The auncient ecclesiasticall histories of the first six hundred yeares after Christ, wrytten in the Greeke tongue by three learned historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. Eusebius Pamphilus Bishop of Cæsarea in Palæstina vvrote 10 bookes. Socrates Scholasticus of Constantinople vvrote 7 bookes. Euagrius Scholasticus of Antioch vvrote 6 bookes. VVhereunto is annexed Dorotheus Bishop of Tyrus, of the liues of the prophetes, apostles and 70 disciples. All which authors are faithfully translated out of the Greeke tongue by Meredith Hanmer, Maister of Arte and student in diuinitie. Last of all herein is contayned a profitable chronographie collected by the sayd translator, the title whereof is to be seene in the ende of this volume, with a copious index of the principall matters throughout all the histories

CAP. X.

Of the daungers that Dionysius him selfe stoode in.

BUt of the persecution wherewith himselfe was sore afflicted, & what thinges together with others he suffered, for his conscience God wards, his wordes do testifie where he inueyeth a∣gainst Germanus one of the Bishops which at that time backbited him, his words are these: I feare me lest that of necessity I fall into great foolishnes, and te••••erity, declaring the vvonder∣full pleasure of God in our behalfe.* 1.1 In so much it is commendable to conceale the secretye of the King, it is glorious to publishe abroade the vvorkes of God. Forthvvith then vvill I sett on the vvilfulnes••e of Germanus. I came vnto Aemilianus not alone, for there accompanied me my fellovve minister Maximus, & the Deacons Faustus, Eusebius, Chaeremon. Also there came vvith vs one of the bethren of Rome vvhich thē vvere present. Aemilianus sayd not vnto me specially, rayse no conuenticle: This vvoulde haue bene superfluous, and the laste of all, he hauing recourse vnto that vvhich vvas firste. His speache vvas not of making no cor••uenticles, but of that vve shoulde be no Christians at all, and commaunded me to cease henceforth from Chri∣stianitie. For he thought that if I altered my opinion diuers other vvoulde follovve me. I made him aunsvvere neyther vnreuerently, neyther tediously. VVe ought to obey rather God then* 1.2 men. Yea I spake vvith open protestation: I vvorshippe God vvhich is onely to be vvorship∣ped and none other, neyther vvill I be chaunged, neyther cease henceforth from being a Chri∣stian. This being said, he commaunded vs to departe vnto a certaine village adioyning vpon the deserte called Cephro. Novv heare vvhat is recorded to haue bene sayde of eyther partes: vvhen Dionysius, and Faustus, and Maximus, and Marcellus, and Chaeremon vvere brought forth, Aemi∣lianus sate in the Presidents rovvme. I haue signified (sayth he) by vvorde here vnto you, the cle∣mency of our leages, and Lordes the Emperours tovvardes you. They haue graunted you par∣don so that you returne vnto that vvhich nature it selfe bindeth you vnto, so that you adore the Gods vvhich garde this empire, and forgett the thinges vvhich repugne nature. VVhat aun∣svvere make you vnto these? I hope ye vvill not vngratefully refuse their clemencie in so much they counsayle you to the better. Dionysius aunsvvered: All men doe not vvorshippe all Gods, but seuerall men seuerall Gods, vvhome they thinke good to be vvorshipped. But vve vvor∣shippe and adore the one God the vvorker of all thinges, vvho committed this empyre vnto the most clement Emperours Valerianus, and Galienus, vnto vvhome also vve povvre inces∣sant prayers for their raygne, that it may prosperously continevve. Then Aemilianus the Pre∣sident sayde: VVhat lett is there I beseeche you, but that naturally you adore that your God (insomuch he is a God) together vvith these our Gods. Dionysius aunsvvered: VVe vvorshippe no other God. To vvhome Aemilianus the President sayd, I see you are altogether vnthanke∣full, you perceaue not the clemencye of the Emperours, vvherefore ye shall not remayne in this* 1.3 citye, but shal be sent into the partes of Libya, vnto a place called Cephro. This place by the commaundemente of our Emperoures, I haue picked out for you. It shall not be lavvefull for you and others to frequente Conuenticles, neyther to haue recourse (as they call them) vnto Churcheyardes. If any of you be not founde in that place vvhiche I haue appoynted for you, or in any Conuenticle lett him vnder his perill. There shall not vvante sufficient pro∣uision. departe therefore vvhither ye are commaunded. But he constrayned me, althoughe sickely to departe vvith speede, differring no not one daye, hovve then coulde I rayse or not rayse a Conuenticle? Agayne after a fewe lynes he sayth: Truely vve are not absent, no not from the corporall congregation of the Lorde: for I gather suche as are in the citye, as if I vvere present, being in deede absent in the bodye, but present in the spirite. And there con∣tinevved vvith vs in Cephro a greate congregation, partely of the brethren vvhiche follovv∣ed vs from out of the citye, and partely of them vvhiche came from Aegypt. And there God opened vnto me a dore vnto his vvorde: yet at the beginning vve suffered persecution, and stoning, but at the length not a fevve of the Panymes forsaking their carued Images, vvere

