warres, I haue applied the name of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chri&s;tian churche (like as I admoni&s;hed in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> b&eacute;eginning of this booke) vnto all tho&s;e that are called Chri&s;tians, whom the Turks for y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> na|mes &s;ake do per&s;ecute by rea&s;on of an hatred which they beare to the chri&s;tian faith: although many do much want of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;implicitie, and puritie of the Chri&s;tian religion: neither by any meanes therby are the errours of the Romi&s;h Churche excu&s;ed.</P>
<P>The thinges which fir&s;t incen&s;ed the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Motions vn+to the&s;e per+&s;ecutions.</NOTE> <HI>Sarracens</HI> and <HI>Turkes,</HI> to commit the&s;e furious cruell tyranycall Tragedies, the&s;e warres, &amp; per&s;ecutions: was cheif|ly the Diuell him&s;elfe, who is exc&eacute;e|dingely delyghted with &s;headynge of mans blood: &s;econdly the hatred of the trew Chri&s;tian faith, and a gr&eacute;edye de|&s;ier to rule farre and wide: couetou&s;nes to hea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e vp ritches, and to liue &s;umptu|&s;hoppes theretelye: al&s;o a zeale and <HI>Rome,</HI> Pope, Cache wicked and fal&s;e which be now at th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>met,</HI> with other
<PB REF="73"> cau&s;es which her after &s;halb&eacute;e declared.</P>
<P>And this mutch I thought br&eacute;efly to &s;et downe, concerninge the <HI>Sarracenical</HI> and Turki&s;h per&s;ecutions. And it is to b&eacute;e wi&s;&s;hed, that all tho&s;e which are Chri&s;tians and would &s;o b&eacute;e named: woulde &s;oundly &amp; &s;urely acknowledge, that this gr&eacute;euous tyrany of y^e Turkes, is a very true per&s;ecution, laid vpon vs from aboue, to &s;&eacute;e if haply men would b&eacute;e brought vnto wi&s;dome, wherby to embrace erne&s;tlye the pure doctrine of Chri&s;te, &s;tudeinge more to lead a Chri&s;|tian life then hetherto they haue doone: for &s;urely vnle&s;&s;e w&eacute;e do &s;oe: w&eacute;e mu&s;t n&eacute;edes looke for farre woor&s;e.</P>
<P>But now in the&s;e <HI>Sarracenicall</HI> and Turki&s;h per&s;ecutions, to returne vnto that whiche w&eacute;e haue often admoni&s;hed b&eacute;efore: I a&s;ke this que&s;tion, if ther b&eacute;e any man of &s;o &s;mall or froward di&s;creti|on, that dareth avouche that the <HI>Macho|metan</HI> religion is true, and the Chri&s;ti|an fal&s;e: bycau&s;e y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> followers of <HI>macho|met</HI> in euerie place haue <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> among per<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> oppre&s;&s;inge the Chri&s;mo~g warres, wher|mou&s;ly railinge at nature is farre other|wi&s;e
<PB N="91" REF="73"> And who dareth deney, that all the&s;e re|ligions, and Churches which Saynt <HI>Paule</HI> the Apo&s;tle conuerted to the faith of Chri&s;te, are now ouerturned, and de|&s;troyed by that filthie, and horrible <HI>Ma|chometan</HI> bea&s;t, and that the mo&s;t impi|ous, &amp; froward faith of <HI>Machomet,</HI> yea rather that lothe&s;ome abhomination is there e&s;tabli&s;hed: And who is &s;o pre|&s;umptious, and deuoyde of all religion, that bicau&s;e God of his iu&s;t iudgement permitteth the Turkes to commit &s;o manie thynges, which h&eacute;e coulde ea&s;ely prohibite: will therefore di&s;pute with God, and demaunde of him, wherfore h&eacute;e &s;uffreth &s;o mutch bloud to b&eacute;e &s;hedde, &s;o many thou&s;ande Chri&s;tians to b&eacute;e &s;layne? How hee can abyde &s;o manie vn&s;peakable calamities, mi&s;eries, and afflictions of the godly, and that &s;o many hundred y&eacute;eres? And why rather hee di&s;troyeth not with Thundre and light|diffe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> from Heauen, the impure, and Churche of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ire of the Turkes, or ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|&s;hoppes thereo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc; to gape and &s;wallow <HI>Rome,</HI> Pope, Car<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> abhomination? But which be now at this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e and great cau&s;es
<PB REF="74"> why God, who is true, holy, and righ|teous, &s;uffereth and permitteth all the&s;e thinges. Furthermore, long &s;ithens h&eacute;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 2. Mat. 24. Luk. 21.</NOTE> foretolde by <HI>Daniell</HI> the Prophete, and Chri&s;te him&s;elfe prophi&s;eth in the Go&s;|pell, that the la&s;t per&s;ecution before the later Iudgmente, &s;houlde b&eacute;e &s;o &s;harpe and great: that there was neuer the like vpon the earth ether heard, or &s;ene. And I am of opinion, that the final iudgment and the redemption of all the faithfull, &amp; glorious clarification, and ble&s;&s;ed rewar|ding, is not far of from vs. Lorde Ie&s;us Chri&s;te, take pittie vpon thine aflicted Church, and vouch&s;aue to comforte and helpe it in this latter cruell, and mo&s;te rare kinde of per&s;ecution.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD><HI>Of the. 20. and la&s;t Tra|gical</HI> Act or per&s;ecution, which <HI>the Bishops of Rome haue moued</HI> and practized again&s;t the Chur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> of Chri&s;t, certen hundred<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Chapter. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"></HI></HEAD>
<P>THe Papi&s;tical pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> next to the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">
<PB N="92" REF="74"> much the more daungerous: how much the le&s;&s;e it was to b&eacute;e looked for, and &s;o much the more cruell: becau&s;e it is prac|tized by tho&s;e who of all other oughte mo&s;te to b&eacute;e &s;&eacute;ekers of peace and quiet|nes, and &s;utch as would b&eacute;e accoumpted mo&s;t &s;ounde&s;t in relygion, and mo&s;t hol|lye&s;t of all other in the Church, as vnto whom Chri&s;te hath giuen all power in the Church, that in matters of faith they may rule all thinges accordinge to their plea&s;ure, and to b&eacute;e the head and vniuer|&s;all pa&s;tours, ouer the Catholick church of Chri&s;te. For all men knowe, what titles the Pope, and all his &s;pirituall per&s;ons do boa&s;te of.</P>
<P>But in the b&eacute;eginninge of this booke, w&eacute;e haue declared that there b&eacute;e &s;undrie vnder&s;tandynges and di&s;tinctions, not onely of faith, and Religion: but of the Church al&s;o, ouer which the vngodlye &s;&eacute;eke to rule. There is al&s;o very great difference b&eacute;etw&eacute;ene the auntient Churche of <HI>Rome,</HI> and the fir&s;te Bi&s;|&s;hoppes thereof: and the Churche of <HI>Rome,</HI> Pope, Cardinalles, and by&s;hops which be now at this day.</P>
<PB REF="75">
<P>The antient By&s;hopes of the Church<NOTE PLACE="marg">The fir&s;te Bi&s;hops of <HI>Rome</HI> were Martirs.</NOTE> of <HI>Rome,</HI> whiche lyued and &s;ate there from the yere of Chri&s;t. 70. vnto y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> yere 314. and during the time of <HI>Con&s;tantine</HI> the great were in number. 32. who wer all faithfull in their callyng, profitynge the Churche by teachinge, and otheir meanes, and for chri&s;te and his Go&s;pels &s;ake were martyred and &s;layne. They medled not at all w^t the ciuill gouerment there was no Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> no &s;enat of &s;carlet Cardinalles, no guarde for the body, no other &s;uperfluities, which now adayes are frequented by Popes. Hi&s;to|ries of credit do confirme this &s;ame, &s;uch as were not writen in flatterie of the Popes. Al&s;o the name of Pope at that time was not proper onely to the By&s;|&s;hoppe of <HI>Rome:</HI> but other Bi&s;hoppes al&s;o abroade in other Prouinces were called by the &s;ame name. For <HI>Aure|lius</HI> and <HI>Ciprian,</HI> By&s;hops of <HI>Carthage Ambro&s;e</HI> By&s;hop of <HI>Millaine,</HI> and o|ther By&s;hops in other places, were al&s;o called Popes. And lykewi&s;e Saincte <HI>Ierome termeth</HI> S. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> whiche was By&s;&s;hop of <HI>Hippo,</HI> in certen E|pi&s;tles
<PB N="93" REF="75"> by the name of Pope. For this<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Papa,</HI> or Pope, what it &s;ig|nifieth.</NOTE> woorde <HI>Papa</HI> Pope, in the <HI>Syracu&s;ian</HI> tounge &s;ignifieth as mutch as this word <HI>Pater</HI> a Father, as <HI>Suidas</HI> te&s;tifieth. For it behooueth the Mini&s;ters of the church to be faithfull fathers of the peo|ple,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 4.</NOTE> as Sainct <HI>Paule</HI> writeth.</P>
<P>Moreouer, amonge all the By&s;hops of <HI>Rome</HI> from <HI>Con&s;tantinus</HI> the great, and Pope <HI>Sylue&s;ter,</HI> vnto <HI>Gregorye</HI> the fir&s;te which were in number, xxxvi. ther was not one within compa&s;&s;e of. 280. y&eacute;eres, that v&s;ed y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> pompe, pride, maie&s;|tie, and power, which the Popes v&s;e ac|cu&s;tomably now now a daies. Their<NOTE PLACE="marg">The aunti|ent Popes aucthoritie.</NOTE> aucthoritie was great amonge other Churches and By&s;hops, becau&s;e for the mo&s;t parte they were learned and &s;kil|full men, neither infected with here&s;ies as &s;ome other By&s;hops in other Chur|ches were, but principally: becau&s;e thei were Mini&s;ters of the &s;ame Churche whiche the Apo&s;tles planted at the b&eacute;e|ginninge,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apo&s;tolick Sea.</NOTE> which was therfore called the Apo&s;tolick Churche, and the Apo&s;tolick &s;eate, and Sainct <HI>Peters</HI> Chaer. How|beit the title, and name of the Apo&s;tolick
<PB REF="76"> &s;eat was not giuen only to the <HI>Romane</HI> Church: but vnto other Churches al&s;o, namely Ieru&s;alem, and <HI>Antioche.</HI> And this woord, &s;eate, &s;ignifieth not a iudgment &s;eat, or a princes throne: but an eccle&s;ia&s;ticall preachers pulpit. So<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tertul. de pre&s;cript. hae+re&s;.</NOTE> that our forefathers in the ould time ter|med the aboue named churches, Apo&s;to|like &s;eates of the Apo&s;tolicke doctrine, bycau&s;e the Apo&s;tles taught in tho&s;e pla|ces, and from tho&s;e Apo&s;tolick Chur|ches, the Apo&s;tolick doctrine &s;tretched foorth vnto other Churches, a&s;well farre as nere. Wherfore tho&s;e places in which is not the Apo&s;tolick doctrine, can not glory of the Apo&s;tolick &s;eat, although in|d&eacute;ed it were ther many hundred y&eacute;eres b&eacute;efore. For there is al&s;o a &s;eate of the Diuell, as Saynt Iohn declareth in the 2. Chapter of the Reuelation.</P>
<P>But in the time of Pope <HI>Gregory</HI> the fir&s;t, whiche was within. 300. y&eacute;eres after the birth of Chri&s;te, the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> was &s;o farre from the dominion which now it obtaineth: that <HI>Gregorye</HI> very vehemently with &s;tood Iohn, which was bi&s;&s;hop of <HI>Con&s;tantinople,</HI> who
<PB N="94" REF="76"> ambitiou&s;ly &s;ought to haue cheif place, and &s;uperioritie in the Church, &amp; would al&s;o b&eacute;e called vniuer&s;al by&s;&s;hop. Which title, notwith&s;tandinge and greater to, the by&s;&s;hops of <HI>Rome</HI> do v&s;e at this day: but <HI>Gregorie</HI> &s;aid that this was a Deui|li&s;h pride, and the malice of <HI>Antichri&s;te.</HI> H&eacute;e that lu&s;t let him reade the fourth, &amp; &s;ixte books of Saint <HI>Gregories</HI> Epi&s;tles touchinge this matter.</P>
<P>Howbeit not longe after the death of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Fro~ whe~ce the Romi&s;h church recei+ued her power.</NOTE> <HI>Gregory, Bonifacius</HI> the 3. v&s;urped that title, which was graunted vnto him by <HI>Phocas</HI> the emperour, a naughtie and wicked man. For <HI>Otho</HI> by&s;&s;hop of <HI>Fri&s;ingen</HI> a writer of Cronacles, in the v. booke, and eight Chapter: reporteth how Pope <HI>Bonifacius</HI> the 3. had obtained of <HI>Phocas</HI> the Emperour, that by his aucthoritie, power and commaunde|ment the Churche of <HI>Rome</HI> might b&eacute;e cauled, and al&s;o b&eacute;e ind&eacute;ede, the head of all other Churches. <HI>Beda</HI> al&s;o wri|teth the &s;ame. And <HI>Vr&s;purgen&s;is</HI> &s;aith: that <HI>Rome</HI> ought to b&eacute;e mother of all o|ther Churches.
