scriptures the diffrence of the persons in one and indiuisible substance of Godhoode the Father the Sunne and the Hollye ghost but hée impugneth and raileth at the blessed Trinitie Likewise hée confesseth that Christ was a great prophet borne of the holy and vndefiled virgin who was taken also vp into heauen but as for that poynct which is peculiar to the true and liuelye faith hee doth not confesse that Iesus Christe is the euerlastinge sunne of God very God and man the only mediatour of God and men who being crucified slayne for our sake arose again from y dead sitteth on y right hand of god being of one power w the father in heauen These things he blasphemeth and impugneth deneing y christ was crucified wherefore he teacheth also erroniously touching remission of sins which onli we obtaine by faith in christ which was crucified ye he is altogether ignoraÌ„t of faith iustification by faith in Christ deuising sundrie woorshippinges and meanes to attayne saluation namely by fastinge praying giuinge of almes sustaininge many great labours suffring mutch trouble valientlye fightinge for the Machometan religion and dyinge in batteill Hée is also of opinion that a man may fulfill the law and demerite saluation by his owne woorkes hée hath his Moonkes Priestes in whose merites hée reposeth the hope of his saluation Hée confesseth the resurrection of the bodie but hée speaketh altogether carnally and impurely of felicitie as though in Paradise wée shoulde enioye bodely pleasures meat drincke beutie of the body as if it were in the blessed Ilands called Beatorum insulae or else in a certein Vtopia Hée despiseth the Euangelicall and apostolicall doctrine as hée doth also our holly assembles and congregations coÌ„maundynge all that béeléeue in him to bee circumcised after the Iewish maner nothyng regarding our Baptisme hée raueth and rayleth at the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ and al the fourme and ordre of the Lordes supper which was instituted and appointed by Christe hée contemneth all christian vsedges and hath instituted peculiar congregations temples rightes and ceremonies hée commandeth the sixt day of the wéeke which we cal Friday to bée kept holiday he apointed fasting daies purging with water hée commaunded them to pray fiue times in a day he forbid to pray vnto saincts creatures but vnto God only which is trueth in déed but hée teacheth to pray vnto others beside Christe Sutch praiers are not acceptable vnto God bicause they are not made through Christe through whom wée pray vnto God our father in heauen wherat hée mocketh But S. Iohn saith Who so hath not the Sun hath not the Father Hée altogether prophaneth holly matrimonie for vnto men hée giueth licence to marie as many wiues as they liste and that which is iniurious and dishonest to forsake them without cause at their pleasure and discretioÌ„ Hée forbiddeth them after the Iewish maner to eate swynes fleash hée debarreth them also from wine howbeit the ritcher sort haue deuised certen costlye kinds of drinks wherby they becoÌ„e nolesse drunk then with wine And this is the doctrine of the diuell wherof Paul intreateth in the first of Timothy the. 4. chapter And whatsoeuer I haue sayd of the Machometan faith the same ar al to be vnderstood of the Turkishe religion or supersticion which at this day is vsuall among the Turkes And as for these thinges I haue reported them verye bréeflye that those that knowe not the Turkish religion may haue a brief extract not of the whole relygion but of the chiefest poynts and opinions therof Now through indifferent view of these things which we haue recited who doth not vnderstande that through the moste gréeuous yet most iuste wrath of God the world is by him most sharply punished since y he hath suffred so absurde filthy wicked relygion to take place and here withall let vs also beholde and weigh what a cruell and continuall persecution which indureth also to this day this impiouâ— â–ª and Machometan faith hath raised againste the holly Church of Christe and the true faith Machomet that false prophet and murdrous seductour of the worlde had persuaded his Sarracens that they are the true children heiers of sarra wife to Abraham and that in respect therof béelonged vnto them all the promises made vnto Abraham namely that his séede should rule all the world and therfore hée exhorted the Sarracens that takyng weapon in hand they should valyently assay to possesse al the kingdoms of the world as their owne inheritaunce The Sarracens were a barbarus and rough people of Arabia whiche before that time were called Agareni the same receauinge stipende of the Romanes fought vnder them in the warre against the Persians But when hée which bare the name of generall had the charge of the army in geuing them their pay had reprochefully called them dogs saying who shal giue mony enough to this coÌ„pany of dogs thei reuoulted froÌ„ y RomaÌ„s and beinge perswaded by Homer their cheifteine they chose Machomet to be their prince speciallye since he had perswaded them that they shoulde not bée called Agareni of Agar the handmaide but rather Sarraceni of Sarra the lawful wyfe by reason