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.

Adiscourse in commendation of the vertues of Theodosius the yonger.

ALthough many writers as I sayd before, published abroade the praises of the Emperour, of which number some endeuoured by y^• meanes to crepe into his fauour, some other desired thereby to blase abrode in the world the fame of their skill and knowledge, lest the doctrine which they had gottē w^t lōg study should be trodē in the dust of obliuiō: I of mine owne part which desire not the acquaintāce & familiaritie of the emperour, neither couet arrogātly to geue y^• world a tast of my doctrine, have determined w^t my selfe simply without the glorious & painted shewe of Rhetoricke to publishe abrode the bertues of the Emperour. For if that I should passe them over with silence, being as they are both noble & frutefull, containing many examples for the amende∣ment of life, I shoulde in my opinion iniurie not a litle the posteritie in time to come. Firste of all though he was borne & brought up in y^• very pallace of the emperour, yet was he nothing geuē for* 1.1 all y^• trade of life vnto light & idle behaviour: but so wise & discrete, y^• he seemed vnto such as had cō∣ferēce w^t him, to be a mā of great experiēce. Againe he was a mā of such hardines & sufferāce, both inwardly in minde and outwardly in body, that he could endure with great pacience the pinching* 1.2 colde of winter, and the parching heate of sommer. He was wont often to fast, but specially on the wensdayes & fridayes, this did he to the end he might liuely expresse the Christian trade of liuing.* 1.3 His pallace & court seemed uo other then a religious house. For at the dauning of the day his ma∣ner was to singe hymnes and psalmes interchaungeably together with his listers. He was able to repeate holy scriptures out of the booke, he reasoned of thē w^t the bishops, as if he had bene a priest of great continewance, he was more earnest & far more diligent in gathering together the bookes

of holy scripture, & the works of the auncient fathers, then me reade of old of Ptolomaus Philadel∣phus.* 1.4 Furthermore he excelled all men in pacience, curtesie & clemencie. The Emperour Iulian for all he professed the study of philosophie, yet coulde he not put up the hatred of such as reuiled him at Antioch, but punished extremely one of them whose name was Theodorus: as for Theodosius, he layd aside the subtilities & quircks of Aristotle, & practised dayly in life the profession and study of* 1.5 true philosophie. He learned to bridle anger: to take griefe and sorow paciently: to reuenge him of none that did him iniurie, nay there is not the man that euer saw him angry. When that one of his familiars had demaunded of him, why he neuer executed any y^• had done him iniurie, his answere was: I would to God it laye in me to reuiue them that be dead. Unto an other that demaunded of him the like, he sayd: It is no hard matter to bereaue a man of his life, but when he is gone, there* 1.6 is no man be he neuer so sory for him, that can restore him to life againe, saue God alone. He was alwaies of y^• mind, that if any cōmitted treason, he would not suffer him to go as farre as the gates of the citie towardes the place of execution, but of his clemencie he called him backe againe. The same man againe, when he published spectacles on a certaine time at Constantinople, w^t the bic∣kering and fighting of beasts in cōpasse of the theatre, and the people shouted vnto him requiring that one of the strōgest men should be turned vnto the sauadge beast which rainged about, his an∣swere was in this sort: Doe not you know that we can not away with cruell spectacles? When the* 1.7 people hearde this, they learned thenceforth to refraine from cruell showes. Moreouer he was so religious, that he honored all the priests of God, but specially such as he knew did excell in godle∣nesse.* 1.8 The report goeth, that he made searche for the sackcloth which the bishop of Chebrū wore that died at Constantinople, aud being found, they say he more it how homely soeuer it was, thin∣king verely to gett vnto him selfe thereby some of the deade mans holinesse. As he soleminzed on a certaine tempestuous and stormie tyme of the yeare, (the people requiringe the same) the vsuall and wonted spectacles and showes in the place called Circus, enuironed with a wall and galeries round about, when the rowme was full of people, and the tempest waxed sore, there fell vpon them sodainly a great cloude of snow, then the Emperour renealed vnto the worlde what affection and* 1.9 zeale he bare towards God: he willed the bedells in his name to say thus vnto the people: It is far better for vs to lay aside these sowes and pastime, and with one voyce to fall a praying vnto God that he will deliuer vs out of this present storme. The words were no sooner spokē, but all ioyntly fell downe to the ground, and poured out earnest & zealous praiers vnto God, so y^• the whole citie* 1.10 was become like one church. The Emperour him selfe in the middest of the assembly, arrayed in cōmon & vsuall attire, began the hymnes, neither failed he of his purpose. For the wether became faire, againe the great derth and scarsitie was turned by the goodnes of God into plenty and abū∣dance of all things. If warres at any time were proclaimed, he followed the example of Dauid, he* 1.11 made God his refuge, perswading him self for certaine that God ruled and gouerned all battails: and by the meanes of prayer, he obtayned euer a prosperous successe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Discretion. sob••etic. Hardinesse.
• * 1.2

  Fasting.
• * 1.3

  Deuotion. Singing of ••almes. Memorie. Knowledge. ••tudie.
• * 1.4

  Patience. Curtesie. Clemencie.
• * 1.5

  Good life.
• * 1.6

  Mercie.
• * 1.7

  Humanitie.
• * 1.8

  Religion.
• * 1.9

  Zeale and feare of God
• * 1.10

  Humilitie.
• * 1.11

  Prospetitie & good suc∣cesse for well doing.