<PB REF="77"> <HI>Nauclerus</HI> writeth: that al other Chur|ches in the worlde, ought to obey the Churche of Rome, and the Bi&s;hop ther|of. Wherby it may b&eacute;e ea&s;ely perceaued how that this decr&eacute;e of <HI>Phocas</HI> the Em|perour, whom all Hy&s;toricians do verie mutch reprooue: was no decree or in&s;ti|tution of the Apo&s;tles, made by <HI>Peter</HI> or <HI>Paule.</HI></P>
<P>The Sea of Rome b&eacute;eyng exalted af|ter<NOTE PLACE="marg">How the By&s;hoppes of <HI>Rome</HI> v|&s;urped.</NOTE> this maner: the bi&s;hops which con&s;e|quently en&s;ued, began more &amp; more to bu&s;ie and medle them&s;elues with ciuile matters, neither &s;ought they only for power, and dominion: but deui&s;ed how they might plucke their necks from the emperours iuri&s;oiction, and extol them|&s;elues aboue them, how they might chal|lenge &amp; bryng in &s;ubiection vnder them, their prouinces, peoples, and maie&s;tie. But in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> meane &s;ea&s;on they quight for|got their &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion and duty, departing far wide from thence, &amp; became altoge|ther<NOTE PLACE="marg">Popes ro&s;e again&s;t Em+perours.</NOTE> vnlike vnto y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> fir&s;t bi&s;hops of Rome At length the matter proceeded &s;o farre: that they dur&s;t boldly with&s;tande y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> em|perours, and ri&s;e agayn&s;t them, for euen
<PB REF="77"> &s;o Gregory the .ij. and Gregory the .iij. Popes of Romes, oppo&s;ed them&s;elues a|gain&s;t <HI>Leo</HI> the .iij. and <HI>Con&s;tantine</HI> y^e .v. emperours. For the&s;e calling certen cou~|&s;els, vnto which there a&s;&s;embled a great numbre of learned men, and bi&s;hops of <HI>A&s;ia, Grecia,</HI> and other regions, they ar|gued the controuer&s;ie of Images: name|ly, whether it were lawfull to haue and to woor&s;hip the Images of Chri&s;te, and the holly &s;aincts in the Churches of the Chri&s;tians. Whereas at that time it was concluded, and confirmed out of the holy &s;criptures, and doctrine of the aun|cient fathers, that Images ought not to be wor&s;hipped, nor to be &s;uffred in chur|ches, but to b&eacute;e taken away wher&s;oeuer they were founde. But after that th'em|perours had giuen foorth co~maundment to the Popes, and vnto other vnder the Roman Empire, that all of them accor|dyng to the woord of God, and the mea|ning therof di&s;cu&s;&s;ed in this pre&s;ent cou~|&s;eil, &s;hould take downe th'images out of their Churches: &s;utch was the pre&s;ump|tion of the Popes, that b&eacute;eyng called to y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> coun&s;el: they neither appered, and after|warde
<PB REF="78"> by their owne aucthoritie, con|trary to the co~mandement of y^e Empe|rours:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Anno Domi|ni. 739.</NOTE> they called peculyer Coun&s;els of <HI>Italian</HI> By&s;hops, wherein they decr&eacute;ede y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Images ought b&eacute;e to retained in chur|ches, and more wor&s;hipped then euer they had bin before. Nether pre&s;umed they onely thus farre: but withdrue the Emperours &s;ubiectes from due obedi|ence towards hym, excommuncaityng the Emperours them&s;elues withoute cau&s;e, rai&s;ing morouer tumults &amp; great feditions, wherein the Emperours lieu|tenantes and debites were &s;layne, as namely, <HI>Paulus</HI> at <HI>Rauenna:</HI> and <HI>Mau|ritius</HI> with <HI>Adriane</HI> his &s;unne in <HI>Cam|pania.</HI> And by this meanes all dutifull<NOTE PLACE="marg">Emperour of <HI>Con&s;tant.</HI> by Popes driuen out of <HI>Italy.</HI></NOTE> &s;eruice, and obedience was denied to the Emperours, &amp; they were driuen from the gouerment of <HI>Italye.</HI> But by what right, the Popes brought the&s;e thinges to pa&s;&s;e by their practizes: euery man that is indued with common &s;ence, and hath any knowledge of iu&s;tice, mai &s;oone vnder&s;tand. Al the&s;e things were doone w^t in. 30. y&eacute;eres after y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> yere of our lorde 724, or nere therupon, vnto the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde. 754</P>
<PB N="96" REF="78">
<P>In the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde, 750. Pope<NOTE PLACE="marg">an hone&s;t practi&s;e.</NOTE> <HI>Zacharie</HI> the. 1. of that name, tooke vpon him te~porall matters, &amp; began to medle with the ciuill gouerment, &amp; a&s;&s;i&s;ted to depo&s;e y^e king of France fro~ his crowne and to place another in his rowme. For through his help and coun&s;ell, <HI>Hilderik</HI> king of France of the antient familie of <HI>Merouingi,</HI> was depo&s;ed from y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> crown, and <HI>Pipine</HI> of the familye of <HI>Charles,</HI> thur&s;t into his place.</P>
<P>But &s;hortly after this great benifite of the Popes: <HI>Pipine</HI> brought an army of Frenchme~ into <HI>Italy</HI> again&s;t <HI>E&s;tulphus</HI> king of <HI>Lumbardy,</HI> when hauing taken in war the greater parte of the cuntrey, h&eacute;e gaue it for reward vnto pope <HI>Steuen</HI> the &s;econd, and then fir&s;t <HI>S. Peter</HI> obtai|ned an inherita~ce, who b&eacute;efore y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> time, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;pace of. 700. y&eacute;eres: neuer had any: and although y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Con&s;tantius</HI> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> emperour &s;ent Emba&s;&s;adours vnto <HI>Pipine,</HI> that h&eacute;e would not alienate the Prouinces of the Romane Empire: yet notwith&s;tanding <HI>Steuen</HI> the Pope gladlye receiued tho&s;e Prouinces, peopls, and ciuill gouerment whiche certenly <HI>S. Peter</HI> would neuer haue doone, fora&s;much as hee refu&s;ed the
<PB REF="79"> charge ouer the poore. Actes the vi.</P>
<P>The Popes followinge thereafter, immitated the d&eacute;edes of the~ which went before, nothinge lyke the d&eacute;edes of the Apo&s;tles. For <HI>Hadriane</HI> the Pope, lykewi&s;e receiued all tho&s;e thinges wil|lyngly which <HI>Charles</HI> &s;urmamed the great, King of Fraunce, gaue vnto him when he had vanqui&s;hed and ouercome the Lumbards, and taken pri&s;oner <HI>De|&s;iderius</HI> their King. But <HI>Leo</HI> the third attempted more. For he tooke vpon him the aucthoritie ouer all the Empire, which then appertayned to the Empe|rours of <HI>Con&s;tantinople,</HI> and crowned <HI>Charles</HI> Emperour of <HI>Rome</HI> withoute<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Charles</HI> made Em|perour by the Pope.</NOTE> the knowledge and con&s;ent of the law|full Emperours, when as then, as <HI>Pal|merius</HI> accompteth, the we&s;t had lacked their owne Emperour the &s;pace of. 330. y&eacute;eres.</P>
<P>The y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te 860. Pope <HI>Ni|cholas</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Empe|rours &s;were to the pope.</NOTE> the fir&s;te ruled the &s;ea of <HI>Rome,</HI> a pa&s;&s;inge ambitious man in&s;titutinge &s;undry thinges not appertayning to the gouerment of the Church: but to confir|mation and e&s;tabli&s;hinge of the popi&s;he
<PB N="97" REF="79"> tyrany. Fir&s;t that no prince, no not the emperour him&s;elfe, &s;hould b&eacute;e pre&s;ent in the coun&s;eiles of the Clergie. Al&s;o that no lay man &s;hould &s;et in iudgment ouer a clarke, or eccle&s;ia&s;ticall per&s;on. Moreouer that the Popes decr&eacute;es and &s;entences, ought to b&eacute;e iudged by no man: yea, that the Pope is &s;ubiect vn|to no ciuile power, bicau&s;e he is God. Reade <HI>Antoninus Titul. xvi. Paragra. 9.</HI> and likewi&s;e in the decr&eacute;es, in the 76. and. 28&punc; di&s;tinction.</P>
<P>Afterward in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;t. 962. the Popes of <HI>Rome</HI> grue vnto &s;o great power: that when <HI>Otho</HI> the. 1. emper|our of that name, came vnto <HI>Rome,</HI> h&eacute;e mu&s;t n&eacute;edes take an othe vnto Pope Iohn the xii. that h&eacute;e would defende the inheritance of <HI>Peter,</HI> &amp;c. Reade the. 63. di&s;tinction which b&eacute;eginneth: <HI>Tibi Do|mine Ioanni.</HI></P>
<P>But in the y&eacute;ere after the birth of our Lord &amp; &s;auiour Chri&s;t. 1000. the tyran|ny of Popes again&s;t y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> emperours brak foorth into light: for ca&s;ting away their yoke from their neckes: they b&eacute;egan fr&eacute;ely to bear rule at their owne ple&s;ure
<PB REF="80"> nothinge regardynge any Magi&s;trate, yea bringynge Princes, kynges and Emperours into &s;ubiection vnder them and compellyng to obey them, or other|wi&s;e through deceit and couen, bryng|ynge them to the bent of their bow. For I pray you what horrible tragedies and turmoiles did pope <HI>Gregory</HI> the &s;euenth &s;tirre vp again&s;t <HI>Henrie</HI> the fourth?</P>
<P>For, not only h&eacute;e excommunicated him and intreated him mo&s;t di&s;dainfully: but al&s;o di&s;charginge his &s;ubiectes, princes, and nobles that were vnder the empire from their othe and allegeance: rai&s;ed a &s;edition again&s;t him, cau&s;ing an infini|tie deale of blood to b&eacute;e &s;head. Who &s;o is di&s;po&s;ed: let him reade this mo&s;t cruell and &s;trange hi&s;torie, in the y&eacute;earlye re|cordes of <HI>Ihon Auentine,</HI> and in other hi&s;toricians.</P>
