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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14395	The memorable and tragical history, of the persecution in Africke: vnder Gensericke and Hunricke, Arrian kinges of the Vandals. Written in Latin by the blessed Bishop Victor of Vtica, who personallie (as also S. Augustine the famous doctor) endured his part thereof. With a briefe accomplishment of the same history, out of best authors: togither vvith the life and acts of the holy Bishop Fulgentius, and his conflicts vvith the same nation; Historia persecutionum, quas in Aphrica olim circa D. Augustini tempora, Christiani perpessi sub Censerycho et Hunerycho Vandalorum regibus. English	Victor, Saint, Bishop of Vita, d. ca. 505.; Buckland, Ralph, 1564-1611.	1605 (1605)	STC 24714; ESTC S119124	68,537	182

Iudge But to true worshippers of the Maiesty diuine that is to say vnto our Priests we by this our constitution doe decree and prouide all manner of Churches belonging to the whole Clergie of the name aboue mentioned in what places or Countries soeuer they stand within these Dominions which by the grace of God are vnder our imperiall gouernment togither with all such thinges as to the same appertayne not doubting but to reliefe of the poore it shall proue more beneficiall which to our thrise-holy Bishops is so iustly giuen We notifie then vnto all men this lawe of ours issuing from the very fountayne of iustice that none may pretend ignorance of our commaundement Fare yee well 6. Cal. of March Carthage CHAP. II. Extreame proceedinges of Hunricke against the Bishops AFTER these lamentable edicts farced with intoxicate poyson he willeth al the Bishops which were assembled at Carthage whose Churches houses and substance he had already seazed to be despoyled in their lodgings and so driuen out of the Towne gates Neyther seruant nor beast nor garment to change was left them It was farther more forbidden that any man should harbour any one of them or giue them susteynance And who so should attempt for pity to doe the contrary he with all his family should be brent by fire Prudently did the Bishops who were then cast forth in that though begging yet they departed not from thence For had they gone their wayes not only should they neuer haue beene recalled but they vvould haue belyed them as they did that they shunned disputation especially because when they should haue retourned their churches had no goodes left all being rifled While therefore the Bishops lay round about the walles in the open ayre it fell out so that the wicked Tyrant went forth towardes the fish-pondes vvhome they thought good to meete in the way saying Why are we so afflicted For what euils committed suffer we this If called to dispute why are we spoyled why are we slaundred why are we deferred and driuen to remayne amongst the dunghils here without in the Country afflicted with hunger and nakednesse farre from our Churches and houses Whome he beholding with a fell regarde before he heard their complaint willed the horse-mē with ful course to ride ouer them that by such violence they might not only be trampled vpon but be slaine outright Many of them were then sore crushed especially aged men Then to the men of God was it commaunded to present themselues and meete him at the Temple of Memory vnwitting what treachery was there prepared CHAP. III. A fraudulent oath is proposed to the Bishops THITHER when they came in a writing deliuered vnto them was this serpentine subtlety inclosed Our Lord King Hunricke although lamenting your obstinacy refusing as yet promptly to obey his will and to become of the same religion where of he himselfe is being now in purpose to deale gratiously with you will if you sweare vnto the contents of this paper send you to your Churches and houses Hereunto answered the Bishops with one voyce We say still as we haue already said and will euer say Christians we are Bishops we are we hold the Apostolicall and only true faith A litle silence hauing ensued after confession of their faith the Kinges commissioners proceeded hastely to extort an oath from the Bishops whereupon the blessed men Bishop Hortulane and Bishop Florentian joyntlie replyed Depute you vs brute beasts that we should easely vnaduisedly sweare ignorant what the writing contayneth The Kings messengers vvithout more stay disclosed to them the purport thereof which with colourable wordes was glosed for thus the entrapping tenour thereof comprized Sweare ye if ye desire that after the death of our Lord the King his Sonne Hildericke succeede in the Kingdome and if none of you will send any letter beyond the Sea This oath if ye refuse not to take he will restore you to your Churches The mercyfull playne meaning of many minded to haue sworne whereas God indeede prohibiteth swearing least