CAP. XIX.
Of the Priests appoynted to heare confession, and why shriuing was forbid in the churche.
ABout that time it seemed good vnto the churche to take awaye the office of such priests as were appoynted throughout euery church to receaue penitents after the confession of their sinnes into the company of the faithfull, and that for this occasion. Since the time that the* 1.1 Nouatians deuided them selues from the church, and refused to cōmunicate with such as fell in the persecutiō vnder Decius, y• bishops added vnto y• ecclesiasticall canon y• in euery church there should a priest be appointed for y• admissiō of penitents: to y• end such as had fallen after baptisme should in hearing of the priest appoynted for the purpose, confesse their sinne and infirmitie. This Canon is as yet of force among other sects: onely the true Christians embracing the faith of One substāce, together with the Nouatians which therin hold with them, haue banished this peneten••••all functiō out of the church. Neither did the Nouatians at the beginninge allowe of this addition: yet the bi∣shops which nowe adayes gouerne the churches, although they retayned this custome of a longe tyme, notwithstandinge remoued it out of the churche in the tyme of Nectarius byshop of Con∣stantinople, by reason of an haynous offence committed in the churche in such sort as followeth. A noble woman came vnto the Prieste whose office was to heare penitents, and confessed order∣ly* 1.2 the sinnes she had committed after baptisme. The Priest enioyned her to geue her selfe wholly to fastinge and continewall prayer, that together with her confession in worde, she myght shewe forth the workes of repentance in deede. As she continewed a whyle longer a shriuinge, she accu∣seth her selfe of an other crime, and declareth that a certaine deacon of that church had abused her bodie▪ for which offence by this meanes come to light, the Deacon was banished the churche, and* 1.3 therevpon there was much adoe amonge the people. They were wonderfully incensed, not onely because of the haynous offence that was committed, but also that thereby the churche was blemi∣shed with reproche and infamie. When the priests were sharply rebuked, and the aforesayd crime obiected vnto them, Eudaemon minister of that churche by byrth of Alexandria, counselled Necta∣rius the byshop to take awaye the function of the shriuinge Priest, and graunt free libertie vnto e∣uery one as his conscience serued him, to become partaker of the holy mysteries. For in so doinge there was hope that the churche shoulde no longer be sclaundered. Insomuch that I heard these thinges of Eudaemons owne mouth, I doubted not to annexe it vnto this our historie. For as I haue often admonished the reader, it was euer my dryft and purpose to learne the histories of such as knewe them very well, and diligently to syfte out the trueth, lest that at any tyme my penne shoulde passe the boundes of a faithfull historiographer. I of late reasoned thus with Eud••mon: Thy aduise and counsell, O priest, whether it shall auayle the churche or no, God knoweth: yet I see playnly that thou hast ministred occasion, that one may not reprehend an others vice, neither