<P>Pope <HI>vrbane</HI> the .ii. which &s;ucc&eacute;eded<NOTE PLACE="marg">vrban. 2.</NOTE> <HI>Gregorie</HI> in the &s;ea of Rome, his verie true and vndoubted Di&s;ciple, in the <HI>Claromont</HI> coun&s;ell was cau&s;er of the mo&s;t cruell warre, which the Chri&s;tians made again&s;t the <HI>Sarracens,</HI> wherof we haue &s;poken b&eacute;efore. B&eacute;e&s;ides, hee pro|uoked
<PB N="98" REF="80"> <HI>Conrade</HI> the prince of Italye to rebell again&s;t his father the emperour <HI>Henrye</HI> the fourth, which was a deede altogither again&s;t nature.</P>
<P>Likewi&s;e <HI>Pa&s;chalis</HI> the .ii. egged the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pa&s;chalis. 2.</NOTE> &s;unne <HI>Henrye</HI> the v. again&s;t his father <HI>Henrye</HI> the fourth, and thri&s;e accur&s;ed him tau&s;inge the by&s;&s;hoppes of <HI>Ments,</HI> and <HI>Coleine,</HI> &amp; wourmes, in his palace of <HI>Ingelheim</HI> by force to turne him out of his imperiall ornamentes, di&s;grading the good ould emperour, and adorninge therwith his &s;unne Henrye the fifte. If anye man can b&eacute;e delighted herewith: let him read this wofull hi&s;torye, in his <HI>Saxonie</HI> of <HI>Albertus Crantius</HI> the fir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> booke, the xx. chapter.</P>
<P>The &s;ame <HI>Pa&s;chalis</HI> was trouble&s;om al&s;o vnto the emperour <HI>Henrye</HI> the fift, and was the cau&s;e of mutch blood&s;head, and all only for the donation and gift as they call them of certein eccle&s;ia&s;ticall benefices, and prefermentes, which vn|to that time the emperour had alwayes, and now the Pope went about forcibly to take them away.
<PB REF="81"> But that which h&eacute;e could not bringe to pa&s;&s;e the &s;ame afterward <HI>Calixtus</HI> the. 2 a&s;&s;aid, nether relented vntill h&eacute;e had ta|ken away from the emperour the &s;ame right of donation of &s;pirituall prefer|mentes. Wherof <HI>Abbas Vr&s;purgen&s;is</HI> hath writen diligently. The&s;e thinges were doone in the y&eacute;ere of our lord God 1122.</P>
<P>But the Popes of Rome were not<NOTE PLACE="marg">Popes op|pre&s;&s;e the emperours.</NOTE> contented with this: but the later &s;orte haue in&s;ued the trade of their predice&s;|&s;ours, touching wickednes and mi&s;cheif in per&s;ecutinge the emperours. For af|terward they b&eacute;ecame gr&eacute;euous vnto them, neuer makinge an ende of cur&s;ing &s;editions, warres, and perpetuall fraud and deceipt, vntill at length they had op|pre&s;&s;ed the w&eacute;erie emperours, and exal|ted their &s;eate aboue theirs, placinge them&s;elues in power and &s;uperioritie aboue all other. Who &s;o de&s;ireth to haue<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 2.</NOTE> a &s;ounde, and perfect knowledge of the&s;e matters: let him reade the &s;torye of <HI>Fridericus Barbaro&s;sa,</HI> and tho&s;e thinges which the Popes <HI>Adrian</HI> the fourth, and <HI>Alexander</HI> the thirde, practized again&s;t
<PB N="99" REF="81"> him, of which the later mo&s;t pre&s;umpti|ou&s;ly trode vpon the Emperours necke with his foote. Al&s;o what <HI>Caele&s;tinus</HI> the fourth wrought again&s;t Henry the fir&s;t. Let him al&s;o there b&eacute;eholde with what arrogancie, pride, and in&s;olencie, Pope Innocentius the third, a loftie and bould Prei&s;t, v&s;ed again&s;t Philip the Empe|rour. But &s;pecially let it b&eacute;e well con&s;i|dered, what the popes <HI>Honorius</HI> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> third. <HI>Gregorie</HI> the .ix. and <HI>Innocentius</HI> the. 4 committed wickedly, and deceiptfully a|gain&s;t <HI>Fridericke</HI> the &s;econde, a notable and mo&s;t excellent Emperour, &amp; a man indued with mo&s;t &s;ingular giftes, whom mo&s;t vnworthely and reprochfully, they troubled &amp; afflicted, as they did likewi&s;e his &s;unne, <HI>Conradus,</HI> the fourth emper|our of that name.</P>
<P>The&s;e contentions, per&s;ecutions, and mo&s;t cruell and perpetuall warres, b&eacute;e|tw&eacute;ene the Popes and the emperours: continued. 181. y&eacute;eres b&eacute;eginning in the time of <HI>Gregory</HI> the 7. vnto the en&s;tau|linge of <HI>Alexander</HI> the fourth, and vnto the y&eacute;ere of our lord. 1256. About which time writers of hi&s;tories, &amp; Cronacles,
<PB REF="82"> do make an <HI>Interregnu~,</HI> or &s;pace while none ruled, which indured the terme of xvii. or xviii. y&eacute;eres, vnto the election of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Anno 1271.</NOTE> y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> emperour <HI>Radulphus</HI> of <HI>Hab&s;purge.</HI> And although in the meane time certen princes were cho&s;en, as <HI>Alfon&s;us,</HI> and <HI>Rycharde,</HI> wherof the la&s;te tooke vpon him the charge, and gouerment of the empire: yet all the&s;e princes were &s;o terr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">fied with daily mole&s;tations, and deceites, wherwith y^e Popes had hether|to troubled the emperours, that no man would willinglye take the empire vpon him, &s;ince euerie man euidently b&eacute;eheld that by po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion therof h&eacute;e could obtaine no quietnes nor profit, but only damage<NOTE PLACE="marg">Kinge of <HI>Rome</HI> with|out <HI>Rome.</HI></NOTE> and vexation. For although <HI>Germanye</HI> had the title of the <HI>Romane</HI> empire: yet Rome was not the head of their empire, but of the Pepes &amp; if that haply through their great charge, trouble, and payne leadinge an armie into Italye, they had by force po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed the citie: &s;o &s;oone as they were returned again into <HI>Germa|nye,</HI> the Pope by and by repo&s;e&s;&s;ed the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Moreouer, the kinge or emperour of
<PB N="100" REF="82"> the <HI>Romans,</HI> receiueth no great com|moditie<NOTE PLACE="marg">Se <HI>Theodor Nyem</HI> of &s;ci&s;mes. 3. booke 43. chap. and <HI>sleidan. de Monar. Pag. 120. 171. 172.</HI></NOTE> nor reuenue out of the <HI>Romane</HI> Empire, &s;o that vnle&s;&s;e h&eacute;e haue other|wy&s;e proui&s;ion, and liuinge of his owne h&eacute;e is &s;carce able thereof to mayntayne his port, and dignitie. Yea, and b&eacute;e&s;ides this: the Popes haue mole&s;ted, and gone about to take awaye by force of armes, their patrimonie whiche haue taken vpon them the Empire there|of. Wherfore, princes that were of wealth and &s;ub&s;tance, haue not ea&s;ely bin per&s;uaded to take the Empire vp|pon them. And <HI>Radulphus</HI> Erle of <HI>Hab&s;purge,</HI> when as h&eacute;e accepted the election: yet could h&eacute;e neuer b&eacute;e per&s;ua|ded to goe to Rome, to receaue the Crowne of the Empire, for h&eacute;e al|wayes aun&s;wered, that h&eacute;e was af|fraid by the example of manye whiche haue gone to Rome, wherof but fewe haue returned agayne. And that h&eacute;e might cl&eacute;erelye di&s;charge him&s;elfe from that <HI>Cerberus:</HI> h&eacute;e ca&s;t into his mouth <HI>Romandiola,</HI> whiche vnto that time b&eacute;elonged to the empire.</P>
<PB REF="83">
<P>The Popes of <HI>Rome</HI> haue v&s;ed &s;un|dry &s;trange practizes, to bereue kinges and Emperours of their power, and to extolle them&s;elues aboue Kinges and Princes, or rather to ca&s;t the~ downe vn|der their f&eacute;ete. Their chiefe power con|&s;i&s;ted in excomunicatio~, or hauing exco|municated<NOTE PLACE="marg">Excommu|nication.</NOTE> any Prince: they withdrue the &s;ubiectes from obeying him, and ex|horted them to rai&s;e tumultes, and fall away from him: moreouer they egged &s;ubiectes and &s;eruantes to rebel again&s;t their Lords, &amp; Mai&s;ters &s;hamefully di&s;|charging them from their Loialtie and oth, vnder this title &amp; pretence, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> there ought no honor, nor obedience be &s;hewe~ or v&s;ed vnto excomunicate per&s;ons, nor<NOTE PLACE="marg">The popes Legates.</NOTE> oth kept towards them. Then &s;ent they abroad into all Prouinces &s;ubtile men, Legates with Bulles or Letters, and w^e y^e Apo&s;tolick power, as they terme it, through who&s;e meanes they bread &s;un|drye con&s;piracies, partly with the Bi&s;|&s;hops of the Prouinces whom they put in minde of their dutifull obedience to the Sea of <HI>Rome,</HI> partly with Princes of the Empire, and with all other that
<PB N="101" REF="83"> were of ani power, or aucthority. Thus hauinge gotten certen of tho&s;e in their faction, and rai&s;ing a di&s;&s;ention amonge the people, the next was that there mu&s;t a new Emperour, bee cho&s;en: and then fell they together by the eares whiche h&eacute;eld with the old Emperour, and they which tooke part with the new. Where|vpon many horrible, &amp; wofull mi&s;eries<NOTE PLACE="marg">Warres and &s;editi|on.</NOTE> haue en&s;ued, as ciuill warres, &s;editions, murthers, burnings, and generally all kindes of calamities: wherwith the good Emperours &s;omtimes b&eacute;eing wearye, many times ouercome by force: haue bin con&s;trained to geue place and abide the&s;e thinges, and in the meane while the Popes haue with more arrogancye and bouldne&s;&s;e aduaunced their head. Al the&s;e thinges may b&eacute;e &s;&eacute;ene as it were in a Mirrour, in y^e hi&s;tories of the empe|rours <HI>Henrie</HI> the fourth. <HI>Henrie</HI> the. 5. <HI>Frederick</HI> the fir&s;te, and <HI>Frederick</HI> the &s;econde, and others, whome w&eacute;e haue b&eacute;efore named. And &s;o at length the Popes haue ouercome and b&eacute;ecame &s;tronge, as <HI>Daniell</HI> writeth, but not by their owne power.</P>