Gods people might afterwardes say that the Priests by not swearing gaue cause that their Churches were not restored Others of the Bishops more circumspect smelling out the guilfull treachery denyed to sweare alleaging that it was forbidden by the authority of the Gospell our Lord himselfe denouncing Yea and shall not sweare at all Then inferred the Commissioners Who purpose to sweare let them goe a-part Which vvhen they did by notary was straight enrolled what each said in what City he was entitled The like was done to them that would not sweare Then were both parties committed to warde and not long after the deceiptfull drift of the oath which before lay hid plainely appeared To those which would sweare it was said for as much as contrary to the commandement of the Gospell you vvould haue sworne the Kings will is that you shall neuer see your Churches but being banished you shall lawfully receiue wast and vnhabited places there to husbandry the ground yet with this clause that you shall neyther say Psalmes nor pray or hold any booke to reade in your hand nor baptize nor giue orders nor presume to reconcile any man In like manner to those which refused the oath they said Because you wish not the raigne of our Lordes Sonne therefore you would not sweare for which consideration it is commaunded that you shall be sent away into Corse the Island there to hewe timber for ships CHAP. IIII. The horrible cruelty of the Heretikes the constancy of Dionisia and her Sonne with others THE Beast thirsting after innocents bloud proceeded during that the Bishops vvere not as yet exiled and sent through all the Prouinces of Africke at once his cruell tormentors so that no place no house remayned free from lamentation screeching outcryes They spared not any age or sex but such only as yealded to their will Some they cudgeled with staues some they hunge vp others they burned Women and especially Gentle-women they tortured openly naked against the lawe of naturall honesty One of whome our Country-woman Dionisia I will succinctly intreate of When they sawe that she was not only bolder but more beautiful also then other Matrones they willed her first to be vnrayed and made ready for cudgels Who in her payne cryed boldly vnto them I am assured of my God vexe me how you list only my woman-hood diclose yee not But they with greater rage set her naked vpon an higher place for a publike spectacle Amidst the stripes of the woundes while streames of bloud flowed ouer all her body with a free voyce she spake thus vnto them Ye Ministers of Satan that which you doe reckoning it my reproch is to me an honour Moreouer in so great extreamities and already nowe a Martyr being her selfe vvell seene in the Scriptures she animated others to Martyrdome By this her holy example she saued almost all her Country And beholding her

glistring marble such as perhaps fewe or no Kinges haue enjoyed But neither am I to pretermitte one Masculas Master of the reuels whome diuersly shot at to depriue him of the Catholike faith the King himselfe at last with glosing wordes inuited promising to heape vpon him riches if to his will he lent an easie eare When for all this he remayned constant and vnconquered in faith the King vvilled that he should vnder-goe the sentence of death yet craftely gaue secreat instructions that if at the exigent he dreaded the stroke of the brandishing glaiue so much the rather he should dye not thereby being rendred a glorious Martyr if contrarywise he vvere found constant in his confession the sworde should be stayed But he Christ giuing him solid foundation became an vnmoueable pillar and retourned a glorious Confessor Though the enuious enemy vvould not make him Martyr yet could he not violate the dignity of a Confessor CHAP. XI The magnanimious resolution of Saturus WE knew an other at the same time by name Saturus vvho being a bright member of the Church of Christ many times with catholike liberty reproued the impiety of the Arrians Steward he was of Hunricks house Conspired it was through the instigation of Mauridan a Deacon whome vngratious Hunricke singularly respected that Saturus should be made an Arrian Honoures with much riches are proffered in case he cōsent dire torments are prepared if he refuse this option being set before him that vnlesse he obeyed the Kinges commaundement at the first discussion presently forfeyting house and substance his slaues and children should be sold and his wife before his eyes be deliuered vp in wedlocke to a camel-driuer He on the other side full of Gods spirit preuenting in a sort their wickednesse doubted not to exasperate their fury so farre Whereupon his vvise without her husbandes priuity secretly besought respite and obtayned it at their handes who had in charge the putting of this rigorous sentence in execution Then