whereof as it is sayde they were the Lordes and heirs of all kingdomes These things were done in the yéere of Christe 623. But this seditious murderous and wicked villaine Machomet so soone as hée had obtayned the Empire began to enlarge and set foorth his abhominable religion with the sword and to enforce men to receaue it persecutyng also and opprâ—ssing the true Christian faith And for the better ratefiyng hereof hée continued in this trauaile the space of 9. yéeres vnto the yéere of our Lorde 632. Vnto al that would follow his relygion he promised felycitie glory Empire victori ritches and after this life the pleasure of Paradice And by this menes he gat vnto him great multitudes of men specially when at the beginning things prospered so wel with him for why the common people followeth good fortune victory and ritchesse hatinge as mutch the crosse and persecutions Hée willed them moreouer to persecute all sutch as spake agaynst and reprehended the Alcoran Wherfore many reuoulted from the Christian faith and all vertuous and true Christians were oppressed with gréeuous persecutions this was the begiÌ„ning of the Sarracens kingdome After the death of Machomet the Sarracens called their chief princes Amiras which as some saye signifieth as mutch as the name of Emperour Whose names and most famous conquestes are described in histories vnto the yéere of Christe 870. They made many great warres and fought sundry battailes and obtayned conquestes against y Emperours of ConstaÌ„tinople and other kinges and princes They subdued Persia Babilon Syria the citie of Ierusalem and gat sundry great victoryes in Asia and Affrica in whiche places they terme their Princes Souldans or Sultans and Caliphas
all these things patiently and ouercame them and continued alwaies constant vnder y crosse The cause why the Iewes were enemies to Paul to y church surely was none other then y wherwith being before mooued they persecuted Christ y apostles as we haue declared before Moreouer hystories beare recorde that the twelue Apostles in all their life time and durynge the tearme of their administration in the gospel sustayned gréeuous afflictions and were all of them for Christe and his woords sake persecuted and put to death Although all writers doo not agrée of their kinds of death yet they al coÌ„stanly affirme y thei were miserably slain Peter and his brother Andrew were both crucified Iames the elder as wée haue shewen before was béeheaded by Herod surnamed Agrippa Whose brother Iohn the Euangelist the béeloued disciple of Christ only of them al is reported to haue died a naturall death Notwithstandyng hée was apprehended and brought bounde out of Asia to Rome and conuented béefore DomitiaÌ„ th'emperour and there as Tertullian writeth plunged ouer head and eares in hot boylinge oyle But after that the lorde graciously prouiding for him this cruell déede nothing indamaged his life hée was banished into y Isle Pathmos Phillip was nayled to a crosse there hangynge was stoned to death Barthelmew thei say was by his enemies most horribly flayne and afterward béeheaded Othersome say hée was burnt The enemies of Christe thrust Thomas through with a sworde and so as it is reported they dealt with Mathew Iames the younger the pastor doctor of the church of Ierusalem was throwne downe headlonge from an high place and afterwarde slayne beinge buffeted with stones vntill hée died Likewise both Apostles Simon and Iudas Thaddaeus ended their liues beinge by the heathen slain in a certen temple of Idols Some also say that Mathias was crucified others say hée was stoned and béeheaded Al these bare witnes of Christe not with their mouth and doctrine only but with ther blood also and for the trueth of the gospell which they preached were contented to die with wel willing and moste valient courage Now for as mutch as all the Apostles were slayn by the enimies of God who obtayned the souerainitye ouer them as apperteyninge to the bodye shall wée therfore say that superstitions of Gods enemies were right and the Apostles religion and doctrine false and erroneous who shall accuse God bycause hée deliuered not his seruantes from a reprochfull death but that hée gaue to the worst men in the whole worlde sutch power agaynst his holly Apostles Who although they were ministers of the trueth and innocent men yet were they put to death for the greatest enemies of God as malifactours and wicked persons for sutche were they accused to bée and therefore at this our age in the lyke cause wee must iudge so of their beléefe doctrine who ar shamefully executed for christs sake as indéede the trueth standeth in the sight of Christe ¶ Of the. 6. Tragicall Acte or persecutioÌ„ which was vnder Nero and of the seuenth which was vnder Domitian and of the eight vnder Vlpius Traian Emperours Chapter VI. PAulus Orosius an olde historician who liued in the time of Austine and wrote vnto hym seuene bookes of Storyes beginneth the recitall of the persecutyon of the Christian Churche from the persecution whiche Nero had moued which hée accounteth the first whose order the later Historicians also insued And we lykewise in describing the Tragedies