<PB REF="84">
<P>B&eacute;e&s;ides this al&s;o, they haue v&s;ed the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Coun&s;elles</NOTE> benifite of coun&s;elles vnto the confirma|tion, and pre&s;eruation of their kingdom. For in tho&s;e dayes they made them|&s;elues rulers of the coun&s;elles, vnto whiche they called men of their owne faction, who in no poynt would gain&s;ay the Pope. And becau&s;e that of oulde times &s;utche coun&s;elles as then were holden by mo&s;t godly and learned men, were of great aucthoritye: they were al&s;o verye mutch regarded of all men which the mo&s;te hollye father (for &s;o h&eacute;e was &s;uppo&s;ed to b&eacute;e) with his adherents had concluded in their a&s;&s;emblies. And thus vnder the title of coun&s;elles: the Popes mightely brought their driftes to effect.</P>
<P>There was al&s;o a newe deui&s;e, and<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Cruciata</HI> or <HI>Croy&s;ados.</HI></NOTE> &s;uch a one as the like hath not bin heard of before, inuented in the <HI>Claromont</HI> coun&s;el, vnder Pope <HI>Vrbane</HI> the &s;econd which by a new name they called <HI>Cru|ciata:</HI> or <HI>Croysados.</HI> They preached the Cro&s;&s;e, but farre otherwi&s;e then dyd the Apo&s;tles. For they preached the Cro&s;&s;e of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, namely, how
<PB N="102" REF="84"> that through his Cro&s;&s;e and Pa&s;&s;ion, w&eacute;e are clen&s;ed from our &s;innes, and by Faith obtayne eternall felicitie. But the Popes <HI>Cruciata</HI> or <HI>Croy&s;ados,</HI> was a certein kinde of Alarme. For the preachers of this <HI>Cruciata,</HI> exhorted the chri&s;tians to &s;igne them&s;elues with the Cro&s;&s;e, (lyke as &s;ouldiers in warre for a &s;igne or token, doo weare white or red &s;karfes) and that they &s;hould march in|to the Ea&s;t again&s;t the <HI>Sarracens,</HI> as we haue &s;hewed before. And they preched that they whiche were &s;igned with the Cro&s;&s;e in this warfare: obtayned indul|gencies, that is to &s;aye, remi&s;&s;ions of &s;innes, and if they were &s;layne in battle: &s;hould be partakers of eternall felicitie.</P>
<P>Afterward, the&s;e &s;uborned preachers<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mendican<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Friers.</NOTE> of the Popes, not onely preached the cro&s;&s;e again&s;t the <HI>Sarracens:</HI> but al&s;o a|gain&s;t the Chri&s;tians, namely again&s;te the Emperours, whome the Pope had proclaimed to b&eacute;e hereticks, &amp; generally again&s;t al y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> would not adore the pope, &amp; obey all his commaundements. And by this &s;hift, the Popes haue gathered very great and well apoynted armies almo&s;t
<PB REF="85"> withoute any charge, obtayning their power, wealth, and greatne&s;&s;e wherun|to they b&eacute;e nowe growne, by verye force.</P>
<P>But in this matter the foure orders of begging or mendicant Fries haue doone the Popes verye good &s;eruice, whiche fir&s;t b&eacute;egan in the time of Pope <HI>Innocentius,</HI> and <HI>Honorius,</HI> both the. 3. of that name, which kinde of people the Chri&s;tian Churche wanted the &s;pace of MCC. y&eacute;eres, and that with more quietne&s;&s;e and commodytie then hath &s;ince the time of their b&eacute;eginninge, and approbation en&s;ued. Howbeit in prech|ynge and &s;ettyng foorth of the <HI>Cruciata</HI> or <HI>Croy&s;ados:</HI> the <HI>Dominican</HI> Friers haue taken mo&s;t paine, who by preach|yng this <HI>Cruciata</HI> or <HI>Alarme,</HI> obtayned the name of preaching Friers. Whom<NOTE PLACE="marg">Preachyng Friers.</NOTE> the Popes in con&s;ideration of their paines and dillygent &s;eruice: haue in|dued with Priuiledges, and honours, and loued them more tenderly then the re&s;tdue. Of who&s;e trauile employd to the ple&s;ure, and furtherance of the pope many thinges might be written.</P>
<PB N="103" REF="85">
<P>At length the &s;tate of Chri&s;tianytie proceeded &s;o farre, after the time of the<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Pope vaunteth him&s;elfe to be Empe.</NOTE> kinges <HI>Radulphus,</HI> and <HI>Adulphus,</HI> vn|der <HI>Albertus</HI> the fir&s;te, in the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1300. that the Pope vaunted hym&s;elfe to be Emperour. For at the &s;ame time, <HI>Bonifacius</HI> the. 8. brought in agayne the y&eacute;ere of <HI>Iubilee,</HI> which was abrogated by the Apo&s;tles. <HI>Actes</HI> the. 15 Chapter, promi&s;ing forgiuene&s;&s;e of &s;ins vnto all y^e would come to Rome: vpon y^e fir&s;t day of which <HI>Iubilee,</HI> being ador|ned in his po~tificalrobes: he came abroad &s;hewing him&s;elfe as Pope to all men, &amp; ble&s;&s;ing y^e people: the next day he came foorth in his Emperiall apparell, openly declaring that the Empire and Papacie together with all ciuill and eccle&s;ia&s;tical power, were in the popes hands. The&s;e things are written by <HI>Albertus Crant|zius,</HI> in the eight booke, 26. Chapter of his <HI>Saxonie.</HI> The &s;ame Pope al&s;o &s;et foorth <HI>Decretals,</HI> whiche are called the <HI>Decretals</HI> of <HI>Bonifacius</HI> the eight, where in muche more impudentlye h&eacute;e challengeth all power to the Popes.</P>
<P>This power or rather tirannie, and
<PB REF="86"> intollerable arrogancye, not longe after <HI>Bonifacius: Iohn</HI> the twenty and two,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iohn</HI> the. 22 again&s;t the emperour <HI>Ludou. 4.</HI></NOTE> put in practi&s;e, and declared towardes <HI>Ludouick.</HI> For he mo&s;t reprochefully mi&s;u&s;ed him, excommunicated him, ca&s;t him into gr&eacute;euous warres, cau&s;inge an vn&s;peakable deale of mans bloud to be &s;head, throughout all <HI>Germanie.</HI> The&s;e thinges are de&s;cribed dilligently, and at large, by <HI>Iohn Auentine</HI> in the &s;euenth booke of the yeerely recordes of the <HI>Boi:</HI> whiche I declare for this intent, that who &s;o de&s;ireth to haue an exacte know|ledge of the&s;e thinges: may know wher+to finde it.</P>
<P>Moreouer, in the reigne of <HI>Ludouick</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Zurick</HI> excommu|nicated.</NOTE> the fourth, as al&s;o before, vnder <HI>Fride|rick</HI> the &s;econd, the Citie of <HI>Zurick</HI> b&eacute;e|cau&s;e it tooke part with the Emperours again&s;t the Pope, keeping alwaies their oth and allegance towardes hym: &s;tood many y&eacute;eres excommunicated, whiche was not withoute great hinderance of the commonwealth, although &s;ince that time it hath againe bin indued with &s;undrye priuiledges, and honours. At which time the fir&s;t ground and founda|tion
<PB N="104" REF="86"> of the <HI>Swicers</HI> league, through the gifte of God was layde mo&s;t happely, <HI>Ludouick</HI> the Emperour mo&s;t largely and liberally graunting to the &s;ame, and fauoring the <HI>Swicers,</HI> whom I pray god to ble&s;&s;e, and k&eacute;epe, and defend mo&s;te mercifully.</P>
<P>Nowe perhaps you wyll a&s;ke m&eacute;e, whether the&s;e Actes of the Popes and Emperours, and the increa&s;e of the Po|pi&s;h power and aucthority, doo any thing appertaine to y^e per&s;ecutions again&s;t the churh, wherof at the beginning we pur|po&s;ed to write? yea indeede, altogether, &amp; &s;urely mo&s;t properly they appertaine to the &s;ame. For in a&s;much as the fir&s;t bi&s;|&s;hops of <HI>Rome</HI> per&s;ecuted no man, but them&s;elues &s;uffred per&s;ecution, &amp; were Martires, and tho&s;e whiche next follo|wed were mo&s;t parte of them holye and faithfull doctours, &s;ubiectes to the Em|perours and ciuill Maie&s;trates, and ru|led ouer no Prouinces nor Peoples &s;o that none of them were Princes, and the later Popes in the&s;e la&s;te times &s;tirred vp mo&s;te gr&eacute;euous per&s;ecutions within the circute of Chri&s;tendome:
<PB REF="87"> it is expedient to know by what means and maner, how, why, and when, the &s;tate of the by&s;&s;hops of <HI>Rome</HI> was &s;o &s;hamefully deformed and chaunged, that the later Popes b&eacute;ecomminge &s;o farre diffrent from the fir&s;t by&s;&s;hops: b&eacute;ecame Lordes of kinges, and emperours, and cruell per&s;ecuters of them. Now ther|fore, &s;o many mo&s;te cruell and &s;harpe warres, which the Popes b&eacute;eing aduan|ced to &s;o great power haue &s;tirred amo~g Chri&s;tians, in which &s;utch aboundance of Chri&s;tian blood hath bin &s;head: maye they not rightfully be reckned among&s;t the per&s;ecutions of Chri&s;tians? For like as abroad they haue bin &s;ticklers of mo&s;t gr&eacute;euous warres vnto the Chri&s;ti|ans again&s;t the <HI>Sarracens</HI> and Turkes, as w&eacute;e haue declared b&eacute;efore: &s;o haue they bin al&s;o at home aucthours of per|&s;ecutions, troubles, and de&s;truction to Chri&s;tians. Doth not this verie well de|&s;erue the name of a per&s;ecution, when as Chri&s;tian emperours, with &s;uch as duetifully obeyd his he&s;tes, ar by Popes vexed and wa&s;&s;hed with their own blood di&s;courteou&s;ly dealt withall with wea|pons,
