lustelye, yea more gloriouslye shalt thou triumph ouer this Tyrant. Thy tyme approcheth, cease to weepe and lament, three daies after thou shalt follow me. Decent is it, that this space of time come betwene the priest and the Leuite. It may not beseeme thee, O sweete Pupill, to triumph vnder thy maister, least it be said he wanted an healper. Why crauest thou to be partaker with me in my passion? I bequeathe vnto thee the whole enheritaunce. Why requirest thou to enioy my presence? Let weake Scholers go before, and the strōger come after: that whose without maister may get the victory, whyche haue no neede by Maister to be gouerned. So Helias left behinde hym his beloued Heliseus. I yelde vp into thy handes the succession of my vertues. Suche was their contention, not vnmeete for so godlye a Priest, so zealous a Minister, striuing w^t them selues, who should first suffer for the name of Christ Iesu.

In tragicall histories wee haue it mencioned, that through ioy & admiration, people clapped their handes, when Pylades named himselfe Orestes: Orestes, as truth it was, affirmed him selfe to be Orestes. Pylades wishing to dye for Orestes, Orestes not suffering Pylades to loose his life for his sake: But neyther of them might escape death, for both these louers were guilty of bloud, the one committing the fact, the other cōsenting. But this our Laurence the Martyr most constant, was by no meanes enforced to make this proferre, sauyng onely by his ardent zeale, and feruent spirite, who thirsting after the cup of martyrdome, had it shortlye after filled to the hard brymme.

MarginaliaSome saye that this tyrant was Decius the Emperor, but that cannot bee, except Galienus or some other iudge now was called by the name of DeciusNow let vs draw neare to the fire of martyred Laurence, that our cold hartes mai be warmed therby The mercylesse Tyraunt, vnderstanding thys vertuous Leuite, not onelye to bee a Minister of the Sacramentes, but a distributer also of the church ritches (wherof mention is made before in the woordes of Xistus) promysed to him selfe a double praye, by the apprehension of one sily soule. First with the rake of auarice to scrape to him selfe the treasure of poore Christians, then with the firy forke of tyranny so to tosse and turmoyl them, that they should wax weary of their Christian profession: Wyth furious face, and cruel coūtenaunce, the greedy woolfe demaunded where this Deacon Laurence had bestowed the substaūce of the church. MarginaliaLaurence denieth the churche goods to the Emperour.Who crauing thre daies respite, promised to declare where the treasure myght be had. In the meane time he caused a good number of poore Christians to be congregated. So when the daye of his answer was come, the persecutor straightly charged him to stand to his promise. Then valiant Laurēce stretching out his armes ouer the poore, said: MarginaliaThe true treasure of Christes church.These are the precious treasure of the churche. These are the treasure in dede, in whom the fayth of Christ raygneth, in whom Iesus Christ hath his māsion place. What more pretious Iuels can Christ haue, then those in whom he hath promised to dwel? For so is it written: I was hungry, and ye gaue me to eate: I was thirsty, and ye gaue me to drinke: I was harberles, and ye lodged me. And againe: Looke what ye haue done to the least of these, the same haue ye done to me. What greater ritches can Christ our Maister posses, then the poore people in whom he loueth to be sene? Oh, what toung is able to expresse the fury and madnes of the tyrants hart? Now he stamped, he stared, he ramped, he fared as one out of his wit. His eyes like fire glowed, his mouth like a bore fomed, his teeth like an helhound grinded. Now not a reasonable mā, but a roaring Lyon he might be called. Kindle the fire (he cried) of wood make no spare. Hath this villaine deluded the Emperour? away wyth hym, away with him. Whip him with scourges, iercke hym with rods, buffet him with fistes, brain him with clubs: iesteth the traitour with the Emperour? Pinch hym w^t firy tonges, gird him with burning plates, bryng outthe strongest chaynes, and the fireforkes, and the grated bed of yron. On the fire with it, binde the rebel hand and foote, and when the bed is fire hot, on with him: rost him, broyle him, tosse him, turne him: On paine of our highe displeasure doo euery man his office, O ye Tormentours.

