holy ghost in the similitude of a Doue sitting vpon our Sauiour. Wherupon all the congregacion beyng moued, with one minde and one voyce, dyd choose hym for their Bishop. In the which function he remayned the space of. xiij. yeares, as Eusebius wryteth. Damasus, Marianus, and Sabellicus saye xiiij. yeares vnto the time of Decius. MarginaliaFabianus, Martyr.Who, whither for that Philippus had committed to him his treasures, or whither for the hatred he bare to Philippus, in the begīning of his raigne caused him to be put to death. Sendyng out moreouer his proclamation into al quarters that al which professed the name of Christ, should be slayne.

MarginaliaThe ordināces of Fabianus pretensed.
Oyle and creame.
Accusing of bishops appealyng to the sea Apostolical
Marrying not within the fift degree.To this Fabian be ascribed certayn ordinances, as of consecrating new oyle once euerye yeare, & burning the old, of accusations against bishops, of appealing to the sea Apostolicke, of not maryeng within the fift degree of of consanguinitie, of cōmunicating thrise a yeare, of offering euery Sunday, with such other thinges mo in his. iij. epistles decretall. The which epistles, as by diuers other euidēces may be supposed to be vntruly named vpon hym, geuing no signification of anye matter agreing to that tyme: so doo I finde the most part of the third epistle woord for woord standing in the epistle of Sixtus the third, which folowed almost. 200. yeares after him, MarginaliaFalse doctrine detected.beside the vnsemely doctrine also in the ende of the sayd epistles contayned, where hee contrarye to the tenour of the Gospell, referreth and applieth remission of synnes (onely due to the blood of Christ) vnto the offeringes of bread and wyne by men and women euery Sunday in the Churche.

MarginaliaOrigene.To this Fabianus wrote Origene De orthodoxia suæ fidei, that is, of the rightnes of his fayth. Whereby it is to be vnderstand, that he continued to the tyme of Decius, some saye also to the tyme of Gallus. Of thys Origene partlye mention is touched before, declaryng how bold and feruent he was in the dayes of Seuerus, in assisting, comforting, exhorting and kissing the martyrs that were imprisoned and suffered for the name of Christ, with such daunger of his own lyfe, that had not bene the singular protection of God, he had bene stoned to death many times of the heathen multitude. Suche great concourse of men and women was daylye to hys house to bee catechised and instructed in the Christian faith by him, that soldiours were hyred of purpose to defende the place where hee taught them. Agayne, suche searche some tymes was set for him, þ^t vnneth any shifting of place or country could couer him. In these laborious trauailes, and affaires of the church, in teaching, writing, confuting, exhorting, and expounding he continued about the space of. lij. yeres, vnto the time of Decius, or Gallus. Diuers and great persecutions he sustayned, but especially vnder Decius, as testifieth Eusebius in his sixt booke: MarginaliaEx Euseb. lib. 6. c. 39
The persecutions of Origene.declaring, that for the doctrine of Christ, he sustained bandes, and torments in hys body, rackinges with barres of yron, doungeons, besides terrible threates of death & burning. All this he suffered in the persecution of Decius, as Eusebius recordeth of hym, and maketh no relation of anye furder matter. MarginaliaEx Suida et Nicep. lib. 5. c. 32.But Suidas, and Nicephorus folowing the same, saith further concerning him, þ^t the said Origen, after diuers and sundry other tormentes, which he manfully & constantlye suffred for Christ, at length was brought to an altar where a foule filthy Ethiope was appointed to be, & there this option or choise was offered vnto him, whether he would sacrifice to the idole, or to haue hys bodye polluted with that foule and ougle Ethiope. MarginaliaThe fall of Origene.Then Origene (sayth hee) who with a philosophicall mynde, euer kept his chastitie vndefiled, most abhorring þ^e fylthy villany to be done to his body, cōdescended to their request. Wherupon þ^e iudge putting incense in his hand, caused him to set it to þ^e fire vpon þ^e altar. For the which impietie, he afterward was excōmunicated of þ^e church. (Epi-phanius writeth þ^t he being vrged to sacrifice to Idoles, & taking the bowes in his hand, wherwith the Heathen were wont to honour their gods, called vpon þ^e Christians to cary thē in þ^e honour of Christ. MarginaliaOrigene excōmunicated.The which facte þ^e church of Alexandria mysliking remoued him frō their cōmunion.) Wherupon Origen driuē away w^t shame and sorow out of Alexādria, went into Iewry, wher being in Hierusalem among the congregacion, and there requested of the priestes and Ministers (he being also a priest) to make some exhortacion in the churche, refused a great while so to do. At length by importunate peticiō being constrayned therunto, rose vp, and turning the booke, as though he would haue expounded some place of the scripture, onelye red the verse of the. 49. Psalme: but God sayd to the synner, why doest thou preache my iustifications, and why doest thou take my testament in thy mouth. &c. MarginaliaThe repētance of Origene.Which verse being redde, hee shutte the booke, and sat downe weeping and waylyng, the whole congregatiō also weeping and lamenting with him. Suid. Niceph. More what became of Origene, it is not found in history, but onelye that Suidas addeth, he dyed and was buried at Tyrus. Eusebius affirmeth, that he departed vnder the Emperour Gallus, aboute the yeare of our Lord. 255. and the. 70. yeare of his age, in great misery (as appeareth) and pouertie.