conuerted. For vnto such as before had not receaued, thē first of al we preached the word of god. And in so much that therfore God had brought vs among thē, after that the ministery was there completed, he remoued vs vnto an other place, for Aemilianus woulde transporte vs vnto more rough places of Libya, as he thought, & gaue cōmaundemēt that al from euery where should re∣paire vnto Mareòta, where he allotted vnto seuerall men, the seueral villages of that place, & cō∣maunded that we in our iourney, & first among all the rest should be preuented. for by taking vs vp by the vvay, the rest vvould easily follovv after. But I hearing we must depart from Cephro, & knowing not the place whither we were cōmaunded to go, neyther remēbred I, that euer afore, I heard it named, for al that tooke my iourney willingly, & cheerefully. But when I vnderstood we must remoue vnto Colluthio, then howe I was affected my companions knowe very well. And here I will accuse my selfe. For at the firste I fretted, and tooke it very greeuously. If places better knowne and more frequented had fallen vnto our lo••••e it shoulde neuer haue greeued me. But that place whither I should repayre was reported to be destitute of all brotherly and friendely consolation, subiect to the troublesome tumulte of trauaylers, and violent inuasion of theeues. Yet I tooke no small comforte in that the brethren toulde me it was nigh a citye. For Cephro brought me greate familiaritye with the brethren of Aegypt, so that our congre∣gation encreased▪ but there I supposed it might fall out, for that the citye was nighe, we shoulde enioye the presence of familiar, friendely, and beloued brethren, whiche would frequent vn∣to vs and refreshe vs, and that particular Conuenticles in the farther suburbes might be raysed, whiche in deede came to passe. Agayne of other thinges whiche happened vnto him, thus he wryteth: Germanus peraduenture glorieth of many confessions, and can tell a longe tale of the afflictions which he endured. but what can be repeated on our behalfe? sentences of condem∣nation,* 1.4 confiscations, proscriptions, spoyling of substance, deposition of dignities, no regarde of worldly glory, contempt of the prayses due vnto Presidents & consuls, threatnings of the aduer∣saries, the suffring of reclamations, perils, persecutions, errors, griefes, anguishes, and sundry tri∣bulatiōs which happened vnto me vnder Decius, & Sabinus, & hitherto vnder Aemilianus. novv I pray you where appeared Germanus? what rumor is blased of him? But peraduenture I bring my self into great folly for Germanus sake. The same Dionysius in his epistle vnto Domitius & Di∣dymus made mention againe of them who then were persecuted, saying: It shal seeme superfluous* 1.5 to recite the names of our men in that they were many, & to you vnknowne. For al that, take this for suertie. There were men, women, yong men, olde men, virgins & olde women, souldiers & simple men, of all sortes & sects of people: wherof some after stripes & fire were crowned victo∣rers, some after▪ sworde, some other in small time sufficiently tried, seemed acceptable sacrifices vnto the Lord. Euen as hitherto it hath appeared to suffice me, because he hath reserued me vnto an other fitt time knowne vnto him self, who sayth: in time accepted haue I heard thee, & in the* 1.6 day of saluation haue I holpen thee. And because you are desitous to vnderstand of our affayres, I vvill certifie you in what state we stande. You all hearde how I, and Caius, and Faustus, Pe∣ter and Paul, when we were ledd bounde by the Centurion, captaynes, souldiers and seruants, certayne of the brethren inhabiting Mareôta, rushed out and sett vpon vs, pulled vs which were violently drawne, and followed agaynstour will. But I truely and Caius, & Peter, alone among all the rest, depriued of the other brethren, were shutt vp in a close dungeon, distant three dayes iourney from Paraetonium, in the waste deserte and noysome contrey. Afterwardes he sayth: In the citie there hidd them selues certayne of the brethren which visited vs secretly, of the mini∣sters Maximus, Dioscorus, Demetrius, Lucius, and they that were more famous in the worlde, as Faustinus and Aquila, these now wander I wott not where in Aegypt. And of the Deacons there remained aliue after thē which died of diseases, Faustus, Eusebius, & Charemon. God strengthned and instructed this Eusebius from the beginning to minister diligently vnto the confessors in pri∣son, and to burye the bodyes of the blessed Martyrs not vvithout great daunger. And yet vn∣to this day the President ceaseth not cruelly to slay some that are brought forth: to teare in pec∣ces other some with torments: to consume other with emprisonment & fetters, commaunding that none come nigh them, & enquiring daily if any such men be attainted. For all that, God re∣fresheth* 1.7 the afflicted with cheerefulnes & frequenting of brethren. These thinges hath Dionysius writtē in y^• aforesaid epistle. yet haue we to vnderstand y^• this Eusebius whom he calleth a deacon, was in a while after, chosen bishop of Laodicea in Syria, & Maximus whom he calleth a minister: succeded Dionysius in y^• bishops sea of Alexandria. & Faustus who thē endured cōfess••ō w^t him, was

reserued vnto the persecution of our time▪ a very 〈…〉〈…〉 hauing liued many dayes, at length a∣mong vs was beheaded, and ••cowned a martyrsi•••••• were the thinges which happened vnto Dio∣nysius in those dayes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cap. 11. in the Greeke. Tob. 12. Dionysius b. of Alexan∣dria agaynst Germanus, epist. ad Her∣mamon.
• * 1.2

  Act. 5.
• * 1.3

  Dionysius with his com¦pany is bani∣shed into a certayne de∣serte called Cephro.
• * 1.4

  What Diony¦sius suffered for the fayth.
• * 1.5

  Dionysius b. of Alexādria vnto Domi∣tius & Didy∣mus.
• * 1.6

  Esay. 49. 2. Corinth. 6.
• * 1.7

  Of Eusebius b. of Laodi∣cea. ••eade the last cap. of this 7. booke Maximus. Faustus.