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. XVIII.

Howe that after the desease of Isdigerdes king of Persia the league was broken betweene the Romaines and the Persians and howe that the Persians in the ende were foyled and the citie preserued.

AFter the desease of Isdigerdes kinge of Persia which in all his life time persecuted not the Christians inhabitinge his dominions, his sonne Bararanes beinge crowned in his fathers steede, was driuē thereunto through the perswasion of Magicians and southsayers, so that he vexed the Christians out of measure and punished them with sundrye torments after the maner

of Persia. wherefore y^• christians which dwelled in Persia were cōstrayned to flie vnto y^• Romains for refuge, they humbly craue of them that they will pitie theyr case, that they will not suffer them in such sorte lamentablye to be oppressed. Atticus the Bishop entertained those suters curteously: furthered their sute as much as in him laye, and opened vnto the Emperour Theodosius their case. The Romaines at the same time were offended with the Persians for an other matter, the quarell was as followeth. The Persians had borowed of the Romaines certaine searchers and diggers of gold mines, these men they would not only not deliuer backe againe but spoyled also the Romaine marcha••••rs of theyr wares and marchandise, the refuge of the christians augmented the vnkind∣nes and increased the displeasure. For immediatly after theyr flight the kinge of Persia sent Em∣bassadours requiring them backe againe as fugitiue persons. The Romaines because they ranne vnto them for succour would not restore them: nay they purposed not onely to aide thē which were simple suters but also with all might possible generally to maintayne the quarell in the behalfe of christian religion. Wherefore they chose rather to wage battaill with the Persians then suffer the christians so miserably to perish. To be shorte the league was broken & open warres proclaimed, but in mine opiniō it shall not be amisse briefly to runne ouer some things thereof. The Emperour of Rome first of all sent an host of armed souldiers a parte, one from the other against the Persiās, whereof Ardaburius was generall captaine: he passinge through Armenia entred with force into the Persian dominions & destroyed the prouince called Azazena. Narsaeus the king of Persias cap∣taine went forth to meete him with great power of Persian souldiers: they ioyned together: y^• field was fought: Narseus was foyled and fled away to saue his life. Afterwardes when he sawe his tyme he determined to enter vnlooked for into the Romayne dominions throughe Mesopotamia where there was no power to resiste them and purposed so to reuenge him of the Romaynes. But the Romayne captaine was quickely made priuey vnto the pollicie and fetche of Narsaeus, for he sacked and rifled Azazena with all speede and got him in post hast to Mesopotamia. Wherefore though Narsaeus had gathered a wōderfull great power together, yet could he not inuade the Ro∣mayne contreyes. When he came to Nisibis a citie of Persia, yet situated iuste in the middest be∣twene the Romayne and Persian dominions, he sent vnto Ardaburius that he would gladly come to parle with him, toutchinge the time and place, when and where the battaill shoulde be foughte. Ardaburius answered the legats in this sorte: tell Narsaeus from me that the Emperours of Rome vse not to wage battaill at Narsaeus his pleasure. Wherefore the Emperour of Rome vnderstan∣ding that the kinge of Persia had gathered a greate army together for to wage battaill with him, put his wholl trust & confidence in God: he sent of the contrary a great host against him. And here∣by it will euidently appeare vnto the wholl worlde that the Emperour enioyed immediatly a sin∣guler benefitte for casting his care & affiance vpon God. For when as y^• citizens of Constantino∣ple were very sad & heuy, mistrusting the doubtful end of the variable chaunces incident to warrs, a company of Angells appeared vnto certen in Bithynia, whose necessary affayres constrained to trauell into Constantinople & willed them to salute the citizens of Constantinople & bid them be of good cheare: exhorting them to pray & to put theyr trust in God: that the Romaines should foyle the enemy & become conquerours and that God had sent them as gouernours and soueraigne cap∣taines of the warres. this being heard not only the citie was recreated, but also y^• souldiers harts were lighted & the more encouraged to fight. Whē the campe was remoued & y^• warres trāslated out of Armenia into Mesopotamia, the Romaines got the Persian souldiers into the citie of Nisi∣bis and there besieged them: they set to the walls wodden turrets resembling ladders rolled vpon wheeles and winded vp: they slewe many of them whiche fought on the walls, defended theyr citie & withstood their skaling. Bararanes king of Persia vnderstāding that his contrey Azazena was destroyed and that his souldiers were shutte vp of the Romaynes and besieged within the citie Ni∣sibis, wente him selfe with all his power agaynste the Romaynes. But because he feared great∣ly the force of the Romayne souldiers, he craued ayd of the Saracens, whose gouernour then was Almundarus a man of valiaunte courage and noble prowesse, whiche broughte with him an in∣finite multitude of Saracens and encouraged the kinge of Persia and promised moreouer that in a shorte while after he woulde not onely conquere the Romaines, but also take Antioch and Syria & deliuer it into his hands. But his promise was not performed, it preuayled not accordinge vnto his desire, for God vpon a sodaine so terrified & astonied the Saracens that they imagined the Ro∣maine souldiers were vnawares come vpō them: & whilest that they besturred thē selues for feare & knewe not where to flie they cast thēselues headelonge as they were all in armour into the riuer

Euphrates, where the number of one hundred thousand was drowned. such a misfortune befell vn∣to the Saracens. The Romaines which layde siege to Nisibis, hearing that the king of Persia was comming against them with a great number of Olyphants, were wonderfully afrayde, gathered together all the engines they had prepared for siege, and burned them, afterwards returned backe to their cōtrey. But what battailes were afterwards fought: how Areobindus an other captaine of the Romaines, slew a mightie Persian dealing with him hand to hād: how Ardaburius dispatched through wiles and stratagemes seuen of the nobilitie of Persia, and how that Vitianus a third cap∣taine of the Romaines, foyled the remnant of the Saracens power: I thinke it my duty to ouerskip them with silence, lest I seeme to make toe long a digression from the purpose.