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. XI.* 1.1

Howe that Athanasius byshop of Alexandria, and Paulus byshop of Constanti∣nople, went to Rome, and procured Iulius the byshop of Rome his letters for the recouery of their seaes: the which letters were answered by the byshops of the East, saying: that the byshop of Rome had nothing to doe with them.

AThanasius as yet was short of his iourney into Italie. At y^e time Constans who was y^e yōgest brother of y^e three Emperours, after y^e death of his brother Cōstantine, who (as we sayd be∣fore) was slaine by y^e souldiers, gouerned that westerne countries. Then also Paulus bishop of Cōstantinople, Asclepas bishop of Gaza, Marcellus bishop of Ancyra in Galatia y^e lesser, & Lu∣cius bishop of Adrianopolis being accused one for one thing, & an other for an other thing, & depri∣ued of their churches, were at y^e princely citie of Rome: & certified Iulius bishop of Rome of their whole estate, & trouble. Iulius then by reason of the prerogatiue of the churche of Rome, vphelde

their side with his letters, he wrote freely vnto the bishops of the east, that euery one of the afore∣sayd* 1.2 bishops should be restored againe, sharply rebuking such as procured their deposition rashly and without aduisement. They leaue Rome, and trusting to bishop Iulius his letters, they returne euery man to his owne church, & conuey the letters vnto whome they were written. These men, when his letters came to their hands, tooke the correction of Iulius for a contumely or sclaunder, they summone a Councell at Antioch. There as soone as they had assembled together, they deuise an epistle by vniforme consent of them all, wherein they inuey bitterly against Iulius, and signifie withall, that if any were banished the churche, and excommunicated by their decree and cen∣sure, it were not his part to intermedle, neither to sitt in iudgement vpon their sentence. For when as he had remoued Nouatus out of the churche of Rome, they neither resisted, neither contraryed his doinges. This in effect was that which the bishops of the East wrote vnto Iulius bishop of Rome. But in as much as at the comming of Athanasius into Alexandria, there was great sturre and tumultes raysed by Georgius the Arian (for the report goeth that by his meanes there was much harme, murther, and māslaughter committed) & that the Arians charged Athanasius w^t the sedition, as if he had bene the cause & author of all those mischiefes: I thinke it needefull with as much breuitie as may be, presently to say somewhat hereof. Although God alone, who is the true iudge, knoweth the certaintie thereof: yet is it not vnknowen vnto wise and discrete men, that such things most commonly fall out, where the people are at ciuill discord and dissention among them selues. Wherfore the accusers of Athanasius did him wronge, they charged him iniuriously. And Sabinus euen the greate patron of Macedonius his heresie, if that he had deepely weyed with him* 1.3 selfe, how great, and what greeuous mischiefes, the Arians went about to practise against Atha∣nasius, and all such as cleaued stedfastly vnto the creede contayning the clause of One substance: or what hainous crimes, and heauy complaints the Coūcells assembled about Athanasius his cause, exhibited againste him: or what horrible deuises the graunde hereticke Macedonius practised a∣gainst all the churches of God: certainly he should haue either runne them ouer with silence, or if* 1.4 that he had once opened his mouth, he shoulde haue vttered such thinges as would haue tended to the detection of such shamefull and reprochefull dealinges. Nowe hath he winked at all this, and blased abroade the sclaunderous crimes those beastly men charged Athanasius withall. But he sayeth not a word of Macedonius the ringleader of those heretickes, whilest he endeuoureth to cō∣ceale his horrible practises, and tragicall acts. And that which is most of all to be maruailed at, he reporteth not ill of the Arians, whome he abhorred. Moreouer he hath not once remembred the election of Macedonius, whome he succeeded. for if he had but once opened his mouth to discourse of him, he must needes haue paynted vnto the world his deuilishe dealings, and lewde behauiour, euen as the circumstances of that election do plainely set forth. But of him so farre.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cap. 15. in the greeke.
• * 1.2

  The epistle of Iulius vnto the bishops of the East & their answere vnto him a∣gaine, is to be seene in the first ••ome of the Coun∣cells. The church of Rome hath nothīg to doe with the churches of the East, and so of the contrary.
• * 1.3

  Sabinus.
• * 1.4

  This Sabinus ••rot a booke ••tituled, the collection of ••he coūcells. (Socra. lib. 1. ••ap. 13. lib. 3. ••ap. 21) where ••e ••ayth no∣••ing of the ••uersaries ••f the trueth.