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

The Translatour vnto the Reader.

HItherto (Christian reader) haue I translated Eusebius & Socrates, vvhich continevved their histories from the birth of Christ vnto the raigne of The∣odosius Iunior. I vvould haue thee knovve that at one tyme vvith Socra∣tes there vvrote tvvo other Grecians, Sozomenus and Theodoret, begin∣ninge vvhere Socrates beganne, and endinge their histories vvith him at Theodosius Iunior. Their argument is one, to vvit: The Ecclesiasticall historie, their language one, they vvrote all in Greeke, their yeares one, for they florished the same tyme. Little difference there is betvvene them in substance, sauinge vvhere the one is longe the other short, vvhere the one is obscure, the other playne, vvhere the one is taedious, the other pleasaunt. To translate them all three, vvoulde not in my opinion be so profitable as payne∣full, the volume both vvoulde be toe huge, and the reader soone vvearyed vvith the oft re∣petition of one thinge. Cassiodorus the Senatour and compiler of the Tripartite historie, preuentinge this inconuenience, and seeyng that these three vvriters agreed in substance, deuised vvith him selfe hovve to ease the reader of so greate a labour, and hovve to rydde him from so taedious a studie. He made an Epitome or briefe collection of them all three, I meane Socrates, Sozomenus, and Theodoret, and called it the Tripartite historie. The creditt of the Epitome and collector doeth not counteruayle the authoritie of the author, Antiquitie vvith the trueth is to be preferred. Therefore in translating, I thought farre better thou shouldest see, not the authors to auoyde repetition and vvearisome reading, but the author him selfe, I meane Socrates alone, in steede of the tvvo other, vvhome I haue chosen as the soundest vvriter, the faithfullest historiographer, and the absolutest delyuerer of the historie in all poyntes vnto the posteritie. VVherefore if ought be vvell done, geue the prayse vnto God, lette the paynes be myne, and the profit the Readers.