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. XXII.

Of Apphianus the Martyr.

MAximinus Caesar who by maine force intruded him selfe into the Empire, laynge wyde open vnto the whole worlde manifest proofes of his deadly hatred and impietie towards God, as it were naturally growing in his fleshe and graffed in his bones: persecuted vs more vehemently and more generally then the other his superior emperours. wherfore when as trouble & tumult & no small confusion hanged ouer our heads, & some were here & there scattered, endeuoring by all meanes possible to auoide y^t perill ensuing, & that a greuous cōmotion had now ouerrunne the contrie: no tōgue can worthely declare, no speache sufficiently expresse, the deuine loue & liberty of faith wherewith Apphianus y^• blessed martyr of God yelded an accōpt of his pro∣fession. Who shewed vnto y^• citizens of Caesarea, assēbled at their spectacle or sacrifice in y^• porche of the tēple, a liuely signe or tokē of the singular zeale he bare godwards, when he was not at that time, no not xx. yeare old. he cōtinewed a long time at Berytos in Phaenicia, applying his minde to the study of prophane literature, for he came of such parents as flowed in worldly wealth. It is in maner incredible how he ouercame all youthly affectiōs & drowned all his wild otes in so vicious & so corrupt a citie: & how y^t neither by reason of his youthly floure, lately florishing in his greene body: neither by reason of his cōpanie and acquaintance with youthly mates: he sucked the iuyce neither swallowed the sopps of lewde and wanton conuersation: but embracing temperancie, led a reuerent life, peculier to christian religion in modesty, sobrietie & godlines. If in case we be cō∣strained to mention his contrey, and to honor the same for bringing forth so valiant a champiō to wrastle in the cāpe of this world vnder the bāner of Christ, truely we will performe the same, nei∣ther without good consideration. for who so euer knoweth Pagas, no obscure citie of Lycia, it was there, that this yong man was borne. he after his returne from schoole, and the study of prophane literature applied at Berytos, not pleased with the conuersation of his father (who then gouerned that whole contrey) neither with the conuersation of his kinsfolks with whome he liued, because they framed not their liues after the rule of piety: being pricked with the instinct & motion of the spirite of God, & inflamed with a certaine naturall, nay rather celestiall & true loue of sincere wis∣dome, cast in his mind to consider of weyghtyer matters, then this fayned & counterfeite glory of the world beares vs in hande. laying aside therfore all the sweete baites of fleshly pleasure, he for∣sooke & fled away priuely from his friends and families, not weying at all the want of necessary prouision, but casting his whole care & confidence vp•••• God, was ledd no doubt by the deuine spi∣rite as it were by a stryng into the city of Caesarea, where the crowne of martyrdome, beynge the reward of godlines, was prepared for him. for whilest that he liued among vs, he profited in holy scripture, during that short terme of his life, more then any man coulde thinke, and practised such discipline as tended to godly life, preparing a perfect way to dye well. But toutching the ende he made, who is it that beholdinge the same with single eye wyll not be astonyed? and howe so euer