MarginaliaBlemishes noted in Origene.In this Origene diuers blemishes of doctrine be noted, whereupon Hierome some tymes doth inueighe agaynst hym. Albeit in some places agayne MarginaliaOrigen cōmended for his learning.hee doth extoll and commend hym for hys excellent learning, as in his Apologie against Ruff. and in his epistle to Pammachius & Ocean. where he praiseth Origen, although not for the perfection of hys fayth and doctrine, nor for an Apostle, yet for an excellent interpreter, for his wyt, and for a Philosopher. And yet in his prologe vpon the homilies of Origen vpon Ezechiel, he calleth him an other master of the Churches, after the Apostles. And in an other preface vpon his questions vpon Genesis, hee wisheth to hym selfe the knowledge of the Scriptures, which Origen had, also with the enuy of hys name. Athanasius moreouer calleth him singular, and laborious, and vseth also his testimonies against the ArriansMarginaliaEx Socrat. lib. 6. cap. 13. Socrates lib. 6. cap. 13.

MarginaliaHeraclas byshop of Alexandria.After Origene, the congrue order of historye requyreth next to speake of Heraclas his Vsher, a man singularly commended for his knowledge, not onely in Philosophy, but also in al such faculties as to a Christiā diuine doth appertayne. Thys great towardnes of wyt and learning when Origene perceaued in him, he appointed hym in especial aboue all other, to be his Vsher or vnderteacher, to helpe him in his schoole or vniuersitye of Alexandria, in the raigne of Antoninus Caracalla, sonne of Seuerus. And after in the. x. yeare of Alexander, Origen departing vnto Cesarea, he succeded in his roume to gouerne the schoole in Alexandria. Further also, in the time of Gordianus, after the decease of Demetrius, bishop of Alexandria, this Heraclas succeded to be bishop of the sayd Citye. Eusebius lib. 6. cap. 29. In the which function he ministred the terme of sixtene yeares. Eusebius lib. 6. cap. 35. Of this Heraclas wryteth also Origen hymselfe, that he although being Priest, yet ceased not to reade ouer and peruse the bookes of the Gentiles, to the intent hee might the better oute of their own bookes confute their errour. &c.

After Heracles succeeded Dionysius Alexandrinus, in the byshopricke of Alexandira, lyke as hee succeeded him in the schole before. Whyche Dionysius also writeth of the same Heraclas vnto Philemon a Priest of Rome, thus saying: Hunc ego canonem & typum a beato Heracla Papa nostro accepi. &c. that is: Thys Canon and type I receaued of blessed Heraclas our Pope. &c.MarginaliaHeraclas called Pope, yet no bishop of Rome. Although thys Heraclas was no Martyr whyche dyed 3. yeres before Decius, about the yere of our lord. 250.