went she a second Eue vnto her husband being before hand taught her lesson and aduertised what to say yet found she not him an Adam that would dare to touch the illecebrous aples of the forbidden tree For not Indigent but Satured was he called saturate with the plenty of the house of God and one that had drunke at his delicious streame To the place where her husband al solitary was at his prayers came this woman her garments rent her hayre about her eares accompanied with her children and a litle sucking infant in her handes whome casting at her husbands feete and with all her armes about his knees she hissed forth this serpentine voyce Haue compassion O my sweetest of me thy poore wife and no lesse of thy owne selfe haue compassion of these children common to vs both Here behold them before thine eyes Let them not be subject to seruile condition whome descent of our stocke hath made noble Let not me be yoked to a base and shamefull marriage yea and my husband yet aliue me I say who so often at feasts applauded to my selfe in my Saturus God knoweth full sore against thy will shalt thou but doe that which voluntarily perhaps many haue yealded vnto He gaue her for answere those vvordes of Iob. Thou hast spoken like a foolish woman Well should I be afraide if there were no other joy then the bitter sweets of this life Thou seruest nowe the Diuels turne O wife who if thou didst loue thy husband wouldst neuer drawe him to a second death Let them take away my children seperate my vvife spoyle me of my goodes I secure of my Lordes promise will sticke fast to his vvordes If any man shall not forsake wife children landes or house he can not be my Disciple The end was this the woman refused by aduised reasons went her way Saturus couragious for a Crowne is examined spoyled punished and sent away a begger forbidden by going abroade to haue any vvhither to resort All tooke they from him only of Baptismes stole could they not bereaue him Thus passed this and Gensericke commaunded the Church of Carthage the Priests and their Deacons being dispersed into sondry places for want of a Bishop which was hardly opened at meditation of Zeno the Emperor by Seuerus a noble man of Rome where vpon they al retourned from banishment What he did in Spayne Italy Slauome Champayne Calabre Poole Sicil Sardinia Abruzo Venice Lucania Epire Greece they can best declare which endured it Here let the end be of our no lesse arrogant then cruell persecution sustayned vnder Gensericke He raigned thirtyseauen yeares and moneths three THE SECOND BOOKE CHAPTER I. The dissimuled demeanour of King Hunricke GENSERICKE being dead his eldest Sonne Hunricke succeeded who in the beginning of his raigne was somewhat tractable and moderate after the accustomed subtilety of the Barbarians especially concerning our affaires in religion So that whereas heretofore vnder King Gensericke it had beene proclaymed that there should be no spirituall assemblies now people made their meetinges afresh And to giue remonstrance of a religious Prince he caused the Manichaean heretikes diligently to bee searched out many of whome he burnt most hee sent away to forraigne shippes All which Manichees in a manner he found to be of his owne religion principally such as were Priests or Deacons of the Arrian heresie which set him more on fire because of the shame thereby redounding One amongst them was found called Clementian a Monk who had this their poesie charactred on his thigh A Manichaean Disciple of Christ Iesus For this cause did the said tyrant the more endeauour to please because in this one thing he much displeased that with insatiable desire euermore eagrely gaping after his pray he burdened the prouinces of his Kingdome with sundry vexations impositions so that of him precisely it might besaid A King needing reuenewe is a great calamity CHAP. II. Eugenius created Bishop of Carthage and of his vertue ZENO the Emperor and Lady Placidia making intercession by their letters authorized that the Church of Carthage might to themselues elect for Bishop whome they thought good hauing beene destitute of such an ornament now full 24 yeares it was condescended vnto by Hunricke and licence graunted He sent therefore to the Church Alexander a noble man who brought this message that the Catholikes should in his presence postulate for themselues a worthy Priest He sent also by his Secretary Vuitared a Proclamation to be publikely read contayning this tenour Our Lord the King hath willed vs to shewe you that the Emperor Zeno and most renowmed Placida haue written by Alexander a noble man requesting by their letter that the Church of Carthage may haue a peculiar Bishoppe of your religion This he hath giuen commaundement should be performed and hath written backe vnto them or prescribed their Ambassadors to make report that