persecutions committed against the Church wyll follow the same order as consequently they follow one another But since it is manifest y the fiue aboue recited persecutioÌ„s were before these as the scriptures do shew that which Orosius maketh the firste we make the sixt although the matter be of no great importaÌ„ce in this respect Orosius writeth that Nero firste that is to say among the Roman Emperours gaue forth commaundement that at Rome and in al other prouinces belonging to the Roman Empire the Christians shoulde bee molested and slayne And y this was his determination to roote oute the Christian faith all Christians wheresoeuer they were The causes that moued Nero to persecute y Christians are not so dilygentlye set downe by christian historicians as they are by prophane writers Suetonius Tranquillus in the lyfe of Nero and Cornelius Tacitus in the. 15. booke of the lyues of the Emperours Nero y emperour was y sinke of al beastly sinfulnesse fulnesse chiefly of lechery and vnspeakable incest defilyng himselfe against al course of nature so y in all Histories of you shal not finde his match This horrible wickednesse he openly committed at Rome without al shame in sight of y Senate and people But there was no man that durste speake against hym mutch lesse to reproue him or assay to punish hym but euery man winked at hym the most filthy beast in the meane time doyng what he list Wherfore God being offended with the citie of Rome punished it with fire as he did Sodome Gomorrha euen by Nero himself when as for his Sodomitical beastlinesse hée deserued to be burned himself And séeing Rome winked at his naughtinesse and did not y which it ought to haue done the horryble Sodomite Nero caused the citie to be set on fire For being certen places in the cittie wherewith Nero mislyked and the streates and passadges there verye narrow he caused the houses to be sette on fire that after they were brent they might be builded againe more faire and sumptious He himselfe beheld the fire out of Mecoenas tower saying that he much desired to se the burning of Troy which he beheld now som what resembled by that burning of the citie singing therwhiles the destruction of Troy and delighting himselfe with beholdyng the great fire Suetonius reporteth that from that time that Rome was firste built it neuer sustayned so much hurte by fire for it continued alwayes burnning the space of six dayes and so manye nights The same is also diligentlye described by Tacitus But when the fire through the wrath of God had brent farther then Nero had thought it shoulde and indamaged the Citie with an vnrepayrable losse and hinderaunce the citizens which had sustained so great harme were very much moued and â—ffended Wherefore the Emperour Nero to the intent that hee might put ouer from himself the 〈◊〉 of the déede raised a rumour among the commons that this whole mischeif was long of the Christians that they were aduersaries to the Gods and Religon of the Romans and wicked burners of cities and townes who also in that sort had defaced the citie And that this report might séeme to carie some trueth and auctoritie hée cast manie Christians into prison and examined them by tortures and tormentes that they should confesse how the citie was set on fire by them And in dede there were some fownd who not beinge able to abide tormentes
studied not onely to defile the innocencie of the christians through dread practice of such punishmeÌ„ts and torturs as y lyke had not bin heard before but also by prouocation of lust and plesure For when they could not ouerthrow them with torments they tempted them with pleasures to cause them to fall offring vnto them bewtifull wemen y should allure them to lechery In which place he sheweth of a certen martir that bit of his toung betwene his teth spet it in his fine miks face y he might be so deliuered from her At the same time Paule the Eremit fled into the wildernesse and liued a solitary life in a certen den vnto whom beefore hée died came Saynct Antonie And these twayne were the first beeginners of Eremites life that is to say of those that lead ther liues in wilde and desert places as though it were out of the worlde a life full of hardnes and shapnes laboringe with their handes and vsinge great abstinencie Saint Ierome writeth that Antony died the yéere of Christe 661. and in the .xv. yeere of his owne age And out of this fountaine in processe of time sprange Monkerie which the holy Church of Christe knew not at all when it was most excellent and pure Béesides that this life hath no warrant nor commaundement from the woorde of God and is nothinge else but an inuention and deuise of men that were a fraide And like as in those former persecutioÌ„s they indeuored to pluck the christians from the trueth through alurementes of pleasure so likewise in our age many are carried awaye from the true faith and confession thereof and after knowledge of the trueth they are wrapped in errours through pleasures honours glory ritches prefermentes gret offices fat benefices as they terme them or great reuenewes of y church The yeare of our Lorde Christ 273. Valerius Aurelianus obtayned the Empire whom