by. Maximianus is a Lorde of substaunce, and yet he himselfe falleth down before a stone, and voweth the honour of hys dignitie vnto those that are much inferiour to hys vassells. Why then doth he oppresse so tyrannically, more worthy stomackes and courages then hymselfe? He must needes be a good guide, and an vpright iudge, which feedeth vpō innocent bloud: and breathing in the bodyes of Godly men, doth rent and teare their bowells, and that more is, hath his delight in destroying and subuerting the fayth.

Go to therfore thou hangman, burne, cut, and mangle thou these earthly members. It is an easy matter to breake a britle substance, but the inwarde mynde shalt not thou hurt for any thing thou canst do. The Pretor then or iudge with these wordes of hyrs, set in a greate rage saith: hangman take her & pull her out by þ^e heare of her head, and torment her to the vttermost. Let her feele the power of our countrey gods, and let her knowe what the imperiall gouernment of a prince is. MarginaliaEulalia allured with faire persuasions.But yet, O thou sturdy gerle, fayne would I haue thee (yf it wer possible) before thou die, to reuoke thys thy wyckednes. Behold what pleasures thou maiest enioye by the honorable house thou camest of. Thy fallen house & progenie followeth thee to death wyth lamentable teares: and þ^e heauie nobility of thy kinred, maketh doleful lamētatiō for thee. What meanest thou? wilt þ^u kyl thy self so yong a flower & so neare these honourable mariages & great dowries þ^t thou mayest enioye? Doth not the glistering & goldē pompe of thy bryde bed moue thee? Doth not þ^e reuerend pietie of thine auncitors pricke thee? whom is it not, but that this thy rashenes and weaknes sorroweth? Behold here the furniture ready prepared for thy terrible death. Either shalte þ^u be beheaded wyth this sword, or els with these wylde beastes shalt thou be puld in pieces, or els thou beyng cast into these firy flames shalt be (although lamentably bewayled of thy frendes & kinsfolkes) consumed to ashes. What great matter is it for thee I pray thee, to escape al this? If thou wylt but take and put with thy fingers a little salte and incense into þ^e censers, thou shalte bee deliuered from all these punishmentes. To this Eulalia made no aunswer, but beyng in a great fury she spitteth in the tirātes face, she throweth downe the idoles, and spurneth abrode with her fete the heape of insence prepared to the censours. Thē, without further delay, the hangmen with both their strēgths toke her, and puld one ioynte from an other, and with þ^e talentes of wylde beastes, scotched her sydes to the hard bones: MarginaliaEulalia singeth, & praiseth God in her tormentes.she all this while singing & praysing God in thys wyse. Behold O Lord I wyll not forget thee: What a pleasure is it for them O Christ that remember thy triumphant victories, to attayn vnto these high dignities, and still calleth vpon that holye name, all stayned & embrued with her owne bloud. This sang she wyth a bold stomacke, neither lamentinglye, nor yet wepinglye, but beyng glad and mery, abandoning from her mynd, all heauines & griefe, whē, as out of a warme fountain her mangled members with freshe bloud bathed her whyte and fayre skinne. MarginaliaEulalia put in the fyre.Then procede they to the last & fynall torment, which was, not onely the goryng & woundyng of her mangled body with the yron grate, and hurdel, & terrible harrowing of her flesh: but burned, on euery side with flaming torches her tormented brestes and sydes. Her heare hangyng aboute her shoulders in two partes deuided (wherwyth her shamefaste chastitie and Virginitie was couered) reached down to þ^e ground: MarginaliaThe end & Martirdom of Eulalia.but when the crackyng flame fleeth about her face, kyndled by her heare, and reacheth the crowne of her head: then she desyring swift death, openeth her mouth and swaloweth þ^e flame, and so rested she in peace.

MarginaliaEx Pradē.The said Prudentius, and Ado, also Equilinus adde more ouer, writyng of a white doue issuing oute of her mouth at her departyng, and of the fire quenched abouther body, also of her body, couered miraculouslye wyth snow, with other thyngs more, wherof let euery reader vse his owne iudgement.