<PB N="105" REF="87"> and warlike torments, which, as we haue &s;hewed b&eacute;efore out of hi&s;torys, many y&eacute;eres with infinite &s;pillinge of blood, were mo&s;t cruelly and tyranni|cally committed? But in the mid&s;t of &s;o many calamities, the wofull kinges and emperours perpetuallye &s;uffringe affliction, and mi&s;erie: at length they and theirs quayled, and gaue ouer, and the Popes b&eacute;einge conquerours: trium|phed, and althinges hapned accordinge to their de&s;ier, and &s;o they e&s;tabli&s;hed their power, that they might &s;tand heer|after in awe of no man, but rule at their plea&s;ure without all controulement.</P>
<P>And in very d&eacute;ede, the&s;e are not vnlike vnto <HI>Daniels</HI> prophecy, wherin h&eacute;e hath left thus written: While the vngodly are a growyng: there &s;hall ari&s;e a king with an impudent face, which &s;hall vn|der&s;tand darck &s;ayinges, and his power &s;hal encrea&s;e but not in his own &s;tre~gth and h&eacute;e &s;hal de&s;troy aboue mea&s;ure, and all that h&eacute;e goeth about &s;hal pro&s;per, and h&eacute;e &s;hall de&s;troy the valient and holly people. And through his craftines, de|ceit &s;hal pro&s;per in his hand, and h&eacute;e &s;hal
<PB REF="88"> magnifie him&s;elfe in his hart, and in his pro&s;perity h&eacute;e &s;hall confound many. Yea h&eacute;e &s;hall ri&s;e vp again&s;t y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> prince of prin|ces, but h&eacute;e him&s;elfe &s;halb&eacute;e de&s;troyed with out hand. <HI>Daniell</HI> the .viii. Chap. But if I would here declare y^e vn&s;peka|ble deal of mans blood, which by means<NOTE PLACE="marg">Warres for <HI>sicill,</HI> and <HI>Naples.</HI></NOTE> of Popes hath bin &s;head in <HI>Sicile, Na|ples,</HI> and <HI>Apulia:</HI> &s;urelye the recitall would b&eacute;e ouer longe. For, from y^e time of <HI>Innocentius</HI> the. 4. vnto <HI>Clemente</HI> the vii. y^e &s;pace of. 284. y&eacute;eres: &s;umtime the <HI>Germans,</HI> afterward the <HI>Frenchme~</HI> again the <HI>Spainiards</HI> again&s;t y^e <HI>French|men,</HI> then a fre&s;h the <HI>Germans</HI> again&s;t them, then againe the <HI>Frenchmen</HI> and <HI>Hungarians</HI> were by Popes called to &s;utch and &s;utch kingdomes, and &s;utch and &s;utch peoples were at warre, and by them &s;et togither by the eares. All which troubles are diligently &s;et downe by hi&s;toricians.</P>
<P>Moreouer, through the immoderate,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Popes ru|lers of faith and the Church.</NOTE> and vnlawfull power or rather tyranny of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Popes, no le&s;&s;e al&s;o by other mea|nes, blooddy per&s;ecutions and murthers haue ri&s;en. For after that, as w&eacute;e haue
<PB N="106" REF="88"> &s;hewen b&eacute;efore, they had mightely v&s;ur|ped vpon all Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall and Ciuill iuri&s;diction, and power al&s;o ouer coun|&s;elles: then might they afterward in&s;ti|tute and ordeine all ordres of y^e Church the doctrine of faith and religion, rites and cu&s;tomes in the Churche, at theyr owne will and plea&s;ure. And hereof aro&s;e per&s;ecutions. For who &s;o euer re&s;i&s;ted: tho&s;e they cried out vppon for heretickes, and vnder that pretence per&s;ecuted them. And this &s;ame (b&eacute;e|&s;ides the warres of the Popes) I terme properlye the Papi&s;ticall per&s;ecution agayn&s;te Chri&s;tians, and the Chri|&s;tian Churche, whiche was mooued again&s;te the godlye and faithfull onely for their faithes &s;ake, as it was &s;um|time in the primitiue Church. Wher|fore, like as at the beeginninge, the fir&s;t faithfull were per&s;ecuted by the Emperours of Rome: euen &s;o towards the ende of the worlde, the faithfull of the latter times do &s;uffer per&s;ecution by the Popes of Rome. But vndoub|tedlye the Lorde will come &s;hortlye to iudge both the quick, and the dead.</P>
<PB REF="89">
<P>But to the end that this matter may the better b&eacute;e vnder&s;toode, and for the more exact knowledge therof: it cannot<NOTE PLACE="marg">Errours crept into the Church</NOTE> b&eacute;e denied, that many errours and abu|&s;es not now fir&s;t, but &s;umwhat b&eacute;efore haue crept in and haue bin receaued in|to the Church, &s;o that through continu|ance of time: they haue growen into cu&s;tome. Which thinges with manie o|ther moe, in proce&s;&s;e of time are confir|med, and cheifly by the Popes forced vpon men, and by &s;ubtile practi&s;es but &s;pecially by the &s;woorde inlarged, and pre&s;erued: in &s;o mutch that many per|ceauynge the errour, yet dur&s;t not o|penly with&s;tande it: for they &s;aw well, that they might not &s;o do without daun|ger of their owne bloud. But cheifly in the&s;e later times this cu&s;tome hath pre|ueyled, which I wil now recite.</P>
<P>In the dayes of the emperours <HI>Lo|tharius,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Originall of the <HI>Can|non</HI> law. <HI>Gratianus.</HI></NOTE> and <HI>Conrade</HI> the .iij. or as other &s;ome &s;ay of <HI>Fridericke,</HI> about the y&eacute;ere of Chri&s;te. 1130. <HI>Gratianus Bononien&s;is</HI> a Munke of the order of <HI>Benedictus,</HI> ga|thered together the &s;entences of y^e coun|&s;els, fathers, and popes, touching &s;undry
<PB N="107" REF="89" MS="y"> matters apperteinyng to religion &amp; the Church, and &s;etfoorth that work abroad which is commonly called <HI>Decretum,</HI> or Decree. After <HI>Gratianus,</HI> certein po|pes, as <HI>Gregory</HI> the. 9. <HI>Bonifacius</HI> the, 8 <HI>Clemens</HI> the. 5. &amp; <HI>Iohn</HI> the. 22. following the example of <HI>Gratianus:</HI> haue gathe|red al&s;o, &amp; with y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> help of certein munks and Doctours: they patched together &s;e~|tences and iudgements of Popes, con|cernyng rites, and in&s;titutions, and bu|&s;ine&s;&s;es apperteinyng to Churches, and eccle&s;ia&s;ticall orders. The &s;ame are cal|led <HI>Decretales,</HI> and <HI>Extrauagantes,</HI> and were added vnto <HI>Gratianus Decretum,</HI> and all of them togither do make the body of the Canon law. This law b&eacute;e|gan to b&eacute;e taught in &s;chooles, which all other followed in doing the like in their<NOTE PLACE="marg">Scholes, and Vni|uer&s;ities vn+der the pope</NOTE> eccle&s;ia&s;ticall iudgmentes, and admini|&s;tration of y^e Church. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y which menes Schooles and vniuer&s;ities whiche are called the Schooles of lawes &amp; Canons came vnder the Popes iuri&s;diction, wherein the &s;cholars, Mai&s;ters, and Doctours, mu&s;te take an othe to b&eacute;e o|bedient vnto the Pope, and the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> of
<PB REF="90"> Rome, or vnto &s;utch as are obedient vn|to him, or again&s;t his lawes, and in|&s;titutions&punc; Yea this matter hath proce|ded &s;o farre: that the emperours al&s;o, as well as all other by&s;&s;hops, mu&s;t take an othe vnto y^e Pope. The fourm of which Othe: is extant in y^e Decr&eacute;es, &amp; Decre|tals.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Swere to the Pope.</NOTE> And by this meanes the Pope hath made &s;ubiect, bound, &amp; b&eacute;eholding vnto him: al &s;ortes, and orders of y^e Church.</P>
<P>H&eacute;ereunto oppertaineth, that at the &s;ame time with <HI>Gratianus,</HI> not longe af+ter, accordinge to the &s;upputation of o|ther, about the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde. 1172.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Peter Lum|bard.</NOTE> <HI>Peter Lumbard,</HI> whom they call mai|&s;ter of the &s;entences, wroat, and &s;etforth 4. bookes of the Chri&s;tian faith and doc|trine, which were receaued into the Schooles, as was the body of the lawe: &s;o that like as <HI>Gratianus</HI> is aucthour of the <HI>Canoni&s;tes,</HI> &amp; doctours of the Pon|tifical lawe: &s;o <HI>Peter Lumbard</HI> is aucth|our of the &s;chola&s;ticall diuinitie. For the Doctours of tho&s;e times, and cheiflye mendicant friers, read <HI>Lumbardes</HI> &s;en|tences openly in &s;chools, and haue writ|ten vpon the &s;ame, as <HI>Albertus, Tho|mas, Bonauenture, Scotus,</HI> and many
<PB N="108" REF="90"> other. And according vnto the&s;e &s;enten|ces: they ordred the doctrin of faith, and all other affaires of y^e Church. At which time the Chri&s;tian doctrine was won|derfully torne &amp; cut into &s;undrie que&s;ti|ons, wherof they co~monly di&s;puted and argued in y^e &s;choles and holy &s;ermons, or rather &s;koulded, wherby the Chri&s;tian doctrine, b&eacute;ecame altogither vnlike vnto<NOTE PLACE="marg">Agreement of the Church.</NOTE> th'auntient Apo&s;tolike &s;inglenes, &amp; inte|gritie. Althings were referred and &s;ub|iected to y^e &s;ea of Rome, and y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> pope vnto whom al y^e Canoni&s;tes, &amp; diuines were bound by an othe. And this is y^e con&s;pira+cie of the clargie, which they cal &amp; vaunt to be the con&s;ent of al y^e church, in faith, &amp; doctrine. Howbeit in veri d&eacute;ed it is none other but this con&s;piracy which we haue h&eacute;ere recited. Wherfore, out of this fountaine and wel&s;pryng, flowed y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> gre|uous papi&s;ticall per&s;ecution again&s;t the Chri&s;tian Church. For who&s;oeuer mi&s;|liked with the Popes Monarchie, and con&s;piracy of y^e clergy, which they terme con&s;ent and agr&eacute;ement of the church, and did not &s;peake althinges according to the intent of the Canoni&s;tes, and Theolo|gi&s;tes: vpon tho&s;e they ran in flockes,
