bius. Lib. 6. cap. 40. also Lib. 7. cap. 11.Marginalialib. 6. cap. 40. lib. 7. cap. 11.

MarginaliaEx Nicep lib. 5. c. 27
Christophorus
Martyr.
The fable of great S ChristopherNicephorus in hys fift booke, cap. 27. maketh mention of one named Christophorus, which also suffered in this persecution of Decius. Of which Christophorus whether the fable ryseth of that mightie Giante set vp in churches, wading through the seas, with Christ on hys shoulder, & a tree in hys hand, for a walking staffe. &c. it is vncertain. Georg. VVicelius alledgeth out of Ruggerus Fuldens. and mentioneth of one Christophorus, borne of þ^e nation of the Cananites, which suffred vnder Decius, being, as he saith, of. xij. cubites hye. But the rest of the historie paynted in churches, the said VVicelius derideth as fables of Centaurus, or other poeticall fictions.

MarginaliaMeniatus
Agatha,
Martyrs.
Ex Bergomens. lib. 8
Ex Martyrlogio Adonis.Bergomensis in his eyght boke maketh relation of diuers martyred vnder Decius, as Meniatus which suffered at Florence, of Agatha an holy virgin, of Sicile, who is sayd to suffer diuerse and bitter tormentes vnder Quintinianus the Proconsull, with prisonment, with beatinges, with famine, with racking, roled also vpon sharpe shelles & hot coales, hauing moreouer her brestes cut frō her body, as Bergomensis, and the Martyrologe of Ado recorde. In the which authors as I denye not, but part of the storye may be true, so agayne cōcerning the miracles of the aged man appearing to her, and of the young man clothed in a silken vesture, with an hundreth yong mē after him, and of the marble table with the inscription, Mentem sanctam, &c, I doubt.

MarginaliaMartirs wādring in moūtaines.Hard it is to recite all that suffered in thys persecution, whē as whole multititudes went into wildernes and mountaines, wandring without succour or comfort, some starued with hunger and cold, some with sickenes consumed, some deuoured of beastes, some with barbarous theeues taken and caryed away. Vincentius in his eleuenth boke speaking of Asclepiades, MarginaliaForty vyrgines martyrs.writeth also of. xl Virgins, and Martyrs, which by sondrye kindes of tormentes were put to death aboute the same tyme, in the persecution of thys tyraunt.

MarginaliaTryphon,
Martyr.Likewyse in the sayd Vincentius mention is made of Tryphon, a man of greate holynes and constant in hys suffering, who being brought to þ^e citie of Nice, before the president Aquilius, for hys constant confession of Christes name was afflicted with diuerse and grieuous tormentes, and at length with the sword put to death.MarginaliaMaximianus,
Malchus,
Martinianus,
Dionisius
Ioannes,
Serapion,
Constantinus. 7. martyrs.At what time Decius had erected a temple in the midst of the citie of Ephesus, compelling all that were in the citie there to sacrifice to the idoles, seuen Christians were found, whose names were Maximianus, Malchus, Martinianus, Dionysius, Ioannes, Serapion, & Constantinus, who refusing the idolatrous worship, were accused for the same vnto þ^e Emperour, to be Christiās. Which whan they constantlye professed, and did not denie, notwithstanding because they were souldiers, retayning to the Emperours seruice, respyte was geuen them, for a certayne space to deliberate with them selues, till the returne agayne of the Emperour, which then was going to warre. In the meane space, the Emperour being departed, they taking counsaile together, went and hid themselues in secret caues of the Mount Cælius. The Emperour returning agayne, after great inquisition made for them, hearing where they were, caused the mouth of þ^e place where they were, to be closed vp with heapes of stones, that they not able to get out, should be famished within. And thus were those good men Martyred. MarginaliaThe fable of the awaking of these. 7 martyrs.
Ex Vincēt Nicepho.
Erfordiēs.The storye (if it be true) goeth further, that they betwene feare and sorow fell a slepe, in which slepe they continued the space of certayne ages after, till the time of Theodosius the Emperour, before they dyd awake, as reporteth Vincent, Nicephor, Lib. 5. cap. 27. and partly also Henr. Erfordiens. But of their awaking, that I referre to them that list beleue it. Certayn it is that at the last day they shall awake in deede without any fable.

