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. XL.* 1.1

Dionysius bishop of Alexandria reporteth t••••••onstancy of such as were mar∣tyred at Alexandria vnder Decius.

THe same Dionysius in his epistle vnto Fabius Bishop of Antioche, describeth theire sundry* 1.2 torments which suffered martyrdome at Alexandria vnder Decius, writing thus: This per∣secution vvas not begonne by the Emperours edict, but one vvhole yeare before. for ther came vnto this city a certaine southsayer & inuenter of mischief, vvho moued and stirred vp the vvhole multitude of the heathēs against vs, & inflamed them to defend the superstition of their natiue soyle. by vvhome they being thus prouoked, and hauing purchaced on their side such as vvere of povver & authority, to perpetrate al impious acts: they persvvaded them selues that the onely vvorship of deuils & our slaughter vvas pietie it selfe. First then they apprehend a certaine minister vvhose name vvas Metras, & commaunde him to vtter blasphemy, vvho for disobedi∣ence* 1.3 therein is beaten vvith clubs, his face & eyes they pricked vvith sharpe quills, aftervvardes they led him forth into the suburbes & stoned him to dea••h. Againe they bring into the temple of Idols a faithful vvoman named Quinta, & constrained her to vvorship, vvho contrarying and abhorring their Idols, had her feete bound together, & by them trayled & lugged all along the streetes, vvhich vvere sravved vvith sharpe pimple stones, she vvas beaten against milstones, & sore scurged. last of all she vvas brought forth to the same place & executed. vvhich being done they all vvith one accord violently rush into the houses of the religious, & euery one of the vvic∣ked leadeth the heady multitude vnto their neighbours houses, vvhom they knevve to be godly & vvell disposed. so that in the ende they destroy, they spoyle, they steale & beare avvay the pre∣cious ievvels: but the vile, the base and the vvodden stuffe they throvve out into the streete and burne it to ashes. shevving forth thereby a resemblance or spectacle of a city taken & ransacked by the enemie. The brethren gaue backe & vvithdrevve them selues aside, taking in good parte & very cheerefully the losse of their goodes, much like vnto them of vvhome Paul hath testified. Neither do I remember any (one onely excepted) of them vvhich vvere apprehended, vnto this day that denyed the Lorde. furthermore they take holde vpon the elderly and reno vvined vir∣gine Apollonia, they beate her cheekes, and knocke out all the teethe in her heade. ouer agaynst* 1.4 the citie they prepare a pyle, and threaten to burne her quicke, vnlesse she vvould together vvith them vvtter blasphemye. but she lingering a litle vvhile, as though she vvoulde take further deli∣beration, sodainly leapes into the fire and is consumed to ashes. To be shorte they laye holde vpon Serapion vvho continevved in his ovvne house, vvhome they vexe vvith sundry greeuous* 1.5 & bitter torments, brusing all the members of his body, and throvving him dovvne headlonge from an vpper chamber. There vvas no vvay for vs to passe, no not the high & cōmon, no strayte cricke for passage, eyther by daye or by night, they cryed out all, and exclaymed euery vvhere, there vvas no other choyse but eyther to vtter blasphemie, or to be dravvne and bur∣ned at the stake. And these thinges (the more is the p••tye) endured toe toe longe. but in the ende this sedition and ciuill vvarre ouertooke the seditious persons them selues, and turned vpon them the selfe same crueltie vvhiche they before had practised vpon vs, so that for a li∣tle season vve refreshed our selues, their furye vvhervvith they raged against vs being somevvhat abated. For all this in a vvhile after the alteration of the imperiall scepter vvas declared and o∣penly knovvne, vvhich afore time vvas very sauorable vnto vs, but novve threatneth great mis∣chiefe to ensue, specially aboue all other vnto the christians, for the Emperours edict is proclay∣med,* 1.6 & that most dreadful saying of our Sauiour prognosticated long agoe novv taketh place that if it vvere possible the very elect them selues shoulde be offended▪ all do tremble & quake for feare, some forthvvith of the mightier sorte flye avvay doubting vvhat vvoulde be fall them, some of their ovvn accord are caried avvay vvith their vvorldly affaires, some are persvvaded by