Historicians make the Aucthour of y ix persecution which according vnto our accoumpt is the. 14. This Aurelianus at first beginnyng of his raigne was gentle and friendly towards ChristiaÌ„s but towards th' ende he changed his conditions and through perswasion of naughty persons suffred himself to be abused fully determinyng with him selfe to persecute the Church of Christ Eusebius testifieth in the 7. boke and. 26. Chapter of his ecclesiasticall history vnto whom also Orosius agréeeth that he rather intended to execute this persecution then fully accomplished the same Howbeit the Church at that time was in great peril heauenesse but when contrary vnto expectation the Emperour was taken away the persecution ceased and became nothinge Of the greeuous woful and long tragicall Acte or persecution being in number the. 15. vnder the Emperours Dioclecian and Maximian wherein innumerable Christians were martired and slayne Chapter ix NOne hath written more dillygentlye of the persecution of the Emperours Iouius Dioclecian and Herculius Maximian then Eusebius in the laste booke of his ecclesiasticall historye For he lyued at that time behelde the doyng of many things whereof he writeth Wherefore the full and true discourse of these matters muste be borrowed of him which although it be terrible yet is it there withall pleasant profitable to be read As for me I mean but breifly to touch y chiefest poyntes The Christian Churche enioyed peace and tranquillitye a fewe yéeres from the raigne of Aurelian vnto the xix yéere of the raigne of Dioclecian and Maximian about the space of 28. yéeres For the Christians had commonly their Churches and godly congregations and méetinges together professing and exercising their relygion openly without any feare wherein also they had the assistance of lieutenants of prouinces euery where vnto whom the Christian Relygion was knowne â—nd many of great power in the Emperours Court as namely Dortheus and Gorgonius who being Christians aided and defended them of their owne religion The Christians also in the begining of this peace and quietnes agreed very well together were feruent in y worshipping of God and of holy conuersation and therefore the number of the faithful increaced very much so that it was néedefull to enlarge their Churches and places of common prayer But in processe of time that feruent loue of Relygion began to waxe colde and ther arose dissentions contentions cheifly amonge bisshops and doctours who beinge addicted to strife vnquietnesse fell sore at debate amonge themselues handlynge their controuersies whereby the people were nothing edefied wherfore the Lorde taking away his hand from his people suffred y faith lesse Gentiles to lay their handes vpon his Churche to scoure away the ruste which daily increased more and more And this is the .xv. persecution of the Church which Orosius calleth y tenth At the béeginning of this persecution the Lord dealt verie gently not giuyng the reigne and bridle immediatly to the persecution and suffringe the Churches to be destroyd but the onset of the persecution was béegun by the souldiours And doubtles vnto this purpose apperteineth that which is written by Otho Frisingensis in the. 3. book and. 45. chapter speakinge of bleassed Mauritius Who marchyng forward into Germanie vnder Maximian with his legion of men which were all Christians goinge against the Bacharides whome Eutropius termeth Bongarides a troublesome and seditious kinde of people to bring them to dutie and quietnesse when the armie had passed the Alpes and was arriued into the country of the Veragri whiche at this day they cal the lower Vallesia there Maximian commaunded his souldiours to sacrifice to the Gods that they might obtaine good fortune and victorie against their enemies Then Mauritius answered that hée would not so doe nor the residew of Christians that were vnder him franckly professinge himself his company to be Christians for whom it was not lawful to do sacrifice to y gods Wherefore they were first craftely deuided and some sent to SolodoruÌ„ Bonna Colen Santum and abroad vnto other places for defence sake dispersed Last of all the greater part of the legion whiche remayned with Mauritius neare vnto Octodorum whiche is at this day called Martenacum and Agaunum whiche is nowe called by the name of S. Maurice which was slain by y heathen souldiours S. Ierome reporteth that the expedition against the Bagaudae was in the yéere of Christe 290. I cannot nor I ought not in this place let passe to make mencion of Foelix and Regula being Germans who were also of Mauricius companie both these diuers other moe whose seruice it pleased God that he woulde vse to preache Christ to the Gentiles by flight escaped from the slaughter at Octodorum and first they came to Glarona and so along the Lake were brought vnto the most auncient citie of Zuirick in which at y time y Ethnick idolatry florished wher they preached simply the Christian relygion and as wée haue shewed in the beginning of this booke purely faithfully without any aditions of man The same they approued valientlye
