The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. XXIX. Of Nicholas, and those Hereticks who bear his name.

a 1.1 AT this time the Heresie called the He∣resie of the Nicholaites continued for a very short time: of which also the Revelation of John makes mention. These boasted of Nicholas (one of the Deacons who together with Stephen were Ordained by the Apostles to minister to the poor) as the Authour of their Sect. Now Cle∣mens Alexandrinus in the third of his Stromatw̄n relates thus much of him word for word;

He, they say, having a beautifull wife, being after our Saviours ascension blamed by the Apostles for his jealousie, brought his wife forth, and permitted her to marry whom she had a mind to. For this deed, they report, is agreeable to that saying of his, to wi••, That we ought to abuse the flesh. Those therefore, who follow his Heresie, b 1.2 simply and rashly assenting to this say∣ing, and imitating this deed, doe most impudently give themselves over to fornica∣tion. But I am given to understand that Nicholas made use of no other wo∣man besides her he mar∣ried; and that those of his children which were daugh∣ters

remained virgins when they were old; and his son continued undefiled by women. Which things being thus, his bringing of his wife, (over whom he was said to be jealous) forth before the Apostles, was a sign of his rejecting and bridling his passion; and by those words of his [that we ought to abuse the flesh] c 1.3 he taught continence and an abstaining from those plea∣sures which are with so much earnestness de∣sired by men. For, I suppose, he would not (according to our Saviours commandment) serve two masters, pleasure and the Lord. Moreover, they say, that Matthias taught the same doctrine; that we should war against the flesh, and abuse it, allowing it nothing of pleasure; but that we should inrich the soul by Faith and Knowledge.

Let thus much therefore be spoken concerning those who endeavoured about that time to deprave the truth, but on a sudden were wholly extinct.

Notes

• a 1.1

  In the M. SS. Maz. Med. and S^r Henry Savills it is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. after him, to wit, Cerinthus. Vales.
• b 1.2

  These words [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. simply and rashly] ought to be referred to the word, [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. assenting to] and not to the word [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. this saying:] which being not minded by Christophorson, he widely mistook Clemens his mean∣ing. For Clemens does not say that that sact, or that saying was do••e or said by Nicholas rashly and inconsiderately. Yea he de∣clares in the 2^d of his Stromatw̄n about the latter end, that this say∣ing [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] was one of Nicholas his Apophthegms, or Pithy speeches. Which saying of his, his followers interpreted so, as if Nicholas had commanded every one to abuse his flesh with all manner of voluptuousness and lasciviousness: but Nicholas meant the clean contrary by this his speech, to wit, that the flesh ought not to be indulged too, but to be kept under, and wearied out with continual exercises of virtue. Vales.
• c 1.3

  These words are spoken by Clemens A∣lexandrinus by way of Enallage; for thus they are to be taken, as if he had said 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. by those words of his [that we ought to abuse the flesh] He taught continencie and an abstaining from pleasures, &c. Vales.