Asclepiodotus.

Asclepiodotus Duke of Cornewal as saith Gaufride (but after the saying of Eutropius and Beda he was President of the Pretory of Rome) began his dominion over the Brittains in the year of our Lord 232, who upon his victory was crowned King of Brittain by Parliament, saith Harding, and by common consent of the people, (as both the Brittish History Pont. Virun. and Matthew of Westm.) being Duke of Cornwal before. All these last writers ex∣cept Matt. West, say Dioclesian his persecution began here in his time, of which I shall speak hereafter. And it seemeth that divers Historians not observing that Constantius was here twice, marrying St. Helena the first time, and the second time receiving her again, when Maximian the persecuting Emperour, had forced him to put her away, do thereupon vary and differ much about the years of our Kings in those times: an old manuscript Chronicle doth say Bassianus reigned 27 years, Carausius whom it calleth Carencius 39 years, Alectus 15 years, Asclepiodotus 10 years, Coel 4 years, and after him his son in law and daughter Constantius and Helena 11 years. The moderne Catalogue of our Kings, hath told us that Asclepiodotus did reign 30 years, the same hath Hellenshed, calling it the com∣mon accompt of our Chroniclers; and by the same Authors and divers others, King Coel in the latter end of whose reign the Romans by Constantius came in again, &c.

Authours excuse Asclepiodotus from being any mover of that persecution which then was in Brittain, but suffering the Tyrant Maximian to prosecute it, and not resisting him therein, which is rather imputed to want of power, than will and desire in him, when he saith, I mean Harding,

Where he doth insinuate, that Asclepiodotus was in judgement a friend rather than per∣secutor of Christians; and himself in some sort persecuted by the Roman Pagans, in that respect which seemeth expressed, in that this Authour sayeth of him, That he was inforced to hide himself from the Pagan Roman persecutors: And we find divers Antiquities testi∣fying, that before there was not any persecution here against Christians, but their Reli∣gion was in peace and quiet publickly professed; and this Asclepiodotus, to redeem and preserve such Brittains liberty, in that and all other priviledges, warred against Alectus the Pagan Roman Governour, and in sign of his detestation of their Idolatry, beset and assaulted him and his Confederates, when they were doing their greatest and most solemn sacrifices to their gods.

Now to calm these Tempests of Troubles, I suppose (by our best Histories) that this persecution of Dioclesian and Maximinian here raged about the space of nine or ten years, in the time of Asclepiodotus principally, and that now at the Martyrdom of St. Amphiba∣lus, so great miseries and afflictions had been laid upon our holy Christians here long time, as their flying from hence unto other Nations; their abode there, return hither again, and continuing no short space, before they were put to death, as is manifest in the case of St. Amphibalus, not martyred till almost a year after St. Alban, who was kept in prison six moneths before his Martyrdom, that now thousands were converted to Christ, and the chief municipal Cities themselves, where Idolatry so reigned, that a Christian was rare to be then found in them, as in Verulam, were now onely inhabited by Christians, and not a Pagan to be seen; and this by the Omnipotent working of God, and the Idolatrous Judge and Prince himself, that ruled here under the Pagan Romans, and persecuted by their power, even to the utmost bounds of Brittany, was made that he was unable to Rule and Govern any longer, but needed be Ruled and Governed himself by others. This Judge, King and Roman Lieutenant, as the Scottish Historians with others call him, was King Asclepiodotus, thus grievously either of malice or for fear of the Romans then perse∣cuting, and for so doing hated of God and Man.