and at length confirmed with their bloud For after manie and diuerse torments they were slayn with the sworde by Decius the Romane lieutenant that dwelte in the castle of zuirick And these most holly Germans haue left vnto vs the most holly and precious treasure of the Gospell and Christian fayth These our Apostles or rather teachers sent vnto vs from heauen are farre more auncient then y counsailes These liued and taught and are blesledly departed this life béefore the Papisticall Churche was establyshed in forme and manner as it is for at theyr time there was not that Papacie which afterwarde ensued there were then no Images in Churches there was no sacryfice of Mas no inuocatiō of saints no Munks no institutiōs or foūdations of Abbeies for they lyued in those yeres after Christe whiche wée haue before noted so that the Christyan fayth hath contynued amongst vs and also the auntient Congregation of Zuirick aboue 1270. yeares whiche I praye God alwayes with his grace to preserue But when this losse whiche the Churche had sustayned and this token of the wrath of God against his people had mooued but fewe in the Churche to repentaunce the more parte remaynynge carelesse and impenitent and alwayes procéedynge farther in theyr vnthankefulnesse God also increased the correction suffryng the Churche to bée oppressed with a moste sharpe persecution For in the .xix. yéere of Dioclecian which was the. 306. after the birth of Christe in the month of March euen on Easter day were published euery where edictes from y emperours againste the Christians wherin was charge giuen that Churches and Oratories of the Christians shoulde bée plucked downe to the grownd the Bibles and all bookes of holly scripture burned and whosoeuer of the Christians hée were that were in any honour office and dignite should bée disgraded and made imfamous with many other commaundmentes of that sorte Shortly after it was commaunded by another edict from the emperours that in euery place the bysshops and ministers of the Church should bée apprehended and constrained to do sacrifice to the Gods if anie spake against it they should be enforced therto or slaine Héerevpon ensued a miserable and cruell slaughter For the christian byshops doctours and ministers of the Churches were thicke and thréefolde led and drawn to the temples of Idols to do sacrifice and manie times those that lead them mooued with certein compassion exhorted them whom they lead to holde their peace and if they woulde but dissemble as though they dyd sacrifice 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 seruantes and ministers of Christe wherfore vnaccustomed and new tormentes and diuerse tortures and punishments were laid vpon the Christians in execution wherof the tormenters and officers were more wery in appliyng then the Christians in suffringe them For they through thée goodnes of God continnued constant in the Christian faith vnto death notwithstandinge certen through feare and greatnes of paine and torment renounced their faith to the wounderfull sorowe and greif all the godlie At Nicomedia in Bythynia when the emperours commaundement and proclamation was openly set abroade and both emperours at that present soiurned at Nicomedia a certen noble citizen and of great dignitie in that city rent downe the emperours edict and tore it all to péeces wherfore with out delaye hée was brought vnto the emperours Who after that hée had confessed that hée was a Christian and that whiche hée had doone hée did it on a feruent zeale hée was deliuered vnto the hangemen and Iurmagantes who tormented him with sundrie torments vntill hée died But amonge the outragious tormentes wherewith they martyred him there neuer appéered any one sygne of sorrowe in his countenaunce At the same tyme were tormented and slayne the chéeife Prynces and nobles of the Emperours householde amonge whom Peter after sundrie vexations and tortures was layde vpon a Gridyron and roasted with this moste cruell kynde of deathe endynge his lyfe Lykewyse Dorotheus and Gorgonius Gentilmen of the Emperours Chamber after the bitter taste of sundrie tormentes were laste of all hanged Anthimus also bysshop of Nicomedia was at that time slayne with the sword and with him a great numbre of cityzens as shéepe followynge their sheapheard through tormentes and death with a most constant faith In Nicomedia at that time there arose a great fire suddeinly within the kinges palace as who should say that God ment to punishe the extreame crueltie of the emperours and the heathen people which had burned and broiled so manie innocent and godlie men But the same chaunced which befell at Rome in the time of Nero for like as hée imputed the cause of burninge the citie vnto the giltlesse Christians beeinge cause therof himselfe so these emperours published new commaundementes wherby they strayghtly charged y the Christians should bée extinguished with fier sword in euery place In Syria likewise the faithfull Doctours noble and vnnoble men and women younge and ould were drawen by heapes into prison in so mutch that the prisons and common places of the citie were full of prisoners and but few men there were that walked abroade the place resemblyng the shew of a forlorne wildernesse