their neighboures, and being ••••lled by their names, are present at their profane and impious sacrifices: some vvaxed pale and trembled, not as though they vvoulde sacrifice, but like to be∣come sacrifices and oblations to the Idols, so that the vvhole multitude in compasse derided them, for they seemed manifestly to be timorous both to dye, and also to doe sacrifice: some vvent stoutely vnto the altars and affirmed boldely, that they vvere neuer Christians, of vvhome the Lorde hath moste truely fore tolde: that such shoulde hardely besaued. some other there* 1.7 vvere that helde vvith both sides: some fledd, some vvere taken, vvhere of diuers endured fetters & imprisonment. other some after long imprisonment before they came vnto the tribunal seate renounced their faith: some others after they had stoutly endured torments, in the ende denied Christ. but others that vvere blessed and valiaunt as pillers or bulvverkes of the Lorde, being strengthened by him and stout in protesting their fayth, hauing gotten vnto them selues vvor∣thy constancie and courage sufficient, became renovvmed Martyrs of the kingdome of heauen. The firste vvas Iulianus a goutye man, not able eyther to stande or goe, he vvas brought forth* 1.8 by tvvo vvhich bare him on their shoulders, vvhere of the one aftervvar••s fell from the fayth, The other called Cronion, vvhose syr name vvas Eunus, together vvith the olde Iulianus, con∣fessed and acknovvledged the Lorde (as their bounden dutie required) vvith a perfect and sounde fayth. they vvere both layed vpon camels and scurged aloft, in the ende being throvvne into the flashing fire, they vvere burned to ashes, in presence of the people vvhich compassed them rounde about. vvhen as they vvere brought forth, a certaine souldier rebuked such as re∣uiled* 1.9 them, vvherefore they exclaymed against him, so that this valiaunt vvarrier of the Lorde vvas brought forth to fight, vvho after that he had stoutly behaued him selfe in that great skir∣mish for the Christian faith, vvas beheaded. After him an other by nation a Libyan, by appella∣tion and blessing the true Macar, vvas often admonished by the iudgeto denye Christ and re∣nounce* 1.10 his fayth: vvho for not consenting vnto it vvas burned quicke. After them Epimachus and Alexander, vvhen they had bene long punished vvith fetters, tormented vvith sharpe ra∣sors and bitter scurges, vvere throvvne into a fire pile together vvith foure vvomen. Ammonarion also a holy virgine, vvhome the iudge vvrested to and fro, for that she foretould him, she vvould obey him in nothing (vvhich in deede she performed) vvas brought forth to execution. The rest as Mercuria a very honest matron, and Dionysia a very frutefull vvoman, for childe bearing, the vvhich children for all that, she preserred not before the Lorde, vvhen they had confounded the iudg, vvhich vsed all kinde of persvvasions, and novv vvas of the vvomen ouercome, after they vvere so tormented, that they past all sense and feeling, they vvere beheaded vvith the svvorde. but Ammonarion passed them all, notably enduring all kinde of torment. Heron also and A∣ter and Isidorus being Aegyptians, together vvith Dioscorus a yong man of fifteene yeare olde, vvere committed. First of all the iudge tooke the yong man in hande vvith fayre speaches as though he vvere easy to be entreated, aftervvards vvith torments as though he vvere soone ter∣rified, but he for all his persvvasions vvoulde neither bovve at his flatteries, nor breake at his threates. the reste after they had endured the moste cruell renting and vnioynting of their bo∣dely members, he commaunded to be burned vvith fire: but Dioscorus he sett at liberty, vvon∣dering at his gracious countenance vvhich gaue a glistering shine, and the vvise aunsvveres vvhich proceaded out of his mouth, saying he vvoulde graunt him longer space to repente and to remember him selfe for his tender yeares sake. so that euen at this daye the moste renovv∣med Dioscorus remayneth amonge vs vvay••ing for a larger and a longer combatt. Nemesion* 1.11 also an Aegyptian is accused of the••te, vvhereof, after he had openly purged him selfe before the Oenturion, agayne he is accused of Christianitie, vvherefore he vvas bounde and brought before the President. but the most cruell and vniust iudge, deliuered him amonge the theeues, to be tvvise more greeuously tormented and vexed, making him thereby the more blessed and honored after the example of Christ. There stoode before the tribunall seate certayne soul∣diers: Ammon, Zenon, Ptolom••us, Ingenuus, and together vvith them, olde Theophilus, vvho* 1.12 (vvhen any of the Christians came to heare the sentence or iudgement, and novve vvas ready to shrinke) so strugled that they vvere ready to burste vvithin them selues, they nodded vvith their countenance & beckened vvith their handes, exhorting them to constancy vvith all signes and iestures of the body. the vvhich vvhen the multitude in compasse had perceaued, before that any layd handes on them, preuenting their doinges: they steppe forth before the barre and proclayme them selues to be Christians. so that the President and his assistantes vvere amazed,

and the Christians vpon vvhome the sentence had paste, 〈…〉〈…〉 thereby boldened to suf∣fer, and the iudges maruelously afraide. those departed from the tribunall seate very cherefull, reioycing in the testimony of their faith, God gloriously triumphing in them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cap. 41. in the Greeke.
• * 1.2

  Dionysius vn to Fabius b. of Antioche.
• * 1.3

  Metras after torments is stoned to death. Quinta sto∣ned to death.
• * 1.4

  Apollonia is burned.
• * 1.5

  Serapion was throwne downe & his necke broke.
• * 1.6

  The edict of Dec•• aga••••t the Christi•••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••4.
• * 1.7

  Matth. 19.
• * 1.8

  Iulianus bur∣ned. Cronion was burned.
• * 1.9

  A souldier be headed.
• * 1.10

  Macar is bur∣ned. Epimachus is burned. Alexander is burned. •• women burned. Ammonariō is beheaded. Mercuria & Dionysia be∣headed. Herō burned Ater burned. Isidorus bur∣ned. Dioscorus a confessor.
• * 1.11

  Nemesion a Martyr.
• * 1.12

  Ammon. Zenon. Ptolomaeus. Ingenuus. &•• Theophilus. confessors.