MarginaliaAgnes. Martyr.As ye haue heard now the christian lyfe and constāt death of Eulalia, much worthy of prayse and commen-mendatiō: So no lesse honour is worthely to be geuē to blessed Agnes, that constant damsel and martyr of god, who as she was in Rome of honorable parentes begotten, so lyeth she there as honorably intombed and buryed. Which Agnes for her vnspotted and vndefiled virginitie, deserueth no greater prayse and commendation, then for her wylling death and martyrdome she deserueth. Some writers make of her a long discourse, more in my iudgement then necessary, reciting diuers and sūdry straunge myracles by her done in the processe of her history, MarginaliaStrange and vnnecessarie miracles omitted.which partly for tediousnes, partly for the doutfulnes of the autour (whom some father vpon Ambrose) & partly for the straungenes & incredibilitie therof, I omit: being satisfied with that which Prudentius briefly writeth of her, as foloweth: MarginaliaEx prudentio. lib. De coronis.She was (sayth he) young & not maryable, whē first she being dedicated to Christ, boldly resisted the wicked Edictes of the Emperor: least that through idolatry she might haue denyed and forsaken the holy fayth. But yet fyrst proued by diuers and sundry pollices to induce her to the same (as now wyth the flattering and entising wordes of the Iudge, nowe with the threatnings of the storming executioner) stoode notwithstanding, stedfast in all couragious strength: MarginaliaAgnes constant in the confessiē of her fayth.& wyllingly offred her body to hard & painfull torments, not refusing, as she sayd, to suffer what soeuer it should be, yea though it were death it selfe. Then said the cruel tyrant: if to suffer payne and torment be so easy a matter and lightly regarded of thee, and that thou accomptest thy lyfe nothing worth: yet the shame of thy dedicated or vowed virginitye, is a thing more regarded I know, & esteemed of thee. Wherfore this is determined, that vnles thou wylt make obeysaunce to the aulter of Minerua, and aske forgeuenes of her for thy arrogācy, MarginaliaAgnes threatned to the brodlehouse.thou shalt be sent or abandoned to the common stewes or brothel house. Agnes the virgyn, with more spirite & vehemency inuaieth against both Minerua and hir virginitie. The youth in sculs flocke and runne together, & craue that they may haue Agnes their ludibrious pray. Then sayth Agnes, MarginaliaAgnes bolde vpon the helpe of Christ.Christ is not so forgetfull of those that be his, that he wyll suffer violently to be taken from them their golden and pure chastity, neither wil he leaue them so destitute of helpe. He is alwaies at hand and ready to fight for such as are shamefast and chaste virgins, neither suffreth he his giftes of holy integritye or chastity to be polluted. Thou shalt saith she, willinglye bathe thy sword in my bloud if thou wilt, but thou shalt not defile my body with filthy lust, for any thing thou canst doo. She had no sooner spoken these woordes, but he cōmaunded that she shoulde be set naked at the corner of some streete, (which place at that tyme, suche as were strumpets commonly vsed) the greater part of the multitude both sorrowing and shaming to see so shameles a sight, went their waies, some turning their heads, some hiding their faces. MarginaliaThe incontinēt eyes of a yong mā beholding Agnes stroken out.But one amongest the rest, with vncircumcised eyes beholding the damsel, & that in muche opprobrious wise: behold, a flame of fire like vnto a flash of lightning, falleth vpon him, striketh his eyes oute of his head, and for dead falling to the ground, sprauleth in the chanel durt: whose companions taking hym vp, and carying him away, bewayled him as a dead man. But the virgyn for thys her miraculous deliuerye from the daunger and shame of that place, singeth prayses vnto God and Christ.

There be (sayth Prudentius) that report, howe that she being desired to pray vnto Christ for the party, that a lytle before wyth fire from heauen for his incontinencye was stricken, was restored by her prayer, both vnto