Wherof when the Emperours were aduertised they willed that sutche as would do sacrifice to the gods should bée released the residew that continued in the christian béeléefe should bée put to death with moste cruell kindes of tormentes The people of Tyrus also in the land of Palestine whole flockes as it were of men and women in places of common resorte for shewes were thrown vnto wylde beastes and when the wild beastes were more gentyl towards the Christians then the men neither forced vpon them to teare them yea rather teare their kéepers and maisters that egged them to others notwithstanding these faithlesse tyrants crueller then all beastes ranne vpon the miserable christians woundyng them stabbyng them and cruelly without all pittie murtheryng them A strainge kynde of crueltye also the vngodly in Egipt and Thebais practized against the faithfull wherwith they slew infinite numbers of them They vsed in certayne places to bend downe two Trées and to bynde the faithfull vnto eche trée by the legge then to let them rise agayne and so tearyng the men in péeces And Vspurgensis reporteth how at the same time in one monethes space were seuentéene thousand men martyred and slayne Eusebius in the. 9. and. 10. Chapters of the 8. booke describeth the strange torments and punishments of many christians which he himselfe dyd beholde amonge whom he mentioneth one Phileas a worthy man who was a Martir himselfe and had wroten of Martirs There was also in Phrigia a certen famous Citie wherein all the people highest and lowest young and old professed the Christian faith The same Citie the Emperours army beseidged round about and set it on fire burninge
religion and Idolatrie verie mutch increased vnder him and sutch as in the time of Constantinus had hid themselues hopyng that shortly there would come soome change brake then abroade into light and violently assaulted the Christians The emperour him selfe spoyled the Churches and the ministers of the Churches of all their priuiledges immunities liberties and dignities which Constantinus had giuen them Hée forbid also the Christiās all schooles that they should not learne poetrie oratorie nor philosophie meaninge therby to make them vnlearned that they should not bée able to confute the Ethnick relygion out of the booke of Ethnick writers Himself also wroat certen bookes against the Christian religion wherto verie well answered S. Syrillus byshop of Alexandria Moreouer he termed Christians disdaynfully Galileans and Christ himself the Galilean He dyd not only confiscate the goods of the Church but also layde great tributes and exactions vpon the christians there withall also mockyng and floutyng them saying that theyr God y is to say our Lord Iesus Christ forbid them to heape vp treasure commaundyng them that whoso tooke from them their coate they should giue hym their cloak also So y he both spoyled flouted the Christians and whatsoeuer trouble or reproche hée put them vnto he sayd how they ought to beare it wyllyngly and patiently for so their Christ taught them to doe And lyke as Constantinus the great tooke away the Images of the Gentile Gods out of the Romane ensigne or standard placynge in the stead of them a white crosse so contrarywise Iulianus restored the Images of Iupiter Mercurie and Mars that the Christians worshipping th'ensigne and bowing them selues before it shoulde séeme to worship the Gods. Likewise all that were appoyncted to warfarre and receiued their natiue or rewarde must caste a grayne of frankincense into the fire vppon the Aulter and so worshippe the Gods. This thing troubled hym very much For when certen Christian souldiours had vnaduisedly done the same wayyng the matter more dyllygently perceued what they had done of their owne motion they came vnto the Emperour and casting away their donatiue in his presence cryed aloude saying that they were Christians and woulde continew in the Christian fayth that whiche they had done they dyd it vnaduisedlye wherein they had gréeuouslye offended wherefore they presented there theyr bodies vnto hym that they might suffer for that wherein their handes had offended Then the Emperour commaunded that they shoulde all bée lead away to execution bée beheaded But when they were gone out of his presence he chaunged his minde pardoned their liues notwithstāding he made a law y thencefoorth no christian should bée admitted to warfare or into y Emperours court or vnto any bēch of iudgment or any other kind of preferment In euery place also of the Roman empire Christians were reprochefullye dealte withall pitifullye tormented and slaine amongst whom is remēbred an antient man and a notable minister of Christ Marcus bysshop of Artehusa The same in former and more happie times had destroied the temple of y gods at Arethusa by reason whereof Iulian hated him persuading with the citizens y they should constrain him to build vp the temple againe which béeing impossible for him to do they required that at the least wise he would contribute sumwhat to the charges But when he had answered that hée would not giue them the valew of one farthinge hée was by them most miserably and cruelly and to