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142 [129]

MarginaliaEuelasius. Maximinus, Thyrsus. Lucius, Callinicus, Apollonius, Philemon, Asilias, Leonides, Arrianus the presidēt. Cyprianus, bish. of Antioche. Justina. Glycerius, Felix priest. Fortunatus & Achilleus deacons, Carpophorus, Abūdus his deacon. Claudius, Syrinus Antonius, Cucusatus, Felix bish. Adauctus, Ianuarius, Fortunatus, Septimus, Martirs.a long tyme a filthye Magician, or sorcerer, at length was conuerted, and made a Deacon, then a priest, and at laste the Byshop of Antioche. Vincent. lib. 12. cap. 120. of whō partly we touched somwhat before. pag. 101. this Cyprian with Iustine a virgine suffered amōg the Martyrs. Item, Glycerius at Nicomedia, Felix a minister, Fortunatus, Achilleus, Deacons in þe citie of Valent. Arthemius of Rome Cyriacus, Deacon to Marcellus the Byshop. Carpophorus priest at Thuscia, with Abund9 his deacon. Itē Claudius, Syrinus, Antonius, which suffered with Marcellinus the Byshop. Sabell. Enead. 7. Lib. 8. Cucusatus, in þe citie Barcinona. Felix Bishop of Apulia, with Adauct9 and Ianuarius hys priestes, Fortunatus and Septimus, hys readers, who suffered in the Citye Venusina, vnder Dioclesian. Bergom. Lib. 8.

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MarginaliaThe lamentable storye of Cassian9 martyr.
Ex Aurel. prudentio. lib. peristephanon.
Yt were to long a trauyale to trouble to recite all & singular names of them particularly, whome thys persecution of Dioclesian dyd consume.  

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Cassianus to Justina and Tecla

The Foxe Project was not able to complete the commentary on this section of text by the date by which this online edition was compiled (23 September 2008).

The number of whom beyng almost infinite is not to be collected or expressed: One story yet remayneth not to be forgotten of Cassianus, whose pitifull story being described of Prudentius we haue here inserted, rendryng metre for metre as followeth.

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1 THrough Forum, as in Italy,
I passed once to Roome:
Into a Churche by chaunce came I,
And stoode for by a toome.
2 VVhich church sometyme a place had bene,
VVhere causes great in lavve,
VVere scand and tryde, and iudgement geuen,
To keepe brute men in avve.
3 This place Sylla Cornelius,
Fyrst builte: he raysde the frame:
And called the same Forum, and thus,
that Citye tooke the name.
4 In prayer feruent as I stoode,
castyng myne eye asyde:
A picture in full pitious moode,
(Imbrude) by chaunce I spyde.
5 A thousand vvounded markes, full bad,
All mangled, rente, and torne:
The skynne, appearde as thoughe it had,
Bene iagde and prickte vvyth thorne.
6 A scull of pictured boyes dyd bande,
About that lothsome syght:
That vvith theyr sharpned gads in hande,
Hys members thus had dyght.
7 These gads vvere but their pens vvherevvyth,
Theyr tables vvrytten vvere:
And suche as scholers often syth,
Vnto the scholes doo beare.
8 VVhome thou seest here thus picturde sytte,
And firmely doost behold.
No fable is, I do thee vvytte,
Vnaskt a Prelate told
9 That vvalkt thereby: but dothe declare
The historye of one,
VVhich vvritten, vvould good recorde beare.
VVhat fayth vvas long agone.
10 A skilfull scholemaister this vvas,
That here sometyme dyd teache:
The bishop once of Brixia as,
And Christ ful playne dyd preache.
11 He knevv vvell hovv to comphrehende,
Long talke in fevve lynes:
And it at lengthe hovv to amende,
By order and by tymes.

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12 Hys sharpe preceptes, and stearne lookes,
Hys beardles boyes dyd feare:
VVhen hate in harte (yet for theyr bookes)
Full deadly they dyd beare.
13 The chylde that learnes, I doo ye vveete,
Tearmes, aye, hys tutor crule:
No discipline in youth seemes svvete,
Count thys a common rule.
14 Behold the ragyng tyme novv here,
Oppressyng sore the fayth:
Doth persecute gods children deare,
And all that Christ bevvrayth.
15 Thys trustie teacher of the svvarme,
Profest the lyuyng God:
The chiefe good thyng, they compte theyr harme,
Perhappes he shakes hys rodde.
16 VVhat rebell, askte the President,
Is he, I heare so loude?
Vnto our youth an instrument,
They say, and lovv they bovvde.
17 Go bryng the caytif forth he byddes,
And make no long delaye:
Let hym be set the boyes amyddes.
They do as he doth saye.
18 Let hym be geuen vnto them all,
And let them haue theyr vvyll:
To doe to hym vvhat spyte they shall,
So that they vvyll hym kyll.
19 Euen as they liste let them hym fraye,
And him deride so long:
Tyll vvearines prouokes their playe,
No lenger to prolong.
20 Let them (I say) then vncomtrold,
both prycke and scotch hys skyn:
To bathe theyr handes let them be bold,
In the vvhote bloud of hym.
21 The scholers hereat make great game,
It pleaseth them full vvell:
That they may kill and quenche the flame,
They thought to them a hell.
22 They binde his handes behynde hys backe,
And naked they him strippe:
In bodkyn vvise at him they nacke,
They laugh to see him skippe.
23 The priuye hate that eche one hath,
In harte it novv appeares:
They poure it foorth in galley vvrath,
they vvreake them of theyr teares.
24 Some cast great stones, some other breke,
theyr tables on hys face:
Lo here thy Latine and thy Greeke.
(Oh barren boyes of grace.)
25 The bloud runnes dovvne hys cheekes, and doth
Imbrue the boxen leames:
VVhere notes by them vvere made (though loth)
and vvell proponed theames.
26 Some vvhet, some sharpe, theyr pensels poyntes,
that serude to vvryte vvyth all:
Some other gage hys flesh and ioyntes,
as vvith a poynted nall.
27 Sometymes they pricke, sometyme they rent,
thys vvorthy Martirs fleshe:
And thus by turnes they do torment,
thys confessour a freshe.
28 Novv, all vvyth one consent on hym,
theyr bloudy handes they laye:
To see the bloud from lymme to lymme,
Droppe dovvne, they make a play.
29 More paynfull vvas the prickyng pange,
Of children, ofte and thicke:
Then of the bygger boyes that stange,
and neare the harte dyd stycke.

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30 For