<PB REF="91"> and through the Popes helpe, and a&s;i&s;|tance of the &s;eculer arme: they procla|med them euerywhere hereticks, per|&s;ecuted, and oppre&s;&s;ed them. Touchyng which purpo&s;e, in the <HI>Decretals</HI> there is extant a decr&eacute;e of Pope <HI>Lucius</HI> the third the effect whereof is this. Who&s;oeuer<NOTE PLACE="marg">A popi&s;he decree.</NOTE> thinke otherwi&s;e of the Sacramentes then the holy Church of <HI>Rome</HI> thinketh and lykewi&s;e, all whom the Pope &s;hall condemne: let them be accoumpted for heretickes, and excomunicate per&s;ons. Ther is added al&s;o an explication how the ciuill Magi&s;trate &s;hall proc&eacute;ede a|gain&s;t &s;utch, which if h&eacute;e wyll not doe: how they &s;hall proc&eacute;ede again&s;t the di&s;o|bedient Maie&s;trate. The thirde booke the &s;euenth Title of Heretickes, Chap|ter, <HI>Ad abolendum.</HI> To aboli&s;h. &amp;c.</P>
<P>Hereunto accorded the coun&s;ell, which<NOTE PLACE="marg">Coun&s;elles do con&s;ent.</NOTE> as w&eacute;e haue before admoni&s;hed, the Popes had vnder their owne power, for by occa&s;ion of them they haue alwayes kept their con&s;ent and agr&eacute;ement, and all that euer re&s;i&s;ted the &s;ame: tho&s;e haue they oppre&s;&s;ed, put to flighte, or quight rooted out. For what&s;oeuer
<PB N="109" REF="91"> were decr&eacute;ed in the coun&s;elles: the &s;ame mu&s;t be brought to effect, &amp; immediatly put in execution, whereunto all Maie&s;|trats wer bound, and as many as were able to beare armour.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;um of papi&s;ti|call coun&s;el.</NOTE></P>
<P>In the y&eacute;ere of our Lorde, 1215. Pope <HI>Innocentius</HI> the third, held a great coun|&s;ell in <HI>Lateran</HI> at <HI>Rome:</HI> the manner and forme of the indiction, <HI>Abbas Vr|&s;purgen&s;is</HI> hath expre&s;&s;ed in his Cro|nacles, whiche comprehendeth verye many thinges, the cheife &s;umme wher|of b&eacute;e the&s;e. Fir&s;t of making warre vp|on the <HI>Sarracens,</HI> and recouering <HI>Ieru|&s;alem,</HI> and the holye Sepulcher. The &s;econd of rooting out here&s;ies. The third of mendinge of manners, and refour|ming the Church. The &s;ame Chapters were propounded almo&s;t in al coun&s;els, which haue bin holden from that time hitherto. They all intreate of thr&eacute;e poyntes. Of repre&s;&s;inge the force of the Turkes, of rooting out of here&s;ies, and of refourming the Church.</P>
<P>But although they haue celebrated many Coun&s;els, within the precinct of 300. y&eacute;eres and more: yet haue they in
<PB REF="92"> none of them refourmed that was a|mi&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Coun&s;elles</NOTE> wherby it might de&s;erue y^e name of a reformation. For errours and &s;u|per&s;titions with &s;undrye abu&s;es moe, are not taken away but more increa&s;ed mutchle&s;&s;e haue they reformed anye whit in the head (as they &s;peake,) or members of the Church. And although the whole world, during the &s;pace of cer+ten hundred y&eacute;eres haue woorthely ac|cu&s;ed the abu&s;es, and mo&s;t corrupt &s;tate of the eccle&s;ia&s;ticall order, with other e|normities of the Church, which well de|&s;erue to be taken away and mended: Notwith&s;tandinge they haue not tou|ched them with their little finger, and therfore oftentimes ari&s;e &s;ome greater di&s;cordes, and they fall farther of from the Chri&s;tian di&s;cipline. Yea, &amp; all &s;uch as &s;&eacute;eke for, and require to haue &s;ome true reformation, reprehending the di&s;|orders and abu&s;es, and &s;pecially y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> popes vnlawfull aucthorytie, the filthye, and lecherous lyfe of the Clargye, which all men are con&s;trained to confe&s;&s;e to b&eacute;e very culpable: the &s;ame men neuerthe|le&s;&s;e are condempned for &s;ci&s;matickes,
<PB N="110" REF="92"> and <HI>Hereticks,</HI> &amp; ar &s;harply per&s;ecuted.</P>
<P>For vnto them all are Heretickes:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Whom the Pope cal|leth here|tieks.</NOTE> who&s;oeuer do not &s;ubmit them&s;elues to the Sea of <HI>Rome,</HI> and the Pope in all thinges, and bel&eacute;eue in althinges which that Sea bel&eacute;eueth and commandeth to b&eacute;e bel&eacute;eued, accordyng to the aboue na|med con&s;piracie: and &s;o <HI>Lucius</HI> the pope defineth Heretickes in his <HI>Decretall,</HI> wherof we haue made mention before, in the Chapter <HI>Ad aboliendum,</HI> to abo|ly&s;he. Wherefore with them it is not &s;ufficient that a godlye man confe&s;&s;e all the articles of the antient, true, vndoub|ted, and Apo&s;tolick faith, &s;aying: that h&eacute;e bel&eacute;eueth in one God, the father &amp;c. that h&eacute;e al&s;o alowe, and confe&s;&s;e the foure or|ders of our bel&eacute;efe &s;et foorth by the aun|tient coun&s;elles, and <HI>S. Athana&s;ius,</HI> and what&s;oeuer are taught and confirmed out of the holy &s;criptures of both Te&s;ta|ments: &amp; moreouer doo condemne y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> he|re&s;ies which were conuicted &amp; condem|ned in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> antient coun&s;els. In ould time this kinde of confe&s;&s;ion was &s;ufficient e|nough for chri&s;tia~s in y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> auntient church but among&s;t the&s;e men all the&s;e things aveile nothinge, neither &s;uffice to the
<PB REF="93"> confe&s;&s;ion of the faith, but a man mu&s;te n&eacute;edes confe&s;&s;e and beleue in the church of <HI>Rome</HI> as it is now vnder the Pope, and follow the con&s;ent thereof: or el&s;e he &s;hall l&eacute;e&s;e honour, goodes, bodie, lyfe and all.</P>
<P>And therefore during the time of the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Coun&s;elles cau&s;e wars. and per&s;ecu+tions.</NOTE> Coun&s;els, before, and after them, haue bin many bateiles, murthers, and foule wa&s;tings committed, nether were the&s;e things done onely again&s;t the <HI>Sarracens</HI> and vnfaithfull men: but with mutche more extreamitie and crueltie again&s;t Chri&s;tians, which would b&eacute;e ind&eacute;ed, and named Chri&s;tians, and not papi&s;ts, and which di&s;allowed and al&s;o be wayled the pride, and tyrany of the Pope, his great and manife&s;t abu&s;es and deprauations of holy thinges. Wherefore in the ould time it grewe into a prouerbe: <HI>Euery coun&s;ell breedeth warre:</HI> which is to be vnder&s;toode of Papi&s;ticall coun&s;els, and found ind&eacute;ed to be true by proofe.</P>
<P>For that I may pa&s;&s;e ouer in this place, warres and mo&s;te bloody per&s;ecu|tions of faithfull men, but enemies to the Sea of <HI>Rome,</HI> whiche were waged
<PB N="111" REF="93"> and committed in the reigne of Pope <HI>Innocentius</HI> the thirde and certen other Popes next en&s;uing: let vs onli examin tho&s;e thinges which are not farre pa&s;t the memory of men that are aliue. The<NOTE PLACE="marg">The coun|&s;ell of <HI>Con|&s;tance.</HI></NOTE> coun&s;el of Con&s;tance, I pray you, what warres, per&s;ecutions, burninges, wa&s;|tyngs, and murthers purcha&s;ed it vnto <HI>Boheme, &amp; Germanie?</HI> He that know|eth not this: let him learne it at lea&s;t wi&s;e out of Pope <HI>Pius</HI> the &s;econde, who when he was called as yet <HI>Aeneas Sylui|us,</HI> wroat the&s;e thinges very dilligently in his &s;torye of <HI>Boheme.</HI> The troubles, &s;editions, &amp; &s;laughters, which the coun|&s;el of <HI>Ba&s;ile</HI> brought forth are in part re|cited<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Coun+&s;ell of <HI>Ba&s;ile.</HI></NOTE> by <HI>Platina</HI> in the life of <HI>Eugenius</HI> the fourth. But b&eacute;e&s;ids this, we haue a more fre&s;h and certeine example of the <HI>Tridentine</HI> Coun&s;el, which beeing fir&s;t appoynted at <HI>Mantua,</HI> and afterwarde at <HI>Vincentia:</HI> was at the la&s;t by <HI>Paule</HI> the thirde in the yeare of our Lord. 1542 called at <HI>Trident</HI> nigh <HI>Athe&s;is,</HI> wholy in manner and fourme as we haue b&eacute;e|fore recited, whiche was conluded and<NOTE PLACE="marg">The <HI>Tri|dent</HI> coun&s;el</NOTE> ended by Pope <HI>Pius</HI> the fourth in the
<PB REF="94"> y&eacute;ere of our Lorde. 1563.</P>
<P>Howbeit, what thinges were doone<NOTE PLACE="marg">Per&s;ecurti|ons of our time.</NOTE> certen y&eacute;eres before this coun&s;el, and al|&s;o &s;ince, again&s;t holie and faithfull men, which only beleeued in the Go&s;pell, but not in traditions of Popes nor in y^e &s;ea of <HI>Rome,</HI> by <HI>Leo. x. Cleme~t. 7. Paul. 3.</HI> and&punc; 4. <HI>Iulius,</HI> the 3. <HI>Pius,</HI> y^e. 4. and. 5. and by this pre&s;ent Pope <HI>Gregorye</HI> the. 13. the &s;pace of. 53. y&eacute;eres: I n&eacute;ede not re|peat. For they are knowen vnto God and al y^e world, and as it were writen in heauen, vnto which place y^e blood of all innocents together with the blood of <HI>A|bel:</HI> crieth from the earth vnto God for vengeance. Many gr&eacute;euous, longe, and bloodye warres for &s;undry cau&s;es were waged in tho&s;e y&eacute;eres, but at the &s;ame time no le&s;&s;e gr&eacute;euous and bloody per&s;e|cutions wer committed again&s;t y^e faith|full: for faith, and religions &s;ake. Faith|full and Godly men were reprochefully and iniuriou&s;ly dealt withal, apprehen|ded, thrown out of dores, driuen into ex|ile, &s;poyled of their goods, beheaded, han|ged on gallowes, burned, vexed with al kindes of tormentes, and puni&s;hment.