MarginaliaLaurēce tormented on the fyery gridyronThe woord was no sooner spoken, but al was done. After many cruel handlings, this meke lambe was laid I wil not say on his firy bed of yron, but on his soft bed of doune. So mightely God wrought with his Martyr Laurence, so miraculously God tempered hys element the fire, not a bed of consuming paine, but a pallet of nourishing rest was it vnto Laurence. Not Laurence, but the Emperour might seme to be tormented: the one broiling in the flesh, the other burning in the hart. Whē this triumphant Martyr had bene pressed downe wyth firepikes for a great space, in the mightye spirit of God he spake to the vanquished Tyrant:

MarginaliaThe singuler pacience of Laurence in his paynes.
This syde is now rosted inough, turne vp O tyrant great,
Aßay, whether rosted or raw, thou thinkest the better meate.

O rare and vnaccustomed pacience. O faith inuinsible, that not only burnest, but by meanes vnspeakable doest recreate, refresh, stablish, and strengthē those that are burned, afflicted, & troubled. And why so mightely comfortest thou the persecuted? Because throughe thee they beleue in Gods promises infallible. By thee this glorious Martyr ouercommeth his torments, vanquisheth this Tyrant, confoundeth hys enemies, confirmeth the Christians, sleepeth in peace, raygneth in glory. MarginaliaThe martirdome and end of blessed LaurēceThe God of might and mercy graunt vs grace, by the lyfe of Laurence to learne in Christ to lyue, and by his death to learne for Christ to dye. Amen.

MarginaliaA Romaine soldiour cōuerted by Laurēce, & martyred.Such is the wisdome and prouidence of God, that the blood of his deare saintes (like good seede) neuer falleth in vayn to the groūd, but it bringeth some increase: so it pleased the Lorde to woorke at the martyrdome of thys holy Laurence, that by the constant confession of this worthy and valiant Deacon, a certain soldiour of Rome, being therewith compuncted, and conuerted to the same faith, desired foorthwith to be baptised of him: for the which he being called for of the iudge, was scourged, and afterward beheaded. Henr. de Erford.

MarginaliaDionysius bishop of Alexandria with hys felowes banished.Vnder the same Valerianus suffred also Dionysius bishop of Alexandria much affliction and banishment, with certayne other brethren. Of the which he writeth himselfe, and is alledged in the ecclesiastical historye of Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 11. the wordes whereof tend to this effect: Dionysius with three of his Deacons, to wit, MarginaliaMaxim⁹
Faustus,
Cheremō
a certayne Romaine banished.Maximus, Faustus, and Cheremon, also wyth a certayne brother of Rome, came to Emilianus then President, who ther declared vnto them in circumstance of words how he had signified vnto them the clemēcy of his lords and Emperours: who had graunted them pardon of life, so that they would returne to them, and woorshyp the Gods and keepers (as he called them) of their Emperie, asking them what answer they woulde geue hym therunto: trusting, as he sayd, that they would not shew them selues ingrateful to the clemencye of them which so gently did exhort them. MarginaliaThe examinatiō of Dionisius before the president.To this Dionysius answering, said: All men worship not all Gods, but diuers mē diuers Gods, so as euery one hath in him selfe a mynde or phantasy to worship. But we worship not many nor diuers Gods, but onely that one God, who is the creator of all thinges, and hath committed to our lords Valerianus and Galienus the gouernment of their Empery, making to him our prayers incessantlye, for their prosperous health and continuaunce. Then the President sayd: And what hurt is it, but that you may both woorship your God, what God soeuer he be, and these our gods also? For you are commaunded to woorshyp such gods, as al men know to be Gods. MarginaliaThe cōstāt confession of Dionysius and hys Deacons.Dionysius answered: we worship none other, but as we haue sayde.