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. IIII.

Howe Constantinus the Emperour beinge carefull for the concorde & vnity of the churche sent Osius a Spanyarde vnto Alexandria to reconcile Alexander* 1.1 and Arius, wrytinge, also an epistle vnto both the parties

WHen the emperour was certified hereof he was wonderfull sorye and supposed this schisme to be his owne calamitye. Forthwith therefore he wente seriously about to quenche the heate of discorde kindled among them, and sent letters vnto Alexāder and Arius by a man worthy of creditt whose name was Osius byshop of Corduba a citye of Spayne, this man the emperour loued entierly and highely honored. Some parte of which letters I sup∣posed* 1.2 not impertinent for this place, which are wholy alleaged by Eusebius in his bookes of the life of Constantine.

Constantine the puysant, the mighty, and noble emperoure vnto Alexander and Arius sendeth greetinge.

Hereby I gather the originall grounde of this controuersie in that thou Alexander hast de∣maunded of the elders toutching a certaine place of holy Scripture yea rather toutching a cer∣taine* 2.1 vaine peece of a question, vvhat euery ones opinion vvas: and thou Arius hast vnaduisedly blased abrode and sett abroche that vvhich thou shouldest not at the first haue conceaued, and hauing conceaued it, thou shouldest haue past it ouer vvith silence. VVhereby this dissention is risen among you, the vvonted assembly of the church hindred, the most deuout people diuersly distracted into ether side & rente a sunder, being afore time one body cōpacted together in har∣moniacal vnity. wherefore let ether of you, pardoning ech other, like of that the which your fe∣lowe minister not without cause exhorteth you vnto: and what is that? that you neyther obiecte at all, neither answer any obiection that concerne such matters. For such questions as no law or ecclesiasticall canon necessarily defineth, but the frutelesse contention of idle braine setteth a∣brode, though the exercise thereof auaile for the sharpening of the witt, yet ought we to retaine them within the inner closett of our mind, & not rashly to broch them in the publique assembly of the vulgare people, neither vnaduisedly to graunt the common sorte the hearing thereof. For hovve many be there that can worthely explicate & sufficiētly ponder the weyght of so graue, so intricate, and so obscure a matter? but if there be any such that persuadeth himselfe able easily to compasse and to attaine vnto it, howe many partes are there (I beseche you) of the multitude whome he can sufficiently instruct therein? and who is there in sifting out so curious a question that can well passe the perill of plunging error? wherefore in suche cases we must refrayne from verball disputations lest that ether we by reason of the imbecillity of our witt, can not explicate