<PB N="112" REF="94"> And by this meanes were oppre&s;&s;ed tormented, &amp; &s;layne, hundred thou&s;ands, of faithfull men and profe&s;&s;ours of the Go&s;pell both in the higher, and lower <HI>Germanie,</HI> in <HI>Scotla~d, England, Spaine,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> (which found out the new practize of the inqui&s;ition) in <HI>Italie,</HI> and other regions. But cheiflye what hath bin doone in <HI>France:</HI> ther is no man at this day but knoweth. And there are extant whole bookes written of y^e gr&eacute;euous, and long Papi&s;ticall per&s;ecution, and the thinge doone is yet fre&s;h in memory, wherfore it is not n&eacute;edefull that I &s;hould &s;pecially declare it againe at large, &s;ince yet at this pre&s;ent they make no end of their crueltie, and &s;heding of blood. Since ther+fore, thei which would &s;&eacute;eme to be Fa|thers, and pa&s;tours of y^e church, do make them&s;elues executioners of this la&s;t pa|pi&s;ticall per&s;ecution: w&eacute;e may not only compare it w^e y^e olde per&s;ecutions, but in re&s;pect of the greatnes prefer it aboue it.</P>
<P>Moreouer, as in auntient times the ould per&s;ecutors of y^e church were egged forwarde to rigour through an vn&s;ati|able de&s;ire to rule, to th' intent they might k&eacute;epe and increa&s;e their dig|nitie,
<PB REF="95"> plea&s;ures, ritches, and &s;uper|&s;tition: &s;o likewi&s;e is the Papi&s;ticall per&s;ecution committed for the &s;ame cau&s;e. But like as the Chri&s;tian faith in the ould time was no whit the le&s;&s;e e&s;t&eacute;emed of for the per&s;ecutions: &s;o at this pre&s;ent the Euangelicall doctrine is nothinge the woor&s;e nor viler, bicau&s;e the Papi&s;ts do per&s;ecute the profe&s;&s;ours of the Go&s;pell, and manie times ouer|come them. There are &s;undrie cau&s;es, why God &s;uffreth this to b&eacute;e doone, nei|ther ought any man to accu&s;e, or call the iudgment of God into que&s;tion.</P>
<P>And this mutch I had to &s;aye of the per&s;ecutio~s which the Church of Chri&s;t hath &s;uffred from the birth of our Saui|our vnto our time: comprehendinge breefely the whole &s;umme, wherby the matter beeing otherwi&s;e verie large: might &s;eeme ouerlonge, and tedious to the reader. Howbeit, much more might and oughte to haue bin written of thys manifold, and ample argument.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="17" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="113" REF="95">
<HEAD><HI>Of the Sundry cau&s;es,</HI> why God &s;uffreth the <HI>Chri&s;|tian Church to be torne with Ty|rantes</HI> and afflicted with per|&s;ecutions. <HI>Chapter. xvii.</HI></HEAD>
<P>HEerafter I intende to declare, the cau&s;es and effectes of the aboue re|cited per&s;ecutions of y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> chri&s;tian church, which doo worke in the faithfull, And although I haue already almo&s;t in eue|ry one, &s;hewed them: notwith&s;tandyng ther remaine &s;ome more &s;peciall, which are of vs with more diligence to b&eacute;e con|&s;idered.</P>
<P>Per&s;ecutions are &s;ent to the Churche by the iu&s;t iudgment of god, as the &s;crip|ture plainely witne&s;&s;eth were &s;ent vn|to <HI>Iob</HI> the hollie man, and Seruant of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob.</NOTE> God: the Cro&s;&s;e, affliction, and per&s;ecu|tion from God. Vnto which purpo&s;e, God v&s;ed Satan as an in&s;trument, pre|&s;cribing him bonds how farre he &s;hould per&s;ecute <HI>Iob.</HI> And Satan through his malice &s;tirred vp the rauenous and gre|die
<PB REF="96" MS="y"> people of the <HI>Chaldees,</HI> to breake in vpon <HI>Iobs</HI> goodes, to &s;poile him, and bringe him to pouertie. Then <HI>Iob,</HI> al|though h&eacute;e vnder&s;tood y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">through the in|&s;tigation of <HI>Satan,</HI> h&eacute;e was in &s;utch &s;ort endamaged by wicked, and rauenous men: notwith&s;tandinge h&eacute;e tooke regard vnto the principall cau&s;e of per&s;ecution, and h&eacute;e &s;aide not as the maner is now a daies, that h&eacute;e was &s;ore afflicted by <HI>Sa|tan,</HI> and maliciou&s;lye &s;poiled by the <HI>Chaldees:</HI> but, &s;aid h&eacute;e, the Lorde hath giuen and the Lord hath taken away, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> name of the Lorde b&eacute;e ble&s;&s;ed for euer.</P>
<P>Likewi&s;e, the &s;cripture in the &s;ame<NOTE PLACE="marg">Captiuitie of Babilon</NOTE> &s;ignification, calleth <HI>Nabuchodono&s;or</HI> the &s;eruaunt of God, which per&s;ecuted his people, and lead them captiue into Babilon, for &s;o it is write~ in the &s;econd booke of <HI>Paralipomenon,</HI> the la&s;t Chap. wherfore God &s;ent his Prophetes vnto them, exhorting the~ to repent, but they mocked at them. And therfore the lorde b&eacute;einge di&s;plea&s;ed with them: brought vpon them the king of <HI>Chaldees</HI> (which was <HI>Nabuchodono&s;or</HI>) and diliuered then into his hands. Likewi&s;e in <HI>Daniel</HI>
<PB N="114" REF="96"> the. 9. &amp; y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Lorde watched for a &s;hrewd turne, and hath brought it vpon vs: Our Lord God is iu&s;t in all his woorkes, which h&eacute;e hath doone. And although they were the <HI>Chaldees</HI> which lead away the people of God into hard, and &s;harpe cap|tiuitie: notwith&s;tandinge the Prophets of God, <HI>Ieremie, Ezechiel, Daniel,</HI> with many other hollie men, which &s;awe, and felt the&s;e thinges: cho&s;e rather with <HI>Iob</HI> to a&s;cribe their affliction &amp; per&s;ecution vnto God and his iu&s;tice, then vnto the vnb&eacute;el&eacute;euing and wicked men. So like|wi&s;e at this day, the faithfull had rather to &s;uppo&s;e, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> they abide their afflictions at the handes of God: then of men. For they know, that men can do nothing vn|le&s;&s;e God permitt them. And in that he permitteth them: againe thereby they know &amp; b&eacute;el&eacute;eue y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> all thinges are done, &amp; &s;uffred by him to b&eacute;e doone: by his iu&s;t iudgment, and for y^e profit of his people.</P>
<P>Wherfore, by all the&s;e thinges we mai<NOTE PLACE="marg">The godly &s;uffer per&s;e+cution.</NOTE> vnder&s;tand, that the cro&s;&s;e, afflictions, &amp; per&s;ecutions ar &s;ent fro~ God, &amp; laid al&s;o vpon holy and Godly men. And as tou|ching <HI>Iob:</HI> God him&s;elf bereth witnes:
<PB REF="97"> that h&eacute;e was a &s;ingle and righteous man, fearing God, and e&s;chewing euell who&s;e like was not vpon the earthe. Moreouer, all men acknowledge and confe&s;&s;e, that the Prophetes, <HI>Iohn</HI> the Bapti&s;te, and the Apo&s;tles: were holly men, and the &s;eruantes of God, and yet notw^t&s;ta~ding they al &s;uffred per&s;ecutio~. Be&s;ides this, S. <HI>Peter</HI> writeth: that Chri&s;tians &s;hould not &s;uffer as th&eacute;eues, or malefactours: but only for God, and the truethes cau&s;e. The fir&s;t epi&s;tle of Peter, the. 4. chapter.</P>
<P>Secondly, God &s;endeth per&s;ecution vnto &s;utch, as ought to b&eacute;e the people of God, and partly al&s;o are ind&eacute;ede, and &s;o are named: but are not &s;o innocent, pure, and holly, as of duetie they &s;hould b&eacute;e, as w&eacute;e &s;ayd erewhile of the people of God, which were lead away into <HI>Ba|bylon:</HI> And <HI>Cyprian</HI> te&s;tifieth, that the cau&s;e of the per&s;ecution at his time vn|der the Emperour <HI>Decius:</HI> was the di&s;|&s;olute life of the faithfull. <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> &s;heweth the like cau&s;es, where h&eacute;e de|&s;cribeth the per&s;ecution of <HI>Dioclecian.</HI> And it is &s;&eacute;ene, that booth giltie and vn|giltie,
<PB N="115" REF="97"> good and bad, altogither are &s;ubiect to the cro&s;&s;e. I call vngiltie, tho&s;e whiche b&eacute;eynge vnlike to the children of this worlde: are not defiled with all kynde of wickedne&s;&s;e, neuerthele&s;&s;e haue their imperfections, and as it were, certein moales and &s;taynyngs. Wherefore, they confe&s;&s;e their faultes and defectes vnto God, and glorie nothyng of them|&s;elues. Accordyng vnto which &s;ence and opinion, <HI>Iob</HI> &s;ayth: <HI>Surely I know it is true, that no man is iu&s;t if hee be com|pared to God. If hee will &s;triue with him: hee is not able to aun&s;were him vnto one for a thou&s;and. And althogh I haue doone &s;ome iu&s;t deede: yet will I not an&s;were, but intreate my iudge.</HI> And <HI>Dauid</HI> in the. 142. P&s;alme &s;aith: <HI>Enter not into iudgment with thy &s;er|uant O Lorde, for there &s;hall no liuing creature bee iu&s;tified in thy &s;ight.</HI> Wherfore, tho&s;e which b&eacute;e giltle&s;&s;e, al|though they b&eacute;e &s;ubiect to per&s;ecution with the mo&s;t wicked men: notwith|&s;tandinge they murmur not again&s;t y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Lorde, but accordinge to the &s;criptures they confe&s;&s;e and &s;ay: <HI>Thy iudgements