their great shame tormented and put to death Likewise renownied men and worthie ministers of Christe were martyred as Gregorie of Alexandria Eusebius Nectarius Zenon Basilius Ancyranus and Cyrillus Deacon of y church of Ierusalem At Heliopolis manie vertuous virgins were brought naked into the Theater and afterwarde their bellies cut vp and stuffed full of oates and barly and cast to swine to bée torne In Meroe a citie of Phrygia thrée honest citizens Macedonius Theodulus Tacianus when as the day before the cheif officer of the citie had set open a temple of Idols whiche had vntyll that time bin shutte vp to th'eintent there should now be sacrifice done in it in the night entring into it they plucked down the Idoles and brake them But when this iudge and chief officer Amatius began to haue tormented sundry Christians whereby hée might come to knowledge who had broken the Idols these thrée comming vnto the iudge desired him not to torment any man for breakyng the Idols for they were the doers of it Wherefore they were taken and rosted a great while at length burnt In the same persecution Artemius lieutenant of egipt bicause he cōstantly professed y faith of Christ was spoyled of al his goods in the end lost his head y like wherof many good and honest men suffred whoso desireth a more large description of these things let him read y 6. booke of y Tripartite history also the histories of Ruffi Theodo and Sozo Moreouer Iulianus to y intēt he might molest the Christans whom hée could not compell to the Gentiles religion he gaue licence to the miserable Iewes to returne to Ierusalem there to assemble themselues togither and to build a temple and to frequent their sacrifice promisinge vnto them his asistance for the better accomplishinge the same But after that a great multitude of them was gathered togither out of al nations and had prepared stuf for their present busines erected scaffoldes to woork vpō and partly had digged their foundations and partly layd them being busie about their buildinge béeholde a great earthquake shooke the foundations and cast them downe there flamed also an horrible fier out of the verie foundations and a strange and terrible tempest ouer threwe the scaffoldes shakinge downe what euer they had builded and slew a great multitude of the Iewes There was also a terrible boule of fier tūbling there about all the day longe whiche hindred and indamaged them verye mutch and wheras béefore the Iewes and Gentiles triumphed insulted ouer and threatned the Christians Cyrillus bishop of Ierusalem with great grauity constancie forewarned them out of Daniell the prophet and the Gospell that it was not possible y they should sacrifice héere or else build vp y Iewish temple So y they which before this dispersion or scattryng had in derision y minister of christe after so great miracles of god were altogether quailed discouraged But after y Iulian was slayn in battel agaynst the Persians which was in the yéere of christ 367. there was quietnes agayne restored to y Christians which notwithstāding cōtinued not long For Valens with his brother Valentinian obtaining th' empire was seduced by the Arrians although his brother Valētinian were sound in the Christian faith yet hée neuerthelesse about the yéere of thriste 371 began to persecute the godly christians intending to bring them to y Arrian heresy But y church constantly withstoode him wherfore the faithfull and
also with their armies slaine by the Turkes Baiazetus the first fourth Prince of the Turkes béegan to reygne in the yéere of our Lorde 1373. The same hath vnspeakabli in damaged the Christians and among other things he besieged Constantinople very hardly the space of eight yeres And when the Emperour of Constantinople had desiered help of other christiās Charles the 6. king of France Sigismund of Hungary Iohn Duke of Burgundy Rupert Duke of Bauaria with other princes sent him aid gathering an army of 80000. mē But all these vpon Michaelmas day were by the Turkes slayne at Nicopolis in the yéere of Christ 1395. Machomet the fift prince of Turks in the yéeare of our Lorde 1399. came vnto the Empire He vanquished Sigismund Kyng of Hungarie in a battle at Columbeciū very mucth indamaged the Christians in the yéere of Christe 1409. Afterward in the yéere of Christ 1416 Amurates the. 2. was created the sixte Prince of the Turkes The same made war with Laudislaus king of Hungarie and Polande when Laudislaus through the help of God vanquishing Amurates enforced him vnto conditions of peace verye necessarye and profitable for the Christians This peace was confirmed by an oth at whiche time the state of Christians was in good case ouer the Turkes had not Pope Eugenius the 4. vnluckely troubled all Who sending Iulianus Caesarinus in embasiedge into Hungarie perswaded Ladislaus the King that hée was not bound by the othe whiche hée made to kéepe peace with the Turke for that no man ought to make peace with Infidels or heretickes and the othes and promises made vnto them are not to be perfourmed There were also diuers other which prouoked the king Ladislaus that he shoulde vse and employe this happye successe whiche God had geuen