our minde, ether our auditors when we teach by reason of theyr dull capacity can not compre∣hende the curious drift of our doctrine, whereby the people of necessity incurreth the daūger e∣ther of blasphemye or the poysoned infection of discorde. wherefore both the rashe obiection, and the vnaduised answere (being cause of the heretical sectes of the Arians, Eunomians, and of as many as fauor the like folly ought ere other of ech other craue pardone. Neither is there occa∣sion ministred to cōtende about the chiefest commaundement in holy Scripture, neither is there sprong any new opinion toutching the seruice of God: for you retaine the on and the same sen∣tence in substance of fayth, so that you may easily embrace the vniforme consent of vnity & cō∣cordo. For it is not well that for your contention about so sclender matters and trifling toyes, so great a multitude of the people of God through your negligence should be at such discorde a∣mong themselues. Yea it is supposed not onely not well, but alltogether intollerable. And that in fewe wordes I may lay before your eyes some president hereof I will reason with you: ye are* 2.2 not ignorant as I suppose that the philosophers agree▪ amōg themselues, all ioyntly professe one title and name of discipline, yet for all that, they vary and disagree in some odde opinion which seuerally they holde, who though they dissent by reason of theyr seuerall opinion, yet because of there compacted profession, they ioyne hands and holde together like birdes. If then the case be thus, why may it not be thought farre more expediēt that we wearing the cognizance of the* 2.3 most mighty God, euen for the christian religion the which we professe, should be at peace & vnity among our selues? but let vs vveygh more diligently and consider more deepely vvith our selues, vvhat I shall novve say: vvhether it be right or reason that for light and vayne contention about vvordes, one brother should dissent from an other, and the renovvmed peace by pestilent discord through vs vvhich spite one an other for sclender & vnnecessary matters should thus mi∣serably be prophaned and rent in peces. These practises are rather popular & farre more agrea∣ble vvith the youthly rashenes of greene heades, then vvith the sobriety of the graue and priest∣ly personages. vvherefore of our ovvne accorde l•••• vs put to flight the temptations of the deuell. And in as much as our Lord God almighty the Sauiour of all mē, hath graciously geuen abrode of his commō light vnto all, therefore be it lavvefull vnto me (I beseche you) as much as in you lieth, that I being ayded vvith the helping hand of his prouidence, may happely bring my pur∣pose to good effect, and that also I may leade his people, partely vvith often calling vpon them, partely vvith the diligent ouersight of theyr life, & partely also vvith sharpe admonition, to mu∣tuall loue & amity one with an other. And seing that (as I sayd) there is but one faith amōg you, one consent of profession, one trade of life and order of lawe, the which with mutual consent of the mind linketh and compacteth into one the vvhole body with the seuerall membres of the same: that therefore, which through your discorde, moued no small sturre among you, for that it concerneth not any weyghty substance of all our religiō, there is no reason why it should breed any diuision at all in mind, or discorde in doctrine. And this doe I say, not to compell you in this light and fonde question, of what sorte soeuer it be, alltogether to condescende vnto the same sentence, & though you dissent among yourselues about a matter of small importance (for nei∣ther truely are we all in all things like minded, neither haue we all the same nature and gifte in∣graffed in vs) neuerthelesse for all that, it may come to passe that the sacred vnity may soundlye & inuiolably be retained amōg you, & one cōsent & fellowship cōserued betwene all. But tout∣ching the prouidēce of God let there be one fayth amōg all, one cōsent of mind, & one opinion cōcerning God. & as toutching the sleyghty & subtle sifting out of these vaine questiōs, though you agree not altogether in one, yet should you haue limited thē within the boūds of your cap∣pacity & layd them vp within the secrete closett of your minde. let the cōmon lincke of amity, let true fayth, let the honor due vnto God, & the reuerēce of his lawe dwell for sure & certaine a∣mōg you, ioyne hāds together, be friends one with an other, render vnto the whole multitude of the people theyr wonted familiarity, & purging your mindes of the spott of cōtention embrace∣ye againe one an other after the most louing & friendlyest maner. for oftentimes vvhē enmity is banished, amity is of more delectable force amōg friēds. let me therefor enioy the days in peace & the nights vvithout molestation, that the pleasure vvhich riseth of the pure light of cōcord & quiet life, may hēceforth inuiolably be cōserued. If it othervvise happē, it behoueth vs to sobe & sigh, & to shede many a salt teare. for it can not be that hēceforth we leade the rest of our life in peace & trāquility: for it can not be that the people of God (I meane that people which ioyntly with vs is tied to the seruice of god) as long as they thus iniustly & dāgerously disagree one frō

an other, doe liue peaceably, or hovve can I in this case quiett my selfe and setle my conscience? And that you may perceaue the great griefe & sorow I conceaue in my harte for the same, I be∣seche you geue eare vnto me. Of late as I came vnto the cyty of Nicomedia forthvvith I purpo∣sed in minde speedely to trauell tovvards the Easte, and vvhen I hastened tovvards you and had passed the greater parte of my iourney, so that novve I seemed in maner to be with you, tydings hereof constrained me to alter my mind, lest that I shoulde vvith mine eyes behould the thinges vvhich I verely supposed my selfe not able to tollerat with mine ears. Toutching that vvhich re¦mayneth, see that vvith your peace & concordeye make plaine and sett vvide open the vvay for my iourney into the East, the vvhich you haue shut vvith your debate & discord, kindled of the one against the other. And bringe speedely to passe that I may perceaue not onely you to holde together, but also the whole multitude of the laye people reioycinge, and let vs all ioyntly ren∣der thankes (as our bounden duety requireth) vnto God almighty vvith conuenient laude and praise, for the publique peace, the common vnity, and liberty of all men.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cap. 7. in. the Greeke.
• * 1.2

  Osius a Spa∣niard, byshop of Corduba.
• * 2.1

  The epistle of Constan∣tinus vnto Alexander & Arius takē out of the 2. booke of Eu sebius of the life of Con∣stantine.
• * 2.2

  The conten∣tion of Phi∣losophers.
• * 2.3

  Brethren and christiās may not brawle cōtentiously about words.