Hieronymus in the lyfe of Paulus the Eremite, reciteth a story of a certayne soldiour, MarginaliaA soldiour martyr.
Ex Hierony. in vita Pauli Eremite.
A notable exāple of a chaste soldiour biting of hys tong & spittyng it in the face of an harlot.whom the Pretor could not otherwise with tormentes remoue from hys Christianity, he deuised an other way, which was thys: he commaunded the soldiour to be layd vpon a soft bed in a pleasant garden among the floorishing Lillies and redde Roses, which done, all other beyng remoued awaye, and himselfe there left alone, a beautifull harlot came to him, who embracing him, and with al other intisementes of an harlot, laboured to prouoke hym to her naughtynes. But the godlye soldiour fearing God more, then obeying flesh, byt of his tong with hys own teeth, and spit it in the face of the harlot, as she was kissing him, and so got he the victory, by the cōstant grace of the Lord assisting him.

MarginaliaA like example of chastitie betwene. 2 Christians.
Ex Ambr. lib 2. de virgini.An other like example of singular chastity is wryttē of the virgine Theodora, and an other soldiour, by Ambrose, lib. 2. De virginibus. At Antioche, this Theodora refusing to do sacrifice to the Idols, was condemned by the Iudge to the stues, which not withstanding by the singular prouidence of God was wel deliuered. For as there was a great company of wanton yong men ready at the doore to prease into the house where she was, one of the brethren, named Didimus (as Ado saith) moued with faith and motion of God, putting on a soldiours habite, made himself one of the first that came in, who roūding her in þ^e eare, told her þ^e cause & purpose of his cōming, being a Christiā as she was: his coūsel was þ^t she should put on the soldiours habite, & so slip away. And he putting on her garmēts would ther remaine to abyde their force. And so did, whereby the virgin escaped vnknowen. Didimus left vnto the rage and wondering of the people being a man in steede of a woman, was presented to the President, vnto whom without delay he vttered al the whole matter as it was done, professing him so as he was, to be a Christian, and thereuppon was condemned to suffer. Theodora vnderstāding therof, and thinking to excuse him, by accusing her self, offered her selfe as the party gilty, vnto the iudge, clayming and requiring the condemnacion to lyght vpon her, the other as innocent to be discharged. But the cruel iudge (crueller then Dionysius, which spared Damō and Pithias) neyther considering the vertue of the persons, nor the innocency of the cause, MarginaliaTheodora,
Didimus
Martyrs.vniustly and inhumanely proceeded in execution against them both, who first hauing their heads cut of, after wer cast in the fire Ambros. Ado. Although what time, or in what persecution these did suffer, in the autors of thys narration it doth not appeare.

MarginaliaAgathon,
Martyr.Agathon a man of armes in the city of Alexandria, for rebuking certayne lewde persons, scornfullye deriding the dead bodies of the Christians, was cried out of and rayled on of the people. Afterwarde accused to the Iudge, was condemned to lose his head. Erfordiensis.

MarginaliaPaulus,
Andreas,
martyrs.The said Erfordiensis also maketh mencion of Paulus, and Andreas, whom the Procōsul of Troada gaue to the people being scourged, and after drawne oute of the city, they were troden to death with the feete of the people. Henric. de Erford.

MarginaliaIustinus,Nicostratus,Portius,martyrs.Among other that suffered vnder this wicked Decius, Bergomensis also maketh mencion of one Iustinus a priest of Rome, and of an other Nicostratus a decon. To these Vincentius also addeth Portius a Priest of Rome, whom he reporteth to be the conuerter of Philip the Emperour afore mencioned.

MarginaliaAbdon,
Sennas,
martyrs.Of Abdon and Sennas we reade also in the foresaid Bergomensis and Vincentius, two noble men, who because thei had buried the Christians, whom Decius had brought from Babylon to Corduba, and ther put them to death, where therfore accused to Decius, and brought to Rome, wher they being commaunded to sacrifice to dead Idoles, would not obey, and for the same were geuen to the wylde beastes to be deuoured: but when the