him against the Turkes vnto the commodytie of the Christian common-wealth that the Turke was nowe in great feare and troubled at that present with warre by the Carmani wherefore that it were an easie matter to vanquish him With these perswasions this yong Prince this vertuous and well meannyng King breakinge the peace violatynge his othe made warre vppon the Turkes and pitched his tentes betwen Danubius and Adrianopolis neare to the Citie Varna Against whome came foorth Amurates accōpanied with fourscore thousande men greatly blaming the periurie of the Christians and their breakyng of the peace where hée slewe the young king which had bin deceiued by other with many moe princes and noble men and as Platina witnesseth in the life of Eugenius the. 4. in that battle were slayne 3. C. thousand Christians The battle was fought vpon S. Martins éeuen in the yéeare of Christe 1444. Who so desireth to reade a larger description of that wofull calamitie let him peruse the Hungarian historie of Antonius Bonfinius the 6. booke of the 3. Decade But Amurates not being satisfied with this victory immediatly cōuaighing his army into Greece slew the Emperour of Constantinoples brother with all his power and wasted Peloponesus with fire and pilledge and sutch Christians as were reserued from the slaughter he lead away into most miserable slauery And this was the great good prouision and commoditie whiche the counsell of the bloody and periured Pope Eugenius purchased to the Christians After these calamities and gréeuous persecutions yet were there greater mischeiues which by the iust iudgment of God oppressed the Christians For in the yéere of Christe 1450. Machomet the seconde Sunne to Amurates was made the seauenth Prince of the Turkes The same for the valientnesse of his déedes was surnamed the great and called the first Caesar or Emperour of the Turkes because hée tooke awaye valiently by force that Empire whiche from the time of Constantinus the great the space of 1121. yéeres had continued vnder the dominion of the Christians and brought it in subiection vnto the Turkes For in the yéere of our Lord. 1453. he besiedged costātinople the head of the empire w a great power And whē he had besiedged it the space of 50 continual dais assaulted it w munition at lēgth the 29 day of May he increased the assault w al his force frō the morning vntill most part of the dai were spent at the length took it Héere nowe it cannot bée recited with what sauadge crueltie wantonesse pride and disdayne the barbarous Turkes vsed the miserable Christians without al mercy Constantinus the Emperour who was pressed and troden to death by the multitude of men béeing sought out and haled from the residew of the dead carcases had his head strocken off which béeyng set vppon the point of a speare was carried about in despight derision of y christiās Some report also y ther were 40000. Christians slayne CLM. carryed away into captiuytie and sould The exact discription of this most miserable calamiti and vnspeakable persecution is to be found in Nauclerus histori Also Ioannes Auentinus a writer of histories reporteth that this wicked Machomet surnamed the great besides the two Empires of Trapezunce and Constantinople tooke away moreouer from the Christians xii famous Kingdomes and 200 famous Cities Also in the yéere of Christe 1469. hée made an irruption into Styria and béesiedged the citie Graecium whereby such feare inuaded y christians y from Saltzbrough which some suppose of olde to bee called Iuuania vnto Monachum in Bauaria they fled in such hast that they regarded not their Children whiche fell out of the wagons and Chariots by the waye The same at that time they called the Turkish flight In the yéere of our Lord God. 1481 Baiazetes was created seconde Emperour of the Turkes and the eight prince from Othomānus Thesame persecuted also the christians cruelly and brake into Wallachia Hungarie where néere to the riuer Morana vanquishyng the Christians in reproch and dispight cut of the noses of all the prisoners which he had taken He made warre also against the Venetians sendynge foorth againste them Scender a Bassa into Frioll who sacking and spoylyng farre aboute carried away many Christians captiue of whome thrée hundred thousande were most pitifully slayne at the shoare of the riuer Tiliauentum Many thinges also moe haue bin commited cruelly against the Christians by this most barbarous and Turkishe Tyraunt Baiazete In the yéere of our Lorde 1512. the. 9 prince of the Othomanni and the third in order of the Turkish emperours Selimus began to reigne The same quite destroid the Sarracens Mammaluces cōmaundyng that their last Sultan Tomombeius most ignominiously shoulde bée hanged which was done the. 13. day of Aprill in the yéere of our Lorde 1517. when hee had taken Alcharyus or Memphis the greatest and most famous Citie of Egipt And by this meanes the Turkish Princes obtayned thrée excéedyng great Empires to wit of Trapezunce Constantinople and Egypt and so continuallye the Rodde or Sworde which God hath prepared againste the Christians is fortified and increased Solimannus succéeded his Father Selimus in the Empire