<PB REF="98"> are iu&s;t, O Lorde, and all thy waies are trueth, and holine&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, per&s;ecutions are &s;ent from god vnto the Church, to declare his glorie, and Maie&s;tie. For when the Di&s;ciples vpon a time, had enquired of the Lorde touching the man that was borne blind, whether h&eacute;e or his parentes had de&s;er|ued the &s;ame by their offences: the lorde an&s;wered them, as app&eacute;ereth in Iohn the ix. chapter, that this was doone, that the glory of God might b&eacute;e declared in him. The like al&s;o h&eacute;e &s;aid of the &s;ick|nes of his frend <HI>Lazarus,</HI> in Iohn the 12. that the infirmitie was not vnto death: but &s;ent to the glorye of God, that y^e &s;un of God might b&eacute;e glorified therby. For in per&s;ecutions, the power of God is de|clared wherby h&eacute;e pre&s;erueth his in the mid&s;t of afflictions, and when h&eacute;e &s;&eacute;eth time, deliuereth them with great glory, as it is euidently expre&s;&s;ed in the &s;tories of <HI>Daniell, He&s;ter,</HI> and <HI>E&s;dras.</HI> Wher|fore, it is writen by Saint <HI>Paule:</HI> w&eacute;e haue the trea&s;ure of the Go&s;pell in ear|then ve&s;&s;elles, that the excellencie of the power therof may be Gods, and not our
<PB N="116" REF="98"> owne, while in althinges w&eacute;e ar pre&s;&s;ed but not wronge: we are in trouble but w&eacute;e do not want, w&eacute;e &s;uffer per&s;ecution but w&eacute;e are not therin for&s;aken, ca&s;te downe, nor peri&s;he. w&eacute;e carie the mor|tification of our Lorde Ie&s;us Chri&s;te a|bout with vs in our body, to the intente that the lyfe which commeth by Ie&s;us Chri&s;te: may b&eacute;e made manife&s;t in our body, the .ii. to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> the. 4. Chapter. For which cau&s;e, the &s;ame Apo&s;tle writeth how it was &s;aid vnto him by the Lorde: my grace is &s;ufficient for th&eacute;e, for my &s;trength is made perfect through weakne&s;&s;e, the 2. to the <HI>Corin|thias,</HI> the xii. chapter.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The trueth is knowen by per&s;ecu|tions.</NOTE></P>
<P>There is al&s;o another cau&s;e of per&s;e|cutions, for that it plea&s;eth God through them to reueale the trueth vnto men: namely, when the faithfull b&eacute;eing appre+hended in per&s;ecutio~s, and brought into iudgment: do plainly and openly pro|fe&s;&s;e the Go&s;pell. And our &s;auiour chri&s;t &s;aith: you &s;halb&eacute;e brought b&eacute;efore Lieu|tenantes and kinges for my &s;ake, that this may b&eacute;e a te&s;timonie to them, and the Gentiles. <HI>Mathew</HI> the x. Chapter.</P>
<PB REF="99">
<P>Moreouer, by per&s;ecutions whiche God layeth vpon the Church: h&eacute;e proo|ueth the &s;ame how &s;trong and con&s;tant it is, purgynge tho&s;e that are vncleane, like as Gold&s;mithes v&s;e to trie &amp; clen&s;e their golde, and &s;iluer in the fier. For if the flea&s;h continue in re&s;t and idlene&s;&s;e, f&eacute;elyng no maner of aduer&s;itie, oftenti|mes it waxeth wanton, and la&s;ciuious: wherfore God exerci&s;eth his &s;eruantes with per&s;ecutions, to awake them that they &s;hould not to mutch be wedded vn|to temporall thinges, but with more er|ne&s;t de&s;ier &s;&eacute;eke for thynges eternall. Vnto which purpo&s;e and meanyng S. Peter writeth: <HI>Deerely beloued, bee yee not troubled in this heat, whiche now is come among you to trie you, as though &s;ome &s;traunge thyng had hap|ned vnto you: but rather reioyce, in as mutch as you are made partakers of Chri&s;tes pa&s;sions, that when his glory appereth: yee may be mery and glad.</HI> Peter the fir&s;t Epi&s;tle, the. 4. chapter. Wherunto al&s;o tende the wordes of the Apo&s;tle S. Paule: <HI>We reioyce al&s;o in tribulations, knowyng that tribulation
<PB N="117" REF="99"> bringeth pacience, pacience bringeth experience, experience bringeth hope and hope maketh not a&s;hamed.</HI> Paule to the <HI>Romans,</HI> the. 5. chapter.</P>
<P>Agayne, when the Lorde layeth the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Per&s;ecuti|ons are to|kens of the iudgment of God vpo~ the wicked.</NOTE> Cro&s;&s;e vpon tho&s;e whom h&eacute;e loueth, and &s;uffereth men which are not altogether wicked to b&eacute;e afflicted, but &s;utch as feare God and &s;erue him, although notwith|&s;tandynge they haue &s;ome blemi&s;hes: therwithall h&eacute;e &s;heweth what wicked men, &amp; the children of this worlde mu&s;t looke for. Like as the Lord him&s;elf wit|ne&s;&s;eth, who bearyng his owne Cro&s;&s;e when h&eacute;e was lead to execution, &s;ayed: <HI>It it be thus in the greene tree that bea+reth frute: what &s;hall bee in the drye and vnfrutfull? And Saint Peter: For</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Peter. 4.</NOTE> <HI>it is time</HI> (&s;aith h&eacute;e) <HI>that iudgment be|gin at the hou&s;e of god:</HI> then if it begin fir&s;t with vs: what &s;halb&eacute;e the ende of tho&s;e y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> obey not the go&s;pel of God? And if the iu&s;t b&eacute;e &s;carce faued: where &s;hall the wicked &amp; &s;inful man &s;hew his face?</P>
<P>By per&s;ecutions al&s;o God draweth vnto him, and directeth in the right way tho&s;e which before that time walked not
<PB REF="100"> &s;trait in the waies of the Lord. And h&eacute;e complaineth by his prophetes, and bla|meth his people, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> being put in mind of their duty with many &s;tripes, yet wold they not turne vnto him.</P>
<P>Moreouer, in per&s;ecutions &amp; afflictions, there is geue~ vnto vs matter &amp; occa&s;ion of trouble, that we may bring foorth good works w^e pacie~ce, &amp; w^e a good hope, y^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> we may cal vpon god in our pa&s;&s;io~s, &amp; neuer waxe wery w^t calling: like as the Lord. Ie&s;us hath manife&s;tlye taught vs in <HI>Luke</HI> the. 18 chap. And in very d&eacute;ed we finde this dayly to be true, that w&eacute;e are &s;louthfull and cold in prayer: when w&eacute;e are gr&eacute;eued with no per&s;ecution, nor<NOTE PLACE="marg">Per&s;ecuti|ons awake vs.</NOTE> touched almo&s;t w^e ani kind of aduer&s;ity.</P>
<P>La&s;t of all, God exerci&s;eth the faithful with per&s;ecutions, &s;wiping from them, as it were, the du&s;t of worldly de&s;ire or fle&s;hly lu&s;ts, that they &s;hould not peri&s;h in their &s;ins, w^e the wicked worlde. For it is &s;ure, and true, which S. <HI>Paul</HI> wri|teth: <HI>But whe~ we ar iudged of the lord: we are cha&s;tined that we should not be damned with the world. 1. Cor. ca. 11.</HI></P>
<P>Now when we be thus in&s;tructed: we
<PB N="118" REF="100"> mu&s;t humble and &s;ubmit our &s;elues vn|to the mightye hande of the Lord, who when he &s;eeth his time, can deliuer vs againe, when it &s;hall &s;&eacute;eme conuenient vnto his good ple&s;ure. Wherof we haue an example in <HI>Dauid,</HI> who whe~ he was per&s;ecuted by his owne &s;un <HI>Ab&s;olon,</HI> a|mong other thinges he &s;aide: <HI>If I haue found fauour in the &s;ight of the Lord: he will re&s;tore mee. But if he &s;ay vnto me, I haue no delight in thee: Behould I am here, let him doe vnto mee that which is acceptable in his &s;ight.</HI> The &s;ame Sainct <HI>Peter</HI> willeth al men to do which &s;uffer per&s;ecution, writing thus: <HI>VVherfore, let al them that &s;uffer af|flictions, according to the will of God, commit their &s;oules to him with well doyng, as vnto a faithfull creator.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e cau&s;es, and effectes of the per|&s;ecutions<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 4.</NOTE> of the Chri&s;tian Churche, I haue br&eacute;efly cho&s;en out among&s;t many, le&s;t that the &s;tore and ouer long reciting of them at large: &s;hould be gr&eacute;euous vn|to any.</P>
<TRAILER>The End</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
