An abridgement of the notable woorke of Polidore Vergile conteignyng the deuisers and firste finders out as well of artes, ministeries, feactes & ciuill ordinaunces, as of rites, and ceremonies, commo[n]ly vsed in the churche: and the originall beginnyng of the same. Co[m]pendiously gathered by Thomas Langley

The .v. Chapiter. ¶Of the fyrst persecutours of the christen, and fyrst Martyres.

CHRISTE,* 1.1 whiche came into this worlde, and was incarnate to beare witnesse vnto the trueth, had for his trewe testimonie greate enuye of the

Iewes, insomuche that they persecu∣ted him to the vile death of the crosse for his earnest recorde and reporte of the trueth: and they dyd no lesse pur¦sue y^e Apostles and messengers of the trueth. For when they folowyng the example of their maiester did openly declare the worde of trueth, and na∣mely Peter dyd sore rebuke the wic∣kednesse of the Iewes in puttyng to death Christ the authoure of life, ad∣uertisyng them to repente & amende: the Iewes were so furiouse & woode, that fyrst they murthered Steuen, as the Actes of the Apostles testifie, by∣cause he was a vehement witnesse of the trueth. This Shephyn dyd two yere continually after Christes death dispute with all the learned menne of Alexandria,* 1.2 Cirene, Cilicia, and Asia, and by heauenly wisedome con∣founded their worldely reasons and humayne learnyng. Wherfore they wer so sore vexed with heate and ma∣lice against him, that they violently thrust him out of the cytie,* 1.3 and then cruelly stoned him to death: Thus Stephyn was the fyrst open maintey¦ner & defender of our christen religiō

Afterward, as Luke telleth, so bitter and sharpe persecucion dyd brast out agaynst the Christians that were in Hierusalem, that they were enforsed to straye abrode, and were scattered throughout all Iurye and Samarie, sauyng that the Apostles remaygned & soiourned stil at Hierusalem. Not∣withstandyng, this persecucion was the occasion of great furtheraunce of the Gospel, by reason they seased not but preached styll the worde euerye where with great encrease, and aug∣mentyng of the faithful nomber.

Among the Heathen nacions Nero was the fyrst prince that persecuted oure religion vniuersally:* 1.4 and putte Peter and Paule to death, and conse∣quently many other innocentes were slain cruelly. For when of a deuilishe minde that he had, he could not spare euen his countrie, but either for dis∣pleasure of the ruinouse houses whi∣che greued him to beholde, or els de∣sirouse to se a resemblant of the bur∣nyng of Troye, he set on fire the more parte of the cytie of Rome, with so houge a flame,* 1.5 that it burned sixe daies and sixe nightes cōtinually, to

the impouerishyng of many thousād riche citezens. Then to mitigate the shamefull & abhominable deede, and to stinte the brute and slaūderouse re∣porte that went on him for that fla∣giciouse fact, there were forged false witnesses to say the christen men dyd this act, and so many simple innocēt smarted for that tirannes pleasure: And to obdurate him self in mischief, he proclaimed an open persecucion a∣gainst all, that professed the name of Christ.* 1.6 Not long after Domitiane re¦newed afreshe another affliction of the christians, & Traianus raysed the fourth, Marcus Antonius & Lucius Aurelius Commodus stired vp the v. persecucion. Aelius Pertinax moued the sixte. Maximinus procured the seuēth, Decius the eight, Valerianus the .ix. and Aurelianus caused the .x. And Dioclesianus began the .xi. whi∣che was sorest,* 1.7 sharpest, and of longer cōtinuance then any of all the rest: in suche sorte, that scripture bokes wer burned and churches plucked doune, christen magistrates that dyd beare any office, were deposed, souldiours were enforsed to denye their faith, or

els forgoo their goodes and forbeare their liues by a general proclamaciō. Neither were the thre cruel tyrānes, Maxentius, Licinius,* 1.8 and Maximia∣nus behynde with their partes, but were as busie as the best, to procure trouble to the christen people.

Constantinus borne in Englande,* 1.9 was the fyrst christen emperour, that auaunced and defended the causes of our religion, & preserued christen men in peace & quietnesse. In al these per∣secucions manye dyd suffer martyre∣dome, as diuers histories recorde, but Stephyn was fyrst martyre of y^e new testament.* 1.10 For Iohn Baptist died a∣fore the cōsummacion of the old law. After his example many other en∣sued and susteined like crosses for the trueth sake, whiche al now reigne with God, to whom a¦lone be al glory, honour, & praise worlde without ende. Sobeit.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Christ was a witnesse of the trueth.
• * 1.2

  Stephyn di∣sputed with al the learned men of Iury.
• * 1.3

  Stephyn is stoned to death.

  Stephin first open defēder of oure faith.
• * 1.4

  Nero fyrst persecutour of al the hea∣then princes.
• * 1.5

  Halfe Rome was burned by Nero▪
• * 1.6

  Persecucion done by the Emperour.
• * 1.7

  Dioclesiane made the grea¦test persecu∣tion.
• * 1.8

  Maxencius.
• * 1.9

  Constātinus first staied the christen faith
• * 1.10

  Stephyn was the fyrst martyre.