againe he be disposed which only with fame and hearesay attaineth vnto the knowledge, of his set∣led mind, his noble courage, his immouable constancie, and aboue all his faithfull trust & endeuour wherby the tokens of vnfained godlines, and feruent spirite appeared which passed all the reach of mans reasons, how can he chuse but wōder therat? for when as in y^• third yeare of our persecution, vnder the raigne of Maximinus, the seconde whurlyburlie was raysed against vs, and the tyrants letters then first of all were brought to Vrbanus, charging all the people of what degree or callinge so euer that they shoulde sacrifice vnto their gods (the magistrats also throughout euery cytie bu∣sily applying them selues to the same) and that the beadells throughout all the cytie of Caesarea, shoulde by vertue of the Presidents edict, summone, the fathers, the mothers, and their children to appeare at the Idols temple, and that the Tribunes shoulde likewise out of a scroule call eue∣ry one by his name: (by reason whereof there was no where but heauynesse, sobbinge and sigh∣inge): the aforesayde Apphianus (letting not one to vnderstande of his purpose,) vnknow∣inge vnto vs which accompanyed with him in one house, vnknowinge vnto the whole bande of the captayne, came cherefully vnto Ʋrbanus the President as he was a sacrificinge, and boldly without any feare at all, tooke holde in his ryght hande and stayed him forthwith from doynge sacrifice, exhortinge him also both wisely and grauely with a certayne godly protestation and cheerefulnesse of minde, thenceforth to ceasse and be no more seduced: sayinge moreouer there was no reason that he shoulde despise the one & the onely true God, and offer sacrifice to idols and to deuells. Such an enterprise the yonge man tooke in hande, beynge prouoked thereunto (as it seemeth vnto vs) by the deuine power of God, sounding in the eares of all mortall men by this his fact: that the Christians which ryghtly do chalenge that name, are farre from falling away from the seruice due vnto God the author of all goodnesse, so that they not onely suffer and vari∣antly endure threates, and plagues, and punishments, which commonly chaunce vnto them but thenceforth also pleade more boldly and yeelde an accompt of their faith more freely, their tongue neither stuttinge neither stammeringe for feare, yea and if it may any kind of waye come to passe, they dare reuoke the persecutors and tormentors them selues from their blinde igno∣rance, and constrayne them to acknowledge and embrace the one onely God. Immediatly af∣ter, he, of whome I speake (as it was moste like to happen vnto so bolde an enterprise) was haled of the Presidents trayne, as of sauadge beastes furiously raging against him, and tormen∣ted ouer all his bodie with infinite stripes the which he paciently suffred, and for a while was clapt in prison. Where for one whole daye and nyght he was piteously tormented with both his feete in the stockes streatched farre a sunder, the thirde daye he was brought forth before the Iudge. And as soone as they enioyned him to sacrifice, he resisted, and shewed forth the greate pacience ingraffed in his minde, for the suffringe of all terrors and horrible punishments: so that the executioners rent his sides with the lashe of the whippe, not once and twise, but often euen vnto the bone and inwarde bowells, lashinge him also on the face and the necke, vntill that his face was swollen with the print of the stripes, so that they which afore time knewe him well and discerned him by his countenance, thenceforth missed of their marke, and knewe him not at all. When they sawe he woulde not yeelde for all these manifolde and sundrie tormentes, the executioners at the commaundemēt of the president, wrapped his feete in slaxe oyled all ouer and sette the same a fire, whereof howe great, and what greuous payne be suffred, I am not able to ex∣presse. It runne ouer his fleshe, it consumed the same, and pearced vnto the marowe bredd within the bones, so that his whole bodie larded and distilled muche like vnto droppinge and meltinge waxe. Yet there was breath left, and life remaininge for all these torments, the aduersaries and executioners them selues were weryed at his intollerable pacience, which farre exceeded the common nature of man, after all this the seconde time he is cast into prison. Three dayes after he is brought againe before the Iudge, and beyng founde freely to confesse the same faith as afore∣time, although by reason of his woundes, he was readie to yeelde vp the ghost, yet was he throwen into the surginge waues of the seas. If we shoulde make relation of the miracle which immediatly followed, peraduenture such as sawe it not with their eyes, will giue no creditt at all thereunto, and though we perswade our selues, that men will hardlie beleue it: yet there is no reason to the contrarie but that we committe to memorie, and deliuer in writinge the historie as it was indeede, insomuch as in maner all which inhabite Caesarea are witnesses to the same. There was no, not a childe in Caesarea, but was present at this straunge spectacle. As soone as they had plunged (as it pleased them best) that holie and blessed martyr of Christ in the deepe

goulphes of the mayne sea: there rose vpon a sodaine such a storme (not after the wonted maner of weather) and such a noyse in the ayre, (not onely ouer the sea but ouer the whole lande) whiche shooke both the earth, and the whole citie, with the violence and force therof: and together with this wonderfull and sodaine earthquake the sea caste vp before the gates of the citie, the martyrs carcasse, as if it had bene of strength not bigge inough to beare so holie a burthen. Such were the circumstances toutching blessed Apphianus, who suffred martyrdome, on good friday, that is: the second day of the moneth Zanthicus, the 4. of the Nones of Aprill.

Notes

• Apphianus.
• Pagas of Ly∣cia.
• The cruell edict of Ma∣ximinus.
• The godly and bolde enterprise of Apphianus.
• Apphianus after often imprisoning, after sundry horrible tor∣ments was throwen into the sea whose carcasse the water threwe vp and layde at the gates of Caesarea.
• A cruell tor∣ment.
• An Earth∣quake.